obesity- how to lose weight

Obesity – an epidemic of modern world.

Introduction

Obesity is a global epidemic and is root cause of many life threatening diseases. If you consume more calories than you than you burn, you will gain weight. Managing your BMI is important to keep obesity in check. Obesity is supposed to be a gift of modern lifestyle. It is a disease of people who have no place for hard work. People get obese due to faulty lifestyle, i.e. wrong eating, living & thinking. The increase in number of Obesity patients is due to getting away from Mother Nature & the faulty changes in our lifestyle. Now-a-days, most of children, youth, adult male & female are suffering from Obesity. Obesity can be managed effectively by balanced & rational use of Yoga Therapy & Naturopathy treatments.

Features of Obesity :

The main symptoms of Obesity are as under :

·    Fatty & disproportionate body (imbalance between height & weight)
·    Breathlessness after work
·    More perspiration
·    Pain in body
·    Laziness, fatigue
·    More sleep

Causes :

According to alternative medicine, Obesity is a product of the changes in our lifestyle. The main causes behind this may be as under :

i.    Digestive disorders
ii.    Lack of hard work
iii.    Inactive & sedentary lifestyle
iv.    Lack of exercise
v.    Imbalanced diet
vi.    More intake of heavy & oily food items
vii.    Food intake without requirement
viii.    Improper assimilation of food
ix.    Heredity
x.    Lack of drinking water
xi.    Artificially coloured, flavored, processed, preserved, deodorized bleached, hydrogenated, refined food, white flour
xii.    Thyroid problem
xiii.    Diabetes may also cause obesity
xiv.    Long term use of medicines for chronic disorders specially estrogen, progestins and steroids can also increase weight.
xv.    Smoking and drinking alcohol
xvi.    Watching TV

Sometimes, use of some medicines also increases fat. The irregularity in the secretion of Thyroid gland hormone is also a cause of Obesity in some cases. Obesity also increases the possibility of some other disease like High blood pressure, Heart disease, arthritis & Diabetes. The tendency of Obesity in children is increasing day by day due to more intake of fast foods & junk foods which are evidenced by various studies. Lack of exercise & sitting before computer/television is also one of the major cause of obesity.

Yoga Therapy

Yoga Therapy is highly effective in controlling & management of Obesity. Such patients should practice Kunja l& ShankhaPrakshalana. Regular practice of Tadasana, Kati Chakrasana, Padahastasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Bhujangasana, Dhanurasana, Paschimottanasana, Matsyasana, ArdhaMatsyendrasana, &Ushtrasana along with Surya Namaskara is highly beneficial for such patients. Suryabhedi & Bhastrika Pranayama are also found useful in Obesity. Such patients should start their daily routing from early morning brisk walking.

Natural Therapy

Patients should give adequate place to hard work & exercise in their daily routine. From naturopathic point of view, such patients are advised to take mud pack on abdomen, enema, steam bath twice a week & Hip bath. In addition to this full tub bath, mud bath, sun bath & whole body massage are also useful. Swimming is very much useful in reducing the weight. 

Diet Therapy

The best way to reduce the weight is ‘Eat less & Exercise more’. The obesity patients should re-design their daily routine according to the above principle. Such patients should start their treatment with liquid diet. During liquid diet, 400 ml water mixed with one lemon juice should be taken 3-4 times a day. After liquid diet, one time fruit diet * one time dalia (porridge) & vegetable should be taken for a week. Thereafter, whole wheat roti & boiled vegetable should be taken with plenty of salad. This process should be repeated after every 15 days. Such patients should prefer fruits & vegetables, salad, sprouts & should restrict the use of sweets, heavy & oily foods. Leaving these items will be better.

A diet schedule may be prepared for weight reduction as under :

Diet Schedule for Obesity

Ushapanam : drink half litre of worm water
 Morning     :  one glass water with lemon juice + 2 tsp honey if not diabetic.
                           After half an hour green juice.
Breakfast    : sprouts (Moong+Methi) or daliya or poha or upma along with  any one seasonal fruit or fruit juice 1 glass
Lunch        : whole wheat roti 2 to 3 or Rice, Boiled Green Vegetables without spices, salad, butter           milk                                          1 glass
Evening    : one glass water + lemon juice + 2 tsp honey or vegetable soup  1 glass
Dinner        : As in lunch by 8 pm. Minimum gap of 3 hours between dinner & sleep.

Avoid        : potato, Maida, Hydrogenated oils, cold drinks, Ice Cream, Sugar, sweets, Milk
Reduce        : salt, fried foods, fats, pulses, carbohydrates, mango

Fasting Therapy: observe juice fasting once a week ( not for diabetic)

Chinese Medicine

 The Chinese herb Ephedra contains ephedrine which increases the metabolic rate in the fat tissue. Do not use if you are already diabetic, hypertensive, have thyroid or heart issues.

Herbal Therapy

To stimulate metabolic rate you can use kelp (focus spp.) and Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Eat raw leaves or make tea by boiling.

Precautions :

1.    Obesity can be controlled effectively with the combined approach of Yoga & Naturopathy. The only thing required is to make positive changes in eating, living & thinking habits.
2.    The simple measures for weight reduction are daily morning brisk walk, jogging, practice of Yoga, balanced & controlled natural diet & daily routine full of hard work.
3.    Drink water at every 2-3 hours gap i.e. 3-4 litres daily. Don’t drink water during meals. Drink water about 1 hour before & 1 hour after meals.
4.    Yogasanas & Naturopathy treatments may be done at home under the guidance & supervision of an experienced Naturopathy/Yoga therapist.
5.    Sometimes, the patients of Obesity also suffer from other disorders like Bronchial asthma, Diabetes, Heart disease, High Blood Pressure etc. in such conditions, the patient should be first investigated thoroughly & thereafter the treatment & diet plan should be advised to him accordingly. Food as a reward for yourself.
6.    Avoid using food as reward for yourself.

Tips :Morning brisk walk or jogging for 2-3 km daily.

After dinner walk for 1-2 kms daily

“EAT LESS & LIVE LONG”
OR
“EAT MORE & DIE SOON”
“RAW FOOD IS BEST FOR HEALTH”


Disclaimer : the objective of this article is to make the patients aware about utility of Yoga & Naturopathy systems & its simple techniques used in treatment.