8 Best Yoga Poses and Diet Plan for Weight Loss

Exercise and diet are the two most important weight loss methods in the world. They are known to help you improve your lifestyle, health, and also lose weight. Diet helps you lose fat, and exercise helps you get in shape. However, going to the gym and eating healthy is hard without a doubt. Making lifestyle and dietary changes sounds easy on paper, but more often than not, it is hard. Lifestyles are largely defined by workplaces, which now require employees to work almost 12 hours a day. 

This makes it increasingly difficult to have time to eat home-cooked meals and to exercise daily. So, how can you still manage to eat and stay healthy within the confines of the modern urban lifestyle? The answer lies in two parts, first exercise can be replaced with yoga. It offers similar health benefits and is easier to do. Similarly, eating healthy can also be transformed and made easy. 

To help you get a complete picture of what your life could look like healthy, here are the top 8 yoga poses and a diet plan to help you lose weight. This routine will be easy to get started with and follow through.

Can Yoga Really Help You Lose Weight?

Yes, yoga can help you lose weight sustainably. It does not work in the same way as high-intensity training. Yoga doesn’t just burn calories; it also improves metabolism, hormones, muscle activation, and behaviour. All these factors help you get in shape and in touch with your spiritual side, which is better for your mental health. Here’s a detailed outlook on how yoga helps you lose weight scientifically.

How Yoga Burns Fat?

Yoga primarily improves your body’s metabolism, and that in turn helps your body burn fat by itself. Here’s how it works:

• Active yoga poses like Suryanamaskar can elevate the heart rate and improve calorie burn. It can burn up to 13 to 15 calories per round. With 10 rounds, you can burn up to 150 calories.
• Yoga poses can also help you get in touch with your spiritual side. This can help you reduce cortisol in your body. The reduction of cortisol (stress hormone) can help your body lose fat, especially around your belly.
• Yoga poses like planks and chair poses are great for muscle engagement and core strength building. It improves your body’s resting metabolism, which allows you to burn fat, even while you’re at rest.
• Lastly, yoga improves a person’s body awareness. It helps reduce emotional strains and baggages and as a result, it helps curb behaviour like emotional eating and overeating.

Yoga vs Gym for Weight Loss

Even though yoga burns fewer calories, it is better for weight loss because it is easier to be consistent with yoga. Add meditation, and it allows both physical and mental health benefits for the person. This long-term consistency is what helps you lose weight sustainably compared to short-term gym bursts.

Who Should Choose Yoga for Weight Loss?

If you are any of the following, you should choose yoga for weight loss:

• Beginner to Exercise: If you are new to exercise, beginner yoga for fat loss and stretching can help you improve your mobility. It is easy to start and requires no equipment.
• Busy Professionals: You can easily perform yoga in short sessions and still get weight loss results.
• People with Injuries or Joint Pain: If you have joint pain, yoga is low-impact and joint-friendly. 
• People who suffer from high stress: Yoga and meditation can work as serious stress busters. You can get benefits such as managing cravings and curbing emotional eating.

Why Combine Yoga + Diet for Faster Weight Loss?

Yoga and diet combine to offer numerous health and well-being benefits that help you lose weight faster. This system allows your body to lose fat automatically using the improved metabolism you get with yoga practice. Here’s a full breakdown of how and why these two practices offer better results together.

The Synergy: Movement + Calorie Deficit

Weight loss in theory happens when your body is in calorie deficit. What is calorie deficit? It is when your body is burning more calories per day than it is consuming. How does yoga and diet for weight loss play into calorie deficit?

• Yoga for weight loss helps you burn calories with daily exercise. It provides benefits while still being light on joints and having low injury risks.
• Diet helps you ensure you’re consuming less calories per day. Plus with the right diet you can expedite physical recovery every day while controlling your calorie intake.

This is how both these systems work together to offer a consistent and sustainable weight loss method.

Why Results Are Faster Together?

This is the perfect follow up question, and the answer is also really interesting. The thing is, research has shown that dietary changes and physical activity combined can lead to 2 to 3 times more effective weight loss than any one activity alone. This is true for both sole dieting and isolated exercising without dieting. 

