DURING RAMADAN YOUR GUIDE TO EATING HEALTHY, LOSING WEIGHTY -A VIDEO TUTORIAL
Let me start by saying that this guide is NOT about using Ramadan as a weight loss aid. The holy month of Ramadan is, first and foremost, about shaping and influencing your belief and Iman. I believe that part and parcel of that the renewal of your spiritual beliefs, as well as the renewal of your body and health. Our religion is a beautiful holistic religion that covers all areas of life.
So, taking care of your body, and making sure you know exactly what you need to do to stop yourself from putting on unwanted weight is something that we all need to aspire towards this Ramadan.
Here’s a recap of the exact 5 strategies on how to lose weight in Ramadan:
1, Eat the right foods during suhoor (sahar / sehri) - the predawn meal. Eating foods that are high in refined, highly processed carbs and fats cause a hormonal change in our body, which puts our body into a fat storage mode. This means 2 things. One is that your body’s existing fat stores are locked away, and your body will not use it for energy and fuel during the fast. Two, the food that you eat at Suhoor will be preferentially stored as fat, instead of being used as energy during the day.
That’s crazy right?! Imagine all that food you eat… and it doesn’t do you good! So make sure to eat the right foods during your Suhoor meals to ensure that you put your body into a fat burning mode. This will make sure that your body will use your current fat stores AND the foods that you eat during suhoor to fuel you during your fast.
Helping you to avoid those horrible hunger pangs during the day, and turn your body into a fat burning furnace. For a lot of people, this change alone is all they will need it do.
2, Eat less when you break your fast
Be mindful of how much you eat during breaking fast. Eating some high carb foods like dates and porridge is a good idea to give your body a boost of calories it needs to run, but you need to make sure you don’t overdo it, and undo all your good work during your fast. Use the hunger and fullness scale (later in this report), to help you with that.
3, Have a small dinner, 30 minutes to an hour before bed
This helps you maintain a more regular blood sugar level and makes sure that you are not too hungry when you wake up for Suhoor and overeat.
4, Use the Tarawih prayer time as a time for blessings, as well as a time for meditation and mental renewal.Ramadan is the time for spiritual renewal. It’s a time to multiply your blessings from God and to get some “spiritual detox”. What a lot of us have forgotten is that Ramadan is also a time for detox and renewal for the body and mind as well.
By taking a bit of time out of your schedule to perform the Tharavi prayers, and spending a few minutes in peaceful meditation and prayer, not only brings you closer to god, it also helps you to relax, and recharge your mind, so that its easier for you to stay more focused and alert during your fast. All this also helps you to keep to your commitments to eating healthier and smarter this Ramadan.
5. Take a 20 to 30 minute break in the middle of the day
This too helps you to recharge your mind and body, and really improve you mental focus for the day. If you are at work, spend some time during lunch hour in a quiet place. Just relax, or even take a short nap. Whichever you feel most comfortable doing. It’s going to do wonders to the rest of your day.
Most of us spend the time from Iftar to Suhoor in varying stages of Very Full, Uncomfortably Full, Stuffed and Sick. Eating in moderation and stopping when you are satisfied, is a sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH), AND it will help you keep your body as a fat burning furnace.
Best Food Ingredients for Your Suhoor Meals:
Use any of these healthy food ingredients to create mouth-watering meals that are not only healthy and nutritious, they will be tasty AND they will help you burn fat during your fast.
Proteins : Egg whites with 1-2 whole for flavour,
Chicken breast or thigh,Beef,Fish,
Vegetables : Spinach,Brussel Sprouts, Asparagus,Broccoli,Green Beans,Peas (Not Chickpeas),Cauliflower,Tomatoes,Carrots
Lettuce (Iceberg, Dark green, Rocket... etc) Cabbage,Sprouts,Kale,Onions,Peppers
Mushrooms, (...includes all leafy green vegetables
Beans : Legumes, Black Beans , Pinto beans ,Red beans, Soybeans
Kidney beans, Lentils (or “Dhal”)
Make sure your meal consists of 1 part proteins, 1 part vegetables and 1 part legumes. Skip any of these and you run the risk of sabotaging yourself. Proteins give you energy and essential amino acids to make sure you don’t lose your muscle strength and mass. Vegetables give you essential fibers and micronutrients that your body needs to function. Legumes will give you most of the calories you need to fuel you for the day. If you face any difficulties during your fast, it will most likely be because you didn’t take enough legumes. Don’t make that mistake.
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