Fasting: Will that help me lose weight?

by Nadine, from Nadoona


Rumbles,gurgles, and growls. All too familiar noises associated with a fasting stomach.For one month out of the year, most practicing Muslims gladly orchestrate thesymphony of stomach noises (and not to mention some funky breath) for the ultimatereward from Allah swt. With Ramadan around the corner, many of us are gettingourselves ready for the yearly ‘restart’ button to life. But can this form ofworship translate into weight loss benefits for those looking to shed a fewpounds?

First,let’s look at how the body reacts when you’re fasting. So what happens is thatsince your body isn’t receiving substance to convert to energy (ie. food), thebody dips into stored energy to get what it needs to keep going. So it’sinevitable, that you will lose weight. In fact, modern research has shown that fasting on alternate days can help peoplelose weight...but not for long. In one study, people who followed analternate-day fasting diet shed weight, even when they ate all they wanted onthe non-fasting days. However, they could not maintain the weight loss overtime. You see, our bodies are geneticallyprogrammed to combat the effects of fasting. When youeat less food, your metabolism slows down to conserve energy. So then, when yougo back to your usual diet, your lowered metabolism may cause you to store moreenergy, meaning that you will probably gain back the weight you lost andpossibly even put on more weight when eating the same calories you did beforethe fast. 

So hold up, the Prophetpeace be upon him steered us to a path of pudgy waistlines and muffin tops? WRONG!Our consumer, wasteful societyis what steered us all wrong. There’s an interesting point that I think most ofus have overlooked. So we have all heard the hadith in reference to portioningour stomachs with 1/3 with food, 1/3 with air, and 1/3 with water. But can younarrate to me the first part of this hadith? The hadith actually begins: 

“Theson of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficientfor the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls, to keep him going...”

Of course the Prophetpeace be upon him knew his ummah and could not just stop there. He thencontinued:

 “..If he must do that (fill his stomach), thenlet him fill one third with food, one third with drink and one third with air.”Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.

I have yet to meetsomeone who actually willingly abidesby the first portion of this hadith. And unfortunately, rarely meet people who evenabide to the second tier. Most of us are somewhere near the characteristicdescribed in this hadith:

Ibn‘Umar narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “The believer eats in one stomachwhilst the non-Muslim eats in seven.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.

And with our portionsizes drastically increasing over the years, and the idea of buffets andfilling your stomach to the point where you can’t breathe, we need to becautious of this characteristic that the Prophet peace be upon him warned usabout.

Sowhat does this all mean?? Now in the case of the aforementioned studies done onthe people who fasted alternate days, they couldn’t maintain the weight becausethey eventually ceased to continue fasting on alternate days. Now, ready for asubhanAllah moment? The Prophet peace be upon him taught usthat the best fast was that of Prophet Dawud (or David), and that it was everyother day or alternate days. If you did that, you surely would keep those extrapounds off for life. But is that why our beloved Prophet Dawud fasted the wayhe did? Putting weight loss aside, studies of fasting in bothrodents and humans appear to indicate a connection between calorie restrictionand longevity. In one study of overweight men and women, a calorie-restricteddiet improved markers of aging, such as insulin level and body temperature. Fastingmight also improve longevity by delaying the onset of age-related diseasesincluding Alzheimer's, heart disease, and diabetes. Wow, so fasting canactually give you all these other benefits? Is that why the prophets fasted?

Look, the fact of thematter is, if Allah commanded or recommended us to do it, you bet it’s darngood for you, whether you think so or not. The people in the time of theProphets knew nothing about insulin levels or what or who Alzheimer even was(maybe because he wasn’t born yet). But bottom line, the reason that they fastedwas to worship the one who created them. Not only did the Prophet peace be uponhim fast, he ate foods that were good for him and never filled his stomach, allfor who? Allah. Because thinkabout it, when we are fasting in Ramadan, no matter how juicy that burgerlooks, or how golden those fries look, or how decadent that chocolate looks,you would never think to defy the commands of Allah swt and eat them. Even ifyou are not exactly the most obedient of Muslims year round, it’s just that specialair that exists in Ramadan where you can control these desires. So if we can doit in Ramadan, why can’t we do it year round? 

Soas for the verdict, what does Nadoona, your resource for health and fitness,think about fasting to lose weight? If you’re looking for a quick fix, prepareyourself to be disappointed by any and every weight loss mechanism out there.If you’re looking to transform your lifestyle all together, then yes, youshould definitely integrate fasting. The Prophet pbuh told Abu Hurayrah tonever give up fasting 3 days out of each month.

           It was narrated that AbuHurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “My close friend [the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] advised me to do three thingswhich I will not give up until I die: fasting three days of each month, prayingDuha, and sleeping after Witr. Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Mu

Posted in: Islam,Lifestyle,Ramadan