Ramadan weight loss: 14 effective tips to reduce belly fat and stay healthy while fasting
New Delhi: The auspicious month of Ramadan is upon us as we imbibe the soul-cleansing energy radiating throughout the month with rigorous fasting. The holy month of Ramadan is a perfect time to kick-start your physical fitness journey while you are on a spiritual journey to get closer to Allah. Fasting, as we all know, has been recognised for numerous health benefits. Fasting is a natural detox that helps boost metabolism and promote weight loss, it improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure and helps in cell recycling among many others.
While a growing number of studies suggests that fasting holds great promises for health, wrong strategies - such as eating continuously, especially between 'iftar' and 'suhoor', or overeating - can lead to weight gain. Perhaps, as much of an exhausting exercise is for a normal person, things get even dicer for bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts - who require proper nutritional intake daily and need to maintain body fluids round-the-clock. But, fret not! Here’s Mehar Rajput, Dietitian and Nutritionist, FITPASS, tells us how to ensure the same and stay slim and fit during the holy month of Ramadan.
Do’s
*Drink at least 2 glasses of water during 'suhoor' or 'sehri'.
*Eat fruits that keep you hydrated - watermelon and grapes.
*Include fiber, proteins and carbs in your suhoor meals to avoid hunger pangs.
*Eat with your family and loved ones, create mindfulness around the food you eat and reconnect with your eating habits.
*Continue with your workout. However, you may want to lower your intensity.
*Continue with the tradition of breaking your fast with a date - it is high in fiber and potassium and helps in water retention .
Don’ts
*Don’t break your fast with spicy foods like kebab or chutney – it will cause heartburn.
*Don’t overeat out of insecurity – avoid binge eating to bring down blood sugar levels.
*Do not rely on junk food - maintain a 90/10 rule of eating, i.e. 90% of food with high *nutrient content and 10% of desserts and fried foods.
*Avoid sherbets and processed foods if you are trying to lose weight during Ramadan.
*Medication like Excedrin may be avoided if you are having caffeine withdrawal symptoms - like a headache. Instead, try resting and avoiding exertion through the day. This is the time to detox.
*Avoid fasting if you are diabetic or are suffering from irregular blood pressure levels - changing the time of your medicine can be difficult and may aggravate your condition.
*Avoid fasting if you are suffering from kidney disorders and can’t be dehydrated for long.
Do not start a new workout regime while you are fasting.
Related Topics
Related News & Articles
Here's why you must adopt Intermittent Fasting as a way of life.
Intermittent Fasting is the latest fitness trend that has spread like a wildfire. Fr...
Recently posted . 691 views . 3 min read
The purpose of fasting is not physical training to endure hunger, thirst and exhaustion, rather, it is displaying the ego to relinquish the beloved for the sake o...
Recently posted . 722 views . 3 min read
Trending News & Articles
Nanda Vrata is dedicated to Shiva and it is believed that Goddess Sati observed this vrat to get Shiva as her husband. It is observed during Phalgun Shukla Paksha...
Recently posted . 15K views . 3 min read
This question has seeked me ever since I can remember ...from my childhood..in my dreams...in my realisation and my internal assimilation of Lord Krishna as my god....
Recently posted . 7K views . 1 min read
Story of Sharabha and Narasimha
In Hinduism, the ‘trimurti’ (Gods) - Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, are...
Recently posted . 5K views . 1 min read
Have any of you realised how beneficial and helpful the lemon is when kept in a transparent glass of water, what it does? Here is the lemon ...
Recently posted . 4K views . 1 min read
More in Spiritual
Sadhguru: Any intelligence is good. If you do not have natural intelligence, then artificial; if you do not have organic intelligence, then ...
Recently posted. 622 views . 3 min read
When I see a corpse, I want to bury it, not eat it.
Recently posted. 956 views . 0 min read
A thousand years after the Buddha’s nirvana, Buddhists finally acquired a goddess of (almost) equal stature to the Buddha. Before this, the only goddess who...
Recently posted. 906 views . 2 min read
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 893 views
Recently posted . 2K views
Recently posted . 1K views
The food we eat, has to be digested and then thrown out of body in 24 hours, else we will fall ill.
Recently posted. 873 views . 0 min read
Lord Ganesha’s name is taken before the auspicious beginning of a work or inauguration especially during Griha Pravesh in every Hindu household. Despite the p...
Recently posted. 759 views . 2 min read