by Dr. MaryJo Cravatta
Successful Weight Loss – 8 Ayurvedic Keys will assist you in achieving your weight loss goals. Are you wondering which diet is right for you? Paleo, Vegetarian, Intermittent Fasting, Ayurvedic, Detox, Gluten Free, Vegan are just a few that you have to choose from. The mind spins just thinking about all of the dietary choices. My helpful tips will assist you with any diet you plan to use.
What if it was not so much about the food but about how and when you eat the food? Implementing these proper diet plan while incorporating some practical recommendations will enhance the diet plan of your choosing. Try including these 8 suggestions on a daily basis. These ayurvedic principles are designed to enhance whatever diet plan you may choose.
Focus On The Food For Successful Weight Loss
Allowing yourself to be distracted while eating draws your awareness from your stomach and into your head. This increases your probability of eating a few bites too many. Perhaps you are not greatly over eating, but it can be the calories from those few extra nibbles that interfere with shedding those extra pounds. Recommendation: Do not use your phone, watch television, use the computer, drive your car, or talk excessively while eating. Sit quietly and listen to what your body may be telling you. This suggestion is one of the most important of the 8 keys to successful weight loss.
Avoid Cold Food Or Drinks
A strong burning Digestive Fire is necessary to properly process your food. This fiery catalyst is composed of gastric juices, enzymes, HCl, and bile. Putting anything cold into your mouth will dampen the fire and decrease your chances of complete digestion. Your body will store this as toxins and excess weight. Recommendation: Do not have iced drinks while eating or ice cream for desert. Wait several hours between meals if you feel the need for something cold.
Always Sit Down To Eat
Eating while standing up or in a moving car will snuff out your Digestive Fire. Think of holding a burning candle and what happens if you jump up and begin to walk or run – poof, out goes the flame. Recommendation: Resist the urge to get up and down while eating and remain seated for at least 5 – 10 minutes after you are finished.
Eat Your Main Meal At Lunch For Successful Weight Loss
This gives you many more hours in the day to fully digest and burn off these calorie rich foods. Nature’s daily cycles support a brightly burning Digestive Fire in this active, middle part of the day. Recommendation: Best to eat animal protein and fatty foods during lunch. Choose lighter foods for the evening meal.
Do not eat after 7pm For Successful Weight Loss
As the sun is beginning to set, the digestive fire within us is waning. As evening approaches, we are preparing to settle down for the night. Ideally, dinner will be finished by 7pm. Many times, if we desire to snack after dinner, it is due to restlessness or dissatisfaction and not because we are hungry. Recommendation: Eat a smaller portion of easily digested food for the evening meal – you will have deeper sleep and increased energy the next morning.
Only eat when Hungry For Successful Weight Loss
This may sound obvious, but many times we eat out of habit, boredom, or because others are munching. Hunger in the belly is an indication that we have true Digestive Fire. Be aware that your head may try to convince you otherwise. Recommendation: When you “think” it is time to eat, sit quietly and ask yourself if your digestion is really stoked – many times, drinking some water is all that you may need.
Drink Ginger Tea With Meals For Successful Weight Loss
Having a delicious cup of ginger tea with or after meals will maximize your ability to completely digest your food. Many cultures have used this fiery root over the centuries with much success. Recommendation: Use a ginger tea bag or ½ tsp of fresh grated ginger in hot water. Let steep for 5 minutes and enjoy either during your meal or as a soothing desert.
Stop Eating Before You Are Full For Successful Loss
Our last of the 8 keys to successful weight loss is easy if you follow the other 7. The sense of satisfaction may be delayed for several minutes as the signals are relayed to your brain. If you eat until you are full, within just a few minutes, this may turn into slight discomfort. Ideally, finishing the meal will a little extra “space” within the stomach will allow for ease of digestion. Recommendation: Resist the urge to be part of the “clean plate club”. Be mindful of how much you are eating and listen to the bodily may be communication.