How to lose weight the zen yoga way
Dieting books, dieting plans, diet T.V. … dieting is an insanely large industry. Financially successful, it lures people in with unflattering before shots and glamorous after shots. Unfortunately, the customers are not usually so happy because the diets aren’t successful. Even if the diet is temporarily successful the weight is soon put back on after the diet is over. The diet and the weight loss are unsustainable in the longer term. Then the cycle repeats itself as the dieter tries the latest fad diet and the dieting industry makes more money. This much is all well-known.
I don’t wish to be judgemental about people who try to lose weight or whether people should or shouldn’t lose weight. That’s a personal decision. However, here’s a very healthy, non-prescriptive way to go about dieting that doesn’t cost you anything, in fact, it saves you money.
腹八分目 Harahachibunme is a Japanese approach to eating which roughly translates as ‘stomach eight parts full,’ i.e. you shouldn’t eat until you are completely full but stop when you are 80% full. One of the earliest yoga texts, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika gives similar advice, suggesting that you should eat until, “¾ of hunger is satisfied with food.” (It also states that, “Fire, women, travelling … should be avoided” but I’m saving that for a whole new post 
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So, here it is, how to lose weight the zen yoga way:
- Eat exactly the same kinds of foods that you were eating before.
- Eat more slowly, chewing your food for longer.
- Stop when your stomach feels 80% full.
That’s it, easy. As we usually eat beyond the point of feeling full, eating more slowly helps us to stop at the right time. Chewing more helps us to digest the food better and tricks us into thinking that we’re eating more.
Now, here comes the really clever bit. By paying attention to what you’re eating more closely and how you feel after eating, after a while you may start to find that you want to change certain parts of your diet. This feeling will come naturally and is a totally different feeling to the one that comes when you are forced to follow a certain method of eating. Follow these natural urges and see where they take you. Your body will thank you for it.
