Have you tried every possible diet without achieving the desired results? For many, losing weight is not as easy a task as one would envisage. Ayurveda offers a more holistic and easier approach to losing weight, as compared to fad diets. Following an Ayurvedic weight loss treatment also helps your body restore its internal balance, well-being and overall health. When you put on excess weight and your body carries excessive fat, you might fall in the category of an obese person. Usually, body mass index, or BMI is used to classify a person as being overweight or obese. If you have a BMI greater than 30, then you fall in the category of obese people.
Causes of Obesity
There are many causes of obesity, including:
1. Increasing urbanisation
2. Advertisement of certain food items
3. Unavailability of healthy food options
4. Lifestyle and personal habits
5. Lack of exercise
6. Genetic conditions
7. Hormonal imbalances
According to Ayurveda, obesity causes an imbalance of energy in the body. The most common cause of obesity is excessive consumption of calories in the form of sugars and fats. Items like refined flour, sugars, packaged foods, artificial juices and fast food are the main culprit behind bad forms of sugar entering your body. They offer little nutritional benefits to the body and instead lead to unhealthy weight gain. Consuming excessive calories and not using them enough gradually leads to weight gain. The modern sedentary lifestyle is another reason why more people are turning obese these days. The lack of enough physical activity prevents the expenditure of calories consumed through food, further storing unused energy in the body, which ultimately takes the shape of fats. Today, physical exercise is seen as an additional chore in the daily routine, rather than a natural necessity.
Some of us may be predisposed to gaining more weight due to genetic factors. There are about 40 gene sites in the body which are linked with weight gain. Sedentary habits and consumption of high calories can trigger these sites, leading to weight gain. Some people may suffer from medical conditions such as hypothyroidism or hormone deficiency, which can affect the body’s ability to convert sugar into energy, leading to weight gain.
Certain mental and environmental factors can also lead to factors which contribute to obesity in the body. Let us take a look at the effects of obesity on the body.
Effects of Obesity
Obesity can lead to certain life-threatening situations and also cause several harmful effects on the body. Some of them are as follows:
Metabolic syndrome: Collection of excess fat in the body can cause insulin resistance. Storage of excessive fat in the body results in more triglycerides and low-density lipids in the blood. This raises the risk of heart disease in the body. Together, it forms a cluster of conditions which are called metabolic syndrome. You might be at a greater risk of heart disease and stroke because of them.
Inflammation and arthritis: Due to high fat and insulin levels, the body triggers inflammation in response, which can cause chronic inflammation in the body. The added weight burden can also lead to certain degenerative diseases.
Cancer: Obesity can also lead to cancers of the digestive system, kidney or thyroid.
Liver: Obese people are more prone to non-alcoholic fatty liver and the formation of gall bladder stones in the liver.
Imbalance of hormones: Obesity is directly linked to an imbalance of hormones in males and females.
Ayurveda’s View of Obesity
According to Ayurveda, fat accumulation in the body will most likely lead to blockage in the physiological channels. It may cause vitiation of the vata dosha in the digestive system. The resulting imbalance in Vata dosha may cause changes to the digestive fire and increase bouts of hunger. There may be an accumulation of fat in the body due to the inability to convert nutrients into energy.
The complications associated with obesity may lead to a shorter life span, difficulty in breathing, excessive thirst, perspiration, and increased incidence of diabetes, renal diseases and skin diseases.
How Can Ayurveda Help?
Ayurveda offers a holistic approach to overcoming the problems that people face when trying to lose weight. As always, Ayurveda takes a multi-dimensional approach when addressing obesity. A weight loss plan according to Ayurveda includes a planned diet intake, performing yoga and other exercises, and consumption of certain medicines to maintain a balance of metabolism and hormones in the body. When necessary, massages may also be recommended along with other external treatments or panchakarma cleaning. Also, Ayurveda strongly propagates the use of Indian herbs for mobilizing stored fat as they will help in correcting the agni.
An Ayurveda doctor is capable of identifying the underlying factors which may be responsible for causing obesity in a patient. At the same time, they will also identify the other health ailments that may have resulted due to obesity.
When Ayurvedic medicines are combined with the right type of diet, you will be less likely to face hunger pangs and cravings for fried or sugary foods. Together, this will help adopt a more sustainable diet which will prevent complications and prevent the development of metabolic syndromes that could be affecting the entire body system.
Since obesity is a metabolic issue, one of the key steps to the management of obesity is correcting the metabolism, in addition to consuming a good diet and exercising. Combining Ayurvedic treatments from a reputed doctor will help achieve sustainable results in the long run. You can reach out to the best Ayurveda treatment in Kerala at Ishani Ayurveda, where you will be treated by experienced doctors who are trained in the management of obesity through a holistic approach.
