Weight loss is a huge issue nowadays, more and more people are struggling to lose weight for many reasons. When it comes to weight loss most of us wish there could be a non-exercise method that you can do and forget about everything else.
But sadly that’s not the case. However…
Here are 3 non-exercise tips on how you can start losing weight with Chinese Medicine:
Losing Weight with Chinese Medicine: Wait until you are hungry.
This is perhaps the most overlooked of all and it has a tremendous impact on your health. We have become accustomed to food accessibility at any given moment, thus creating a high probability of snacking or eating large meals even though we are not hungry yet. And with the common meal times we have it is normal for people to overeat thus gaining weight.
That’s why you should wait until you are hungry. Not until you ‘feel’ hungry, but until your body tells you ”I’m hungry”. This is a good rule of thumb for determining whether you eat too much.
It is true that most people can succumb to anxious eating and might be dealing with other issues. But for most of the population, it is just a matter of an ‘idle mouth’. You want to eat because you want something in your mouth. We’ve all been there.
Benefits of waiting:
- You let your body do its job: The human body has an inner rhythm of body functions, there’s an appropriate time for everything. Your body needs time to break down the food, take the nutrients, and place them where they need to be for your metabolism to function properly.
Qi/Chi flows through the organs of your body in a cyclical manner making them more and less active. If you eat food when the digestive organs are in a low energy state they won’t function properly. High-frequency eating, aka snacking and overeating, can wreak havoc on your body’s daily cycle. - It improves your relationship with food: Being hungry won’t cause you to be anxious and irritable anymore. Food won’t control you and you are going to reap some mental strength benefits from it.
- Lets you get into the caloric deficit necessary for weight loss: If you use this tip along with the next one chances are you are on a really good path to that goal.
Pro Tip:
Try waiting a bit longer after you feel hungry to have your meal. Some types of fasting help trigger autophagy, the body’s way of disposing of excess waste and old cells.
What if I suddenly have cravings and I can’t control them?
In that case, I want you to remember two things:
- You can have a snack now and then: It is not a crime to have a snack from time to time. Just don’t let it get to the point in which you snack every day just because. Be mindful about your eating.
- Drink water: One of the best solutions to controlling cravings is just drinking water. That craving is usually just the ‘idle mouth’ kicking in. Drink water.
Losing Weight with Chinese Medicine: Eat less than you usually do
I did this when I was preparing for a martial arts tournament in university. I needed to lose some pounds to get into the right weight division and I tried to eat half of what I was already eating.
The most amazing realization was that I was overeating without knowing it. Just eating half of what I used to eat made me realize that I was satisfied with less food and the rest was just a habit I had from a time I used to eat more.
What I want you to take from this tip is that you might be eating a lot of food you don’t need for you to feel satisfied and have your nutritional goal met. Now, eating half of what you used to may seem a bit too much so here’s my advice:
- Start by eating just 75% of your usual amount. See how you feel after a couple of days.
- Keep pushing until you find the sweet spot that keeps you satisfied, doesn’t starve you but makes you lose weight.
- Eat slowly, it takes a bit of time for your stomach to send the signal of fullness to the brain, if you eat fast you will be fuller than you need to be.
Eat up until 80% of stomach capacity.
This is a concept that has gained popularity recently. It comes from the Japanese saying ”Hara hachi bu/Hara hachi bun me” which translates to ”eat until you are 80% full”. This is a popular practice that takes place in Okinawa which is regarded as one of the blue zones (areas of the world where there are a great % of long-living people), so they may be on to something there.
His practice emphasizes a change of mind when it comes to food.
You should eat until you are no longer hungry. Not until you are full.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the organs need to have space and energy to work properly. Just like you need space to move smoothly in a crowded space, the same goes for the organs. If you eat a lot of food, i.e. until you are full, you will suffocate the spleen and stomach’s ”digestive fire” putting a strain on your spleen and stomach thus making your digestion slower and worse. It can eventually cause bloating and gastrointestinal issues.
So, eat until you are no longer hungry.
How to know you are doing it right
There’s a method I use which is called ‘The squat test’. The explanation is simple: You should be able to squat down and not feel uncomfortable or feel a big pressure on your stomach.
If you feel it, chances are you are eating too much and may need to reduce a bit of your meal portions according to the previous tip.
Losing Weight with Chinese Medicine: Drink green tea
In Chinese Medicine, green tea is often used as an adjuvant in several herbal formulas. But it also has wonderful effects by itself like weight loss, and better breathing because of the methylxanthines that help in conditions like asthma. Green tea is a great addition to your usual drinking menu. Studies have shown that drinking green tea has a positive impact in helping weight loss as well as other health benefits.
So, instead of the regular coffee or sugary soft drinks, try with some green tea for improved results. Don’t use any sugar or use the least you can. Adding too much sugar will cause you to increase the amount of calories you are ingesting.
Bonus: Avoid cold drinks and foods
In Traditional Chinese Medicine being warm is a good indicator of health. The body should have a balance between cold and heat with a preference for warmness.
Cold acts as a pernicious influence that can damage your organs and functions.
Cold drinks and food interfere with the Kidney Yang which is the one in charge of starting the body’s ”burning processes’. Kidney yang burns water turning it into moisture that helps in vital mechanisms. The Kidney network is perhaps the most important one in our bodies, it also includes the bone marrow and the brain so an impaired kidney function will also impact the brain.
Impaired kidney yang interferes with many things including digestion.
Cold also impacts the stomach’s digestive fire (Like I said above) and turns it off. A stomach with no digestive fire will cause bloating, slow digestion, and will make you gain weight in the process.
Now, this doesn’t mean you can’t have some ice cream or a refreshing glass of water on a hot day. What I’m referring to is to be mindful of what you put in your mouth and to favor warm foods over cold ones.
Have any other questions or tips? Feel free to share them in the comments below!
See you in the next post!
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