Take advantage of Ramadan, lose weight!

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With a few smart changes to your lifestyle and diet, you can make your weight loss last even after the month. See more videos at www.gulfnews.com/videos

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00:0010 minutes before fasting, I want to eat everything on the table.

00:11I want to have the fried samosas, I want to have all the bajiyas and everything.

00:17But the minute Adhan goes off, I usually have a glass of water and a couple of dates, and

00:23then I go pray Maghrib and come back to the table, and then I can't eat anything.

00:28I just have some fruits and wait a little while, and then have a little rice, some fish,

00:34some vegetables, and then I'm too full.

00:36But yeah, I always lose weight.

00:38I lose at least four to five kilos during Ramadan because I can't eat a lot.

00:44So I think last year, for 2017, my resolution was to get my weight down from 90 to 85.

00:53It actually went reverse from 90 to 95.

00:55So yeah, that's an ongoing challenge, and snacking often is kind of one of the habits

01:02which is responsible for that.

01:04It actually helps.

01:05So Ramadan kind of puts a restriction of not eating when you're at your desk or in your

01:10office space.

01:11So for at least one month, all those snacks and in between the meals, kind of quick bites

01:18come to a stop.

01:19In our office, there's a little bit of a practice, it's become a sort of a ritual now, and whenever

01:25somebody is coming back from their country, and they tend to bring in all the chips, and

01:32especially the halwas and the sweets from the country they belong.

01:36So that also gets gradually reduced during the course of Ramadan.

01:40Ramadan is a great chance to lose weight for people who want to lose weight.

01:48If they follow dietary advices, healthy dietary advice, which I would love to share today

01:54with you.

01:58Have two main meals, the suhoor and the iftar, and one snack or two snacks in between.

02:05So the suhoor is the most important meal during the day.

02:09So a lot of people tend to skip suhoor, which makes it difficult for them to continue their

02:15fast.

02:16They will feel more tired, and they will end up eating more at iftar time.

02:22And this also results in indigestion and overeating, which may lead to weight gain as well.

02:29So suhoor, please don't skip suhoor.

02:35My next tip would be to start your iftar with one date, one glass of water, or maybe a low-fat

02:42vegetable soup, and take a break for five or ten minutes.

02:45This will allow your digestive system to be ready, and it also will decrease your hunger.

02:51So you won't eat as much.

02:55Also, at iftar, go for the grilled items, not the fried items.

03:02Include vegetables at your meal.

03:04Include protein.

03:05Also, complex carbs.

03:08Go for the quinoa, the brown rice, the brown pasta.

03:15Dieting is a lifestyle.

03:16It should be done in Ramadan and outside of Ramadan.

03:19So the most important thing is controlling your portion, having frequent small meals

03:24after Ramadan.

03:29Choosing the right snack.

03:30Don't go for the bag of chips or bag of candy.

03:33Go for the healthier options, vegetables, fruits, nuts, popcorn, as I mentioned before.

03:41If the individual or the person is healthy and has no medical complications, and used

03:47to doing exercise outside of Ramadan, he or she can do some exercise one or two hours

03:54before iftar.

03:59Another important tip is to be hydrated.

04:02Be well hydrated from iftar to dawn.

04:06Drink at least eight glasses of water, and stay away from the famous Ramadan juices that

04:11are high in sugar.

04:17Another point also is to limit your sweets.

04:20I know sweets can be very tempting in Ramadan, but try to limit them to two to three times

04:25a week.

04:26Try to make them in a healthy way.

04:28If not, share it with someone.

04:33You put in your efforts through the month.

04:35I think what you would need to avoid is the iftar dinners where you kind of go lavish

04:41on eating.

04:43What you're also trying to do is steer away from snacking on fried foods, especially people

04:49from the Indian subcontinent, and trying to move towards fruits more during iftar and

04:54this thing.

04:55And as we tend to get older, you also realize your body doesn't take in as easily the fried

05:01items, and you have problems with gastric trouble, digestion, and a lot of that.

05:06I think the best thing to do, this month is a great month.

05:10It's a month of reflection.

05:12Don't think you have to go to every iftar party that you're invited to.

05:16It is absolutely okay and acceptable to politely decline.

05:21And I think that's a great way to kick the weight off.

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