THE HABIT - Ayurveda for Weight Loss
Ayurveda for Weight loss
Whole-body healing that supports your ideal weight.
The Habit Ayurveda
Ayurveda for Weight Loss
Did you ever have a friend who could eat whatever they wanted and never get fat**?
When I was a kid my uncle kept a drawer full of chocolate bars, to keep weight on. As an 11 year-old sugar loving kid who was regularly referred to as “the chubby one” I was hella jealous.
Back in 1958 the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published an article claiming a pound of human adipose tissue (aka fat) contains around 3500 calories.
And so began the calorie craze, with Docs and Nutritionists shouting from the rooftops that “All you need to do is decrease your caloric intake by 500 calories a day, and you’ll lose a pound every week!”
By the 90’s everyone and their mom were counting calories (my mom was, was yours?).
It’s still so popular today that it’s Regulated that restaurant chains in the U.S and Canada with more than 15 locations must list the caloric values on each menu item.
K… but wait a sec? If this 3500 calorie thing is universally true, how is it that uncle David could crush 4 chocolate bars in a day and still be rail thin, while I was sneaking the odd cookie from the cupboard, and being told by my friends that “you’re not growing boobs you’re just fat”?
(kids can be so cruel).
The easy, modern answer we hear today might be: “it was his metabolism!”
…. Except do we know what that even means?
Metabolism is the chemical process of breaking down food in the body into protein, fats and carbohydrates (otherwise known as macros) - and converting them into energy.
According to this “landmark” study there are four phases of metabolism in a person's lifespan. Youth being the time when it's at its highest, and slowly degrading over time.
… Still left scratching my head over here. How does that explain a chubby 11 year old and her super thin uncle? How did 3500 cookie calories amount to another pound for me, but nothing for him?
We have to look deeper. And I'm NOT talking about counting macros. That’s the same bullshart.
‘Cause here’s the TRUTH: If your body isn't breaking down your food properly, there's no point in even counting macros.
From Ayurvedic perspective, we look at the following things when it comes to digestive health:
How is the mucosal lining in your gut? Are you absorbing all that protein/nutrients you're eating? Are there other signs of malabsorption present?
Is your liver producing sufficient bile? Are you eating on schedule?
Are you drinking enough water to create good digestive soup?
Are you overeating, slowing the process?
Are you grazing, asking the body to put energy into multiple phases of digestion at once?
Are you stuck in a stressed state, impairing the other functions of your body altogether?
ANY of these things can lead to weight gain, or holding of excess adipose tissue. There’s Literally a hundred things we could talk about before even discussing what you're eating.
Inside Everyday Ayurveda you learn the common symptoms of imbalance that show up for your inherent body type, that might attribute to unwanted weight gain or loss.
Do you have:
irregularity in bowel movements
constipation
gas
bloating
little or low appetite
Hiccups?
These are VATA-type digestive problems.
Do you have:
Loose bowel movements
Acid reflux
Heartburn
Excessive thirst
A sour taste in your mouth
Irritable bowels?
These are PITTA-type digestive problems.
Do you have:
Sticky, mucousy, or incomplete bowel movements
Sluggish digestion
Feelings of heaviness
Frequent salivation
Excess mucous, frequent cough or congestion
Allergies?
There are KAPHA-type digestive problems.
And - believe it or not - none of these problems are cleared up by simply opting for a mandarin chicken lean cuisine meal.
(go figure).
When you learn Ayurveda you’re given tools for bringing the body to homeostasis (as in all systems functioning healthfully), specific to YOUR body type.
And it’s NOT just about food.
If we only focus on the food part, we might as well listening to Chet over at the fitness gym with his “boost your metabolism by eating 50 meals a day” nonsense.
The number of calories you’re taking in is only a piece of the large puzzle that makes up your ideal diet.
Your ideal diet is only a piece of the very large puzzle that makes up a healthy and well balanced you.
There are so many delicious foods out there, and you deserve to enjoy them, and STILL feel totally well, balanced, and thriving at a size that feels good to YOU.
Happy eating whatever tf you want,
xo Carly
p.s - ** I need to put a clarifier on my use of the word fat up top, because our culture uses it in demeaning or judgmental ways, yet having fat on your body is SUPER important. Your brain is 60% fat ffs.
p.p.s - Calorie labeling is a system that has NOT proven effective whatsoever in helping people lose weight or even make different food choices - It’s yet another thing that serves only to perpetuate disordered eating. Listen to this podcast for more on that.
