How to Lose Weight During Ramadan

Breaking Bad Habits Through Fasting

Figure out what habits cause you to gain weight. Fasting during Ramadan is considered a way to break bad habits, so take time to think about why it’s important to you to break your poor habits. Ask yourself questions such as the following: Why do you think you need to lose weight? Maybe you are overweight. What habits have caused you to gain weight? Perhaps you eat too many sugary snacks. How does changing these habits fit into your religious path? You may want to learn to moderate your indulgences. Do you feel like your habits are in conflict with what you want spiritually? You may feel like you are too focused on worldly activities and not on your spiritual health.

Replace bad habits with good habits during your fast. While you fast for Ramadan, you won’t be able to grab snacks or sugary drinks throughout the day. When you reach these moments, handle the cravings with a helpful new habit, such as a short walk, reading an affirmation or your Quran, or focusing your mind and hands on another activity. Take a leisurely walk since you can’t replenish your body with water during fasting. Embrace a new hobby, such as knitting, woodworking, drawing, playing a musical instrument, writing, or completing puzzles.

Stay active during your fast, but avoid the sun. Continue to live as you normally would while you fast, which will help you break your bad habits by making you think about the changes you’re making. You will also burn more calories, which will help your weightloss goals. Just stay out of the sun while it’s at its peak from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. so that you don’t get too dehydrated. Continue your normal daily activities. Add a yoga routine to your day. Go for a stroll.

Do a short, vigorous workout after sundown. Save heavy activity until after sundown, when you can drink water. Since you’re crunched for time after dark, dedicate about 30 minutes to your workout. Try activities like running, dancing, or other forms of cardio. Talk to your doctor before beginning any new exercise programs, if you are overweight, or if you have any health conditions. You may want to work with a trainer to create a workout for you. You can find a trainer by visiting a gym or searching online for private trainers. Be sure to check references before you hire someone.

Planning Your Meals and Drinks

Base your suhur meal around complex carbs and lean protein. Never skip your pre-dawn meal, also called suhur. If you do, you’ll be setting yourself up for a binge after your fast ends for that day. Instead, choose complex carbs like whole grains or oatmeals, along with lean proteins like egg whites, labneh, and cheese. Hold the salt, though, because you don’t want to increase your thirst going into your fast. Eat rolled oats, topped with fruit and low-fat milk and paired with an egg. Try scrambled eggs topped with a light cheese, along with apple slices and a piece of whole-grain toast.

Plan to eat a healthy snack right after sundown if your tradition allows. Since you’ve been fasting all day, you will be very hungry after sundown. Your body will want food, and the iftar meal that breaks the fast could easily derail your efforts. If your tradition allows, prepare a healthy snack in advance so that you won’t be tempted to grab something that has a ton of calories. Choose something easy and flavorful, such as a piece of fruit, vegetables paired with hummus, apple slices dipped in peanut butter, or a small salad. If you must wait and join in at a family or community it far, bring a healthy option to the meal that you can start with. After your first few bites, it will be easier to resist overeating.

Drink 8 glasses of water between sundown and dawn. Drink your first 2 glasses at itfar, or starting with your small snack. Then drink 4 glasses between itfar and suhur. Finally, drink 2 more glasses of water with your suhur. While it might seem difficult to drink water overnight, it will help you stay hydrated and healthy during your daily fast. Try to spread out your 4 glasses in between itfar and suhur so that you aren’t drinking more than 1 glass in the same hour.

Avoid processed sugar. Desserts and sugary drinks can add up to a lot of calories, which can erase all of your hard work. Replace as many as you can with healthy sugars like fruit or natural sweeteners from honey and molasses. These changes can help keep you on track, avoid blood sugar fluctuations, and limit calorie intake. Ramadan is a great time to break your sugar habit. If you stop eating it, you'll stop craving it. While fruit is a healthy option, try to avoid fruit juices, which can pack a higher sugar punch.

