Perfect Weight by Deepak Chopra
A Mind and Body Program Based on Balance and Body Type
His methods may seem unorthodox, but there’s some fascinating and effective advice for controlling appetites and balancing the mind with the body. First Deepak Chopra stresses the importance of people accepting themselves the way that they are. How they feel is much more important than what the scale says.
Ayurvedic Body Types
There’s an ayurvedic body type questionnaire in Perfect Weight based on the influence of the three doshas that’s amazingly accurate. Everyone has different aspects of all three, but usually one type will dominate. It’s also possible to have a two-type dosha, and more rarely three. The test uses questions based on physical appearance, habits and personality to calculate the body type.
Ayurveda is a traditional medicine system in India that begins by asking what a person’s nature is rather than his or her history. Body types determine nature, which is why it’s important for individuals to know what their type is. Each body type has specific foods, exercises and activities that are more useful for their individual bodies and personalities.
If people are overweight or underweight, their bodies and minds are thought to be unbalanced. Feelings about food, motives for eating and whether a person accepts his or her body affect health and weight. Overweight people often get that way by turning to food for emotional comfort and/or trying to hide or escape from their feelings.
There are foods listed in Perfect Weight that reduce Kapha (a dosha that’s more likely to be overweight) and increase metabolism. Herbal supplements are also explored as a way to help with improving digestion, increasing metabolism and helping with weight loss.
Exercise is also important for health and weight control. There are simple yoga exercise instructions included in Perfect Weight to help balance the mind and body. Too much exercise can be damaging according to Deepak Chopra because of course the body and mind is best balanced with moderation.
Record Hunger Levels
In chapter 1 of Perfect Weight, there’s a daily record of hunger levels that helps calculate hunger levels and record progress. Pausing before eating to gauge the level of hunger first helps control compulsive eating.
Change Meal Routines
In Deepak Chopra’s suggested meal routine, he stresses the importance of lunch being the heaviest meal. Supper is more often the heaviest meal, so this new routine would take some time to adjust to. It makes sense because it’s best not to go to bed with a full or heavy stomach.
Overcome Food Cravings and Binges
The last chapter of Perfect Weight deals with overcoming food cravings and binges. According to Ayurveda, there are six tastes. These tastes all need to be balanced, because they affect metabolic rate and even personality characteristics.
It’s an interesting method of balancing the mind and body and Deepak Chopra explains everything so that even the strangest suggestions make sense. Anyone who is interested in exploring Ayurvedic techniques to improve their mind and body’s health would benefit from Perfect Weight (Quantam Publications, 1994, ISBN: 0517884585). It’s an ancient system that focuses on balance that works and it’s easy to read and understand.
Perfect Weight
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