Not your typical weight loss post
- Grazie Prokopetz
- Aug 24
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 1
Straight up, there’s no shortcut. If you were hoping for one, the internet is full of scams waiting for you. Just not here.
Before we go further, let’s be clear: there are real medical conditions that can affect weight management. If you struggle with weight despite your best efforts, it’s important to rule these out with your doctor.
Some common examples include:
Hypothyroidism or other thyroid disorders
Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
Hormonal imbalances (estrogen, cortisol, PCOS, perimenopause, menopause)
Chronic stress, burnout, and mental health conditions
Certain medications that alter metabolism
Genetic predispositions
When it comes to weight loss, the obvious never changes:
🧮 You need a calorie deficit. Burn more than you eat. Energy in versus energy out is non-negotiable, it’s just math.
💪🏽 You need muscle. Muscle mass drives metabolism and keeps the weight off long-term. At rest, each pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day: nearly three times more than fat. Factor in movement and strength training, and that number rises to 8–16 calories per pound. It may sound small, but over time it makes a huge difference: muscle keeps your metabolism active, your body efficient, and your weight loss sustainable.
P.S.:
🍖 The high-protein myth
Protein is essential, yes, but more isn’t better. Protein is a large, complex molecule, and when you overload your plate beyond what your digestion (Agni) can handle, it backfires. Instead of building strength, it creates inflammation, disrupts your gut microbiome, and makes weight harder to manage. Balance each meal with some protein, but don’t turn it into the main course of your life.
💭 And a quick reminder about whey protein: it’s still a processed food, and many people are intolerant to it without even realizing. Don’t fall for the “whey every day” hype sold in the fitness world. It can inflame your body and end up having the opposite effect of health and weight loss.
🤸🏽♀️ You need movement. A body in motion burns more than one glued to the couch. And not just workouts — daily choices matter. Park further away so you walk more. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Stand up during calls. Stretch while the coffee brews. Carry your groceries. These small moments add up, and your body doesn’t know the difference between a treadmill and life in motion.
😬 And you need stress management, Hormones can sabotage even the cleanest diet and the hardest workout. Stress pumps cortisol. Too much cortisol means more fat, more cravings, less muscle, basically the enemy of weight loss.
What Ayurveda says about maintaining a healthy weight
🌿 Maintain a healthy Agni (digestive fire and gut microbiome)
In Ayurveda, everything begins with Agni, your digestive fire. A strong Agni means food is digested, nutrients are absorbed, and waste is eliminated properly. Modern science echoes this through the microbiome: the trillions of bacteria in your gut help process, metabolize, and even decide how your body stores or burns calories. One fascinating study showed this clearly: when researchers transplanted the microbiome from lean rats into obese rats, the obese rats started losing weight — simply by hosting the lean rats’ gut bacteria. Balance your Agni, and you give your body the best chance to maintain a healthy weight from the inside out.
Read: How to maintain a healthy Agni. Print this one-sheeter and paste it to your fridge. When you follow these simple habits your weight will come off slowly but surely. 100% guaranteed or your money back… oh wait...
😴 Prioritize sleep
While you rest, your body works overtime on repair and regulation. Sleep balances hormones like leptin and ghrelin that control appetite, keeps cortisol in check, restores insulin sensitivity, and supports muscle recovery. Without good sleep, cravings go up, metabolism slows down, and fat storage increases. Sleep is not optional, it’s one of the most powerful tools for sustainable weight management.
Read: Improve Your Sleep.
🥦 3. Eat real food, not packaged promises
Yes, calories matter. But how your body processes those calories matters even more. Packaged, industrialized “low-calorie” products might look smart, but in the long run they wreck your microbiome, the very system that decides how you store fat, burn energy, and sustain weight loss. A disrupted microbiome means more cravings, more fat storage, and less success long-term.
Don’t get fooled by “green labels,” “natural,” or “organic” claims slapped on ultra-processed boxes. Just eat what nature gives you: fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, clean proteins. Real food heals. Processed food hijacks.
🧠 Address the psychological side
Research in psychology shows that lasting weight loss often requires more than diet and exercise, it requires changing how you relate to yourself. Many who struggle with obesity or emotional eating aren’t just battling food, but unprocessed emotions, coping mechanisms, and identity patterns. This is why therapy matters. Not endless analysis stuck in the past, but practical forms of therapy that help you understand why you eat the way you do and how to change those patterns. Whether it’s cognitive behavioral therapy, somatic work, or any other approach, the point is the same: without addressing the psychological roots, weight loss rarely sticks long-term.
⚖️ Weight and the Doshas, your unique body type
🌬️ Vata: Light, airy, and quick by nature. Vata types usually lose weight easily and may even struggle to keep weight on. Their challenge is not fat but muscle: they often have a hard time gaining and maintaining muscle mass. With an irregular appetite and sensitive digestion, consistency is their biggest ally.
🔥 Pitta: Strong, driven, and intense. Pittas have a naturally fast metabolism, build muscle easily, and usually stay lean. But their fire can burn both ways: under stress, Pittas may overheat — leading to inflammation, stress-related weight gain, or overeating as a way to “cool down.” Balance is key for them.
🌱 Kapha: Solid, grounded, and steady. Kaphas have the largest body build of the doshas and a naturally slower metabolism. They tend to gain and retain weight more easily than Vata or Pitta. Once out of balance, weight sticks and is harder to shed. But their endurance and resilience mean that, with the right rhythm of movement and lighter foods, they can achieve long-term sustainable balance.
Read: Which Dosha Are You?
Lastly, please be honest and true to your body type. The genetics you inherited are yours to honor, not to fight against. What you see in magazines, movies, or on Instagram isn’t real, those bodies are filtered, edited, and manipulated. They are not your standard, and they should never be your goal.
Your real goal is health: a strong metabolism, a balanced digestion, a resilient circulatory system. Don’t overload your body chasing an illusion. Look at your family — your mother, your aunts, your lineage — that’s your starting point, that’s your blueprint. Embrace who you are, because you are uniquely you. The media doesn’t get to define that.
Sustainable weight loss isn’t about shortcuts. It’s about rhythm, balance, and daily choices that respect the body you already live in.
To a balanced life!
Grazie Prokopetz,
Doctor of Ayurveda
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