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| Hi Everyone, Has anyone experienced weightloss with doing Bikram Yoga as your only exercise?
I'm 5'1 and 127 lbs. I've never been a very active person and rarely ever exercised. When I wanted to lose weight I would just adjust my calorie intake to 1200-1300 calories/day and lose about 2 lbs a week. Last month I received a newslater from my local Bikram Yoga studio about a 30-day challenge this October. I hadn't done Bikram in probably 2 months and only a total of 5 times in a year. I decided that I needed to make a change because I'm very unhappy with my weight. I gained 12 lbs in the past year and decided that this Challenge would be my chance to start eating better and exercise regularly.
I started the 30-Day Challenge 9 days ago (today is my 10th day). I also adjusted my diet, cut out fast food/pizza/soda and adjusted my daily calorie intake to 1200-1400 calories/day. I figured with the decrease in calories alone, I would lose at least 1.5 pounds a day, then extra because of doing Yoga everyday. So, I should be losing at the least 2 pounds a week. Well as of my 8th day, I only lost .8 pounds (not even a full pound). Needless to say I was so disappointed and almost gave up. I know it's only been a week, but I should be losing some weight. My clothes fit the exact same.
I thought that maybe it had something to do with my water intake. Before I started Yoga, I rarely drank water, maybe a cup a day. Now, I'm drinking 2-4 liters a day. Would this result in my not losing weight. I really like Bikram Yoga and want to continue doing it. I'm going to stick with the whole 30 days, but if I don't lose any weight I can't stick with this.
Has anyone experience anything similar to this? Sorry for such a long post.
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| Yoga is not a weight loss program. If someone told you otherwise they were mistaken (or lying). For many of us, achieving optimum weight is only achieved by a long-term commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Yoga can be a contributing factor but it's not a cure-all.
Here is the basic formula for losing excess weight:
Eat a healthy diet consisting mostly of whole foods (fresh fruits, vegetables and grains);
Eat a minimal amount of meat and dairy;
Drink mostly water;
Exercise daily, including at least 20 minutes of aerobic activity (accelerated heart rate);
Burn more calories than you consume;
Be consistent and patient - lasting change doesn't come quickly;
Make a commitment to all of the above for the rest of your life (or as long as you want to keep the weight off);
Maintain realistic expectations about your weight (not all of us can be skinny -- good health is more important than body shape or size).
All diets are snake oil. All short-term weight loss programs are scams. All quick-fixes are temporary.
Sorry if this wasn't the answer you were hoping for.
Edited by byd 2009-10-09 8:30 PM
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| Bikram yoga is all I have done for over 4 years. I am 5'-7", and went from weighing 155 lbs to a consistent 130 - 135 lbs. It didn't happen over night. Like byd said, yoga is not a weight loss program, but I can guarantee you that if you stick with it, you will lose weight. Especially with a daily practice. It is not just the 90 minute class that will change you... The 90 minute class will change everything! your diet in particular. When you eat like crap the day before, or consume too much alcohol, or not properly hydrate yourself, YOU WILL SUFFER IN CLASS.
And remember this... muscle weighs more than fat! For a while, I was at the same weight, but my clothes fit better. Now I am pulling clothes out of storage that fit again! The owner of my studio lost 65 pounds only practicing yoga, too...
Just stick with it. Not just for the weight loss. YOu will feel better, look better and have a new lease on life!!!
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| I think this is a misconception for at least the active Yoga's. Weight loss is all about burning more calories and/or eating less calories. Any type of activity where you burn calories can result in weight loss. I burn 450-500 calories in a Bikram session. This alone, not including my diet equals 3500 calories or 1 pound. |
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| I'm going to stick with it. This week has just been so frustrating. After the 30 days, I'm going to incorporate other cardio. I just want this to work and stay apart of my routine. I also have my husband telling me Yoga doesn't want and it's only stretching, so I also want to prove him wrong.  |
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| first, the more vigorous forms of yoga can create a situation of coming into a balanced weight. the body becomes strong and efficient, burning more calories as muscle increases.
second, muscle does not weigh more than fat. a Lb is a Lb. a kilogram is kilogram. muscle takes up less volume or space than fat, and therefore one may notice that they are "getting thinner" but not loosing weight. in yoga, you do build muscle (and bone) which takes up less space, increases metabolism, and might demonstrate not-as-low numbers on the scale.
if, in the past, you only cut calories, then your body metabolised that fat, but didn't gain muscle. now, you are in the process of gaining muscle while metabolising fat, and so some of the fat "weight" is being displaced by muscle weight, meaning that you have a net loss rather than a gross loss. that is, you have lost two lbs of fat but gained 1.2 lbs of muscle (this is an example based on the numbers you gave, not the actual amount. you might have lost 10 lbs of fat and gained 9.2 lbs of muscle, for a net loss of .8 lbs).
