Ayurvedic Treatment For Obesity

A status with BODY WEIGHT that is grossly above the acceptable or desirable weight, usually due to accumulation of excess FATS in the body. The standards may vary with age, sex, genetic or cultural background. In the BODY MASS INDEX, a BMI greater than 30.0 kg/m2 is considered obese, and a BMI greater than 40.0 kg/m2 is considered morbidly obese

Ayurveda identifies eight different types of bodies that are prone to diseases. Out of these, an obese body is described as the one afflicted with the most diseases and troubles. Ayurveda considers underweight and overweight as signs of imbalance of the vata, pitta, and kapha systems. Overweight or obesity is mostly found in people with predominantly kapha-type constitutions. Obesity occurs when excess fat builds up in the adipose tissue. his excess fat buildup is caused when a person consumes more calories in one day than that person is able to burn off. Overweight people are prone to several diseases like coronary thrombosis, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, gout, liver and gall bladder disorders.

There are three basic facts that should be kept in mind if you want to keep your weight under control. They are:

Controlling eating habits

Avoiding the causes of weight gain

Regular exercise.

Diet Planning and Diet recommendations for weight loss

Crash diets are no solution for long term weight loss. Therefore, if you are determined to bring down your weight, find an Ayurvedic diet chart and a natural weight loss diet and follow it every single day. An Ayurvedic diet chart includes the following guidelines:

• Increase usage of fresh fruits and vegetables
• Decrease the usage of white breads and other processed foods
• Avoid intake of too much salt
• Cook with spices like cayenne, turmeric, black pepper, ginger and rock salt.
• Avoid refined sugars and carbonated drinks
• Fasting once in a week is very effective. While fasting you may have fruit or vegetable juices, warm skim milk, light soups, teas, etc.
• Use vegetable oil in place of butter or margarine
• Avoid milk products like cheese, butter etc. and non-vegetarian foods as they are rich in fat.
• Mix one teaspoon of fresh honey with the juice of half a lime in a glass of lukewarm water and take several times a day at regular intervals.
• Avoid eating meat products as they slow digestion and cause heaviness.

Dietary discipline and Eating habit to be developed for reducing weight

• Eat a light dinner (1-2 hours before bed ) with easy to digest foods. This may include the following,
• Whole grain bread or chapatis without any kind of oil or butter.
• Half cooked or steamed vegetables.
• Seasonal fruits except banana and apple.
• Take sour fruits like pineapple etc.
• Before taking main course eat raw vegetables.

• Eat the largest meal of the day at lunch with a wide variety of warm, cooked food. This may include the following:
  • Salad of raw vegetables such as carrot, beetroot, cucumber, cabbage etc...
  • Whole grain bread or whole wheat chapatis and a glass of buttermilk
  • Roasted cumin seeds, green coriander leaves, a little salt and some grated ginger mixed in the buttermilk.
• Avoid drinking water immediately before or after meals as it will slow digestion.
• Do not over eat, especially cold, oily and heavy things.
• Avoid sleeping right after eating.
• Eat 4-5 smaller meals in a day rather than 2-3 larger meals.

Remedies :

1. Use of guduchi, devadaru, musta, triphala, takrarishta (a fermented preparation of butter milk) and honey is recommended.
2. Powder of yava and amalaka is an excellent formulation for the same.
3. Shilajita alongwith the juice of Agnimatha works good.
4. Take honey water early in the morning.
5. Take powder of Vidanga, Sunthi, Yavakshara, Yava, Aamalaki and 'Loha (iron) Bhasma'.

Some generally used preparation for obesity are as follows :

· Triphala

· Guggulu

· Medohar

· Arogya vardhini

· Chandraprabha vatika

·   Kumbhajatu