TheHotYogaDoctor

Hi Waterwatch/Barb,

Do you know what prompted me to post my comments here? Well, I have these negative people all around me, who are in fact quite overweight, angry about it I know, ask me for my advice help- which I give to them, they never follow it through and just go back to eating crap and never exercising. They are the same people that insulted me when 3 yrs ago I mysteriously gained 30 something lbs in a few months. A few of them acted strangely “excited” that I’d actually gained weight, the rest were just insulting in their comments to the extent that two people asked me if I’d exploded because I looked extremely puffy with water retention!  Also mentioned that I’d be like them one day never able to lose the weight since we’re all getting older, and gullible me actually believed them? Comments like that struck a nerve for me. I was like, no I have medical issues people!  Yes hormones are a bugger aren’t they?  I too am also taking homeopathic drops prescribed by a very good Naturopath, for my health issues (hormonal imbalance) that are also helping me lose weight, along with my low fat diet and exercise. At that time I can’t tell you how many Doctor’s I visited, all of them unable to help me, dismissing my concerns as being normal age related weight gain, so for myself I prefer Naturopaths. But yes I know other people that gained weight because of hormone issues and after being treated by a Naturopath were quite successful in their weight loss -no side effects either.

Namaste
tat

Hi Ilyzium,

I just wanted to backup what you were saying about the generalized belief patterns that most of us are subjected to - not just by our circle of contacts, but in general through our upbringing; the media; cultural imprints etc etc.

Both Gabrielle & I are NLP Trained (she is a Master Practitioner and I am a Master Practitioner and NLP Trainer) and once you become aware of them, it is incredible just how many “limiting beliefs” are considered as fact by many.

It’s a great exercise to do, to ask oneself “how do I KNOW this to be true?” for any aspect of our lives (not just weight loss).

Which brings me to the whole calorie debate.

I’m actually the person who put the calculator up on our sister site - from public demand I might add - as it at least gives a comparison to other activities which seems to resonate for us.

Perhaps as a gross measurement of energy in/energy out, calorific intake has some value, but as has been stated elsewhere, too little intake *might* send the body into a kind of hibernation where energy is stored (as fat among other things).

In addition, let’s look at belief systems again: If someone believes that it is necessary to measure calories to lose weight, then they may well NEED to do that to be convinced.

It’s also been suggested that independent of calories comes the “basal metabolic rate” - and if this is higher then that person will burn calories faster than someone with a lower rate. A 1964 study of men who moved to high altitude for 82-113 days showed an increase of 10% in their basal metabolic rate (BMR) ... it is even shown that the resting metabolic rate (RMR - and responsible for most/60-75% of our daily energy expenditure) is not only influenced by prolonged exercise but also by the extremes of environmental ambient temperature - hello hot yoga (though this does make a good case for “cold yoga”, which for other reasons, we don’t recommend! ).

Anyway, I just wanted to point out that although the calorie calculator is useful and certainly good for the curiosity factor, I would not be using it as an absolute measure.

As Bikhead points out - it would depend on consistent practice of all the poses - and I can tell you from years of experience and observation, it is possible to practice many of the poses while not necessarily working *that hard*. For example, the more you can engage quads/abs/core/tighten arm muscles etc, the more energy is being expended; more muscle strength/definition built etc This will be affected by the student’s yoga breathing practice as well - ongoing muscle use needs a good supply of oxygen!

Anyway, don’t believe me, I get all my information from Wikipedia!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_energy

(Actually not entirely true - I have referenced an excellent book by Lawrence Armstrong, “Performing In Extreme Environments”. An excellent resource for anyone interested in how one’s body does respond to exercising in extreme environments - such as hot yoga for example.)

Cheers!

Robert

PS. Just in case anyone is confused, in general Bikram yoga and hot yoga instructors usually don’t practice the poses alongside their students, so one wouldn’t expect them to be burning the same calories/joules.

I am a different case all together.  I had WLS a little over 2.5 years ago and lost 160 lbs.  I went from 317 to 157 and was thrilled.  Of course as with all fairytales this one too ended and I am now beyond my “honeymoon” period.  Although at first I worked out religiously, I fell into old patterns and old habits. I am now back up to 186.  What I do know if that Bikram by itself will do what you want it to do, your whole life has to follow.  You have to eat the right foods (thank goodness for my garden) and the energy in/energy out equation.  What I have noticed since I began Bikram three weeks ago is that the shape of my body is changing wonderfully.  No real weightloss, but I can tell my muscles are doing wonderful things…they are finally showing themselves.  Eventually, I will get to be where I want to be back in my size 10 jeans…no matter what the scale actually says.  I would rather wear 10s at this weight then have no tone at all at 150….

Robert, pray tell, what is an NLP trainer?

Hi Bonnie - an NLP Trainer is someone who is accredited to instruct NeuroLinguistic Programming to “Practitioner” and “MasterPractitioner” level and is also accredited to assess and issue certificates to students studying both of those levels.

Not sure if that makes it clearer or more confusing! But if you Google NeuroLinguistic Programming you are sure to find more ...

