Symptoms & Illnesses

In Ayurveda, weight loss is often defined as the process of achieving a healthy balance in the body’s doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) while reducing excess fat tissue. This definition emphasizes not just shedding pounds but also achieving overall well-being and balance in the body.
Ayurvedic texts describe weight loss as the result of restoring harmony and equilibrium to the body’s natural functions. It involves addressing the root causes of weight gain, which can vary from individual to individual but often include imbalances in digestion, metabolism, and lifestyle habits.
Ayurvedic weight loss strategies typically focus on:
-Identifying and balancing the individual’s constitution (prakriti) and current state of imbalance (vikriti).
-Correcting digestive imbalances, improving metabolism, and promoting proper elimination of wastes (ama).
-Adopting a balanced diet tailored to the individual’s constitution and digestive capacity, including fresh, whole foods and herbs that support weight loss.
-Incorporating regular physical activity and exercise appropriate for the individual’s constitution and health status.
-Managing stress and promoting mental well-being through practices like meditation, yoga, and relaxation techniques.
-Detoxifying and cleansing the body through Ayurvedic therapies such as Panchakarma to eliminate toxins and support the body’s natural detoxification processes.
-Daily routines (dinacharya) and seasonal routines (ritucharya) that promote overall health and balance.

Ayurvedic weight loss focuses on restoring harmony to the body and mind, promoting sustainable lifestyle changes, and achieving holistic well-being rather than simply targeting weight reduction.

In Ayurveda,weight loss is approached holistically, considering not only diet and exercise but also lifestyle factors that influence metabolism, digestion, and overall well-being. Here are some lifestyle recommendations for weight loss in Ayurveda:
•Follow a Balanced Diet: Eat a diet that is predominantly fresh, whole foods, including plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Avoid processed foods, refined sugars, and excessive consumption of heavy, oily, or fried foods. Meals should be well-balanced and satisfying, providing all essential nutrients.
•Eat Mindfully: Practice mindful eating by paying attention to the quality and quantity of food consumed. Chew food thoroughly, eat slowly, and avoid distractions such as TV or screens while eating. This helps improve digestion, prevents overeating, and enhances satisfaction from meals.
•Favour Warm, Cooked Foods: Opt for warm, cooked foods over cold or raw foods, as they are easier to digest and assimilate. Incorporate spices such as ginger, turmeric, cumin, and black pepper into meals, as they help stimulate digestion and metabolism.
•Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of warm or room temperature water throughout the day to support digestion and metabolism. Herbal teas such as ginger tea or green tea can also aid in weight loss by boosting metabolism and promoting detoxification.
•Establish Regular Meal Times: Eat meals at regular intervals and avoid skipping meals, as irregular eating patterns can disrupt metabolism and lead to overeating later in the day. Aim for three balanced meals per day, with small, healthy snacks if needed.
•Engage in Physical Activity: Incorporate regular physical activity into your daily routine to support weight loss and overall health. Choose activities that you enjoy and are sustainable, such as walking, yoga, swimming, or cycling. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week.
•Manage Stress: Chronic stress can contribute to weight gain by triggering hormonal imbalances and emotional eating. Practice stress-reducing techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, yoga, or spending time in nature to promote relaxation and emotional well-being.
•Get Adequate Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night, as inadequate sleep can disrupt metabolism and appetite-regulating hormones, leading to weight gain. Establish a regular sleep schedule, create a relaxing bedtime routine, and create a conducive sleep environment.
•Practice Self-Care: Prioritize self-care activities that nourish your body, mind, and spirit, such as meditation, massage, herbal baths, or spending time in nature. Taking time for self helps reduce stress, improve mood, and support overall well-being.
•Seek Professional Guidance: If you’re struggling to lose weight or have specific health concerns, consult with an Ayurvedic practitioner or healthcare provider who can provide personalised guidance and support based on your unique constitution and needs.
By incorporating these lifestyle recommendations into your daily routine, you can support healthy weight loss and overall well-being according to the principles of Ayurveda.

Vata and Kapha Dosha balance: All the food and diet activities that balance down Vata and Kapha Dosha should be taken up.A few ways to balance Kapha – Vata Dosha are:Ayurvedic cure – Decoction enema with strong herbs that are hot in nature is administered. Decoction enema, also called as Kashaya basti is a type of Panchakarma treatment, which helps to balance Vata and also useful in the correction of fat tissue conversion into bone tissue (medo dhatu – asthi dhatu)
Dry Powder massage – Also called as Rooksha Udvartana – powder massage with herbs having dry quality – usually, ingredients like horse gram, jujube, Black gram, Devadaru, Rasna, etc are used for this purpose. The purpose of the powder massage is to burn down the fat deposited underneath the skin, especially in tummy, thighs and buttock areas.

Specific herbs to treat obesity:
-Vidanga (Embeliaribes Burm f.), Nagara (ginger), Yavaksara (Kshara prepared from Barley), Loha Bhasma with honey and powder of Yava – barley and Amla.
Intake of Guduchi (Tinspora cordifolia), Musta (Cyperus rotundus), -Triphala (Haritaki (Terminalia chebula Linn.), Bibhitaki (Terminalia belericaroxb.) And Amalaka (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) – Triphala and Guduchi are very useful to burn fat and to correct the fat – bone tissue transition.
-Administration of honey along with decoction of Bilva panchamula (roots of Bael, Oroxylum indicum, Gmelina arborea, Stereospermumsuaveolens and Clerodendrum phlomidis)
Shilajit (asphaltum)
-Administration of the juice of Agnimantha (Clerodendrum phlomidis Linn. F.)
Alcoholic preparations that help to reduce fat, muscle and Kapha may be used as after-food-drinks. – Such as Ayaskriti, Lohasavam etc

Recommended diet and lifestyle
Regular exercise schedule – It can be as simple as walking, jogging, cycling etc. Just for half an hour per day. Morning or evening. If you do it in the morning, you will feel less tired. You have to do it till you have few sweat droplets on forehead, chest and thighs. Click here to read more about Benefits of gym
Drink half a glass of water just before food, it will reduce the appetite a little bit. Do not drink more than half a glass of water.
Eating slowly, it decreases hunger. Eat till the time you still are feeling hungry.
Include Barley (Hordeum vulgare) in your diet. Make barley flour, add water and a pinch of salt, and make it a bolus. Then roll it into flat circle shaped cakes, (very thin) and heat it on a pan. This is called Chapati in India, usually made of Wheat, but to lose weight quickly, it can be made from barley and eaten. The taste will be the same, but it is more beneficial to lose weight quickly.

Avoid sweets, sweet tasting drinks and food articles, wherever you can. Tea, Coffee, cakes, bakery sweets, aerated drinks, colas, avoid these good-for-nothing things. If coffee and tea are a regular in your diet then, have them, but with very little sugar.
Replace curds with buttermilk.
If you really want sweets, eat fruits. Grapes, Apple, banana, whatever you wish to, but again in a limited quantity, not adding any sugar to it.
Avoid all types of oily food stuffs and junk foods.
Eat at regular time schedules. Try to fix a time-table and try fixing to that as much as you can.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day. It helps in flushing out toxins.
Small meals at frequent intervals is better than big meals 2 or 3 times a day.
Drink a spoonful of honey and lemon juice, on empty stomach. Then drink a glass of warm water.

Get enough sleep – Lack of restful sleep lowers your energy throughout the day. You need good sleep so that you can extract maximum benefits out of your exercise / Yoga schedule.

We encourage you to arrange an appointment with our esteemed specialist for further insight and personalised guidance.Please click on the link provided below to schedule a consultation with our expert.