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yajvan
15 December 2011, 07:06 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

In āyurveda¹ meda roga¹ or being obese is a kapha imbalance ( or blemish , doṣa¹).

It is estimated that over 1 billion people on this earth are overweight and 300 million are obese. According to statistics Mexico is ranked as number 1 in this catagory, followed by the USA. It was thought to be the 'rich mans disease' yet Mexico ranks 60th in purchasing power , while the USA ranks 7th.


What are your thoughts on this matter ? i.e. the responsibility of the individual How does this affect a person spiritually ( my usual concern) and one's practice. What of family, friends and community ?


Now I am sure we will come to a conversation where one will say its a medical problem. Sure of this there is no doubt; but what of the ~condition~ of over-indulgence ? Is that relevent here ? And what of the pain that occurs when one is made fun of ? Children are very good at this.


Your thoughts and ideas are welcomed.


praṇām



words

āyurveda
āyurved is āyus + veda = the knowledge of life , vital power , vigour , health .
āyus = life , vital power , vigour , health , duration of life , long life
ved = knowledge
doṣa - detrimental effect ; blemish; rooted ( √ ) in duṣ meaning fault , vice , deficiency , want , inconvenience , disadvantage
मेद meda - fat + रोग roga - infermity

Eastern Mind
15 December 2011, 07:39 PM
Vannakkam Yajvan: On a practical basis, I view it as the fault of nutritional ignorance, and sugar being the medium for carrying that ignorance, not much different than how at one time tobacco was considered healthy.

On a spiritual level, I surmise it could be the karma pendulum effect of people who are hungry desiring for loads of food, instead of just a balanced diet, and those wishes being fulfilled via seed karmas. Now, without proper wisdom, the reverse could happen again, until enough wisdom is accrued for a balance to happen.

Aum Namasivaya

yajvan
15 December 2011, 07:51 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

I think of two things here:

Does one eat to live, or live to eat ?
You are what you eat, or said another way you become what you eat.praṇām

NayaSurya
15 December 2011, 08:20 PM
I am fat. Chubby, round...overly fluffy...large and chunky.

About 5'11 my whole life and really never overweight. But pregnancy after pregnancy I added about 20 pounds...would lose it...have heart issues from the loss and then gain 30.

Two years ago I dropped 75 pounds on a 1300 cal diet and became tremendously ill.

On a daily average I eat about 1300-1800cals.

It's usually spinach and breads...and cheese.

But, being here on the hill, with SVT and MVP creates a perfect storm for me. After this past event I am honestly afraid to move around.

Good news is this next year I get full 100% health insurance and this includes some medication I desperately need. With medication comes a new chance to exercise!

So i am chubby, and very okay with this. My family loves me, I do not become upset to say I am fat. But I will say...I am clean, very well kept. Always properly clothed in the correct size...

What is unbalanced in my life...I don't think I have enough human interaction...yet again...perhaps that isn't an issue with the current state of humanity:P

This is me, it's not really me...

Just the car for now....I take care of it the best I can...and it seems to appreciate it.:p


807

Friend from the West
15 December 2011, 08:44 PM
Hari Om,

Namaste and hello,

Not commenting on physical health issues or other specific issues that may be anamoly. Also, do not know definition of obsese. I am six two and 240, and fit and eat as think I should in this most cherished path. Perhaps by numbers I would be obese? With all of this, wish to respond as diatribe :) .

By how I am picturing obsese, think such a question is to me not so simple. At one level, one could say it is responsibility of this person but what on other hand of impact/influence from others? Not familiar with Mexico, but in states, think so much food intake and intake of not beneficial things, in part goes to psychological, social, economic, and spiritual dissonance.

In society which is around me, is so much of people not getting what one wishes for in matierialistic sense and this has led to society of lessened accountability all around. The feeling is one is supposed to get what they want or what they perceive as fair. Some people do not get what they want (love from parent as they desire, a mansion as they want, love from spouse as they want, abused in mild or most terrible way imaginable, etc..) so they are seditary and eat much and much bad.

Here, I see even the religious in this state. It breaks my heart. In short, do think there is imbalance present, and it mainly manifests itself due to disconnect with recognizing what they are at what has to be known at the most visceral level. The physical is the easy thing to see, it is this missing in these portions that breaks my heart. Think many of these people are truly hurting portions, and this consumption, is method for them much like our practices are for us with much differing results on so, so, many different levels.

On continuum, think the teasing and even the intended helpful comments only excerbate the disconnect and the gluttony. I am not disguted by these portions, I am so saddened.

