Losing weight after having a baby

yoga: article LOSE WEIGHT YOGA Yoga to Lose Weight Fed up with dieting and not losing weight? Don’t give up. Try yoga to lose weight fast Deanna Michalopoulos
Carb restriction and other fad diets may be Americans’ go-to strategy to subtract numbers from the scale and shed surplus pounds. And in a country where two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, adhering to a tough diet seems like the prescription. But a strict eating plan–whether self-imposed or stemming from a popular program–isn’t always the answer.

One study published in the journal American Psychologist reviewed all previous research that tracked dieters for 2 to 5 years and found that at least one- to two-thirds of dieters regained all the weight they lost (plus some) within 5 years. Other studies show that strict dieting triggers people to eat more than those who aren’t on any diet, creating a vicious cycle of undereating and overindulging. In other words, if you skip cereal in the morning, come noon you may inhale a cupcake or two without thinking twice.

So what can you do if you want to look svelte, rocking a pair of skinny jeans? The answer is yoga. Research published in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine found that people who practiced yoga regularly for 4 years or more actually gained less weight as they got older. What’s more, overweight individuals who practiced yoga for 4 years or more managed to lose weight over a 10-year period.

But as it turns out, it’s not just breaking a sweat during yoga class that helps whittle your middle. “Losing weight isn’t just about physical activity and it isn’t just about cognitive skills like counting calories, weighing portions, or not stocking junk in your pantry,” says Alan Kristal, Ph.D., researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and co-author of the yoga study mentioned above. “If you’re going to lose weight and keep it up, you need to be mindful in addition to these things.”

In fact, there’s been a surge of programs that promise weight-loss success based on a mindful approach to eating. These programs encourage people to weigh their hunger levels against emotions, such as anxiety, loneliness, or anger, to make sure they are eating for the right reasons. So rather than chomping on chips to tame tension or reduce stress, you can learn to calm your body and mind with meditation and deep breathing. “Mindfulness gives people a better sense of control over food and makes eating a more comfortable experience,” says Donald Altman, author of Meal by Meal: 365 Daily Meditations for Finding Balance Through Mindful Eating. The same techniques you use to stay focused and breathe through a challenging pose during yoga class can come in handy when you’re in the kitchen or a restaurant. Since yoga practitioners feel more in tune with their bodies, they are responsive to their body’s sensations–including hunger and satiety. When you’re more aware of why you’re eating or not eating, you could lose weight almost by accident.

An avid yoga practitioner himself, Kristal developed a scale to measure mindful eating, and his research found that the longer individuals practice yoga, the higher they score on the mindful eating scale. And high mindful-eating marks were strongly correlated with a low body mass index (BMI). Want to slim down mindfully? Here’s how yoga can help.

Last updated: May 20, 2010

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