type who has a very fast metabolic rate. Vatas may eat three times as many calories and still put on no
extra weight whereas Kaphas may just “look” at food and put on weight. If a healthy Pitta type eats excess
amounts of calories, let’s assume 2,000 instead of the recommended 1,000, he simply converts the unused
calories into heat and becomes slightly more “energetic” than before. His body weight will remain
unchanged, unless he overeats regularly. Research has documented that the average overweight person
does not consume more calories than a slim person does.
If excessive consumption of calories always led to weight gain, then most people in the world would
be obese by now. According to the calorie theory, a person who eats two extra pieces of chocolate a day
(50 calories) should put on 25kg of body fat within a period of ten years. Imagine how this person would
look if he ate that much chocolate for sixty years, according to the theory.
Fortunately, the body is not a machine that counts calories. A strong digestive fire (AGNI) can make
use of more calories than a weak one. If AGNI is weak, then most calories are not used which means that
plenty of unused and undigested food is left. Consequently, the energy requirements of the body are no
longer met. This lowers the metabolic rate and general circulation, and the resulting accumulation of toxic
waste congests vital areas of tissues and organs in the body. The lymphatic system becomes severely
blocked and retains large amounts of lymph, hence the swelling that accompanies weight gain.
Weight Regulation Is Natural
Weight loss occurs spontaneously when the natural weight regulation mechanisms are restored.
Excessive body weight is a symptom of disturbed digestion and metabolism. In addition, it is a sign of
chronic toxicity in the body. Trying to remove the symptom (excessive weight) can turn out to be very
harmful and disappointing if the accumulated toxins are not removed first.
The body has a natural resistance to losing excessive weight quickly because sudden weight loss could
release a flood of trapped toxins into the circulation and even have fatal side effects (collapse of liver
functions, kidney failure, and heart attack). The body never behaves in an irrational way. Weight
regulation has to begin by removing the root causes behind the metabolic problems responsible for weight
gain.
Boston researchers discovered that people whose pancreas secretes high concentrations of insulin have
more difficulties losing weight than those who produce smaller amounts of insulin. This, however, has
very little to do with genes, as some doctors may tell you. The reason 200 million Americans are
overweight or cannot shed excess weight is not because of genetic flaws. It is well known that overweight
people secrete more insulin. However, over-secretion of insulin is an effect of weight gain, not its cause.
The reason 200 million are overweight is because they have become insulin resistant (see chapter 11
about the causes of insulin resistance). When the insulin receptors of the cells block out insulin, blood
sugar begins to rise. To deal with the increase in blood sugar, the pancreas makes more insulin to help
remove it from the blood. One way to deal with this dangerous situation is to have the body convert the
excessive amounts of sugar into fat. The more fat a person has accumulated, the less likely he is to move
the body and exercise.
Insulin also inhibits the body’s fat-burning hormone, “hormone-sensitive lipase.” This hormone is
responsible for releasing fat into your bloodstream to be used as fuel. Once this hormone is deactivated,
the body can no longer burn fat for energy. Instead, it must use amino acids and complex sugars stored in
the muscles as fuel. This in turn will make the person weak and excessively hungry (as in cravings),
which creates an endless cycle of increased insulin secretion and fat generation. To escape this vicious
cycle, one must keep the body’s insulin secretions low. Low levels of insulin allow your body to produce
large amounts of hormone-sensitive lipase, thus burning fat as needed. This keeps your weight naturally