Think to, the feeling of love helps. People, even around others sometimes feel lonely in this present age. As they work on understanding the truth, think interaction and love shared as genuine, helps them to on path not to be obese and not to look for falsehoods for answers.

The impacts are severe, in what is actually eaten as we have discussed very much here on HDF from perspective to include Karma, ahisma, environmental adverse conditions caused as side product, etc.. The impacts on families are as complicated as question raises.

I apologize for shotgun approach to this but am thankful for thread and look forward to responses to learn from.

Om Shanti,

FFTW

Divine Kala
16 December 2011, 03:41 AM
I am obese. Well and truly. BUT I am not obese because I eat too much or too much food high in sugars, fats and carbs. I am fat because I am on medication that causes, unfortunately, uncontrolled weight gain. I went from 80kg (technically obese but I was a good size and fit the clothing I wanted to wear) to 102kg due to the medication. Our most recent attempt to change my drugs left my suffering from erythema multiforme minor, a disorder that can develop into something called Stevens Johnson Syndrome or Toxic Epidermal Necrolosis. Both of which can kill you.

So I have two options - be fat and sane or slim and crazy. I know which I choose and I know which Lord Shiva would have me choose.

Eastern Mind
16 December 2011, 07:04 AM
So I have two options - be fat and sane or slim and crazy. I know which I choose and I know which Lord Shiva would have me choose.

Vannakkkam DK: Wise choice. My dear sister has similar health situations that cause obesity. Of all my siblings, she is the most caring.

I am 210 now, but most of my adult life was around 180. Becoming less active with age has been the cause. During an emotional breakdown I went to 145. I'm sure that was really 'healthy'. So in the grand scheme, its all okay.

Aum Namasivaya

yajvan
16 December 2011, 12:50 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

So, let me ask... is one's spiritual pursuits inhibited by being substantially over-weight ? Can one sit comfortably for a period of time to dive into one's own awareness ? Is there such an attachment to food that it guides one's daily choices on activity. Oh, I cannot meditate now its almost supper.


Is one's quality of mind-intellect-emotion colored by food to the extent that clarity-of-mind is shaded ? Is there a dullness that may set in due to one's intake ? Is there any connection to the intake of food and the intake of other sense objects that ( by the wise) is also considered eating ? An over-stimualtion of the senses. When this occurs one may get fatigued, overwhelmed, etc.


My teacher always said, the world is as you are. The quality of 'you' colors the world. Just like wearing sun glasses, the world takes on that color.

http://www.friendsofguinea.org/images/pix_people_sunglasses.jpg






praṇām

Believer
16 December 2011, 01:10 PM
Namaste,

I am not a nutritionist, so my comments are coming from general observations.

Outside of the health issues and lack of activity that have been mentioned as the causes of weight gain by some, the obesity in Mexico and some of the other places that I have visited was due to the diet borne out of poverty. The dependence on high starch, deep fried items was almost invariably the reason. In the Marshall Islands for example, there is grinding poverty and the 'Bread Fruit' is their main sustenance item. In Hawaii, Taro root is a cherished delicacy. In Mexico, deep fried things made from corn flour are favored by the poor. Total lack of any vegetables and items rich in protein seemed to be the suspects at many of these places. In North America of course, it is the super sized fast food, rich in fat and carbs, which makes otherwise healthy people to become bigger. So, at least on the face of it, outside of the US, obesity is a poverty driven low nutrition diet trait among otherwise healthy populace.

How does all this affect one's spirituality? Probably does not help at all. They eat to live and can't afford to overeat, but whatever they do eat, is sustenance type and of very little nutritional value. The people I met and saw were very humble and down to earth, but not thinking much about spiritual growth, as their minds never strayed too far from the thought of the next tummy filling exercise.

Pranam.

NayaSurya
16 December 2011, 01:10 PM
To this I say..it depend on why someone is overweight. If someone is addicted to food...then yes. They have an extreme urge and this overrides most other things which would come to their mind. But if one is overweight and it is by hereditary, nature, circumstance other than over eating...I would say no.


If you are consuming food and not allowing it to consume you. Then I think all is well.

I am not grossly overweight, so I can not speak for those others. But, I will say nothing stops one from losing this vessel during meditation. If anything meditating makes comfort not important. As within just a small time you can't even feel the floor beneath you.:p

If food is an addiction, then this can not happen. As Beloved has to be the final thing upon your lips, not food.

