How to lose weight when fasting is effective

If all this time you have been dreaming of going on a diet but have not yet reached it, the month of Ramadan could be the right moment. However, you need a way to lose weight which is certainly effective. This is because many people actually gain weight during fasting. So so that you can look your best when the holidays arrive, first consider how to lose weight during safe fasting with the following seven strategies.

A safe and effective way to lose weight during fasting

1. Expand to eat fiber and protein at dawn and open

When you eat sahur and iftar, make sure your food is rich in fiber and protein. Instead of foods high in calories, fiber will be absorbed and digested by the body for a longer time. You can feel full throughout the day without and prevent hunger during fasting.

Foods high in fiber and protein also help suppress your appetite so that when it's time for dinner after breaking your fast, you won't go crazy and eat too much.

2. Avoid sugary foods and drinks

Although it's best if you break your fast using something sweet to restore your energy, don't fall for it too much. Too much sweet food and drinks will actually be stored as fat by the body, which can mess up your diet.

The reason is when fasting, the body's insulin production decreases. Though insulin serves to convert sugar into a source of energy. If sugar is not converted into energy, the body will store it in the form of fat. This is why eating sweet dishes while fasting can make you fat.

So, it's better to choose foods with complex carbohydrates to increase energy. For example, from fruit, vegetables, and brown rice.

3. Keep exercising

Not that because you are fasting and don't eat much, you can be lazy. Exercising can actually be an effective way to lose weight during fasting.

Usually the body produces energy from burning glucose (sugar). However, when you are fasting and do not get glucose intake for hours, your body will look for another source of energy, namely your fat reserves. So, exercising while fasting can trigger the burning of excess fat in your body.

4. Drink lots of water

Make sure you keep drinking plenty of water during the fasting month, at least 8 glasses per day. You can use the 2-4-2 formula: Two glasses at dawn, two glasses when breaking the fast, two glasses after Tarawih, and 2 glasses before bed.

Research in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reveals that drinking water can increase the body's metabolism by up to 30 percent. The faster your body's metabolism works, the more fat and calories the body burns.

5. Avoid eating sahur and open it with fried foods

After stifling hunger all day, you may be tempted to eat fatty foods right away when breaking your fast. Be careful, eating fried foods that are loaded with bad fats (saturated fat) in the fasting month can still make you fat.

To meet nutritional needs during fasting, replace it with unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are better for health because they don't raise your cholesterol levels. You can get unsaturated fats from nuts, avocado, and fish.

6. Get enough sleep

Sleep can be a powerful way to lose weight during fasting. The reason is, lack of sleep during fasting will disrupt your metabolic system. As a result, the body does not burn fat reserves effectively.

In addition, lack of sleep also increases levels of the hormone ghrelin which causes appetite to increase. When it's time to break your fast, you can get crazy and eat too much.

7. Take care of the portion of the meal when breaking the fast

Even if you don't eat, snack, or drink all day, you still have to keep your portion of food at dawn and breaking the fast. Eating excessive portions can increase blood sugar suddenly. In fact, as mentioned earlier, the body does not produce much insulin when fasting. Sugar will only be converted into fat in the body.

In order not to overeat, try using a smaller plate. You can also have a meal or break your fast with foods that can make you full quickly, such as soup.

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