Every woman desires to have a slim and svelte body. Because of this over whelming desire, ladies tend to adopt wrong methods of “shedding weight”, resulting in loss of health but not loss of weight. These common mistakes are:
1. Setting too ambitious a target. Your targets for weight reduction should be based on practical, logical reasons. If you attempt to shed all the acquired fat in a short time and indulge in over straining “crash methods” of weight reduction, the results could be serious. Sudden reduction of weight may cause metablic problems.
2. “Starving”, your self is another mistake. Or some people go on ‘all vegetable’ or ‘all fruit diet’. Remember your brain needs adequate amounts of glucose to function properly. If you starve your body, you starve your brain. Frequent fasting will damage the brain. Hence eat small quantities but for more number of times. Starvation diet is especially harmful to persons with gout or cardiac, renal or cerebral disorders.
3. Do not believe advertisements that promise miraculous reduction of weight in just a few weeks. Medically, this is not just possible.
4. Similarly beware of special dietary foods that are touted as Instant weight reducing foods. Consult your doctor before using such foods / supplements. These foods may not contain starch or sugar. But instead of sugar, syrup, Fructose etc could have been added.
5. Do not eat “snacks” especially chocolates in between meals. Give up the attitude that what if just one chocolate is eaten. Instead, eats fruits or raw vegetables.
6. Do not watch T.V. for long periods. Do not become a slave to the Idiot Box. Watching T.V. makes you lazy and you put on 1/2 kilo more per month if you watch T.V. for 5 hours a day. Also the “snackes” you munch during your T.V. watching time, definifely adds kilos to your weight.
7. Another erroneous belief is, if you sleep too much, you put on weight. If you sleep for only 4 hours a day, your carbohydrate food will not get digested. Adequate sleep is required for proper brain function and metabolism.
8. Avoiding or neglecting to take, salads. If salads are consumed before food, one tends to eat less.
9. Following the “Dr. Atkins Revolutionery diet” without consulting a doctor. This diet advocates avoiding foods rich in carbo – hydrates and including a lot of protein and fat rich foods! Its main “mantra” is that carbo hydrats are body’s energy. It body is deprived of it, it will “burn” fat & protein & use these for its energy requirements. Hence body’s fat is reduced. You can eat Met, eggs chesse, full cream, meat fried in butter etc but you must not take Bread, pasta, certain fruits, vegetables. After practising this diet for some time, carbo – hydrate foods will be permitted in the end of this dietary regimen. This being a difficult diet regimen, do not undertake it without consulting your doctor. Atkins diet may cause reduction in weight but if you stop it, weight will again increase.
10. Many go by their body weights to determine their level of obesity. The correct method to determine whether you are overweight or not is the “BMI” method. Body Mass Index (BMI) is obtained by multiplying your weight in kilos by 1000 and dividing with your height in centi metre, squared. Eg: you weight is assumed is 60 kilos and height 165 c.m.

60 x 1000
Your BMI is —————– = 22.00.
Now refer to BMI chart.
1.65 x 1.65

BMI Chart
Less than 18.5 – Low Weight
18.5 to 24.9 – Normal Weight
25 to 29.9 – Over Weight
30 to 34.9 – Slightly obese
35 to 39.9 – Middle level obeseity
Above 40 – Obese.

Ayurveda and obesity
Ayurveda calls the digestive power as power of ‘Agni’ (fire). This Agni develops ‘dhatus’ and provides nutrients. When this fire power is affected, the foods becomes only. More food is eaten resulting in more fat that deposits in several parts of the body. All actions that increase “kapha” dosha, increase fat accumulation. Ayurveda therapies consist of langanam and Udvarthanam. Langanam therapy cleanses the stomach and body while Udvardanam consist of dry massage with herbs. Consult your physician to choose a slimming method that suits you.