The picture of this Brahmin gentleman is far more robust than my own frame...but I think it speaks of the truth of this.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-j5ALov7K_nc/TYbVCjVZhUI/AAAAAAAAsl4/BxNVh-vPkdI/brahmin_20090330.jpg

Ask yourself this...Does he look uncomfortable?

This body is not you, it is only the car, chariot whatever you wish to lable. As long as you take it as such...nothing can stand in your way.

NayaSurya
16 December 2011, 01:16 PM
Namaste,

I am not a nutritionist, so my comments are coming from general observations.

Outside of the health issues and lack of activity that have been mentioned as the causes of weight gain by some, the obesity in Mexico and some of the other places that I have visited was due to the diet borne out of the poverty. The dependence on high starch, deep fried items was almost invariably the reason. In the Marshall Islands for example, there is grinding poverty and the 'Bread Fruit' is their main sustenance item. In Hawaii, Taro root is a cherished delicacy. In Mexico, deep fried things made from corn flour are favored by the poor. Total lack of any vegetables and items rich in protein seemed to be the suspects at many of these places. In North America of course, it is the super sized fast food, rich in fat and carbs, which makes otherwise healthy people to become bigger. So, at least on the face of it, outside of the US, obesity is a poverty driven low nutrition diet trait among otherwise healthy populace.

How does all this affect one's spirituality? Probably does not help at all. They eat to live and can't afford to overeat, but whatever they do eat, is sustenance type and of very little nutritional value. The people I met and saw were very humble and down to earth, but not thinking much about spiritual growth, as their minds never strayed too far from the thought of the next tummy filling exercise.

Pranam.


This is so wise, such a very very wise observation. Kentucky I think is second in obese adults. This is due to the very impoverish peoples here. The fresh food in a hilly area such as myself is VERY expensive.

When one only has one place to purchase food in a 40-100 mile radius...one has little choices.

Just this past week I went to purchase apples and the price was almost 2$ each. UGH! So I went through my coupons and bought clementine Tangerines called Cuties, I got them for 5 pound box for around 5$.
Thanks to my coupons my children have very healthy meals. Always spinach...beans...but that is because I have used coupons with my weekly groceries and save about 150-200$ extra which I put on whole grains, veg and fruit. Without my coupons I would be in the same situation.

Mana
16 December 2011, 01:51 PM
Namaste All,

A fascinating subject, for many life revolves around their eating habits, be that eating too much, too little or obsessing over what one eats; it is so very true that this is a luxury so many people can not afford.

Were it possible that those who have pleanty were able to free them self from the residual fear of going with out, it could be that we would be better organised to give to those who have not?

It is interesting to think of how we perceive our selves.

We can be so deluded when it comes to our own self assessment.

I am normally an average weight for my height and build, but I fluctuate between the minimum and maximum over periods of time. Currently at the heavy end, It has been a while since I partook in any sport!

http://stevechallis.net/images/Cross_river_gorilla.jpg

praNAma

mana

Caltha
16 December 2011, 05:43 PM
Namaste,

From what I have seen, a person's weight is largely a result of genetics and circumstance. Unfortunately, the whole world teaches us that we can judge a person's self-control and food intake by the person's size. I have seen these harsh judgments cause endless misery.

I prefer to not judge myself or others by our weight. I wind up doing it anyway, and I have to remind myself that such judgment is not healthy. Not for me, and not for the person who suffers my judgment. And it's especially not healthy when I am the person I'm judging!

yajvan
16 December 2011, 06:15 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

One must realize that being excessively over-weight is not the desire of the person that is obese. There is no doubt there are economic influences that have been called out in the posts above. That influence says this - I am economically challanged so with the money I have I need to buy the most with it. It just so happens that the economy of scale brings one's choices that puts on excessive weight.

This ( excessive weight) is a kapha imbalnce of sweet, sour and salty tastes in excess. This drives kapha in excess - it even holds more water within the body.

So , is all lost ? No. Even the most poor can afford to purchase various spices that will balance out kapha - the reducing spices are pungent, bitter and astringent ( for kapha imbalance) in taste. So what is missing ? Proper knowledge.


At the end of the day, one still is left with the body, the vehicle of ātman. How you keep this vehicle determines one's health, well being and the thoughts that arise in the mind. No-one (IMHO) can pass this responsiblity on to another.

So, one must say, being thin ( really thin) is the proper physical format. This too is upside-down logic. We then enter into the other realm of vatta imblance. This too causes the same if not more havic within the body and the mind.


