I am not sure if this goes into nutrition or not. How does one know when they are at their ideal weight? Sometimes I feel as if I should be thinner. Apparently, I am a Vata Dosha with a bit of Kapha. Maybe its because Vatas tend to be really thin that I feel like I should be on the lower end of the BMI. Are there any other Vatas out there who are slim but not “skinny”?
[QUOTE=a.mi;64888]I am not sure if this goes into nutrition or not. [B]How does one know when they are at their ideal weight?[/B] Sometimes I feel as if I should be thinner. Apparently, I am a Vata Dosha with a bit of Kapha. Maybe its because Vatas tend to be really thin that I feel like I should be on the lower end of the BMI. Are there any other Vatas out there who are slim but not “skinny”?[/QUOTE]
For myself, when I feel healthy and have energy.
Tbh, I think this BMI stuff is a bit of a nonsense, as it doesn’t take body frame, nor ‘body composition’ (fat:muscle ratio, waist-to-hip-ratio for abdominal fat) into consideration.
Why do you feel you should loose some weight, if I may ask?
Well, my problem I guess is due to my body shape. I tend to store all my extra weight in my tummy area. So my limbs are thin but my stomach isn’t. I also read that the midsection is the worst place to store extra fat. However, whenever I lose weight it is only in my legs and arms and not stomach. I am also taller (5’ 8 to be exact) so my frame is bigger than more petite women.
I guess its hard because being skinny is so desirable in my culture. Everyone wants to be a size 0. It is very vain and I know yoga is not about that nonsensical stuff. I was hoping that yoga would help me appreciate my body but I just tend to hate it more and more every day.
I have a really obsessive personality so little things just ruminate in my mind. It is a really embarrassing habit.
[QUOTE=a.mi;65586]Well, my problem I guess is due to my body shape. I tend to store all my extra weight in my tummy area. So my limbs are thin but my stomach isn’t. I also read that the midsection is the worst place to store extra fat. However, whenever I lose weight it is only in my legs and arms and not stomach. [/QUOTE]
Regarding the tummy fat, it might be also due to bloating? Many women are a bit bigger in the stomach area due to digestion irregularities…
If it is really fat, then Pilates classes with equipment are pretty good to strengthen and tone the abdominals and waistline.
[QUOTE=a.mi;65586]
I guess its hard because being skinny is so desirable in my culture. Everyone wants to be a size 0. It is very vain and I know yoga is not about that nonsensical stuff. I was hoping that yoga would help me appreciate my body but I just tend to hate it more and more every day. [/QUOTE]
Hm, not sure really what to say…
But if the following may help you, I was all my life very skinny (size 0/2), and I had never an advantage from this.
The opposite - I freeze much easier than average people, feel more tired etc. etc.
I am actually desperately trying to gain some weight!
And I am much shorter than you, so if you with your height of 5’8 will diet down to a size 0, I assume you will be in for quite some health issues, frankly speaking.
I am predominantly vata, slim but not ‘thin’ - if that makes sense to you, and the same height. I too always feel that I should be thinner, not from the perspective of society, but I just FEEL like i’m supposed to have less in the way.
I have a lot of tummy puff - but I’ve started to see it’s more of a bloating factor, determined by what I eat. I saw my ayurvedic physician recently and he gave me some medicine for vata aggravation, some oil pills, and some eating advice - not to eat so much pastries and breads, stay away from cold things in general, drink warm liquids and foods, stay away from white flour and sugar, don’t eat a lot of potatoes (sad). All of this was in reference to joint inflammation I had, but I found that following the advice had made a considerable difference. I’m more accutely aware of my body after eating these things now and notice that incidentally they cause a lot of bloating of the body He said being predominantly vata, I will always have this excess of air but it can be reduced, and it has. Not having a full-feeling torsoe and abdomen has made me feel a LOT better about myself ALL the time. For the last two months I haven’t been able to do any yoga practice spare gentle movement and breathing, due to an injury, and I’ve still never felt more energetic or light (even though I’ve lost muscle and gained some weight).
Now, since you’re vata kapha and i’m vata pitta - the same or all may not apply to you - but it might be a good thing to take into consideration if you are looking to do some research. I’ve also started recently drinking a little apple cide vinegar / maple syrup / lemon juice thing in the morning, which I took it the first time near my cycle and it removed that regular consistant bloating and cramping in literally less than two hours. I’m now taking it every other day and I think that it is also a factor in why I feel less ‘airy’ and big.
Whatever works, right?
On a psychological level - when I first started doing yoga, I very quickly became strong and fit, and for a while I was focused very much on the transformation of my body, making it seem magnified… like you said -I thought it was supposed to make me feel better about myself, but I just ended up feeling worse, probably because I was just so much more aware of my body in space. What helped for me: breathing. Lots, and lots of laying on the floor, legs bent, feet on the floor, hands on the chest, focusing on lengthening my exhalations gently with concentration. I find that after doing that for ten or twenty minutes, everything seems just fine.
