School of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion
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SYMPTOMS & AYURVEDIC REMEDIES
FEEL OVERWEIGHTWHAT DOES IT MEAN? WHAT'S CAUSING IT? WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Are you prone to a problem with 'Feel overweight'?
Overweight is not a feeling. In Ayurveda, excess weight is considered a symptom, not a problem. You might feel physically heavy, puffy, or sluggish; perhaps there is a feeling of discomfort in overly tight clothing or a shame about the number on the scale that makes you believe you are overweight. External measures like the Body Mass Index (BMI) can cause us to doubt the healthfulness of our weight, yet the validity of these measures are questionable. Many athletes are diagnosed as "obese" because their muscle mass artificially contributes to a high BMI. In 1998 doctors lowered the BMI threshold for overweight a whole five points. Suddenly, people who felt healthy the year before started to believe they were overweight. Accordingly, Ayurveda rejects these external standards and instead asks us to dig deeper to discover a healthy weight. Why weight?You might be tempted to view weight loss as a kind of universal panacea for your problems. Weight gain is often the scapegoat when you feel anxiety over loss of control, hopelessness, and failure. For these reasons, it is important to get clear about why you want to lose weight. Is your diet program a way of healing and loving your overweight body, or punishing it? What would having a slimmer body symbolize for you...improved energy, better health, more fulfilling relationships? Clarifying these goals at the outset can help you also identify other imbalances contributing to weight gain."Big-boned" versus OverweightThere is no optimum weight in Ayurveda. Instead, Ayurveda considers factors beyond weight to determine the state of your health. A person with a hearty constitution (kapha) may carry around more weight than a delicate one (vata), but these are not necessarily indications of ill-health. Instead, Ayurveda recommends assessing your health by reflecting on how you feel: what is your energy level like? Do you wake up feeling light and energized, or groggy, puffy, and heavy? Is your lymphatic system congested? Are your emotions stable?It is more important to feel good in your body than to see a low number on the scale. Poor energy, sluggish metabolism, low thyroid, and an inability to exercise are more relevant than weight when it comes to health in Ayurveda. You might also consider the size of your ancestors and parents: is your family naturally heavier and more "big-boned" than others? Taking the dosha quiz helps you clarify your body type and set more realistic, and healthy weight loss goals. Discipline?Ayurveda shows you why discipline is not the answer. Instead, Ayurveda's unique approach to weight loss helps you interpret and make sense of your food cravings, so that you can satisfy cravings and make good choices. Understanding your body is key to bridging the gap between unruly cravings and discipline.Improve Your Circulation
Fat tissue blocks circulation. Blood that is rich in sugars, fats and proteins is thicker and also harder to circulate. As your circulation becomes more and more sluggish, so does your metabolism. Ayurveda often treats weight gain and food cravings as a complication of congestion in the circulatory system, a Kapha imbalance. Taking a brisk 15 to 30 minute walk in the morning is a good way to get your blood moving. Drinking warm, spiced drinks like ginger or the weight-reducing tea (link to lemon, cayenne, honey recipe) is also effective.
Develop a Strong Routine
A good eating and sleeping routine is an important step to taking control of your diet. It is impossible to make great food choices when you're late for work and starving, or exhausted from a long day with no food in the pantry. The more erratic your meal schedule, the more likely you likely you are to snack between meals and struggle with strong, unruly food cravings.
Build a Better Relationship with Food
To lose weight, you'll have to cultivate a great relationship with food. Start paying attention to how food makes you feel. How does it taste and what are its qualities? Notice the difference between how you feel after a light meal like kale salad as opposed to a heavy meal like pasta. Start noticing your hunger and food cravings. What do these say about the body? Are you reaching for food out of physical hunger in the stomach or an emotional hunger in the mind? Ayurveda teaches you how to understand your hunger and cravings by discovering a deeper relationship with your body. Through Ayurveda, you can learn to truly enjoy food and discover its unique effects on your body and your weight.
Find out more...