What is the answer ? Balance. The ingestion of all 6 tastes¹. If you are not aware of these , this would be a great thing to read about.


Key āyurvedic principle: Food is medicine, medicine is food.


praṇām
1. More on tastes here : http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=6917

Mana
17 December 2011, 02:29 AM
Namaste All,

I feel that it may be of interest to highlight the involvement of epigenetic in our metabolism; our body clock is run by our thyroid which also deals with the immune system allergies and body temperature, It is very much a centrer of feedback. This gland is, found in the throat, is very much connected to our thoughts via the pituitary gland found in the centre of the brain.
It is this mechanism which causes one to change temperature with fear and even at times feel that one is choked by anxiety. It seems perfectly reasonable to me to suppose that one who has control of their senses has also control of these mechanisms.
It has recently be found that worldly events in our lives, through (I am supposing here) the neuro epigenetic and endocrine systems, can actually activate our genes, like a kind of switch board mechanism. This means that events in the material world can feedback to our DNA and genes and switch them on and off.

It has also been found that disease such as diabetes is passed on through generations. You may be susceptible to this disease if your grandparents ate to well at the time that they conceived your patents.

What does this mean? It means that it is not only our self which continues after death but also reflections of our physical body.

Article (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=hidden-switches-in-the-mind)

Podcast (http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=the-minds-hidden-switches-11-11-22)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/hidden-switches-in-the-mind_1.jpg

It wound seem that our DNA and thus our genes are part of a fractal symmetry that is much bigger than our selves; our thoughts and actions have a great affect upon that symmetry.

Beautifully synchronous with Ayurvedic thought and practise.



praNAma

mana

c.smith
17 December 2011, 11:30 AM
Hari Om,

This topic has been a sore point several times over in my lifetime to date. There are so many elements that come together that make this a very difficult area to be very articulate in but I will give it my best try. I ask for your forgiveness and patience in advance for what may be at times nothing more than ramblings that, if nothing more, are especially meaningful to me in the processes on the road to personal growth and freedom.

Weight was always tied to self esteem, and I must admit still is to a degree. An "aha" moment that I've been fortunate to encounter a couple of times while looking into the mirror is seeing and feeling that I am not this body. All judgement stopped for a brief moment and I was able to feel what I thought was my true self. This has only happened recently.

Yes, as a child I was "husky" as it was called. The other kids made fun of me. Eventually I outgrew this horrid period for some time while embarking on a journey into metaphysics. Into my early adult years, I was a fitness nut, a runner and very careful with my diet. A true fanatic. Later, once the manic episodes turned to the morose depressions that haunted me to the point of nearly taking my life several times and finally deciding to give up a job to spend my last paycheck on an eating spree due to the depression and last only until the money ran out, some miracle happened and I found the help that I needed to overcome the dreaded disease known as Bipolar Disorder - classically know for, among other things binges in eating due to the extreme lows in mood. Food made me feel good, even if it was temporary. Problem was, the weight was the down side to such behavior.

With the help came a barrage of prescription drugs to tame the beast within. Many of them put on pounds and again the self esteem plummeted. The spiritual practices that I had undertaken, namely finally believing in a God again came to a screeching halt. My meditations ended, yoga ended - I just couldn't get into the postures or concentrate. The weight was my enemy and it kept me from enjoying a large part of life as I had come to know it. Food again became the drug of choice and only hampered my practices more. I gave up everything spiritually though I was improving mentally.

Fast forward several years. Finally medications were produced that worked well for me that kept the weight at bay. I felt good about myself and by the grace of God resumed my spiritual studies. I had always had a calling to some sort of "ministry" for lack of a better word. I finally came to know of Sanatana Dharama and Lord Ganesha in particular. He eventually led me to Lord Shiva and Shri Hanuman.

So my take on this? Ayurvedic studies as part of SD proved and still proves especially beneficial for this and other items that cause ill in my life. Lord Hanuman and the Gods have been gracious and have blessed me over and over with freedom from food addiction and a return to sadhana - a deepening and understanding as never before of myself and the beginning of understanding that we are all one.

I must agree with many of the posts above in relation to the fast food syndrome and a lack of proper diet, but I'd also like to add a lack of education in eating habits that is being passed down to today's generation because parents don't seem to know and better or really care.

Again, I'm sorry for some ramblings, but I hope that I've provided some insights to both the medical opinions as well as the personal trials that kept me and I feel keep many in the cycle of poor and improper food habits, thus hampering spiritual progress to a great degree. Many of you may disagree, but this is my experience.

