How to lose weight during Ramadan

1.2230018-4142077372 — From left: Dr Juliot Vinolia, Dr Moayed Alhelfi and Wafa Ayesh.

Dubai: During the holy month of Ramadan, especially this year when fasting extends to more than 15 hours in the UAE, there is a good opportunity for people to lose weight if they follow some golden rules while choosing the food for suhour and iftar, say nutritionists and health specialists.

Many people often complain that fasting slows down their metabolism levels and eating large quantities of food during iftar especially to end fast makes them pile on excess fat.

Dr Juliot Vinolia, clinical dietician with Medeor 24/7, explains: “Usually when people fast, the body goes into starvation mode, holding on to nutritional elements. People while ending the fast usually go in for huge meals, fried food and heavy carbohydrates. This is a natural response to food after a long period. This in turn triggers storage of unhealthy fat and turns to a vicious cycle making people put on weight instead of losing it.”

Vinolia recommends people to choose food items with low glycaemic index (food that releases sugar slowly into the blood keeping one full for a longer time).

“Food items such as dense carbohydrates combined with high fibre and lean protein and healthy fats are ideal. These include meals such as such as steel-rolled oats with low-fat milk, chia seeds and walnut porridge, a piece of fruit, low-fat labneh or cottage cheese and salmon or any other oily fish. Salads should be raw and fresh with avocado included and avoid all creamy dressings.”

Wafa Ayesh, director of Clinical Nutrition at Dubai Health Authority, elaborated on this: “The primary reason why people tend to put on weight during Ramadan is due to uncontrolled eating during iftar meals. These include fat-laden food, fried food items and sweetened juices that are too calorie rich.”

She advises people to plan their meals well in advance. “Eat a light iftar meal. While ending fast, hydrate yourself with water instead of choosing sweetened juices and have a date which is nutritionally dense. This can be followed by clear soup, a piece of fresh fruit and salads. For the main course later, have a balanced meal of lean protein, steamed vegetables, a serving of whole grains and some low-fat dairy like yoghurt, cheese or labneh.”

The best guide to eating healthy during Ramadan is to follow the healthy plate rule. Since the number of meals is limited, it is important to have a healthy balanced meal. Ayesh said: “Ensure that 50 per cent of your plate is loaded with vegetables and fruit, 25 per cent with dense carbohydrates, and 25 per cent with lean protein such as grilled chicken or fish and dairy. The protein and fibre are likely to keep one full for a longer time and prevent bingeing on unhealthy food items.”

Intermittent fasting

New research points out that intermittent fasting (IF) if carried out in the right manner can actually trigger autophagy (autophagous or self-consuming membranes form around cells that scavenge dead cells, gobbling up these and cleansing the body), reducing inflammation and disease, triggering fat loss, healing and a host of benefits. “However, in order to trigger autophagy, fasting has to be carried out in the right manner choosing sensible food groups during suhour and iftar and also including mild exercises two hours after iftar,” explained Vinolia.

Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular health trends today and deals with eating and fasting cycles throughout the 24 hours. In any case, one sleeps for eight hours through the night and if one can fast for 12-16 hours and eat in an eight-hour window, it is known to have amazing effects on health and weight loss.

Many studies show that intermittent fasting can cause weight loss, improve metabolic health, protect against disease and perhaps help you live longer.

Benefits

It holds tremendous promise for fat loss, preventing certain diseases, especially cancer, and increases resilience.

It has shown massive improvements in insulin resistance and reversing Type 2 diabetes (when done correctly and under medical supervision).

The body kick-starts some important cellular repair processes and changes hormone levels to make stored body fat more accessible.

Growth hormone levels shoot up almost three- to five-fold which makes it easier for the body to accelerate the fat-burning process.

Hydration

Keeping oneself well-hydrated is important as the body tends to undergo water retention if it sense there is water shortage and this results in weight gain. Dr Moayed Alhelfi, consultant endocrinologist, Medeor 24x7 International Hospital Al Ain, cautioned: “Fasting during Ramadan, especially during the summers, can cause dehydration. Make sure you consume adequate amounts of liquids, preferably water, after you end your fast with iftar, the post-sunset meal, and during the period until suhour, the predawn meal, to keep your body well-hydrated. The minimum, normally, is at least six to eight glasses of water, but with the temperature rising, it is advisable to drink a lot more.”

Dr Alhelfi suggests adding slices of lemon or cucumber to cold water and sipping it after ending fast will be good. “This is a cool and refreshing way to energise your body, quench your thirst and ingest a host of vitamins and minerals that build your immunity. Citrus juices are also a healthy and refreshing complement to an iftar meal. Citrus juices, high in vitamin C, rejuvenate the body after a long day of fasting,” he said.

Alhelfi also advised people to avoid too much of tea and coffee during the fasting days as these beverages are diuretics that may stimulate further water loss.

Benefits of exercise

Combining intermittent fasting with light exercises can reap a rich and healthy reward for those fasting during Ramadan as it will be a detoxification for the mind and body. But the timing for exercising is crucial. Ayesh said: “The safest time to exercise is two-three hours after dinner which is usually around 10pm as people tend to have an early iftar dinner. A light cardio exercise like a brisk walk or a slow jog with light strength training is ideal.”

Ayesh cautions that those who prefer exercising during the fasting hours must do it either an hour before suhour or an hour before iftar. “Otherwise exercising during this time can severely dehydrate an individual but if it is closer to ending the fast, they can exercise and then after an hour replenish their body fluids and salt balance.”

Ideal samples of suhour and iftar meals

A well-balanced Ramadan meal depends on the caloric requirement of an individual that is based on the height, weight and body mass index (BMI) and body metabolic rate (BMR). Here is a sample for someone with a requirement of 1,400 calories: