Is fasting good for weight loss????

[bewildred]

Seyamoun makboul wa dhanboun maghfour to y'all,

I noticed that doctors are pretty unanimous about the disastrous effects of fasting as any attempt on losing weight.

It's said that the body stores more fat after fasting. I know that fasting has a rather more spiritual value, but, I thought that it was one of the best dietetics rule.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance.

Bewildred S.

[Md Mashud]

To be honest, it does seem fasting results in weight gain. But I think thats due to our modern nature to stuff ourselves and just be lazy throughout the course of Ramadan :P

[ISLAMASWEENEY]

Yes It Is Better Than Dieting I Would Say.

[princessz]

I actually noticed some weight loss so far, this ramadhan. My appetite is totally different though, I don't eat the way I normally would, outside of the fasting. So I guess the fasting is a good diet.

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[SirZubair]

Check out this thread for some very good tips :

http://www.islamicboard.com/health-s...-solution.html

And also check out the Link i have posted ( PDF ) on another forum :

http://forums.muslimvillage.net/inde...0&#entry607161

[guyabano]

No, Ramadan is pure medically seen, a disaster for the body.

It's like an engine, if you let it run the whole day without oil, but then once a day you give him loads of it, it will wreck despite the engine is full of oil.

Human body is the same, it need a constant supply of energy, proportionned over the whole day. It's totally wrong to fast the whole day, then at evening 'stuff your belly with as much food as you can' , like said here

.... we literally loosen our belts and stuff as much food down our throats as we can fit into our bellies.

This will just widen your stomach, and makes you gain weight.

But hey, I don't talk about the religious effect of Ramadan. I just talk about the medical impact on the human body.

[SirZubair]

guyabano, check out the links i've provided. :)

[SirZubair]

I won't deny that there are a lot of medical disasters during ramadan.

The amount of people that pig out at 4am, then pig out on fried food at iftar, then icecream,.. and the rest of it all, on a daily basis.

But,... the question is,... why blame it on ramadan if people are unable to control their naff's/desires?

There are a lot of people out there who do it properly, eat good wholesome food, don't pig out etc, and they turn out fine.

[Pk_#2]

Inay mate, :-\

Greedy people :Evil: what's the point in fasting if you're gonna empty out your fridge and eat everything at iftaaaar :laugh: Asataghfirullah!

[Malaikah]

No, Ramadan is pure medically seen, a disaster for the body.

It's like an engine, if you let it run the whole day without oil, but then once a day you give him loads of it, it will wreck despite the engine is full of oil.

Human body is the same, it need a constant supply of energy, proportionned over the whole day. It's totally wrong to fast the whole day, then at evening 'stuff your belly with as much food as you can' , like said here

We all fast while you sleep, whether we like it or not. Unless you wake up every 2 hours for a snack? :rollseyes

[guyabano]

I won't deny that there are a lot of medical disasters during ramadan.

The amount of people that pig out at 4am, then pig out on fried food at iftar, then icecream,.. and the rest of it all, on a daily basis.

But,... the question is,... why blame it on ramadan if people are unable to control their naff's/desires?

There are a lot of people out there who do it properly, eat good wholesome food, don't pig out etc, and they turn out fine.

At least one with an normal answer. Every nutritionist will tell it to you. Sleeping doesn't count as you burn much less calories so this 'stand up every 2 hours' is purely absurd

Again, I say 'medically', I will not say anything against Ramadan itself. And the topic was also 'gain weight'. Yes, the posibilities that you might gain weight are high as the rythm of your body is disturbed.
The body will not burn calories the whole day and instead run in 'Eco-Mode' as he knows he will not get any food. Then during night, it is 'eat you can', specially then, when the body prepare to go to sleep. So all what you eat will go on your ribs.

So eat with moderation

[MustafaMc]

It's said that the body stores more fat after fasting. I know that fasting has a rather more spiritual value, but, I thought that it was one of the best dietetics rule.

What do you think?

In my opinion, most people in the developed countries eat too much. I live in the poorest state of USA, but it is also the most obese. I think that Ramadan has value in reducing our desires for worldly pleasures such as eating. If we reduce the number of calories that we consume in a day, then logically we should lose weight. I personally don't see how missing one meal a day can be detrimental to our bodies.