third, weight loss is often about more than calories in vs out. that is part of the equation, but the larger part is hormones and metabolism. understanding how your particular metabolism works is helpful. it's not absolutely necessary, but if you notice that you are not loosing any weight despite changing your diet and exercise, then it may be hormonal.
also, when menstruating, i tend to 'gain' weight (about 4 lbs of water weight), and so if i'm on the scale that week, then it shows this (and thus less of a loss if i'm trying to loose weight).
finally, to prove your husband wrong, you might want to show him any number of scientific articles that have studied yoga (even the most gentle forms) and their effectiveness. granted, he may not care and it's always better to have a "proof in the pudding" situation.
but, it's already working. and personally, i would forget the number on the scale and go with inches for a bit. measure waist, hips, thighs, and notice the shrinking going on. only weigh or measure once a week. i measure on wednesdays. |
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Expert Yogi
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| Nobody is saying you can't lose weight doing yoga, just that it is not a weight loss program. I have lost a lot of weight doing yoga and I have lost a lot of inches as well. But that is not why I do yoga, just a nice side benefit.
Don't hold your breath waiting for your DH to believe you. Mine saw the benefits for me a long, long time ago, but it took a good ten years or so before he finally started going to class himself. And that is only because I teach a class at home and he likes the price (free for him) and the commute (upstairs to downstairs).  |
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| Thank everyone for the advance. I'm going to continue my 30 day challenge (20 days to go). Then hopefully after that I can do Bikram 3 days a week and other cardio 2-3 days a week. It's also possible that my metabolism is all messed up and is hopefully balancing out. |
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| Mrs Bing,
Go to Chekconnect.com and take the "Chi questionnaires" It will help you get your nutrition down. Also your water intake is very important. The general rule is drink at least half your bodies weight in ounces a day for regular hydration. More if you are exercises intensely.
Be patient. Weight loss is a difficult road and takes time and CONSISTENT work with your nutrition. Never cut calories and never diet. Eat right for your metabolic type, exercise often and drink lots of water!! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 436
Location: Washington DC | Namaste MrsBing,
If you love Bikram Yoga then continue doing it. You have already cut out all types of fast food from your diet and adjusted your daily calorie intake to 1200-1400 calories/day. I don’t know what is your age and what type of work you do. Make sure you are having the right amount of food according to your daily requirement.
Nobody is telling you that you can't lose weight doing yoga but you have to be patient, it cannot be so first. And it is not a good idea to cut down so many calories at a time. If you are practicing yogic exercises everyday (5-6days a week) then you will lose weight definitely but it will take time. Don’t think of losing weight only by doing Yoga. When you are doing Yoga you are getting much more side benefits from it and that you would not achieve by doing any other weight loss aerobic type exercises programme.
I wish you all the best
Edited by Yogacharyatonmoy 2009-10-10 9:13 PM
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| i think that, largely, yoga is a method of learning to live rather than exist. i read a poem in today's class to that effect. it was about findin those places within you that make you jump for joy, to keep doin those things, to be and become your best, most magical self.
i really liked those words.
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 436
Location: Washington DC | Yes, you are right zoebird..
Namaste! |
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Regular
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| Hi Mrs. Bing. I think it's too early to be expecting a lot of weight loss. But I do think 'weight normalization' is a benefit of Bikram yoga. I would put away the scale and just focus on getting to class and breathing. I actually did over 100 Bikrams and didn't really lose much - but then it all fell off quickly in a matter of a few months. My advice is to just relax and breathe and let the rest fall into place naturally. |
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| it takes quite a number of class before you see yourself losing weight. but please dont be so obsessed with losing weight. its just going to crash your bikram practice. if you would just focus on doing bikram, and giving you all, you losing weight will just be a by-product that comes along.
im a average female, about 5'11 at 120 lbs. i havent lost any weight at all, but all my friend commented that i lost weight. but in actual weight, i gained muscles, that was why i looked as if i lost weight.
focus on doing your classes right, and you will be fine. |
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Regular
Posts: 69
| exactly huishan - if mrs. bing keeps doing her 30 day challenge she will get a lot of compliments on how she looks even if the scale reports no progress. and she will feel even better than she looks. |
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| I second Huishan and Lock--I don't weigh myself and doubt I've actually lost weight, but I think I'm a little smaller due to the muscle tone and maybe a loss of fat.
I don't mean this in a judgmental way, but I think that if the goal is weight loss and not a general sense of well-being and connectedness to your fellow humans, the practice will suffer and you'll continue to be discouraged. It took me a couple of months to be able to go into the class, look at myself in the mirror and not see a body I hated for being too this or too that. But the yoga has helped me see the body as an instrument that I'm fine-tuning to help me function better and more compassionately in this world. It's a wonderful gift that only this type of yoga has ever given me.
