How to lose weight and fight obesity with Chinese Medicine
Weight loss with Chinese medicine wisdom means you can finally reach your feel-good weight and maintain it. The added benefits are that you’ll not just reach your desired weight, but you’ll also feel more energised and self-confident.
How many times have you tried a diet but failed for different reasons? Maybe you lost some weight but then put it back on again? Are you ready to quit trying yet another diet? Maybe you belong to the group of people who have tried a bunch of different diets and could write a book about the experience.
The restrictions and varied advice from internet “experts” include everything from: cutting out carbohydrates, drinking 3 litres of water per day, to eating low-fat products. The short term results are often accompanied by feelings of frustration and disappointment.
How Chinese medicine views overweight and obesity
Being overweight is often linked to incorrect eating habits from the perspective of TCM. An excess of strong cooling foods such as large amounts of raw foods, dairy products, tropical fruits, fruit juices and sweets, weakens our spleen which belongs to the earth element in TCM. The spleen is responsible for transporting and transforming the food we eat to nourish our system and to keep our “digestive fire” burning. The stronger it is, the better our metabolism.
If our spleen is weak, the transformation process can no longer be completed as the body fails to transform the dampness in the body and therefore stores it as additional body weight. Consequently, it promotes the formation of dampness and phlegm. As a result, we feel tired, listless and we’ll suffer from indigestion and heaviness. If this condition persists, water retention, cellulite, swollen face and hands in the morning and obesity can result. We also speak here of a weak spleen-Qi in Chinese Medicine.
Another reason why losing weight does not work can also be stagnation in the body. In this case, it’s the liver that is usually affected as it tends to stagnate under stress, time pressure, recurrent anger, lack of exercise and regular intake of alcohol and deep-fried and grilled foods.
Fortunately, there is a range of foods that strengthen our spleen, and help to move and drain dampness-phlegm and eliminate stagnation. In addition to that we can achieve a lot by avoiding unfavourable habits.
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9 Top Tips for Weight loss with Chinese Medicine wisdom
1. Don’t skip any dishes
Eating regularly, and ideally at similar times, is important to keep your blood sugar level balanced. This will prevent any cravings for sweets and other unhealthy foods and keep your “digestive fire” burning. It will also produce Qi to keep your metabolism burning calories and fat.
Therefore, never skip meals to save calories as it is counterproductive. Often I hear people telling me that they are not hungry in the morning. That ́s a result of a weak spleen-Qi. After eating small quantities in the morning for several weeks, the sense of hunger will come back.
2. Excessive drinking without thirst
In TCM it differs for each single person how much water intake is healthy. From the point of view of TCM, the spleen has the ability to absorb excess liquids, which we consume through our food. However, if the spleen is weakened then too much water will not be excreted via the kidneys but stored in the tissues. People suffering from a weak spleen-Qi should not drink more than 1.5-2 litres per day. If you are not feeling thirsty, you should drink less.
3. Drinks for eliminating dampness and strengthening the spleen
Barley tea is a wonderful drink to eliminate dampness from the body. Every day about half a litre of it can help the body excrete the existing damp-phlegm and to dissolve stagnation.
As an ideal thirst quencher and to strengthen the digestive strength, I recommend hot, boiled water. This can be drunk in the long term and helps to dissipate the moisture and thus detoxify the body.
4. Avoid dietary products
Light products, reduced-fat foods and diet products often contain flavour enhancers and artificial sweeteners that increase appetite, are difficult to digest and strain digestion. They are often found hidden on the ingredients list under E numbers, maltodextrin, oligofructose and sodium nitrite.
5. Avoid bread
Bread is difficult to digest and produces dampness. As a result it won’t be completely digested and stores the remains as dampness in the body. Many people experience gas, bloating and soft bowels after consuming it. The more moisture the bread has, the worse the impact.
6. Avoid foods that produce dampness
As explained in the beginning, Chinese medicine considers that accumulated dampness is a factor that causes weight gain. Dampness within the body is produced when we are eating too much, too greasy and the wrong foods and when we are under stress. As a result we can become overweight, and so therefore, we must eliminate this dampness.
Foods and ingredients to avoid include: White sugar and sweets, ice-cream, noodles and bread, overconsumption of raw foods esp. salads, tomatoes and cucumbers.
Furthermore, avoid fruits like: Pineapple, kiwi, rhubarb, lemon, banana, kaki, mango, papaya, watermelon and honey melon lead to dampness.
Drinks that weaken the spleen: Cold drinks, soft drinks, fruit juices, algues and soy products.
The same applies for cow milk products like: yogurt, cheese and others.
Instead you should consume more vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish which are abundant in calcium.
7. Start your day with a cooked breakfast
Do you love your yogurt bowl with fresh fruits in the morning? Do you often catch colds and feel tired despite having a healthy breakfast? Maybe this “cold” combo in the morning is completely wrong for your organism.
The most active time period of the stomach and spleen is between 7 and 11 am, according to the Chinese organ clock. Therefore, the most important meal of the day is breakfast. The ideal breakfast is a warm cooked meal that will fuel your digestive fire, and provide a good basis for the metabolism throughout the day.
Finally, If you belong to the group of people who skip breakfast, you may expect a weakening in your spleen.
8. No snacking in between
Many diets recommend five or more meals a day. Studies show that this leads to weight gain. In order to burn fat optimally, three meals a day are better with 4-5 hours between them. In addition to that, the blood sugar level is much better balanced (does not apply to diabetics). Eat more wholesome foods because they simply fill you up longer.
Be patient and you will get there
Instead of going on a crash diet, a diet change is better. You will be supplied with all nutrients and the metabolism of the body will not be slowed down, as it is the case with radical diets. Weight loss with Chinese Medicine will not only help you achieve your desired weight, but will also help you maintain it and avoid the yo-yo effect.
