Despite the Hundreds of diet books and weight loss apps on the current market, most people who lose weight gain it back in a few years – with many recovering even more than they lost. So-called Yo-yo dieting has been associated with poor health and shortened life.  According to Ayurveda, weight imbalance starts with an imbalance deep inside the physiology. Six thousand years back, the first written texts of Ayurvedic medicine described seven mind/body types. These mind/body types were based on a persons’ particular balance of the three basic biological principles, known as doshas. The three doshas are vata which modulates movement, pitta, which regulates energy production and metabolism, and kapha which modulates structure and chemical.

Different mind/body Types have different body shapes and sizes which are healthful and natural for that specific physiology. Someone with a natural predominance of kapha, by way of instance, would carry more weight than a more vata-type. Of utmost Importance in maintaining balance is maintaining the channels of flow within the body clear. These channels are, actually, spaces whereby the doshas, the intelligence of the body, function. Specialty of Ayurveda is the traditional purification program called Panchkarma. These technical treatments help slough off impurities and toxins which have been gradually building up in the body over years. Removing these toxins and blockages allows the pure intelligence of the body to become more expressed.

Another important Aspect of maintaining balanced health is very good digestion. Most ayurvedic treatment for weight loss attempt to suppress the appetite. But suppressing the appetite means suppressing the digestive flame or Agni, as it is known in the Ayurveda texts. Because of this, food doesn’t get digested or metabolized property.  Additionally, poor Digestion results in the introduction of toxins in the kind of ama, a sticky residue which slowly clogs up the cells. This waste substance impairs cellular functions an accelerates aging. It can also induce lethargy, fatigue, dullness, erratic eating habits and compulsive eating. When ama blocks the Channels of the body, vata, the principle of motion, no more flows property and may become trapped in the abdomen, stimulating an abnormal intestinal fire. Because of this, a person starts to eat too, beyond their real needs. Thus, we see how the method of curbing the desire can actually lead to Extra weight gain and a deeper level of imbalance.