Why does this happen? It happens because:

• Diet alone may help you reduce weight, but without exercises it can also cause muscle loss and slow metabolism. This is not good for sustainable weight loss.
• Yoga as a form of exercise helps your body burn more calories at rest due to metabolism improvements
• As a result, when you practice them together, it improves body composition by only burning fat and toning your muscles, instead of losing muscle mass

Hormones, Cravings, and Appetite Control

Yoga has proven benefits over traditional exercise, when it comes to managing hormones, cravings, and appetite. This is because:

• Yoga reduces cortisol levels, which is known as the stress hormone. Lower stress directly correlates to better weight loss and specifically, lower belly fat storage.
• Yoga as an exercise improves your body’s insulin sensitivity. This helps improve blood sugar control and lower your daily cravings.
• The best yoga poses for weight loss have a spiritual side, which helps with mindfulness. With a better and clearer mind, you can make better food choices and fight off the urges to overeat.

Combine this with the benefits you get from a balanced diet, which are:

• Stabilized hunger and hormones
• No energy crashes during the day
• Longer satiety 

You have a foolproof plan for weight loss that’s sustainable and powerful.

8 Yoga Poses for Weight Loss (Explained Step-by-Step)

The best yoga poses for weight loss are listed below. These exercises are hand-picked to be easy to do and take up less of your day. Each exercise also has specific health benefits.

1. Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations): Best Full-Body Fat Burner

The Surya Namaskar weight loss yoga is one of the best full-body exercises you can practice for weight loss. It is a sequence of 12 dynamic yoga poses that combine cardio, strength training, and flexibility training. All the yoga poses are performed in a continuous flow, which makes it one exercise that can be your entire starting routine for yoga.

Calories Burned: If you perform the entire Surya Namaskar routine ten times, it can help you lose up to 150 calories (13 to 15 calories on each round)

How to do:

Pose 1: Stand with folded arms

Pose 2: Raise your arms up and bend backwards

Pose 3: Try touching your toes with your hands without bending your knees

Pose 4: Get on your knees, put one knee forward, and stretch your other foot back

Pose 5: Hold a plank position by being on your hands and feet with a straight body

Pose 6: Touch your chin to the floor with your arms at your side and only your feet and knees touching the floor

Pose 7: Lie down on your stomach and raise your upper body with your arm strength

Pose 8: Stand up and bend forward to touch the ground with your hands while keeping your feet straight and only bending your upper body

Pose 9: Get on your knees, put one knee forward, and stretch your other foot back

Pose 10: Try touching your toes with your hands without bending your knees

Pose 11: Raise your arms up and bend backwards

Pose 12: Stand with your arms folded as a namaskar

Note: You should hold each pose for at least 10 seconds to 30 seconds.

Benefits

• Full-body fat burn
• Boosts metabolism
• Helps improve muscle strength and body flexibility
• Positively influences stamina
• Reduces stress

Variations

• Beginner: Perform the sets slowly and keep your knees down during the plank pose
• Advanced: Perform 10 to 15 sets per sitting and even add in jumps to the routine

2. Warrior II Pose: Lower Body Fat Loss

The warrior II pose is one of the most popular yoga poses, it's the one you commonly see on TV shows and movies. It is a simple but effective exercise that works out your lower body. It is also easy to do with the exercise becoming difficult the longer you hold it. The exercise targets your legs, glutes, and core.

Calories Burned: It is a moderate calorie-burning exercise. Since it activates large muscle groups, it leads to higher energy burn. The exercise burns four to six calories per minute.

How to do:

• Stand with your legs spread wide
• Bend your front knee while your arms are extended
• Stay in that position for up to 30 seconds
• Remember to look forward in the direction that your knee is pointing towards

Benefits

• Tones your thighs and glutes
• Improves balance
• Builds endurance

Variations

• Beginner: Can spread your stance less

Advanced: Hold the wide stance for up to 90 seconds each time                                 

3. Plank Pose: Belly Fat Reduction

Planks have been mentioned as a part of the Surya Namaskar weight loss exercise already. However, it deserves a dedicated call-out because of just how effective it is. Most people who want to lose weight specifically want to reduce belly fat. This exercise helps exactly with that. The plank is a body weight exercise, meaning it burns calories significantly. It is an isometric core-strengthening exercise that works out almost the entirety of your body. However, its main focus is your belly muscles.