Sharing Meals During Ramadan

Slow down your meals. At suhur, you may feel that you need to eat quickly so that you can make your dawn deadline with enough food to carry you throughout the day. However, doing so will lead to overeating and undermine your efforts, both spiritually and health-wise. Similarly, at itfar, eating too quickly will not give your body time to register when it is full. Bring a mindful approach to eating and slow down. Notice the flavors and textures of your food. Swallow each bite before putting more food into your mouth. Set your fork or spoon down between bites. Take time to smell your food. It's okay to eat a normal-sized meal, even though you will not eat again until sundown. Overeating at meals is one of the biggest diet pitfalls of Ramadan. If you want to lose weight, you will need to eat less than you burn. However, you should not eat fewer than 1200 calories per day. You can use an online calculator to determine your calorie needs, such as this one: http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html. EXPERT TIP Laila Ajani Laila Ajani Fitness Trainer Laila Ajani is a Fitness Trainer and founder of Push Personal Fitness, a personal training organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 10 years as a trainer and exercise specialist, Laila has expertise in competitive athletics (gymnastics, powerlifting, and tennis), personal training, distance running, and Olympic lifting. Laila is certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), USA Powerlifting (USAPL), and she is a Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES). Laila Ajani Laila Ajani Fitness Trainer Understanding how to achieve a calorie deficit is essential for losing weight through your diet. A calorie deficit occurs when you consume fewer calories than you burn. You can reach a calorie deficit by controlling your daily calorie intake. If you're only engaging in low-intensity activities, women could aim for something like 1,200-1,500 calories per day, while men could aim for 1,400-1,600 calories.

Avoid binging after sundown. Think of your meal as an opportunity to replenish your body and not a chance to overindulge. It may help to frame it as a spiritual decision -- binging at night may take away from the spirit of fasting all day. Eat just enough food to take away your hunger and help yourself feel strong again. Eat regular-sized meals instead of a feast. Choose lower-calorie dishes. Think of your meals as fuel and not rewards for fasting.

Share in the spirit of iftar without over-consuming the food. You can still join your family or mosque for an iftar dinner if one is offered. Since it’s a holy celebration, you may not want to mention your weight loss goals. Instead, make a point to focus your words and actions on the holiday itself -- not on food.

Eat smaller portions of dishes traditional in your family or community. Some Muslim families or communities have special dishes that have become a tradition to cook and eat during Ramadan iftars or suhoors. If your family expects you to share in this tradition, eat smaller amounts of high-calorie foods, boosting your meal by eating extra amounts of lower calorie foods. Make a point to eat your portions of the special dishes alongside your family or friends so that you can share in their meaning together. Don’t refuse someone’s generosity, since this is an important part of Ramadan. Thank them, then share your extra food with others.

Keeping Your Mind Off Food

Try relaxation strategies to minimize stress. Stress releases hormones like cortisol that can make you hungrier and can cause cravings for sugary, high-fat foods. Your fast and weight loss goals can cause stress, leading to an increase in cortisol. Try relaxation strategies such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or a hobby to help you lower your stress. Try coloring. Go for a stroll in nature. Journal your thoughts. Read a book. Talk things out with a friend. Listen to calming music. Snuggle with a pet or family member.

Avoid food related activities, places, and TV programs. If you spend time around food, you’ll think about it for the rest of the day. For example, avoid going out to lunch with friends while you're fasting. Similarly, tuning into a TV show about baking will spark cravings. Replace activities that revolve around food with other activities that will occupy your mind. Focus on your faith through prayer, reflection, reading your Quran, and attending religious services. Play a game with friends, such as a board game. Read a book. Ask to hold your work meetings in the boardroom or in someone’s office.

Volunteer to help others. A goal of Ramadan is to be charitable and think of others, so volunteer to help those in the community. You can help a nonprofit, support people through your mosque, or visit those in need. Make meals for others. Visit with the sick. Donate your skills to a charity. Bring items that you no longer use to those who are in need.

Spend more time in prayer. Ramadan is a holy holiday, so it makes sense to spend plenty of time in prayer. You can also use prayer as a way to keep your mind off food while deepening your faith. If you start to think about food, turn your thoughts to prayer. Consider keeping a prayer on you to read when your thoughts are muddled. This way you can still engage in prayer even if you’re feeling distracted.

Read your Quran instead of overindulging after sundown. You are encouraged to read your Quran during Ramadan, and doing so can help you remember why you are celebrating Ramadan. Instead of your thoughts being consumed with your desire to eat before fasting begins again at sunrise, you can reflect on the teachings and your beliefs.