Definition of Obesity: Excess amount of body fat is Obesity.

Excess weight of muscles, bone, fat and water in the body (like body builders and athletes) is overweight. Over weight persons are at increased health risk than normal persons. They are more prone to chronic diseases like heart diseases, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and few types of cancers.

Is fat necessary to our body?

Certain amount of body fat does the following function

1. Heat insulation
2. Absorption of shock
3. Storage of energy, etc.

Ayurveda describes the functions of body fat as ?Medaha sneha swedaudhrudatwam pushtim asthyancha.? This means in normal conditions the body fat keeps the body moisturized , causes sweating , gives energy to body (by storing energy) and nourishes bones. (By protecting them from shock).

Distribution of fat:
Women have more body fat than men. In women usually the fat accumulates around hips giving them a pear shape. In men it accumulates around belly giving them an apple shape. The obesity related problems start when fat accumulates around waist.

In Ayurveda the distribution of fat is described as follows
"Medastu sarvabhutaanamudarenvasthi thishtathi
Ata evodare vriddhihi prayo medaswino bhavet.?

Fat gets deposited in and around belly in all living beings. It is also present in bone. Hence when a person becomes obese his stomach bulges out.

And also the characters of an obese person are described as

"Medo mamsa ativriddhatvaachalasphigudarastanaha."

Which means the hips, belly and breasts of an obese person sag and sagged parts flap as that person moves. An obese person will not be active.

Causes of Obesity
When a person consumes more calories than he burns then the excess calories get stored in the form of fat causing obesity.

Genetic factors?Obesity tends to run in families. If parents are fat then the offspring also show a tendency to accumulate fat. Diet and lifestyle habits which are practiced in family also contribute to obesity.

Environment? A person?s eating habits and the level of physical activities a person has also contribute for excess deposition of fat. When a person eats food containing more calories and has a sedentary work then the calories consumed are more than calories burnt. The excess amount calories are stored as fat.

 Psychological disturbances?There is a tendency to over eat in response to negative emotions like boredom, sadness or anger. This leads to obesity.

Binge eating disorder?Diseases and conditions like Hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, Depression, and certain neurological problems lead to overeating which in turn leads to accumulation of fat.

Medicines?such as steroids and some antidepressants may cause weight gain.

Causes of obesity according to Ayurveda
The causes of obesity are very clearly explained in Ayurveda. The following reasons which are mentioned in Ayurveda increase the deposition of fat.

?Avayamadivaaswapnashleshmalaaaharasevinaha
Madhuroannarasaha prayaha snehamedhovivardhati?
 
According to Ayurveda the causes of obesity are defined as:

• Avyayama : Not exerting physically
• Divaswapna: Sleeping in afternoon
• Shleshmala Ahara Vihara: The diet and life styles which increase Kapha
• Madhura Annaha: Consuming sweetened foods

Health risks due to Obesity

• Obesity leads to the following problems
• Type-2 diabetes
• Heart disease
• High Blood pressure
• Stroke
• Few types of Cancers
• Gall stones
• Liver diseases
• Osteo arthritis
• Gout
• Infertility
• Irregular menstruation in women

According to Ayurveda the obese persons are more prone to the following diseases

• Diabetes
• Kidney related problems
• Hepatitis
• Low libido
• Low energy levels
• Skin problems
• Fistula
• Piles
• Filariasis, etc.

Tips to reduce Obesity
Ayurvedic Tips

?         Follow your Ayurvedic food plan (e.g., Kapha doshas avoid foods and beverages that increase kapha and medha (fat): sweets, sweetened drinks , large quantities of carbohydrates and fried or oily foods; eat Vayu and Pitta-increasing foods such as, tamarind, green gram and horse gram to reduce of kapha and medha (e.g., pungent, bitter, and astringent).

o       Note while Kapha is the main cause of obesity, Pitta and Vayu can also be the root-cause. So be sure to determine the excessed dosha(s) prior to undergoing a weightloss routine.

• Make lunch your main meal of the day
• Kapha doshas eat lunch and dinner
• Pitta and Vayu doshas eat 3 meals a day
• Eat in moderation
• Exercise like brisk walking, jogging, swimming, playing outdoor games (according to one?s dosha)

o       Exerting physically like doing house hold works, walking to distant places to bring groceries, vegetables etc, walking long distances to bring the child back from school, walking to working place, climbing stairs etc are types of physical exertion.

o       Mental exertion like finding creative solutions to meaningful problems also restrict food consumption in some and there by reduces the intake of calories.

• Do meaningful (purposeful) work in the world
• Practice gentle yoga stretches
• Dance
• If necessary, take Ayurvedic herbs to help lose weight (e.g., Triphala Guggul)
• Consumption of honey (this is advisable for non diabetic patients Vayu & Kapha doshas). Consuming 2 teaspoons of honey with a glass of herbal tea, which includes weight reducing herbs help a lot in weight reduction. Honey along with these herbs scrapes and dissolves the Kapha and medha (body fat).

?         Sleeping for less hours. Avoiding sleeping in afternoons help to increase the burning of calories. This avoids slowing of basal metabolic rate.

?         Consuming wheat products other than rice products help to reduce obesity.

Western Medicine Tips

• Determine with the help of your physician how much weight has to be reduced.
• Set several short term realistic goals.
• Reward yourself each time you make progress (Not food items).
• Even small weight losses have shown to be beneficial.
  Make gradual changes in eating habits.
• You will lose weight when you burn more calories than you consume.
• Hence eating less and being more active help in losing weight.
• Sound eating habits keep you out of putting on weight.
  Stay motivated to lose weight
• Slow weight loss is the safest and most effective
• (one to one and half pound per week)
• Gradual weight loss, promote long term loss of body fat
• A person who is moderately active needs daily, 33 calories per kg of body weight to maintain his weight
• Reducing calories intake by 300 per day and increasing the physical activity to burn 200 calories per day results in weight loss of 400 Gms per week
• To satisfy basic nutritional needs eat a variety of foods every day
• Eat food from each of the food groups
• Balanced food plans encourage making wise choices about everyday food choices. This type of diet helps to stay at your proper weight for life
• Allow for an occasional treat
• Evaluate your eating pattern
• Try to cut down on foods high in fats and sugar. Most successful weight ? loss plans stress on reduction in both calories and the amount of fat eaten

Physical activity:

• Determine the type of physical activity that suits your life style.
• Regular aerobic exercise like brisk walking, jogging or swimming, is a key factor in achieving permanent weight loss and improving health.
• Health experts recommend exercising 30 minutes or more on all, days of the week for maximum benefits.
• The exercises should be moderately vigorous to be most effective but not exhausting (for Vayu and Pitta; Kaphas can exercise until past exhaustion).
• Incorporate few simple measures to burn calories effectively.
• Like- taking an after dinner walk, using stairs instead of escalators or elevators, parking the car farther away to have a longer walk etc.
• Exercises also improve sense of well being ,decreases stress and decreases appetite in some.