Robert

Well I started to lose weight before my 5x/week bikram practice went into full swing.  A big part of it was about eating healthier.  Being aware of portion sizes.  Eating breakfast.  Taking the alcohol intake way, way down.  And the like.  And counting or more importantly balancing my calories was important, although I’m much less concerned with counting the calories I’ve burned.  But the huge body differences have come in the last 5 weeks with bikram.  Where people SEE the difference.  The body is rearranging.  Stronger.  It’s been a bit of everything which has me 30 pounds lighter and now a size 6 dress AND pants.

I started hot yoga nearly 4 months ago, I joined up for 3 months intensive course of going 4 - 5 times a week and went down from 63 lbs to 55 lbs.  I’ve been on holiday the last 2 weeks and so missed class but so far havn’t put any weight back on & also ate well on holiday so no dieting has been involved at all.  I’ve gone from a size 8 - 10 to 6 - 8, (am 5,4”) although still feel I need to lose weight around my middle & thighs.

One other odd thing - both me and my friend since we started hot yoga together have had cravings for chocolate which we never used to get.  I read that Bikram was supposed to ward off unhealthy eating habits so not too sure if it’s just us but would be interested to know if anyone else has found this!

Sadly I don’t have the time to get to my hot yoga studio more than once a week now so hoping just practising the moves at my local gym a few times a week will keep the weight off but oddly have noticed as soon as i stopped the hot yoga the chocolate cravings disappeared!!

Hi Tasha

So you have lost weight and shape and you can still eat chocolate! Are you enjoying your life and your chocolate? I have no answers for the chocolate cravings. Everyone is different. Also I don’t know what you craved either: it could have been a good quality dark chocolate filled with antioxidants or it could have been an ooey gooey Mars bar.

I wonder what the feeling is like in your body with only 1 hot yoga class per week. So many people come to the forum and wonder if they should even bother without the heat. The answer: Of course!!! It just feels better in the heat but then it is better not to get attached to recreating the same sensations all the time.

Namaste
Gabrielle

Just a quick message to say a few years back I attended the bikram 30 day challenge and lost approximately 6kgs. In my very limited knowledge of yoga and humble opinion I believe Yoga brings your body back into its natural shape - which may explain why some people may lose weight and why some people might gain a few pounds.

Andre

Hi! I’m new, too… in the middle of my 4th week, going 4 times a week - Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri. I started at about 145lbs… not sure what that translates to in kilos. About a week ago I was weighed for the doc and I was 143 which doesn’t mean squat. But…. I have lost about 2 inches in the way my clothing fits and I look much better naked and feel amazing. Which is what counts! Muscle weighs a more than fat so you may not change much on the scale… at least in the beginning.

ps… I love that it’s so addictive. I have never craved any kind of exercise before. I am thankful for Bikram!

I’d like to add my weight loss experience since starting Bikram in June of this year.  As a “compulsive-obsessive” person I am going 5-6 times a week, usually to the 7PM class, which means I get home about 9PM, eat some fruit (usually ice cold watermelon) and go to bed. I have to get up really early for work.  Over the last 6 months I have dropped from 163 to about 142 pounds and have noticed a change of shape in my lower body (yeah)...smaller glutes shall we say…I am 5’10”, female, 65 years old.  I eat breakfast, lunch and snacks during the day and am hopefully getting a balanced diet.  I do think that the weight loss is due to burning more calories than I am consuming.  I’m considering this a way of life to continue since I feel great and have lots of energy.  I’ve done a 30-day challenge (September) and will do the 60-day challenge in January 2010 at my studio. 

I’ve lost 9 pounds in the last 4 weeks doing solely hot yoga (well and running around after a 23 month old!). I’ve got about 30 more pounds to go and I’m hoping that this continues. I do find that my eating habits have changed. I crave different foods, desire less food and drink a ton! It’s been interesting to see how my body is reshaping day by day and definitely is encouraging!

Hello everyone! This is Jennifer Clark or you can call me Jennifer C. I didn’t know where to post this but I guess this forum will fit my topic since I love this section lol.

I was referred here by someone ; but I don’t know his username just yet so I couldn’t enter it when signing up.

I am very interested in this forum as I am new to forums and posts and these kind of thing also I hope I can get the full benefit from this forum

So, let me know if I am welcomed here ^^

Kind of Regards.

Jennifer C.

You are welcome here Jennifer!

I just tidied up your post since it had some funny code in there.

And we don’t really allow using someone else’s username thanks!

Robert,

Sorry took me a while to respond back to your comment. Interesting that you mentioned the NLP, and no I didn’t know that both you and Gabrielle are NLP practitioners. Yes I’ve actually been going for my NLP sessions in the past 6 mos and found that it helped me tremendously. It’s excellent for reprogramming your mind and getting rid of the old clutter and garbage that we have stored in our subconscious mind.
And the reason I decided to do it back then was because I had been brainwashed by all the negative people around me that as you get older you automatically gain weight and will never lose it. I believed all those inane stereotypes back then, and today I can say that it really helped me to lose 30 lbs in the past 3 months. I actually have a family friend that’s doing it right now. He’s quite overweight, in poor health and believes that he’ll never get better in any way and that it’s all over for him now. Consequently, he’s become extremely lethargic, won’t exercise and eats crap.  I know some people view it as some “new age” “mumbo jumo” like my Doctor for example, but if more people were open minded and enlightened they would see it for what it really is.

Anyway always enjoy reading your comments.
Ily:)