Although I have not lost weight yet, I can see a tendacy to be satisfied with less food at night during Ramadan. I actually eat less at dinner than normal - I think because my stomach may have shrunk a little. However, I don't significantly alter my normal food intake during Ramadan as I work outside in the cotton field and need the energy to get me through the day. I eat a full serving of oatmeal with walnuts and dried cranberries instead of the usual 2/3 of a serving when I have to work outside during Ramadan. Normally, I end up losing 5-10 pounds during Ramadan, but gain it back afterwards.

I see a benefit in better controlling our urges to over eat and to intentionally consume less of foods that have minimal nutritional value like ice cream, candy bars, soda pop, etc. My opinion is that we should not become obsessed with losing weight during Ramadan as that may become our focus instead of a closer walk with Allah through praying more, reading the Quran and closer adherence to the Sunnah.

[princessz]

No, Ramadan is pure medically seen, a disaster for the body.

It's like an engine, if you let it run the whole day without oil, but then once a day you give him loads of it, it will wreck despite the engine is full of oil.

Human body is the same, it need a constant supply of energy, proportionned over the whole day. It's totally wrong to fast the whole day, then at evening 'stuff your belly with as much food as you can' , like said


This will just widen your stomach, and makes you gain weight.

But hey, I don't talk about the religious effect of Ramadan. I just talk about the medical impact on the human body.

Wow!! Mind you, not all people stuff on the morning and evening. Some people don't even have appetite to eat that much. And in any case, do you even know what some people have to go through? Some people in this world don't even have food to eat at all. Have you any idea what it feels like to go through a day without food? It makes you a better person, by the way. Giving up something, the way christians fast, is purposeless, because you can easily weave your way back into it.
Fasting like hindus, from fresh, is not genuine, because they still eat snacks and outside food, so how are they so sure it doesn't have fresh? Even though, they stop fasting for one day and fast the day after. What sense does that make.
I have non muslims co-workers, so I'm around all this.
Don't come here and try to diss Islam and our fasting. Our sacrifice is well worth it. Allah swt, makes it easy for us.

[Muezzin]

Fasting is only medically bad for you if you either:

1) Have medical problems to begin with or are pregnant or very elderly etc

or

2) Absolutley stuff your gob in the mornings and evenings.

What you should do is eat slow-burning foods such as cereals, fruits such as bananas, to slowly release energy throughout the day. If you just eat deep-fried stuff at sehri and iftari... I hope you have a good cardiovascular system.

And yep, you can lose weight, provided you eat properly. Otherwise you'll gain it because you'll mess up your metabolism.

[IbnAbdulHakim]

mum keeps saying theres huge reward in losing weight during ramadan, :ooh:

[bewildred]

Well, all I know is that fasting can be very difficult for those suffering from gastric ulcers and I know how it feels.

I personally lost eight pounds during the first week of Ramadhan and my doctor said it's no good. I want to go back to my work-out routines but it seems pretty utopical. Is it wise to have physical exercises during Ramadhan??? I'm really not looking for losing weight.

Bewildred S.

[Maidah]

^ just it proper food and do light work outs (if you want), nothing wrong with that.

in Ramadan there are far more importants things to be worried about than weight and eating patterns. This oppertunity comes once a year and still most of us are not ready to compromise with our routine habits, which we have 11 months for anyways.

[Protected_Diamond]

I don't think you lose weight when you fasting coz you make up for what you lost when you open it :-[

[piXie]

The body will not burn calories the whole day and instead run in 'Eco-Mode' as he knows he will not get any food. Then during night, it is 'eat you can', specially then, when the body prepare to go to sleep. So all what you eat will go on your ribs.

But we read Taraweeh n that helps our food go down :smile:

So eat with moderation

eXactly...

the whole point of fasting is so that we develop Taqwa, and this cannot be achieved unless we control our nafs - which is impossible if we don't eat moderately.

because over-eating is the root to many diseases. n by diseases i dont just mean literal 'diseases', but also diseases such as laziness, greed, selfishness, lack of self control etc.

n this is why our Prophet (saw) told us that the worse vessel to fill is our stomach.

(very briefly)

[jb17]

Actually, it depends on the person. For some people it can result in weight gain because they can't control their eating and end up eating late at night and don't make up for it but for some people, walking around is a daily thing so they actually lose weight.

I don't know how I was last Ramadan but I walk a LOT, more then 30 mins a day for sure, so I know that I'm not gaining weight, I actually feel thinner then usual.. and my appetite isn't very big, after eating something I'm full in a second. So it really depends on the person..