7 tips to lose weight through simple ayurvedic methods
It has been 8 months since the pandemic has hit us. It has been a difficult time with changes in lifestyle, lack of activity and fear of the disease. As a result, many people have put on weight.
If you are looking to get back to your ideal weight, few simple methods from Ayurveda will help to support the weight loss process in a natural way. Do not rush into crash weight loss methods. How much ever time your body took to gain weight, at least give it half of that time to go back. What is the best way to lose weight? As per Ayurveda weight gain is because of increased Kapha dosha along with Vayu and Medo dhathu dosha.
As per Ayurveda due to excess food and lack of activities the channels from the gut will be blocked by excess Medas. Hence the activity of Vayu will be only in the gut area. So, the person will always feel hungry but the food they eat will not get absorbed properly. It is like imbalance of Agni and imbalance in absorption.
The treatment aspect of weight gain or Athistoola in Ayurveda, includes medicines that balance digestion and reduce fat, some external massages called Udwarthana or dry powder massage as well as food and lifestyle changes.
The tips to keep in mind are
- Drink warm water through out the day. Warm water or hot water will improve digestion and clear the channels.
- The food suggested by Ayurveda is Guru Apatharpana food. Food which is not easy to digest and will not add calories. That means food rich in fibre. Fruits and vegetables are good examples. Another tip is Rooksha kind of food. That means grains and pulses that will help in removing excess fat or water content in the body. This includes grains such as barley, ragi, bamboo rice and pulses like green gram, toor dal, corn, horse gram and chick pea in your food items.
- Other than food habits other things that will reduce Kapha and Medas are exercise and mild fasting.
- In Ayurveda fasting is to avoid food in Kapha kala. A day is divided into Vatha kala, Pitha kala and Kapha kala. Kapha kala is in the morning from 6-10 and in the evening from 6-10. During Kapha kala digestion will be weak. Avoid heavy food during Kapha kala. It is best to eat 2 meals per day. This may not be possible all the time as we are used to having 3 meals a day from childhood. So how can we manage that? Main meal should be lunch. Breakfast should be light liquid food and dinner should be as early as possible- best before sunset. At least by 7 Pm.
- Along with these, one of the supplements which can be taken on a daily basis is Triphala tablet. Have 2 Triphala tablets before going to bed. It is good for digestion and also cleanses your system.
- Avoid day time sleep and have proper night time sleep. Do not sleep late.
- Most of the time, weight gain will come from stress as well. So do Kapahala bhati and meditation regularly.
Having said these, these are just tips to support natural weight loss without any underlying medical condition. There can be some medical conditions like thyroid issues, PCOS, or other hormone changes as the cause of weight gain. Hence always consult a doctor before getting into any weight loss program.