Letting go of these physical ideals is easier said than done, of course! Probs I'm just ramblin' :-) |
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| hmmm. glad that everyone is doing bikram for well-being sake! |
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| i'm hopin you meant 5-1 and 120, because 5-11 and 120 would be very thin indeed. although, in my triathlete days, i was 5-7 and 118. when i'm not tri-trainin, i tend around 130. which is thin for my height. |
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| haha! sorry 5"8 actually. we dont use inches here. more cm and m. |
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| yeah, it's hard for me to convert the other way too. |
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| I've been practicing for about six months, maybe three times a week on average--although over the summer it was often less. I have to admit I had high hopes for losing weight, but haven't seen much change. (Lots of other benefits, though.) It's hard for me to focus on a consistent yoga practice AND ALSO watching diet and calories at the same time. I finally stopped weighing myself. It was too discouraging. I think I am starting to see changes in the mirror, and it seems like my yoga shorts are getting a wee bit loose, but I'm not going to hop on the scale until I can put on my size 8 pants. I am trying to just make progress in the asanas and build a foundation. I would like to get back to keeping track of calories, but sometimes it's hard to keep all of the balls in the air.
dcellere: at what point in your 3-4 years of practice did you see the weight come off? It took me four years to gain the extra 20 pounds, so I figure it might take 4 years to get it off permanently. Granted I could starve it off in a couple of months, but I see so many people go on diets, lose weight, and then gain it right back that I am looking for a more sustainable solution. For 33 years of my life, I ate basically whatever I wanted without being overweight, so it's hard for me to believe that I really have to diet the rest of my life to keep it off. The reason I gained the weight was extreme stress, and I can feel that the yoga is unwinding that damage in my body, so I have hope that I'll get back to my "normal" weight again. Funny, I used to think my normal weight was too much. Now I'd love to be back there. *sigh*
Ferret |
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| When I first started, I practised about 4-5 times a week and did my first 30 day challenge pretty early on. I lost approx 20 kgs (~ 45 pounds ish) over the space of about 9 months. I was pretty strict on my eating during this time as well (not so much calorie counting but portion control and no carbs at night). I first started to notice the weight loss after about 3 months. I used to plateau for 3-4 weeks, then drop 2-3 kgs within a week and repeat. One thing though - I went from doing no exercise to a reasonable amount, which is probably what contributed to the total amount lost and the timeframe.
Over the last 2½ years, I have maybe put on 4 kgs (~8 pounds ish) and I can pretty much eat what I want (within reason of course) and keep a pretty steady weight as long as I go to yoga! I am fighting those 4 kgs at the moment but they appear to be winning!
I also find it hard to ignore the number on the scales and just concentrate on how my clothes look. For me yoga, makes me look leaner even if my weight is not moving downwards. And Half-Moon definitely helps get those muffin-tops smaller (now just cupcake size).
Weight loss has been an added benefit but not the main reason for me keeping practicing. The mental aspect and the calming of that monkey on my shoulder have been of overwhelming benefit to me.
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| Instead of focusing on calories, focus on total nutrition. Your body needs carbohydrates to stay active/not feel lethargic all day long. Any diet that cuts out all carbs can be bad for you as the body starts storing carbs for energy. Crabs can eventually turn into fat as the body is not receiving adequate energy from food sources. |
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| My friend is 4'9" and 48 y/o she reduced her caloric intake to 1200-1300 daily and did Bikram yoga 6 days week. In 4 months she has lost 38 lbs and looks GREAT!! |
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| I was going to start a thread about Bikram not helping a lot with fat loss.
It does kind of make me laugh when someone tries something for a week and complains it didnt work. We live in such an instant gratification society.
That being said I have found Bikram to be a poor fat loss exercise. I have done bikram for two years, three times a week and one 30 day challenge. I used to be really into weightlifting and never had much fat at all on my body. Since bikram I dropped weight lifting for the first time in my life. I noticed no difference in my leg muscle mass. But my upper body started to go "soft". I got a bit of fat around my belly, not much but enough to be concerned. I weigh 182 llbs. and am 6 foot 4. I have also noticed many regulars in the classes are quite fat and they go quite often. Of course there's the guy who has gone everyday for over a year and he's ripped. But I here him talk and he has a real strict diet.
So last month I decided to cut back bikram to twice a week and start doing a full body weight lifting workout twice a week. Now this is a unique workout. It's six exercises, 8 reps, moderate weight done continously until you cant do it anymore. No rest whatsoever. I am up to 48 straight sets over 22 minutes before I drop in exhaustion. But oh what a change in my body over the last month. The fat has been stripped off my body and a nice muscle tone has replaced it. I feel more "put togeather" then when I just did bikram. I still weigh the same but my body looks very very different.
I think Bikram obviously offers a lot more then reshaping your body. (although I'm not amoung the blind worshippers that think Bikram is some sort of godsend answer to everything) It is the best overall exercise I have ever done though. |
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Weight Loss isn't Happening