Calories Burned: Full body engagement leads to high calories burned compared to other static yoga poses. Studies suggest that planking for a minute can burn two to five calories.

How to do:

• Get into the push up position on the floor
• Put your body in a straight line position
• Engage your core and hold yourself in that position
• In the beginning only hold your planks for 10 seconds

Benefits

• Helps reduce belly fat
• Strengthens core and shoulders
• Improves overall posture

Variations

• Beginner: Try planking with your knees down

Advanced: Hold for up to 90 seconds or try side planks

4. Chair Pose (Utkatasana): High Calorie Burner
 

The chair pose is exactly what it sounds like, you get into the position to pretend like you’re sitting on a chair while you’re not. This exercise with its squat-like pose intensely activates lower body muscles. This helps your body burn more calories, which is why this exercise is called a high calorie burner.

Calories Burned: High calorie burn due to the engagement of large muscle groups. Compared to other exercises, this one burns more calories at five to 10 calories burned for every minute you hold the pose.

How to do:

• Bend your knees
• Push your hips back
• Put your arms overhead
• Stay in the squatted position for up to 30 seconds as a start

Benefits

• Burns more calories
• Strengthens legs and glutes
• Boosts stamina

Variations

• Beginner: Perform a shallow squat

Advanced: Hold the pose for longer

5. Boat Pose (Navasana): Core Fat Targeting

This is a balancing yoga pose that’s quite engaging for your core muscles. It targets the fat in your belly and is a great exercise to help you lose belly fat. The main purpose of this exercise is to strengthen and activate your core muscles, along with toning your abdominal muscles.

Calories Burned: Moderate calorie burn compared to other yoga poses. On average, three to five calories are burned for every minute you hold the pose.

How to do:

• Sit on the ground with your legs stretched out
• Lift your legs
• Balance on your sit bones while stretching your arms
• Balance yourself in this position for up to 30 seconds as a start

Benefits

• Targets belly fat
• Potentially improves digestion
• Enhances balance

Variations

• Beginner: Bend your knees while doing the pose

Advanced: Straight legs and hold the pose for longer

6. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana): Full Body Activation

This pose was also a part of the Surya Namaskar weight loss yoga routine. However, just like the plank, this exercise too needs a standalone mention of its own. It is a simple exercise, unlike some of the other exercises mentioned in this list. This exercise is a foundational pose that stretches and strengthens the entire body.

Calories Burned: Low to moderate calorie burn. However, this exercise should be practiced for its stretching and the benefits it adds to your body in terms of flexibility. Approximately three to five calories are burned performing this exercise every day.

How to do:

• Get on your hands and feet and lift your hips
• Form an inverted V with your body
• Keep your feet planted flat on the ground

Benefits

• Tones arms, legs, and core
• Improves circulation
• Relieves tension

Variations

• Beginner: Bend your knees during the pose

Advanced: Hold the pose longer up to 90 seconds

7. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana): Metabolism + Hormone Support

The bridge pose is a great exercise that activates your glutes, core, and lower back. It can help you relieve your pesky back pain that you get sitting at office during work hours every day. Additionally, the exercise helps improve your flexibility and works out multiple large muscle groups in your body.

Calories Burned: This exercise leads to moderate calories burned. However, its main benefit comes with its hormonal impact. The bridge yoga burns only 0.71 calories per repetition. So, if you were to perform it five times in a minute, it would burn up to 3 calories.

How to do:

• Lie down
• Lift your hips
• Try to hold your ankles while your hips are lifted
• Hold the position and then repeat

Benefits

• Strengthens posterior chain
• It supports thyroid stimulation
• Improves overall posture

Variations

• Beginner: Hold for a shorter period

Advanced: Perform the bridge on a single leg.

8. Twisting Chair Pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana): Core + Detox Boost

This is a twisted variation of the chair pose, quite literally, but it is really good for you. This yoga pose engages the core and helps you with digestion. It also improves your body’s metabolism, which helps you burn fat while at rest. Additionally, the exercise is easy to do and stretches your back muscles, which is great for people with a sedentary lifestyle.

