There are research studies and plenty of personal stories to support that meditation – though not associated with traditional weight-loss approaches in itself – can change people's mindsets and behaviors in a way that leads to sustainable weight loss.

Growing obesity threat

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in Canada and the United States (as per 2015-2016 reports 93.3 million US adults suffer from it!) and is a grave public health threat, more serious even than the opioid epidemic. The health problems associated with being overweight and obesity are well known, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some types of cancer,  according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Moreover, according to the Commonwealth Fund, despite the thriving U.S. weight-loss market (worth $66 billion in 2017), there is no evidence that diet-related programs will curb obesity. Numerous studies indicate that diets are not effective in controlling or reversing weight gain. In fact, 50 percent of dieters weighed more than 11 pounds over their starting weight five years after their diet, according to one study.

If diet-related programs are failing, how can meditation help to slim down?

Most people try to lose weight with the worst state of mind possible. Wanting to "fix" themselves quickly, they jump into diets and exercise plans out of self-hatred or self-disapproval, not liking their body, calling themselves "fat" and experiencing low self-worth. They get obsessed with results, choose quick fixes, losing sight of sustainability and even their long-term health and well-being.

In a recent Forbes article, skinny celebrity model turned Holistic Health Coach and founder of Holistically Slim, Sarah Stewart says, “Ancient wisdom teaches “a healthy mind is a healthy body.” Just as a house falls to the ground without its foundation, your body can become overweight and sick without a mind focused on health and happiness! I’ve discovered in my practice that ‘what to eat’ and ‘how you exercise’ are only small pieces of the big puzzle (of weight loss). Traditional weight loss programs overlook that you'll face countless obstacles to successfully adopting a new routine and most importantly, the highest barrier is often ourselves and they rarely focus on how we can change our long-term behavior.”

What Sarah has hinted at is so valuable and our mind definitely needs to be considered as a foundational pillar of every weight loss program in addition to diet, mindful eating, and physical exercises.

Include breathwork and meditation as a non-negotiable strategy to help lose weight

Weight loss is an act of immense courage, commitment, willpower, and a positive health-oriented mindset. It involves breaking several ingrained habits and patterns. Sometimes, despite all the hard work, things seem to be moving slowly or not at all. When the hours spent on gym equipment, the strenuous exercises, the extreme diets, and your wishful thinking does not yield results, you start losing patience and hope.

If you have recently started feeling dejected and are asking what more you can do in achieving your goal weight, then maybe it’s time to consider this one simple method—Meditation. This natural and simple tool can help you expedite your progress to weight loss in unimaginable ways. In recent years, many people have realized the immense value of meditation for weight loss. 

Moreover, deep breathing is also closely linked with weight loss. Deep breathing increases the supply of oxygen in your body and this extra oxygen supplied to your body helps in burning the extra fat deposited in the body. Breathing deeply also improves blood circulation and tones the abdominal muscles.

Meditation for Weight Loss: 7 ways meditation helps to lose those extra pounds

1. Meditation lowers your BMR effortlessly

How many calories do you need at rest, when you are just breathing? That is your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate. The lower the BMR, the better.  "The relaxation response [from meditation] helps decrease metabolism, lowers blood pressure, and improves heart rate, breathing, and brain waves," says cardiologist Herbert Benson, MD, well known for three decades of research into the health effects of meditation. He is the founder of the Mind/Body Institute at Harvard Medical School.

When BMR is low, the extra calories intake by your body reduces. Weight loss is, then, a natural outcome. 

2. Meditation aids in the assimilation of food

Suppose you spent an hour at the gym and then you are ravenous. After a rigorous exercise regimen, you get home and start searching for food to eat and tend to overeat. However, the unpleasant truth is that your increased appetite continues even when you don’t work out. The issue arises with the assimilation of the food you eat. How can you improve that to lose weight?

Meditation comes into play here. It is one of the best. Meditation can help you lose weight by improving the assimilation of food. Hormonal imbalance and stress lead to overeating and indigestion. Regular meditation helps relax your stressed nerves and balance your hormones. This has a long-term effect on your efforts at weight loss. 

3. Meditation moderates temptations to eat unhealthy food

"People often put on weight from trying to comfort themselves with food," says Adam Perlman, MD, executive director of Duke Integrative Medicine.

Although there is not a lot of research showing that meditation directly helps you lose weight, meditation does help you become more aware of your thoughts and actions, including those that relate to food. For example, a research review showed that meditation can help with both binge eating and emotional eating.

Perhaps the biggest roadblock to weight loss is binge eating or craving junk food, especially if you have a sweet tooth or are a foodie. One thing that is needed to overcome such cravings while seriously pursuing your weight loss goal is increased awareness. Meditation can help increase your awareness levels. When you are in the ‘awareness zone’, it is easier to reject those intense temptations. You become more watchful of what you eat. Over a period of time, your cravings also reduce. Thus meditation can help you be more mindful of your eating habits and to create a healthy relationship with food. This is so vital to make any weight loss lasting.

