Ayurvedic Weight Loss: Natural Remedies, Diet, and Ayurvedic Supplements
Obesity has become a challenge. While some people want to be slim to achieve the latest beauty standards, others wish to fit into their favorite clothes. But no matter how many diets we follow, how many calories we count, how many hours we spend gyming, or how many days we fast, we never seem to lose even an inch. Why? Are all diets fads, or are we doing something wrong?
Let’s put it this way. Every individual has a different constitution. No two individuals have the exact same personality, not even identical twins. Similarly, no two individuals have the same body. So how do we expect the same diet or workouts to work for different people?
The healthcare science of Ayurveda originated almost five centuries ago and explains that the human body is made of vital energies called the Doshas. Each individual has a unique dosha composition and a different body type. So, if we create diet plans, exercise routines, and natural remedies for specific body types, they will have a tenfold effect on individuals’ weight loss journeys.
Let’s first understand the principle of weight gain in Ayurveda.
Ayurvedic Perspective on Weight Gain
According to Ayurveda, the human body is composed of five elements of nature: the Earth, Sun, Space, Water, and Air. These five elements combine to form vital energies, also known as body doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Each dosha governs different aspects of the human body. An imbalance in one or all of these energies is the root cause of many diseases we face today.
Most of the lifestyle diseases including hormonal imbalance, obesity, hypertension, thyroid, diabetes, etc are somehow caused by the dosha imbalance. Obesity is one such health issue that is primarily caused by an imbalance in these dosha. Here’s how each dosha body type gains weight.
- Kapha-dominant individuals: Kapha dosha is responsible for stability, structure, and lubrication. Kapha-types are generally strong build, tall but lazy. People with a Kapha constitution are prone to gain weight due to slow metabolism and fluid retention. They often feel lethargic and sluggish due to their body constitution which makes them gain weight easily.
- Vata-dominant individuals: Vata element is related to bodily functions of movements like blood flow, breathing, flow of thoughts, elimination of waste, etc. Vata imbalance can affect the elimination of waste causing poor digestion, bloating, slow metabolism, and less absorption of nutrients. Vata imbalance also causes fatigue, lack of focus, and stress. These individuals often gain weight due to erratic eating habits and stress eating.
- Pitta-dominant individuals: The Pitta element is responsible for shaping physical appearance, the way you process emotions, and the process of digestion. Pitta-type individuals mostly have strong digestion due to the strong fire element. An imbalance of pitta can lead to poor digestion, acidity, and fat accumulation in certain areas leading to weight gain.
Ayurvedic Principles for Weight Loss
Ayurveda has been around for 5000 years now. Modern-day fitness trends or diets may come and go but Ayurveda has time-tested approaches that balance the body, mind, and soul and help reduce weight in all-natural ways. Ayurveda provides practical solutions that align with your body’s unique constitution. Ayurvedic weight loss focuses on balancing the body’s internal energies, enhancing digestion, and adopting a lifestyle that promotes long-term well-being.
Once you identify your body doshas, you can tailor a weight loss plan that works with your body’s natural tendencies rather than against them. Your weight loss plan should emphasize a balanced lifestyle, mindful eating, and natural herbs to support sustainable weight loss. Here are some fundamental Ayurvedic principles to remember while taking the Ayurvedic routine for weight loss.
Boost your digestive fire (Agni)
According to Ayurveda, slow metabolism is the primary reason for obesity. Primarily slow metabolism is caused by dull Agni or the digestive fire. The top reasons for a dull digestive fire are dehydration, unhealthy food habits, processed or stale food, or highly saturated fats. If you want to start your weight loss journey, the first thing is to strengthen your agni by making simple changes in life.
- Stay hydrated with warm water, herbal teas, fresh ayurvedic drinks, or milk and enhance digestion.
- Avoid sugary, packed juices, soft drinks, or other iced beverages. They slow down agni.
- Try eating fresh produce, seasonal fruits, and multiple grains according to the season.