All the best to those who struggle with food, spirituality and both at the same time. May your God bless you and take you to new heights along your chosen path.

Again, Hari Om!

Caltha
17 December 2011, 03:02 PM
Namaste,

Weight has been a fraught topic for me as long as I can remember. My mother stayed slender. I think that she suffered constant hunger but permitted herself very little food out of fear of growing fat. (She was very irritable and I think now that hunger was the main cause.) When I was 13 or 14 I weighed a few pounds more than she did. I was horrified. Many of my relatives range from fat to extremely fat. When I would ask my mother about those relatives, she would first report that they were very fat before she would tell me anything else about them.

Until I moved away to where I had no scale, I used to weigh myself 5 or 6 times a day.

I tried to diet, but I soon found that dieting made me obsess about food and I would gain weight without even losing any first!

So I then just ate a healthy, varied diet and let the weight do what it would.

That is what I have done for decades, and my weight has varied. When I lived in a place with tropical diseases and an unsafe, unpredictable water supply my weight plummeted. I had no scale, and no mirror, and I just thought that my clothes were all stretching. I felt like myself, just sick a lot. After a few years in that place I stopped getting sick constantly and my weight crept back up. About 10 years later, in a different place (this time with a safe municipal water supply) my weight plummeted again, unexpectedly. And then, on it's own, it recovered, and slowly kept going up, until it plateaued a few years ago as I went through the woman's change of life.

It plateaued in the "obese" range. For a number of years now I've been as fat as the rest of my family, and as fat as my mother feared I would be.

Physically I feel fine. Now that I am practicing hatha yoga I not only feel fine, but I feel great! I'm sure that I could do more asanas and go farther with them if I were more slender -- but that isn't the point. As I practice to my own capabilities I find myself on a spiritual path that is the true point. And actually, part of that spiritual path is learning how not to judge and how not to be competitive. When I am practicing a simple modification with all my heart, and the rest of the class flies forward with something I can't get close to, I learn tolerance for myself and by extension, for other people. Now that I have been practicing for almost 2 years, sometimes I practice next to someone less physically skilled than I, and I have to watch out for feeling superior. The mirror image, but the same problem. My sense is that the inferiority/superiority feelings are part of avidya, and I am given these feelings as a gift in the asana class -- a gift to see what is superfluous.

So what is superfluous? My belly fat? Or the inferiority/superiority feelings toward someone who has the same atman as I do?

Mana
17 December 2011, 05:16 PM
Namaste c.smith

I am interested to hear that you speak of bi-polarity; it has touched me also; I view this a blessing, a gift all be it hard to handle. I am very interested to hear of your experiences; Thank you so much for sharing.


praNama

mana

yajvan
17 December 2011, 06:23 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

Regarding sthaula¹ - If this were my condition I would look to the āyurvedic offerings of:

amalaki
triphala
honey I am user of amalaki ( a+malaki - removing impurities) for general health. Triphala is a main stay offering of āyurveda ; And honey even as a 'sweet' one would think this aggrevates kapha, when it is digested it has the opposite affects. The honey is to be unheated in the manufacturing process - nor should it be heated for one's own use.


praṇām

words
sthaula - means excessively large; it is another way of saying meda roga or being obese

Believer
17 December 2011, 10:46 PM
Namaste,

I am sorry to hear about the problems/health issues, both past and present, of so many of our forum members. However, I have not walked in your shoes and am unable to fully comprehend the pain that many of you have been through. It is a miracle that you have found the solace of SD (along with medications and some helping hands) to salvage this life and make something of it. All I can offer is my encouragement to keep doing what works for you folks and stay on the spiritual path. I am sorry if I ever inadvertently offended you with any of my words.

Pranam.

yajvan
18 December 2011, 12:19 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté





amalaki
triphala
honey I am user of amalaki ( a+malaki - removing impurities) for general health. Triphala is a main stay offering of āyurveda

Various uses of herbs in āyurveda can be reviewed here:
http://www.banyanbotanicals.com/products.asp?dept=1044

Click on the herb name and it will inform you of the benefits.


praṇām

Adhvagat
18 December 2011, 12:28 PM
I lost considerable weight since 2007 by removing some of the excessive sugar from diet. Then more recently I removed the rest of the excessive sugar and now excessive carbs.

Too much kapha is not good for my body, it makes me slow and dull, not conductive to good moods.

My main need however is not dietary, but I need to increase the amount of physical exercise I do.

