Yoga for weight loss: myth or reality

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

It works differently from the rest of the workout.

Is yoga good for weight loss?

The main method of losing weight is creating a calorie deficit when you reduce your energy intake (diet) and increase energy expenditure (exercise).

The main goal of training in this scheme is to increase calorie expenditure. This means that the more intense and longer you exercise, the more calories you will spend and the faster you will lose weight. In this regard, yoga is practically useless.

A half-hour workout burns 120 to 178 kcal, depending on your body weight. About the same amount can be spent in half an hour of leisurely walking (5.6 km / h).

A light run at a speed of about 8 km / h will burn twice as many calories.

However, yoga can still have a positive effect on weight and body composition.

An analysis of 2013 studies found that out of 17 yoga-based weight management programs, 13 helped participants improve their body fat and muscle percentages, even if the weight remained unchanged.

Similar data were obtained in a later review, 2015: of eight randomized controlled experiments, six confirmed the benefits of yoga for weight loss.

A year later, a new analysis of 10 scientific papers found that yoga was effective for lowering body mass index in overweight and obese people, but did not work for those whose BMI was within the normal range.

There is also some evidence that yoga helps maintain weight in the long term. One study analyzed the lifestyle and weight of 15, 5 thousand people between 35 and 40 years old.

It turned out that doing yoga for four years reduces the risk of getting fat. Slender people (BMI - less than 25), practicing this system of exercises, gained on average 1.4 kg less than those who did not exercise. As for the overweight subjects, training helped them lose about 2.2 kg in four years. Overweight people who ignored classes, during the same time, gained an average of 6 kg.

Thus, yoga can help those who are overweight, but are in no hurry to lose weight and are ready to immerse themselves in the practice for the sake of health and pleasure.

But even in this case, one cannot speak of indisputable effectiveness, since many studies from the above reviews included few participants and had methodological problems. More high-quality scientific papers are needed for concrete conclusions.

In terms of existing research, scientists suggest that people lost weight not through increased calorie expenditure, but through other mechanisms.

How yoga can help you lose weight

Reduces stress

A high degree of nervous tension often leads to weight gain - both due to the "seizing" of sweets and other junk food, and due to hormonal changes.

With chronic stress, people have high levels of cortisol, a hormone that promotes the accumulation of fat in the abdomen and prevents it from losing. Moreover, even in the case of a calorie deficit.

Regular yoga practice reduces stress levels, which in the long term can help you get rid of excess fat stores.

Improves hormonal profile

Yoga also affects other hormones responsible for energy metabolism in the body. One experiment found that experienced yogis had 36% more leptin and 28% more adiponectin than beginners.

Leptin is responsible for suppressing hunger, and adiponectin maintains insulin sensitivity. A decrease in the levels of these hormones leads to weight gain, obesity and the development of metabolic diseases.

Teaches mindful eating

If you are used to eating dinner while watching TV or a smartphone, it is very easy to miss the moment of fullness and eat more than your body needs.

Mindful eating strategies have been used to treat eating disorders and are as helpful as psychotherapy and educational lectures on the topic. Moreover, this approach increases the pleasure of eating and makes it easier to control your eating habits.

Learning to mindfulness with the help of yoga, people begin to notice how hard and unpleasant it becomes after overeating, learn to better track the onset of satiety and finish the meal exactly when they are full, and not when the food in the plate runs out.

How to do yoga for weight loss

Exercise regularly and fully

Practice yoga for 60 minutes a day, at least three times a week.

You can arrange for shorter sessions, for example in the morning or during the day, but three times a week, find an hour of free time for a full workout.

Unlike running or strength training, yoga does not require a long rest to recover, so you can safely arrange sessions for 1-1, 5 hours daily.

The longer and more often you exercise, the better for weight loss and overall health.

Combine different aspects of the practice

Yoga includes not only asana holding, but also elements such as breathing and meditation. And although they are often seasoned with spiritual and religious contents, it is not at all necessary to think about chakras and imagine lotuses.

Both breathing techniques and meditation (concentration on an object or event) have a positive effect on the central nervous system, help relieve stress and more effectively deal with it in everyday life.

By supplementing exercise with breathing and techniques of focusing on your body or mind, you will increase the benefits of yoga practice.

Don't forget about mindful eating

Over time, yoga classes will help you feel your body better and give up unhealthy foods and overeating. But if you want to lose weight faster, you can take a step in that direction before it happens of its own accord.

Pick a time when you can be alone, take your time, and focus all your attention on food. Turn off the TV, put your smartphone and books away.

Take small bites and chew slowly. Concentrate on food - feel its taste, texture and smell. Try not to be distracted by extraneous thoughts and stay in the present moment.

Monitor your sensations to understand when the satiety has come. And don't be afraid to leave food on your plate - you don't have to send everything in there.

You can also try the following methods:

• Hold a cutlery in your non-dominant hand or try eating with chopsticks.
• Set a kitchen timer for 20 minutes and try to stretch out your meal for that time.
• Before opening your refrigerator or food cabinet, ask yourself if you are really hungry. If you are unsure about this, try doing something like reading, taking a walk, or doing breathing exercises. If the hunger was not physiological, but emotional, during the lesson it will leave you.

Is it possible to quickly lose weight with yoga

Yoga is a long-term project to maintain a healthy and healthy weight. This practice does not lead to rapid weight loss, especially in people with a BMI within the normal range.

If you get up on the scales every morning and measure the volumes, looking forward to when the excess weight will go away and the cubes will appear, you will most likely simply be disappointed and abandon classes, recognizing them as ineffective.

Yoga is suitable for those who are tired of constant diets and exercises that do not bring pleasure, want to accept and love their body, make friends with it and learn to listen to it.

If you need to shed a few pounds for an event or are striving for a figure like the cover of sports magazines, consider other options for physical activity. For example, a combination of cardio and strength training, or high-intensity interval training.