Follow a Dosha-Balancing Diet
According to Ayurveda, every individual has a different dosha composition. The dominant dosha creates the overall personality, body, and individual nature. At the same time, if one or more doshas are imbalanced, they lead to health issues like weight gain. To keep up with your weight loss journey, follow a dosha-pacifying diet.
- For Kapha Types: Reduce heavy, oily, and cold foods. Favor warm, spicy, and light meals.
- For Vata Types: Eat grounding and nourishing foods like ghee, warm milk, and cooked grains.
- For Pitta Types: Consume cooling foods but avoid excessive oils and processed foods.
Eat according to the Ayurvedic clock.
Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of keeping up a routine as per the Ayurvedic clock. The Ayurvedic clocks help synchronize our body’s rhythm with nature’s rhythm. If you follow the Ayurvedic clock, it will not only keep you energetic, but also reduce stress, and lethargy and improve sleep quality- all essential for an effective weight loss journey. According to the Ayurvedic clock, always
- Start your day around sunrise and indulge in physical activity when you are full of energy after a good night’s sleep.
- Have your largest meal at noon when digestion is at its peak.
- Opt for early dinners around dusk to allow proper digestion before bedtime.
- Sleep around 10 PM. This time is reserved for deep sleep and organ healing.
- Avoid late-night eating, as it disrupts metabolism.
Once you start adopting these principles of Ayurveda, you can commence your weight loss journey with a bang and get the most out of it. The next step is to change your lifestyle according to Ayurveda.
Ayurvedic Lifestyle for Weight Loss
Changing your everyday routine or dincharya can predominate your weight loss journey. Ayurvedic lifestyle is pretty straightforward and doesn’t require any special assistance. Just create a daily routine and try to stick to it. Include these things in your daily dincharya for maximum effect.
- Start your day with warm water: Drink warm water immediately after you get up. The warm water helps dispense accumulated toxins, kickstarts metabolism alkalizes the body, and aids digestion.
- Practice everyday at-home detox: At-home detox includes oil pulling, tongue scraping, abhyanga (daily self-oil massage), and nasya. These practices improve your connection with yourself, enhance brain function, improve blood circulation, clean out accumulated bacteria from the nose and tongue, and stimulate the lymphatic system.
- Physical Activity: Make sure to engage in 30 to 60-minute workouts at least 6 times per week. You can choose a physical activity like cardio, swimming, yoga poses, walking, or running. Walking for 30 minutes daily improves digestion and prevents fat accumulation. Plus, physical activity also helps burn the accumulated fat to reduce weight.
- Prioritize quality sleep: Good sleep is one of the three pillars of good health and essential for effective weight loss. Poor sleep disrupts hormonal balance, leading to weight gain while quality sleep enhances body healing and metabolism, helping with weight loss. Ayurveda recommends going to bed by 10 PM and waking up early to align with natural circadian rhythms.
- Keep stress at bay: Stress is a silent killer. It triggers overeating and weight gain. Breathing exercises or medication works wonders to rescue stress, calm the mind, and reduce cortisol levels.
Ayurvedic Herbs and Supplements For Weight Loss
By following Ayurvedic principles and lifestyle, you can certainly improve your chance of weight loss but not everybody works the same way. Many of you need a little extra boost from ayurvedic herbs and supplements to speed up your weight loss process. Several Ayurvedic herbs can aid in weight loss by enhancing metabolism and reducing fat accumulation.
- Triphala: Triphala is a blend of three fruits- Amla, Haritaki, Bibhitaki. It can detoxify the body, improve digestion, and enhance fat metabolism.
- Guggul: A plant gum resin known for reducing cholesterol and breaking down fat cells. It also helps reduce cravings and suppress appetite, aiding weight loss.
- Fenugreek (Methi): Fenugreek is fiber-rich and helps improve overall metabolism. It also regulates blood sugar levels and suppresses appetite for effective weight loss.
- Ginger (Adrak): It is a natural metabolism booster that aids digestion and reduces bloating.