4 tips to create mindful eating habits:

• Be 100% there while you are eating, avoid all the distractions: no screens, no phone calls, no to-go boxes

• Eat slowly, chew thoroughly. The process of digestion begins in your mouth.

• Engage all your five senses while eating: enjoy the aroma, the taste, flavors, colors, and texture of your food

• Observe how you feel after eating: energized and nourished or bloated, heavy and sluggish? Make a note of these and plan your meals accordingly

4. Meditation = less stress: here's how meditation can help reduce belly fat

In a recent poll, twenty-seven percent of adults say they eat to manage stress and 34 percent of those who report overeating or eating unhealthy foods because of stress say this behavior is a habit.

Have you observed just when you reach for that bag of chips or that bar of chocolate? Were you stressed at the time and looking for some quick ‘harmless’ thrills? You might not always feel it but stress can seat itself deeply in your system. It leads to overindulgences. This is why meditation is also a necessity if you want to beat the daily stress. It aids in weight loss. It lightens your load by plugging into your inner self and releasing you from your burdens. When you are relaxed, you won’t want to raid the larder. 

According to a 2015 American study, people who pay more attention to their thoughts and feelings in the present moment had lower levels of abdominal fat and were less likely to become obese. A recent Yale University study suggests that stress may cause excess abdominal fat in otherwise slender women. Non-overweight women who are vulnerable to the effects of stress are more likely to have excess belly fat and have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Meditation has proven to be the savior for so many stressed people to find relaxation and peace of mind. 

5. Meditation improves self-acceptance

Sounds strange? Wondering why there is a need to lose weight when you have already accepted that your body as is? That’s because when you accept your physique, you become calm and settled within and stop worrying about things. With such a state of mind, you are doing everything from a place of being kind to yourself rather than trying to force yourself to change. Thus it becomes much easier to work towards losing weight and your effort is also more effective. Try this out once. So what if you are a bit on the chubbier side? Relax, love your body, and see the difference in your life.

Syracuse University research shows that the more dissatisfied women are with their bodies, the more likely they are to avoid exercise. Meditation helps to accept and honor your body as is. When you start respecting and appreciating your body, you are more motivated and committed to taking all possible care of your body.

6. Meditation strengthens your commitment

Day 1 and day 10 of your weight-loss program are probably the hardest. Taking off requires initiative, but maintaining the routine is no piece of cake either. You need the commitment to continue. Despite your best intentions, there are threats. For instance, sleeping too much or too little, and feasting on fast food. These disturb your weight loss program by weakening your resolve. The only way out is your faith in yourself and the clarity to continue. When you meditate regularly, then it strengthens your willpower and intensifies your intention. It makes you more aware of the value of your commitment. Thus, it is crucial to add meditation to your everyday routine of weight loss programs.

7. Meditation helps you make time for weight loss

You have no time to exercise – have you ever told yourself this? Are all the great tips for weight loss lost on you because of this?

Just think about how much of our working day is wasted by lack of focus, stress, and general negativity. Regular practice of meditation will increase your focus, you will be less distracted which leads to an increase in productivity. With regular meditation, you will be able to do more work within the same amount of time. This is my own experience and many more vouch for this.

Meditation makes you more efficient, giving you the feeling that you were given more time. This will help you make time for exercise. 

While you explore meditation for weight loss, do read my 6 healthy, painless ways to lose weight and keep it off for good. You will gain some very useful insights to lose weight.

Weight loss meditation: Learn a personalized meditation technique and be consistent

New to meditation and don’t have your personal practice yet? Guided meditation can be a good start.

There are so many meditation techniques out there. Moreover, there are many myths and concepts about meditation. So it is important to learn meditation under proper guidance and be very consistent and regular with your practice. 20 minutes a day, each day will be a good beginning and you will start reaping so many benefits of meditation, losing some pounds will be just a bonus.

How SKY Breath Meditation can help you?

According to Medical News Today, the majority of weight loss happens via breathing. If you are wanting to lose weight in a sustainable and healthy way, you will love SKY, a breathwork-based mediation technique. SKY Breath Meditation is an evidence-based meditation technique that has shown so many benefits including reduced stress, reduced anxiety, more energy, increased positivity, and happiness. I have been personally practicing it for more than a decade now. I have also incorporated “Sahaj Samadhi Meditation” —a mantra-based meditation technique into my daily routine along with SKY. The combination has worked wonders in creating the right internal environment to keep those pounds in balance.

Take the baby step today

Start the journey to mindful living and weight loss today. To know more about SKY, join Beyond Breath, a free online introductory session. You will also get a taste of energizing breathwork and guided meditation with a live instructor. 

Here are my final two cents

Each body type is different so the results of yoga and meditation practice may vary in each person. Your experience could be different from others. Do not compare and don’t lose hope and patience. 

At the end of the day, learn to accept and love yourself as you are. Sometimes, when you take your mind off weight loss, you start to lose weight.