Spring Weight Loss with Chinese Herbal Medicine

Swimsuit season is nearly here – are you ready?

If you’ve put on a few extra pounds over winter, you’re not alone. But, spring is here, and this is the perfect time to get back on track with your weight loss or fitness goals!

Chinese medicine is full of healthy weight-loss wisdom, including how to use spring’s fresh energy to your advantage.

Let’s learn more about why spring is a great time to trim down and how Chinese herbal medicine can help you reach your goals faster and more sustainably.

Why Spring is the Perfect Time to Jump-Start Your Weight Loss

Warmer weather, sunnier days, fresh spring veggies – what’s not to love about spring? Thankfully, these are the very things that make spring the best time of year to jump-start your healthy eating and exercise plans, or even try a detox.

Spring is considered a time of transformation, change, and energizing potential – all helpful when you’re hoping to shed some weight and renew your confidence! When we tap into the energy of spring, our bodies are better able to shed the old weight and step into a brighter, lighter future.

Why Calorie Counting Doesn’t Always Work

If you want to lose weight, you simply need to burn off more calories than you consume, right?

Unfortunately, the reality is not so simple. Calories do matter, but so do what those calories are made of. This is why (much to our chagrin) eating 300 calories in vegetables and lean meat has different results than eating 300 calories in donuts.

This is also why one diet works great for some people, but not others. Chinese medicine practitioners take a highly individualized approach to diet and nutrition to ensure that the foods you are eating are right for your unique constitution.

7 Chinese Medicine Spring Weight Loss Tips

Now, let’s jump into the Chinese medicine weight loss tips that will help you lose those extra pounds for summer!

1. Eat more fresh and colorful foods

With all the new fruits and vegetables available in spring, now is the time to start enjoying more fresh foods. Fill your plate with mostly fresh or lightly cooked vegetables, then use grains and meats as side items, rather than the opposite.

2. Cook lighter meals

Along with eating lighter foods, spring is a great time to cook lighter as well. This means saving the hearty roasts, stews, and baked goods for autumn. Transition into sauteed, steamed, or grilled dishes, instead.  Not only will this help you eat more in tune with the season, but you’ll also naturally cook with lighter ingredients.

3. Chew thoroughly

Chewing is the first step in the digestion process. Yet, most of us rush through chewing and inhale our meals.

Both the physical action of chewing and the chemical reactions caused by saliva help to encourage healthy digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Without proper chewing, the Spleen has too much work to do to get the energy (or qi) from your food. It gets overwhelmed and we experience issues like indigestion and bloating.

When we do chew thoroughly, however, we are setting the digestive system up for success. The Spleen can easily extract energy from the food, the digestive process moves smoothly, and we feel energized.

4. Use chopsticks

It may seem silly, but chopsticks actually do help you lose weight! How? Chopsticks slow down the eating process. You take smaller bites and (unless you are a chopsticks pro) it takes you a little longer to pick up each mouthful. This gives your brain more time to realize you are full and prevents overeating. (New to chopsticks? Learn how here!)

5. Avoid foods that cause “dampness”

Chinese medicine has an interesting concept called dampness that is used to describe excess fluids or tissue. Unfortunately, dampness puts a “damper” on your weight loss efforts by slowing down your metabolism, storing fat, and making exercise more difficult.

To reduce dampness, start by avoiding foods that cause it. This includes dairy (like cheese and ice cream), fried foods, sugar, junk foods with chemicals or additives, and alcohol.

6. Start with healthy spring snacks

If overhauling your diet feels like too big a challenge right now, start with just your snacks. We tend to underestimate how much we eat when we grab a midday snack, and oftentimes these snacks have little nutritional value. Instead, opt for lean but satisfying snacks like nuts, olives, carrots, hummus, berries, or hard-boiled eggs.

7. Aim for balance

Balance is at the core of Chinese medicine. All things can be okay in moderation. Rather than deprive yourself of your favorite foods, allow yourself to enjoy them as rare treats at predetermined times. This gives you something to look forward to, and you still get to enjoy your favorite foods without the guilt. 

Chinese Herbal Medicine for Spring Weight Loss

Need a boost to shed the extra pounds this spring? Chinese herbal medicine can help. Learn about a few of our favorite formulas for healthy weight loss:

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Get in Shape this Spring with Chinese Herbal Medicine

Let’s shed the weight of winter and start summer off on a lighter foot. These tips, a healthy exercise routine, and Chinese herbal medicine can help! Shop our full collection of Chinese herbal medicine products for sustainable weight loss support.