How To Promote Weight Loss With Ayurveda?

The incidence of obesity is on the rise in the last few decades. This is due to change in lifestyles and dietary patterns. While some want to lose weight from the entire body, others want to lose weight in their hips, arms, thighs, etc. The demand is both for cosmetic and health perspectives.

Another worrying aspect is the age at which obesity onsets. Childhood obesity is the new fear, gripping teenagers and even younger age groups. While most weight loss measures include starving oneself to achieve the desired weight, Ayurveda believes strongly that a holistic approach is what will work for weight loss.

Given that is it centuries old and is safer, it has assumed greater significance. The belief is that health happens when there is a balance between the three doshas – Vata, Kapha, and Pitta. The imbalance between these leads to diseases, including weight loss. Weight loss should be targeted in a multipronged approach to achieve holistic results.

Lifestyle changes:

1. Quit smoking. There are multiple benefits to this, and promoting weight loss is just one of it.
2. Quit or consume alcohol only in moderation. The issue is not with alcohol per se, but with the accompanying foods, which all lead to weight gain.
3. Develop and adhere to regular sleep routine of at least 7 to 8 hours
4. Indulge in yoga asanas like Ardha Chandraasana which are very useful for weight loss. Any yoga asana is aimed at improving blood circulation and metabolism and therefore promotes weight loss
5. Meditate, which helps in improving circulation and breathing and helps you realize and moderate eating habits

Dietary changes:

1. Dinner should never be the largest meal of the day.
2. Eat a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and dairy products to ensure you get the essential minerals and vitamins
3. Reduce the amount of refined and processed foods, so that salt, sugar are consumed in moderation
4. Reduce food items like rice, potato, salt, sugar, caffeine, processed foods, and refined foods.
5. Try herbs which are beneficial for weight loss including black pepper, ginger, wild gooseberries, liquorice
6. Drink sufficient water to flush out the toxins
7. Start the day with a glass of lukewarm water to which is added black pepper, honey, and lemon juice
8. A combination of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds can be boiled in water, strained and used as an excellent fat burner.
9. Honey and cinnamon powder is also useful in burning fat.

Massage:

There are special massages aimed at promoting weight loss like Udwarthanam and Abhyangam. They promote weight loss by breaking up the fatty deposits and reducing further fat accumulation. They also improve blood and lymphatic circulation and remove wastes.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!