How can we lose weight spiritually?

We gain weight because we eat unhealthy foods ( even though we know that they are unhealthy ).

We eat unhealthy foods because we like them. Correct?

So, when we choose, we choose the foods we like and avoid the foods that we dislike or do not like.

These likes ( Raaga ) and dislikes ( dvesha ) are stored in our minds.

So ultimately – the mind is responsible for making the decisions. ( and the mind frequently chooses the wrong foods ).

But likes and dislikes are not something that we were born with.

We learned them as we grew.

Our behavior is a repetition based on our prior experiences ( Sanskaras ).

A child doesn’t care about Coke the first time he takes a sip.

But then, he gets addicted to it, and that’s all he will ask for.

Our mind is the holder of all the impressions in our lives, and these past impressions dictate our forthcoming behavior.

In a nutshell, this is addiction and all addictions are eventually destructive.

( That’s why all school children get their first drug free because the drug dealer knows that the kid is gonna come back ).

So, such an addictive life lived at the mind level leads to uncontrollable binge eating.

This eventually, leads to obesity and all its consequences.

( And if you look at it, the whole world is living at this level ).

So, this, we understand.

What is the solution?

Controlling the mind is not the right answer.

In the path of spirituality, there is no control.

The mind cannot be controlled.

The more you try to control it, the worse it gets.

The spiritual path is an investment in boosting the positivity of the self.

Once the joy of the self starts building up, peripheral pleasures just start falling off, realizing that they are just not necessary.

So, the best thing is to leave the mind alone, don’t give it any importance, don’t try to suppress it or win it over, and get engrossed in your true self.

Unfortunately, the setup of the society is upside down.

Even on the first birthday of a child, we say “Oh, it’s your birthday, let’s get a cake.” Instead of saying, “Let’s go for a nice hike.”

So, the child grows up thinking that cake is good and hiking is boring.

So, whenever he is stressed out in life, he will turn to eating unhealthy foods.

This is how we grow up. It is very difficult to change this deep impression ( Vrtti and Vasana ) on the mind.

But the fact remains that once we get the disease, it’s real for us, and its consequences are real for us.

That’s why one has to choose the right path, rise above the rest of the world, and take the path of wisdom, it is only within us.

One who is not connected with me will never have peace nor will have contentment in life.
– ⁠- Krishna