Attend this Weight Loss Cleanse & Diet Program for a step by step approach to help you start losing weight. Disclaimer: Conditions such as 'Feel overweight' that cause tissue changes could be serious and should be checked by a medical doctor. STAGE OF DISEASE 3 - ATTACKING TISSUEIf you have symptoms in this category it means that your imbalances are becoming stronger and weakening your body's resistance. Most people have a weakness in one or more organs. These areas of weakness are the 'weak link in the chain.' They are first to succumb when an imbalance reaches a tipping point. Repairing imbalances in this category often represent your last opportunity to prevent disease. At any moment, these imbalances could overwhelm weakened tissue and develop into a disease. You may feel pain or discomfort in the weakened area. At this stage you will need to support the weakened tissue with specialized foods and herbs for the weakened tissue.ARE YOU NEW TO AYURVEDA?Are you wondering what Ayurveda is and how to use it for 'Feel overweight' and health in general? LEARN MOREFAVOR HERBS WITH THESE MEDICINAL PROPERTIESIngredient and herbs each have unique effects on the various organs of your body. Herbalists study these effects and categorize them, so it is easy to identify which foods and herbs are most helpful for your unique body type. Click on the medicinal properties below to learn more about them, and to figure out which recipes, ingredients and products will be a good match for you. Individual results will vary depending upon the root cause of your imbalance. The following medicinal properties are useful for a general case of 'Feel overweight'. You must independently verify whether these medicinal properties address the root causes of your case of Feel overweight.Digestion: Appetite suppressant , APPETITE-SUPPRESSANTSuppresses hunger without causing weight gainAntiemetic ANTIEMETICHerbs that reduce nausea or stop vomiting.Energy Vitality Strength: Stimulates energy STIMULATES-ENERGYThis category groups thyroid and adrenal stimulating herbsHeart & Circulation: Cardiac stimulant , CARDIAC-STIMULANTHerbs that increase the heart rate. Useful in cardiovascular health, blood stagnation, and subjective feeling of heaviness in the chest area.Cardiac Tonic CARDIAC-TONICStrengthens and tones the heart. Cardiac tonics are used to treat a wide range of heart issues.Liver & Gall Bladder: Cholagogue CHOLAGOGUECholagogues stimulate the release of bile from the gall bladder for improved digestion.Skin Care & Beauty: Diaphoretic DIAPHORETICAn herb that induces sweating, often by dilating blood vessels close to the skin.Weight Loss: Hypolipidemic HYPOLIPIDEMICScrapes fats / cleanses blood vesselsBowel-Poop-Elimination: General Laxative GENERAL-LAXATIVEPromotes a bowel movement. General laxative is an umbrella term that refers to several different types of laxatives... Click here for general Weight Loss Tips
DISCLAIMER: The pathogenesis of each person's condition is unique, and so the diet must be fit to the individual and the unique root causes of the condition in your body. The best way to do this is with a one on one consultation. DIET REMEDIES FOR 'FEEL OVERWEIGHT'PRODUCTS REMEDIES FOR 'FEEL OVERWEIGHT'1. EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR FEEL OVERWEIGHTBrowse these educational resources for 'Feel overweight'.2. SPECIALITY FORMULAS FOR FEEL OVERWEIGHTWe've specially chosen these products because of their potential for healing imbalances associated with 'Feel overweight'. Choose a product from this list that also matches your imbalanced doshas and qualities, to ensure a good fit. Please review these products to determine which are right for you. Before making any changes to your health and wellness routine, please check with your medical doctor.LOOKING FOR WEIGHT LOSS RELATED PRODUCTS?
See our herbs & products in these categories:
REMOVE THE CAUSES OF YOUR IMBALANCEFEEL OVERWEIGHT USUALLY MEANS THESE |
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| GUNA | DO YOU HAVE THIS IMBALANCE? |
|---|---|
OILY
Oily refers to anything fatty, or that increases fat.
|
 Status UnknownTake these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Oily' guna |
HEAVY
Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight.
|
Status UnknownTake these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Heavy' guna |
GOOEY
Gooey is identified by anything gelatinous (such as oatmeal), or by mucus congestion.
|
Status UnknownTake these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Gooey' guna |
SWEET
Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
|
Status UnknownTake these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Sweet' taste |
To learn more about the symbols above, click on them.