- Cinnamon (Dalchini): Regulates blood sugar and helps prevent fat storage.
You can add these natural ayurvedic herbs to your diet or use these ayurvedic products to aid weight loss. The top Ayurvedic supplements available at Ayurveda Megastore for weight loss are:
- Kudos Moringa Plus Capsules: This unique combination of Moringa and eight other vital herbs in this capsule helps in diabetes management and is an effective remedy for weight loss, especially for those who are gaining weight due to diabetes.
- Ayurveda Yogashram Remedies Fat Heal: This ayurvedic supplement is the best solution to reduce weight. It is a 100% natural herbal formula created after 25 years of research. It helps toning the body and reduces the sagging of the extra body fat.
- Herbal Hills Garciniahills Capsules: This ayurvedic supplement aids fat metabolism, helps maintain healthy lipid levels, controls appetite, and aids weight management.
- Bacfor B-slim Tablets: This ayurvedic supplement boosts basal metabolic rate to burn calories and shed weight. It also keeps the conversion of other bio-molecules into fat in check, prevents fat deposition, and breaks down excess fat to aid weight management.
- Himalaya Ayurslim Capsules: The main ingredient of this ayurvedic supplement- Garcinia limits fat production. Other essential ingredients are Gymnema, which reduces sweet cravings, and Indian Bdellium- which reduces excess cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
- Vyas Medhohar Guggul: This unique ayurvedic preparation burns extra body fat and improves digestive functions.
- Birla Healthcare Ayurveda Varandi Kashyam: Kashyam is an ayurvedic drink, known to aid weight loss by improving digestion, and metabolism, and detoxifying the liver.
- SG Phytopharma Dercin Plus Capsules: This ayurvedic supplement is a proven remedy for obesity. It lowers the LDL/HDL ratio, maintains BMR by correcting impaired liver processes, and regulates the enzymatic channel involved in metabolism. This supplement also controls appetite and overcomes hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipidemia to reduce weight.
Ayurvedic Detox for Weight Loss
Even with changes, herbs, and supplements, sometimes our bodies need an extra nudge in the right direction to aid weight loss with a gentle detox. A gentle detox can help reset digestion, eliminate toxins (Ama), and contribute to weight loss.
Mono Diet or Kitchari Cleanse: Your body gets tired of processing heavy diets and needs rest to reset. A mono-diet of Kitchari- a mix of rice, lentils, and spices can give that much-needed rest to your digestive system. 3-5 days of eating a mono-diet of light, digestible food helps detoxify the digestive system while providing essential nutrients.
Liquid Fasting with Herbal Teas: Drinking herbal teas for a day can help clean out the accumulated toxins in the digestive tract. Herbal teas made with cumin, coriander, ginger, dlachini, or fennel detoxify and improve metabolism.
Panchakarma Therapy: These are deep Ayurvedic detox programs that can be done under medical supervision. If simple at-home detox is not working, panchakarma therapies like oil massages, steam baths, and herbal treatments are the best way to flush out toxins and kickstart your body functions to aid weight loss, reduce inflammation, and boost metabolism.
Final Thoughts: Sustainable Weight Loss with Ayurveda
Ayurveda is the oldest healthcare science on this planet with a treasure trove of natural remedies. It offers holistic solutions for the prevention, and treatment of diseases and teaches a way of life to stay fit. Ayurveda emphasizes sustainable weight loss by focusing on mindful eating, natural herbs, and lifestyle modifications. With a basic understanding of your body, you can achieve effective weight loss by following basic Ayurvedic principles with lifestyle modifications and incorporating Ayurvedic supplements from Ayurveda Megastore into your everyday routine.
Start by making small changes—drink warm water, incorporate Ayurvedic herbs, stay active, and eat according to your dosha. Over time, these habits will not only help you lose weight but also improve your overall well-being.
Are you ready to embrace Ayurveda for a healthier, leaner you? Try these tips, share your experiences, and visit the Ayurveda Megastore to get your hands on top Ayurvedic products and supplements online.