Obesity or being overweight is a condition characterized by excessive storage of fat in the body. When the body’s calorie intake exceeds the amount of calories burned, it leads to the storage of excess calories in the form of body fat. Increased body fat puts a person at risk for many critical conditions such as heart disease, liver damage, diabetes, arthritis and kidney problems.

Numerous tips to reduce obesity have been mentioned in ayurveda. The following ayurvedic tips help you to reduce the obesity.

Very good exercises. Exercises like brisk walking, jogging, playing out door games etc help to reduce weight.

Physical and mental exertion. Exerting physically like doing house hold works, walking to distant places to bring groceries, vegetables etc, walking long distances to bring the child back from school, walking to working place, climbing stairs etc are types of physical exertion. Exerting physically as much as you can help to burn more calories. Mental exertion like worrying or involving in finding solutions to problems also restrict food consumption in some and there by reduces the intake of calories

Having sex frequently is also a good physical exertion.

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Excessive weight gain is caused when people consume more calories than the body needs—occurring most commonly due to eating a diet high in fat and calories, being sedentary, or both. This imbalance between calories consumed and calories burned, however, can also be caused by a number of different obesity-related factors such as genetic, hormonal, behavioral, environmental and, to some extent, cultural. There are many other factors causing obesity such as pregnancy, tumors as well as endocrine disorders and medications that include psychotic drugs, estrogens, corticosteroids and insulin.

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• Increased body fat
• Breathlessness on exertion
• Lethargy
• Fatigue
• Excessive sweating with bad odor

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In Ayurveda, obesity is known as Medarog, which is caused by the aggravation of Kapha. Kapha is an Ayurvedic humor which is dense, heavy, slow, sticky, wet and cold in nature. It governs all structure and lubrication in the mind and body apart from controlling weight and formation of all the seven tissues – nutritive fluids, blood, fat, muscles, bones, marrow and reproductive tissues.

In a balanced state, Kapha gives nourishment to these tissues through various micro channels. However, when it is aggravated, Kapha leads to production of toxins in the body. These toxins are heavy and dense in nature and accumulate in weaker channels of the body, causing their blockage. In the case of an obese person, toxins accumulate in Medovahi Srotas (fat channels), thereby leading to an increase in the production of fat tissue (Meda Dhatu). When the body produces more fat tissues, it causes an increase in weight.

The Ayurvedic line of treatment for obesity begins with the pacification of Kapha Dosha. This can be done by eliminating Kapha-aggravating foods from the diet. Next, the treatment also focuses on cleansing of the Medovahi channels through cleansing herbs so that excess weight can be reduced.

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• Avoid high carbohydrates like polished rice and potato.
• Avoid oily and fried foods, processed foods, fatty foods like butter, purified butter, cheese, whole-milk yogurt, cream, chocolate, etc.
• Have more bitter vegetables like bitter gourd and the bitter variety of drumsticks.
• Replace refined flour with whole-wheat flour and rice with brown rice or parboiled rice.
• Increase intake of fruits, salads and vegetables.

Consumption of honey

This is advisable for non diabetic patients. Consuming 2 tea spoon of honey with a glass of herbal tea which includes weight reducing herbs help a lot in weight reduction. Honey along with these herbs scrapes and dissolves the Kapha and medha (body fat).

Sleeping for less hours.

Avoiding sleeping in afternoons helps to increase the burning of calories. This avoids slowing of basal metabolic rate.

Consuming wheat products than rice products help to reduce obesity.

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• Drink mint tea or make a paste of green mint with some simple spices and eat during meals.
• Eat vegetables such as bitter gourd and drumsticks to control obesity.
• Take a tablespoon of honey daily with warm water. It is an excellent home remedy for obesity
• Take one teaspoonful of fresh honey and mix with a half of lime juice in a glass of lukewarm water. Take several times a day at regular intervals. You can fast on this drink during the day without the loss of energy. Highly effective in obesity.

Triphala Concoction

Ingredients

• Triphala powder
• Honey

Method of preparation

Put a table spoon of Triphala powder in a vessel and add a glass of water to it. Boil this until the water reduces to 1/4 th of the total quantity . Allow this concoction to cool. Filter the concoction and add a table spoon full honey to this . This should be consumed in early hrs of the day in empty stomach.

Spiced Rice Manda

Ingredients

• Rice
• Water
• Cumin seeds (jeera)
• Dry Ginger powder
• Pepper powder
• Long pepper powder

Method of preparation

• Take equal quantities of spices mentioned above (3-6) and grind them to a coarse powder.
• Cook 1/4 teaspoon of this powder with two table spoon of rice in one big glass of water. Decant only liquid portion of this preparation add a pinch of salt to it . This can be used instead of soups.

Water

Consumption of Boiled and cooled water helps to reduce weight.