AYURVEDA PERSPECTIVE ON FEEL OVERWEIGHT

In Ayurveda, excess weight is considered a symptom of something deeper. 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 Overweight

There 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.

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