YouHealth Singapore is highlighting a personalised approach to TCM weight management that looks beyond kilograms lost. Led by Sinseh Goh (Kelvin Goh), a Registered TCM Physician in Singapore, the approach combines individualised TCM care, acupuncture, dietary guidance, muscle preservation and long-term weight maintenance, with a focus on supporting healthier ageing and quality of life.
SINGAPORE, 7 October 2026 — For Sinseh Goh (Kelvin Goh), Registered TCM Physician and founder of YouHealth Singapore, weight management should not be measured only by how many kilograms a person loses.
It should also consider body composition, muscle preservation, eating habits and whether progress can realistically be maintained.
“Many people first come to me because they want to become slimmer,” said Sinseh Goh. “There is nothing wrong with wanting to look better. But I want patients to eventually see weight management as something bigger — we are also preparing the body for how we want to live and function as we grow older.”
This philosophy has shaped Sinseh Goh’s personalised approach to TCM weight management, combining individualised TCM care and acupuncture with practical dietary guidance, attention to body composition and longer-term maintenance.
Looking Beyond the Scale
One principle Sinseh Goh emphasises is that body weight alone does not always reflect the full picture.
Some patients may notice their waist becoming smaller or their clothes fitting more loosely even when their weight changes relatively little. Changes in fat mass, lean mass and hydration can all influence the number shown on a scale.
“The scale is one measurement, but it isn’t the whole outcome,” said Sinseh Goh. “If someone is becoming smaller while preserving their muscle, I don’t want them to think they have failed simply because their weight didn’t drop dramatically that week.”
Where appropriate, progress may therefore be considered using weight together with measurements such as waist circumference, body composition, clothing fit and overall physical wellbeing.
Preserving Muscle and Learning How to Eat
Rather than encouraging patients simply to eat less, Sinseh Goh guides them on practical food choices throughout their weight-management journey.
Adequate protein is one area of emphasis because it can support satiety and help preserve lean mass during weight reduction, particularly alongside appropriate physical activity and resistance exercise.
“Losing ten kilograms doesn’t necessarily mean all ten kilograms came from body fat,” he explained. “We should think about what we are trying to reduce and what we want to preserve.”
Dietary guidance is therefore not built around extreme restriction or a rigid list of foods. Instead, patients are guided on how to structure their meals, make more appropriate food choices, manage hunger and cravings, and develop an eating pattern they can realistically maintain.
“I don’t want patients to feel that successful weight management means constantly being hungry,” said Sinseh Goh. “The goal is to teach them how to eat in a way that supports their progress and can eventually become part of normal life.”
For Sinseh Goh, this education is particularly important because treatment cannot replace the habits a patient follows every day.
“Ultimately, I want patients to understand how to eat for themselves, rather than feeling that they need to be on a diet forever.”
Understanding the Person Behind the Weight
Sinseh Goh also considers why an individual may find weight management difficult.
Some patients experience persistent hunger or cravings. Others struggle with late-night eating, stress-related eating, poor sleep or digestive concerns.
“Sometimes patients already know what healthy food looks like,” he said. “Giving them another diet sheet doesn’t necessarily solve the problem. We need to understand what is making it difficult for that particular person.”
This is where the individualised nature of Traditional Chinese Medicine becomes relevant to his approach.
Chinese herbal medicine is prescribed according to an individual TCM assessment rather than using one standard slimming formula for every patient.
Depending on the individual, the assessment may consider factors such as appetite, digestion, bowel habits, sleep, stress, energy levels and other aspects of their health.
The Role of Acupuncture
Acupuncture may also be incorporated according to the individual’s presentation.
Sinseh Goh frequently incorporates abdominal acupuncture alongside other acupuncture points selected according to the patient’s needs.
Rather than viewing acupuncture simply as a way of “burning fat”, Sinseh Goh incorporates it within a broader approach that considers appetite, digestion, eating patterns, sleep, stress and general health.
“The abdomen may be part of the treatment, but I still need to understand the person behind the weight,” he said. “If someone is constantly hungry, struggling with cravings, eating because of stress, sleeping poorly or experiencing digestive problems, those things matter to me.”
Acupuncture is therefore used as one component of a broader personalised weight-management programme rather than being presented as a standalone solution.
Losing Weight Is Only the First Phase
Another important part of Sinseh Goh’s approach is what happens after a patient loses weight.
Weight regain is a common challenge following weight loss. For Sinseh Goh, this means reaching a target weight should not automatically mark the end of the journey.
“Losing weight is one achievement,” he said. “Learning how to live at the new weight is another.”
Patients may therefore gradually move towards a maintenance phase focused on sustainable nutrition, adequate protein, physical activity, eating behaviour and lifestyle habits.
The objective is not to promise that weight regain will never happen. Instead, Sinseh Goh wants patients to better understand their bodies and recognise the habits and circumstances that previously made maintaining a healthy weight difficult.
“My ideal outcome isn’t that somebody has to depend on treatment forever,” he said. “I want them to understand what to eat, how to stay active and how to maintain what they have achieved.”
From Slimming to Healthy Ageing
Ultimately, Sinseh Goh believes weight management should extend beyond aesthetics.
As people grow older, preserving muscle, mobility and physical function becomes increasingly important to maintaining quality of life.
This changes the question from simply:
“How much weight can I lose?”
to:
“What kind of body do I want to live in as I grow older?”
“Looking better can absolutely be part of the motivation,” said Sinseh Goh. “But I also want patients to think about their future quality of life. We want to reduce unnecessary excess fat while preserving the things that will continue to serve the body as it ages.”
His philosophy can be summarised simply:
Reduce excess fat. Preserve muscle. Build sustainable habits. Maintain the progress. Age with strength.
At YouHealth, this philosophy brings together individual TCM assessment, Chinese herbal medicine where appropriate, acupuncture, dietary guidance, body-composition awareness and longer-term weight maintenance.
Readers can learn more about TCM weight management in Singapore through YouHealth.
Treatment suitability and outcomes vary between individuals. TCM weight-management care should be based on an appropriate individual assessment and should complement appropriate nutrition, physical activity and medical care where necessary.
This press release has also been published on VRITIMES