Weight loss and Chinese Medicine: part 3 – when doing all the “right things” doesn’t work

Sometimes I just hate that scale

I said I’d be very honest about this journey, so here it is: so far, it’s not going that well. And I suspect this will feel very familiar to many women dealing with peri-menopause, insulin resistance, PCOS and ongoing stress.

What's been going on

Over the last few weeks I’ve cut out alcohol and refined sugar completely (sweets, cakes, biscuits, ice cream etc). I’m sleeping better than usual, keeping calories around 1800 per day, and eating more protein than I normally would. I’ve also reintroduced more carbohydrates in the form of bread, and I’m having more oat milk and cow’s milk than usual. Alongside that, I’ve been leaning into high-protein yoghurt, hummus and plenty of celery as easy, convenient options.

I’ll be honest: I’m still craving sweet foods and working hard to resist them. From a Chinese Medicine perspective, this isn’t surprising. Strong sweet cravings often reflect a digestive system that’s under strain and looking for quick energy. One reassuring sign is that increasing protein has definitely helped reduce the intensity of these cravings, even if they haven’t disappeared completely yet.

Despite all of this, I’ve gained half a pound and feel more bloated than ever.

What Chinese Medicine says in happening

I was planning to write this week about reducing refined sugar, but instead I want to share what Chinese Medicine says is likely going on — because from this perspective, this response actually makes sense.

In Chinese Medicine, this kind of bloating, heaviness and short-term weight gain doesn’t suggest a lack of willpower. It points to digestion struggling to keep up. When digestion, hormones and the stress response are all under pressure — as they often are in midlife — the body can struggle to process food and fluids efficiently. Rather than letting go, it holds on. This holding pattern is often accompanied by cravings for sweet or starchy foods, as the body looks for fast fuel.

Foods like bread, larger amounts of oat milk or cow’s milk, high-protein yoghurt, hummus and lots of raw or cold foods (like celery eaten straight from the fridge) can all be perfectly healthy choices, but in this phase they may be heavier or harder to digest, adding to bloating rather than helping the body release weight.

What should I be doing about it?

From an acupuncture theory point of view, the focus right now isn’t on “burning fat” or pushing harder. It’s on supporting digestion, calming the nervous system and helping the body move out of this protective state. Weight loss, in this model, is something that follows balance — not something to be forced.

So instead of tightening the reins further, my focus over the next week is on support. I’ll be:

 - prioritising warm, cooked foods to make digestion easier

 - temporarily easing back on heavier or colder foods that may be contributing to bloating

 - continuing to prioritise protein to support blood sugar and reduce cravings

 - and using acupuncture on myself to support digestion, stress regulation and hormonal balance

This is a short-term experiment, not a forever rule. The aim is to give my system a bit of breathing space and see how it responds.

In summary

This stage of the journey is an important one to share, because weight loss in midlife is rarely linear. Sometimes the body needs a pause — and the right kind of support — before it’s ready to move forward again.

I’ll keep you posted, honestly, on how this next phase goes.