Are you prone to a problem with 'Feel overweight'?
Find your imbalances and create a diet for your Weight by taking the
free weight loss quiz.
RELATED SYMPTOMS & HABITS
The following symptoms & habits may be related to 'Feel overweight'. See your quiz results for a computerized assessment of your body type. Please click on the symptoms below to learn more about them.
DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR UNIQUE BODY?
HOW AYURVEDA WORKS
ARE YOU WONDERING HOW AYURVEDA CAN HELP YOU?WHY IS AYURVEDA THE RIGHT SOLUTION?
Ayurveda strengthens the body, in addition to addressing the disorder. It take a holistic, systemic approach, instead of myopically focusing on the disorder in question. Ayurveda shows a person how to interpret signs and symptoms of imbalance, and how to address them using materials from home, so they can optimize their health on a continual basis. You can't take the doctor home with you, but you can take Ayurveda home with you. Ayurveda is the most advanced and easy to use home system for self healing with an exceptional focus on digestion.HOW DOES AYURVEDA WORK?
Ayurveda starts by identifying your body type, which identifies certain tendencies in your body to get sick (as well as identifying your strengths). It uses body type to determine the likely root causes of your disorders. Next, Ayurveda analyzes the nature of your disorder. It fits all your signs and symptoms into a pattern, expressed as a combination of gunas / qualities. For example, you may have a heat disorder, a cold disorder, or an oily disorder, etc. This simple categorical approach shows you how to correct systemic imbalances and strengthen your body as a whole.On Joyful Belly, we've created an extensive categorization of food so you can easily match food to your imbalances (gunas). By eating an optimal diet that balances your gunas, your whole body is strengthened and the conditions that created the disorder are removed. Once the root causes of the disease are removed, the disease lessens in strength or disappears altogether. Additional remedies - such as herbs and lifestyle practices - focused on the specific disorder, can greatly enhance your healing.
Want to learn more about Ayurveda and its step-by-step approach to healing? Click below.
LEARN MOREGET STARTED
To get started on your Ayurvedic journey, we first recommend that your find your body type by taking our free quiz. In Ayurveda, every solution is based on your unique body type, so by taking this quiz, you’ll get the best results.5 WAYS TO HEAL YOUR BODY
WITH AYURVEDA - FREE REPORT!
About the Author
John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda. His approach to Ayurveda exudes a certain ease, which many find enjoyable and insightful. His online course Balance Your Ayurvedic Diet in a Week provides tools for gracefully healing with Ayurveda to thousands. John also directs Joyful Belly's School of Ayurveda , which specializes in digestive tract pathology & Ayurvedic nutrition. John and his wife Natalie recently published Explore Your Hunger: A Guide to Hunger, Appetite & Food.John's interest in Ayurveda and digestive tract pathology was inspired by a complex digestive disorder acquired from years of international travel, including his public service work in South Asia. John's commitment to the detailed study of digestive disorders reflects his zeal to get down to the roots of the problem. His hope and belief in the capacity of each & every client to improve their quality of life is nothing short of a personal passion. John's creativity in the kitchen and delight in cooking for others comes from his family oriented upbringing. In addition to his certification in Ayurveda, John holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University.
John enjoys sharing Ayurveda within the context of his Catholic roots, and finds Ayurveda gives him an opportunity to participate in the healing mission of the Church. Jesus expressed God's love by feeding and healing the sick. That kindness is the fundamental ministry of Ayurveda as well.
Comments & Personal Experiences
How does 'feel overweight' affect your quality of life? What aggravates it? What has helped you? Is there something you'd like to know about 'feel overweight'?
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