Calories Burned: Moderate to high calorie burn due to the strength it takes to perform this exercise and the twist at the same time. On average, the twisting chair pose burns five to eight calories per minute of exercise.

How to do:

• Get into the chair pose
• Fold your hands into a prayer position
• Twist your torso in either direction one by one

Benefits

• It targets the obliques
• It helps improve digestion
• It enhances fat metabolism in the body

Variations

• Beginner: Light twist

Advanced: Deeper twist + longer hold

Diet Plan for Weight Loss (Simple & Sustainable)

As mentioned previously, a yoga exercise routine and a diet together have a much better chance of helping you lose weight sustainably. The diet mentioned below has been intentionally kept simple so that you can easily follow it without reducing or restricting your food intake. The idea is to ease into your diet stepwise instead of going all in at once.

Core Principles of a Yoga Diet

A yoga-based diet focuses on different aspects of your nutrition. It focuses on nourishment and balance. Since this is a yoga-based diet, it doesn’t focus on crash dieting. Instead, just like yoga, it gently helps your body recalibrate food habits. Here are the core postulates of a yoga-based diet plan for weight loss.

• Whole Foods: This is where you should start your diet. Add more whole foods to your diet. This includes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains like oats, millets, and atta, to name a few. Whole foods are nutritious, and it has benefits for your health. In short, it provides maximum nutrition per calorie consumed. Whole foods also improve satiety and help you lose body fat.
• Protein: Protein intake must be increased to support body weight loss. It doesn’t matter where you derive your protein from, be it meat or protein supplements; you must consume a significant amount of protein per day, as per your body weight. Protein helps you build lean muscle and boost metabolism. It helps you stay full for longer and curbs cravings. Lastly, protein helps your body recover faster from exercise, like yoga.
• Hydration: You must drink two to three litres of water daily. This is a basic requirement for healthy living and a balanced diet. The water you consume can also include herbal teas and lemon water. This is to help you incentivise yourself to fulfill your water intake goals.
• Avoid Sugary Foods: People often say, fat is bad for you, but what really is bad for you is sugary food. Excess sugar consumption can increase your risk of diabetes and also cause weight gain instead of weight loss. It also causes spikes in your blood sugar levels, which leads to more cravings and overeating. Additionally, sugary foods slow down any progress you’re making for your weight loss with yoga. So, its consumption needs to be managed if not stopped entirely.
• Balanced Macros: You should consume 40% carbs in a day for energy, 30% protein in a day for muscle building and satiety, and the remaining 30% you should consume fats from sources like nuts for satiety and hormonal balance in your body.

Sample 1-Day Diet Plan for Weight Loss

This is a short diet plan to help you see what the diet mentioned above looks like in practice. You can follow this diet plan or customize it as you like while keeping the elements the same.

Morning (Pre-Yoga)

• 1 glass of lemon water or soaked chia seeds
• 4 to 5 soaked almonds

Breakfast (Post-Yoga)

• Vegetable oats, poha, or upma
• 2 boiled eggs, paneer, or tofu

Lunch

• 1 cup brown rice or 2 roti
• Dal, grilled chicken, or tofu
• A large portion of vegetables

Evening Snack

• Roasted chana, a handful of nuts, or fruits
• Green tea or herbal tea

Dinner

• Vegetable soup with paneer, tofu, or chicken
• Or you can have 1 roti and sabzi with a protein source of your choice

Integrating Yoga and Diet into Your Lifestyle

To maximize the benefits of yoga poses for weight loss and a diet plan for weight loss, integrate them into a holistic lifestyle. Surya Namaskar and the diet plan are most effective when supported by healthy habits.

Creating a Yoga Routine

• Morning Practice: Start your day with 5–10 rounds of Surya Namaskar to boost metabolism and energy. A 2021 study in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy found morning yoga enhances fat-burning throughout the day.
• Consistency: Practice 30–60 minutes daily or 3–5 times weekly, mixing Surya Namaskar with other poses like Plank and Warrior II.
• Progression: Beginners start with 2–3 rounds of Surya Namaskar, increasing by 1–2 rounds weekly. Advanced practitioners can aim for 12–15 rounds.
• Environment: Practice in a quiet, well-ventilated space with a yoga mat for comfort and grip.

