The Best Exercise and Diet Plan for Losing Weight Naturally

Healthy diet is the key to loose weight. A life long healthy eating habits along with exercise routine are necessary to maintain good weight. It is advised to lose weight gradually so that it stays off. Shedding weight too fast leads to muscle and bone loss along with water instead of fat.

According to Ayurveda, excess of Kapha dosha leads to obesity or being over weight.

Reasons for weight gain:

• Too much or too little sleep is directly linked to weight gain. This impacts the hormone production in the body that controls the appetite and hunger.
• Too much gap between meals slows down the metabolism and the body isn’t able to burn off all the calories . One feels hungry or starved and tends to overeat.
• Eating out in restaurants leads to weight gain as a small portion served there has more calories than home cooked food.

Stationary or sedentary jobs often lead to weight gain as your body isn’t able to know how much you have eaten, thus leading to overeating.

• Stress often leads to weight gain. In a tensed situation ,one feels tempted to take unhealthy , high calorie snack even when you are not hungry. This leads to quick weight gain.
• Underactive thyroid gland (making less hormone ) leads to weight gain. This hormone controls the energy levels and helps the body break down food. One feels bloated due to water and salt retention in the body.
• Some medicines may cause weight gain like steroids and antihistamines . They change the metabolism and make one feel more hungry.
• Being overweight can also be genetic problem in some cases.
• Women often gain weight around menopause due to change in hormones.

Ways to loose weight:

• Atleast 6-8 cups of water daily can help lose weight easily. Water has zero calories so it doesn’t lead to weight gain as other sweetened drinks do. Avoid high sugar sports drinks and protein bars as they are full of calories. Prefer unsweetened tea or coffee , lemon water.
• It is recommended to eat small portions of meals as often as possible. This improves the metabolism and stops overeating.
• Keep alcohol intake in control . One glass of wine with dinner is good but taking 3 or more drinks add extra calories.
• One needs to avoid fast foods and sugary snacks in order to loose weight as they are low in fiber and don’t make you feel full.
• Good diet includes whole foods like fruits like rasberries, vegetables like broccoli ,lima beans, lentils peas ,artichokes , grains and proteins like nuts, beans ,soy  . Processed food should be avoided as processing takes away fiber, iron and essential vitamins.
• One needs to eat food according to the season eg during summers one needs to eat high carbohydrate fruits and vegetables to keep cool while during winters one needs nuts ,seeds meat, cheese to insulate from cold. During spring , it is advised to eat berries and sprouts

Kapha pacifying dietis best to loose weight.

• It is advised to go for foods that are bitter , pungent and astringent in taste rather than the ones that are sweet, salty or sour.
• Bitter foods detoxify the body , It improves the senses of taste , tones the skin and muscles , improves appetite and helps to absorb moisture, lymph, muscle fat ,adipose tissue . This includes bitter greens like kale, dandelion greens , bitter melon, eggplants and dark chocolate.
• Astringent foods create a drying sensation in mouth, tone the body tissues, reduce heat and pacify inflammation. This includes legumes like soya beans, pinto beans and vegetables like cauliflower , lettuce , broccoli.
• Pungent foods clear the sinuses and stimulates body’s metabolism.
• It liquifies secretions, encourages sweating and thins the blood.
• Pungent is spicy , hot flavors like in chilies , radishes, turnips, raw onions
• It is very important to read food labels to know how many calories are in a serving.
• Low glycemic index diet and low carbohydrate diet is helpful in losing weight.
• Small amounts of fat is helpful in keeping one feel full eg in fish, nuts ,seeds, olive oil and coconut oil.
• It is advised to drink a glass of warm water with lemon first thing in the morning to boost the digestive system.
• Drinking sips of hot water or tea throughout the day helps in dissolving Ama or toxins.
• Fresh ginger can be added to this water.
• The frequency with which one drinks this water is more important than the amount.
• Few sips every hour give best result.
• It is recommended to take light dinners, something that is easily digested and must be taken 2 hours before bedtime. To maximize digestion, one needs to eat a larger meal during noon as the digestive fire is strongest around noon.

Exercises that help to loose weight:

• One needs to create an exercise schedule and stick to it in order to lose weight . It is very important to stay active all day.
• Walking  especially brisk walking for 15 minutes every 2-3 hours is very beneficial in loosing weight. One can walk up and down the stairs for 10 minutes to loose weight.
• It is also advised to go for 10 minute walk after each meal for proper digestion.
• Brief exercise breaks during the day helps in keeping weight under control. Even 10 minute walk in between work can help a lot.
• The best time to walk is early morning . Any kind of exercise in order to loose weight should be done between 6 am to 10 am as the earth and water elements are high that time so with exercise, the body gets warm , bringing fresh blood to brain.
• Running for 25 minutes a day is recommended to loose weight.  Other sports like swimming, tennis, badminton, cricket etc also help in keeping one fit.

Yoga,meditation and Pranayam also work great in reaching weight goals. They give peace and relaxation to mind and body, thus alleviate stress.

• Yoga for 15 minutes (especially in mornings) is very effective in weight loss. It needs to be done on empty stomach. Yoga helps to burn fat, build muscles and gives flexibility to our body.
• The best positions are boat pose (paripurna navasana) ,upward facing dog pose (urdhva mukha svanasana) , seated forward bend (paschimottanasana), upward plank pose (purvottanansana) , extended side angle pose (utthita parsvakonasan) and four limbed staff pose ( chaturanga dandasana).
• One needs to devote atleast 20 minutes a day to meditation and focus on breath . Meditation can help us to re pattern our brain on a very profound level.
• Pranayama suitable for weight loss are Kapalbhatti ,Bhastrika , Anulom Vilom, Bhramari , Surya namaskar and seated spinal twist pranayama.
• Another pranayama very useful in weight loss is Nadi Shodhana.
• Pranayam or deep breathing increases oxidation in the body leading to weight loss.
• Breathing boosts metabolism and even massage the abdomen resulting in faster burning of body’s fat.
• Going to gym and doing hardcore workout often ends up in muscle cramps and body pains. For long lasting benefits, it is better to follow a routine with walk, yoga, meditation and pranayama.

Other tips to loose weight include:

• Watch less TV as more often one watches TV, more often they tend to eat. Instead, one needs to go for 15 minutes walk.
• Eating food infront of the mirror reminds you of the weight loss goals and helps in keeping weight in control.
• Getting 8 hours of sleep gives body time to detoxify and maintain healthy levels of cortisol or stress response hormone that cause weight gain.
• It is very important to sleep on time every day.
• One needs to sleep in harmony with the sun’s rhythm , the best time is between 10 pm to 6 am