In my case I also noticed how eating too much, specially sugar had a psychological reason. Sweetness is inside, not outside. ;)

c.smith
18 December 2011, 01:26 PM
Hari Om!

I too have had much success with a diet very low in sugar. I disagree however about reducing carbs too much. The body runs off of them and without, in my experience, will feel sluggish and tired. In the past year I have lost in excess of 100 pounds and have improved my health 1000 fold. As I've mentioned previous, I have returned to the yogas that keep the mind, body and soul healthy. I am now a normal weight.

I agree with Sri Yajvan and his Ayurvedic suggestions of Triphala and Amla but never considered honey. I will certainly try it because of the other health benefits also associated with it. Thank-you for your ideas.

Also agree that physical activity is a must and one of my favorite verses from the gita applies - what may taste like nectar in the beginning is poison in the end (icecream and soda for me amongst other things along with almost no activity because I had zero energy) and what tastes like poison in the beginning (exercise, eating right) becomes nectar in the end. (Not the exact words mind you, but you get the idea, right?)

Probably another unpopular belief of mine, but I've felt that some people get obese because they need to get their attention, seeing something large is easier to draw the eye. They have neglected themselves to the point that they need so very much to pay attention to themselves, perhaps more than anything else.

Om Namah Sivaya
Jai Hanuman!

c.smith
18 December 2011, 01:36 PM
Hari Om!

Another remedy that I have had some success with along the path at a previous time can be found at http://divyaproducts.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=84

If anyone has used products from there, please comment. Especially is it is for this preparation.

Adhvagat
18 December 2011, 02:20 PM
Hari Om!

I too have had much success with a diet very low in sugar. I disagree however about reducing carbs too much. The body runs off of them and without, in my experience, will feel sluggish and tired. In the past year I have lost in excess of 100 pounds and have improved my health 1000 fold. As I've mentioned previous, I have returned to the yogas that keep the mind, body and soul healthy. I am now a normal weight.

I agree with Sri Yajvan and his Ayurvedic suggestions of Triphala and Amla but never considered honey. I will certainly try it because of the other health benefits also associated with it. Thank-you for your ideas.

Also agree that physical activity is a must and one of my favorite verses from the gita applies - what may taste like nectar in the beginning is poison in the end (icecream and soda for me amongst other things along with almost no activity because I had zero energy) and what tastes like poison in the beginning (exercise, eating right) becomes nectar in the end. (Not the exact words mind you, but you get the idea, right?)

Probably another unpopular belief of mine, but I've felt that some people get obese because they need to get their attention, seeing something large is easier to draw the eye. They have neglected themselves to the point that they need so very much to pay attention to themselves, perhaps more than anything else.

Om Namah Sivaya
Jai Hanuman!

Well, the problem here is junk carbs, like pizzas and dumplings. This is junk! :D

Pizzas are just too rajasic and a person who loves them must be careful! ;)

Obesity can be sometimes related to pathological introversion, fleeing from the world, hiding who you really are from the world. That's one possibility.

Sahasranama
31 December 2011, 06:15 AM
I have always been overweight since childhood and I am still overweight, but I have lost 50 pounds. It takes a lot of work to lose weight, diet and exercise are the most important steps. I don't put too much faith on magic potions, be it ayurvedic or otherwise, ultimately it comes down to calories in versus calories out. Although, anything taken to improve health is not a bad thing. I am now experimenting with fasting for weight loss. This approach gives more flexibility diet wise. There is an ayurvedic doctor in Amsterdam who recommends fasting for weight loss (which I read on her website), but there is also a lot of scientific research behind it.

Read this book: http://uranus.ckt.net/~gochiefs/Eat%20Stop%20Eat.pdf (http://uranus.ckt.net/%7Egochiefs/Eat%20Stop%20Eat.pdf)

charitra
31 December 2011, 01:05 PM
50 pound loss is impressive, what dietary changes did you make. Here in the USA even water only diet makes people fat. An overfed land without any question unlike Europe and Asia.


I have always been overweight since childhood and I am still overweight, but I have lost 50 pounds.

Read this book: http://uranus.ckt.net/~gochiefs/Eat%20Stop%20Eat.pdf (http://uranus.ckt.net/%7Egochiefs/Eat%20Stop%20Eat.pdf)

Friend from the West
31 December 2011, 04:39 PM
Hari Om

Namaste and hello to all,

Sahasranama, congratulations on your efforts!

Om Shanti

FFTW