Sleep and Stress Management

• Sleep: Aim for 7–8 hours nightly. A 2019 study in Sleep Medicine linked poor sleep to weight gain due to hormonal imbalances. Yoga, including Surya Namaskar, promotes relaxation, improving sleep quality.
• Stress Reduction: Practice deep breathing or meditation post-Surya Namaskar to lower cortisol. A 2020 study in Psychoneuroendocrinology found mindfulness reduces stress-related eating.
• Journaling: Track your yoga sessions, meals, and mood to stay motivated and identify patterns.

Building a Support System

• Join a Community: Attend yoga classes or online groups to stay motivated. Certified instructors can refine your Surya Namaskar technique.
• Accountability Partner: Share your goals with a friend or family member to maintain consistency.
• Professional Guidance: Work with a nutritionist or yoga therapist for personalized plans.

How Yoga and Diet Work Together for Weight Loss

Surya Namaskar and other yoga poses paired perfectly with a diet plan for shedding pounds quickly and effectively. Surya Namaskar's cardio effects torched around 150 calories in just 10 grueling rounds while mindfulness quells stress-related cravings pretty effectively. A balanced approach emerges rather slowly from this diet plan which supplies essential nutrients pretty quietly for both recovery and energy production. A 2020 study published in Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine discovered combining yoga with dietary tweaks resulted in 2–3 times more significant weight loss than dieting alone typically yields. For optimal efficacy results are typically attained rather haphazardly.

• Practice Surya Namaskar and other poses 30–60 minutes daily.
• Follow the diet plan consistently, adjusting for activity level.
• Incorporate sleep, stress management, and community support.

Final Take: The Most Sustainable Way to Lose Weight

Yoga and diet together are a great starter combination to help you lose weight. If you want to learn more about losing weight, you can set up a consultation with our specialists at the MASSH Super Specialty Hospital. Our specialists can help you understand your nutritional requirements and weight loss targets with personalised diet and exercise plans for you. 

You can also get weight loss treatment options at the MASSH Super Specialty Hospital if you’re suffering from obesity. Our bariatric surgery department can help you treat obesity and associated comorbidities effectively. Check out our website and set up a consultation with us today.

Medically Reviewed By 

MASSH Super Speciality Hospital Bariatric Surgery Team

Our highly experienced bariatric surgeons have expertise in advanced treatment options for obesity, including dietary and lifestyle modifications, along with highly advanced minimally invasive bariatric surgery like sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass surgeries. Treatments are often accompanied by lifestyle and metabolic guidelines for long-term sustainable metabolic health.

FAQs About Yoga Poses & Diet Plan for Weight Loss

1. Is yoga enough for weight loss?

Yes, yoga is enough for weight loss if you know how to perform it correctly. There are specific yoga poses that engage core muscles and large muscle groups in the lower part of your body. These exercises can help you improve your body’s metabolism, which in turn causes weight loss.

1. How many rounds of Surya Namaskar daily?

You should perform two to three rounds of Surya Namaskar daily. The 12-step routine is the perfect way to get started with exercising. You can easily learn to perfect the Surya Namaskar before you move on to other yoga poses. Over time, as you get more comfortable, increase the number of rounds you’re performing.

1. Best time to do yoga for fat loss?

If you want to lose fat with yoga, the best time to practice it would be in the morning, before breakfast. This is because the metabolism benefits that you can get in the morning can help you beat cravings all day and stay on track with your diet. Yoga in the morning also gives you positivity to go through your day with less stress.

1. What diet works best with yoga?

When you’re practicing yoga, a yoga-friendly diet works the best. On average, your yoga-friendly diet should contain 40% carbs for energy during the day, 30% protein to maintain muscle mass and support healing from yoga, and another 30% fats to improve satiety and improve hormonal balance in your body.

1. Can beginners lose weight with yoga?

Yes, beginners can also lose weight with yoga; however, as a beginner, your focus should really be on making yoga and your diet a part of your daily routine. You should not try to focus on results at first. Instead, try to ensure you’re following your diet and practicing yoga every day. This leads to better long-term results.

Medical Disclaimer

This blog is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified bariatric surgeon in Delhi for proper evaluation and treatment recommendations.