[QUOTE=suryadaya;65601]
On a psychological level - when I first started doing yoga, I very quickly became strong and fit, and for a while I was focused very much on the transformation of my body, making it seem magnified… like you said -I thought it was supposed to make me feel better about myself, but I just ended up feeling worse, probably because I was just so much more aware of my body in space. What helped for me: breathing. Lots, and lots of laying on the floor, legs bent, feet on the floor, hands on the chest, focusing on lengthening my exhalations gently with concentration. I find that after doing that for ten or twenty minutes, everything seems just fine.[/QUOTE]
Yes, I have noticed that I am much more aware of my body because of yoga. Little things are so noticeable like how my shoulders form and how my tummy lays. It is very frustrating but I just have this ideal in my head of “perfection”. I do think the root of my problems are psychological. I suffer from a lot of anxiety and yoga helps some but not all the way. I know it is my mind and my own perception of things that needs to change and not necessarily my physical body.
I am glad to know that I am not alone in feeling subconscious about my body in yoga. It seems that everyone raves about the positive effects of yoga. However, I think increased body awareness can be both a positive and negative at the same time.
a.mi,
It is common as a woman to feel like our bodies are not good enough. Sometimes it seems that everywhere you turn there is a woman with a perfect body who receives the perfect benefits of yoga and leaves you feeling left in the dust, like how come I cannot look like that.
A couple of things, the advice for staying off of flour and sugar and cold is actually an excellent suggestion, and try to stay away from starches or grains in general, because they can up estrogen production and actually lead to weight gain, especially in the mid section. Doing this might help you see a difference in your body. Also having something like goat’s milk yogurt everyday will help too because it is beneficial to have probiotics in your body, it aids in your digestion and goat’s milk yogurt, while being an animal product has no added refined sugar to it, unlike many yogurts.
I often have a sweet tooth and try to stick to almond flour to make desserts, or pure coco powder, its all about modifying what you love, but it is doable. You will find that there are many enjoyable foods out there that will be beneficial to your body and aid a lower body weight.
Do try to remember though, we were given this one life and this one body for a reason, and there is not too much we can do to change it, so instead we must learn to love our bodies and ourselves, imperfections and all. 
I am me and that’s all right you see!
Living to Learn,
Thanks for your comments. I am trying to stay away from flour. I eat this sprouted bread occasionally which contains no flour and doesn’t make me that bloated. I tend to eat a lot of fruits and salads but they are cold 
I don’t really like hot food that much. Sometimes I will eat vegetable soup but not too often. Maybe it is because the weather is so hot here this time of year? Anyway, I will try to find more warm foods I can eat.
I heard that soy wasn’t too good for estrogen levels so I try not to eat a lot of soy protein (hence my other thread about protein sources).
Your ideal weight depends on many things and please do not go by the BMI…it is nonsense!
I was once told I was over weight/ fat based on the BMI chart…I was totally speechless…standing in my underwear in front of the nurse I was clearly heavily muscled and ripped NOT FAT at all.
Now I weigh 12kgs less (not body building any more…just yoga)but ave a slightly higher body fat and even if I put on another 10kgs of just fat the BMI would tell me it is OK…
Look at yourself and have someone you trust to look at your body…is it 1.skinny and boney? 2.Is it soft and flabby? or 3.firm and toned with a little muscle definition?
In my opinion number 3 is the best…unless you want big muscles which I also like…
[B][B]I tend to store all my extra weight in my tummy area. So my limbs are thin but my stomach isn’t.[/B][/B]
It sounds to me like you need to increase your muscle mass. Often the appearance of bloating or large belly is actually lack of tummy muscles to suck in the gut and straighten up your posture. Increasing overall muscle mass will help flatten your belly and give some shape to your skinny arms and legs. It’s good for practice too
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If you cant do pachimottanasana because your stomach is in the way ,then you know its time for loosing some weight. And as someone else said here if you have good abdomins your tummy wont seem as bloated when it is.
And to answer;
I was hoping that yoga would help me appreciate my body but I just tend to hate it more and more every day.
yoga teaches us not to identify our selves with our body so maybe that is a comfort for you. If you would have the most beautiful body which by the way is impermanent. What would happen when you loose it due to time and gravity. That would be a rather hard struck i guess. I think many of us is to affected by this masshysteria, only plastic surgery has exploded in the market and not to mention botox in the lips where some of the ppl look like they have fishmouths. They will probably when they get older look on some old pictures and wonder how they could look like that.
Which shows us also that the mind is impermanent.
I am hardcore Kapha and if you go by weight charts for my height I should be 180. However at 185 I looked like I had not eaten in weeks and I did not feel so good, but at 220 I felt great and looked great… but with time and age comes weight gain if yo are not careful… and I wasn’t so 220 is a thing of the past
The herbal or all natural alternative is a great way to reduce weight.