We are half way through Ramadan and if you are not satisfied by your eating habit and want to make the most out of fasting by losing weight in this holy month, here is the Ramadan diet plan for you which I have used first hand. It worked for me and it will definitely work for you too.
The idea is to lose fat without having to work out while fasting. This is done by staying in ketogenic state, that is, stay in low carbohydrates so your body will have no choice but to use fats to provide energy to get you through the day. For you see even when you are not working out, your body utilizes energy just to keep you alive, this is called basal metabolism.
Protein is kept high as protein has a negative thermogenic effect, that is, your body will burn calories just for digesting it. Along with this, a high protein diet will save your muscle mass.
So without much delay, let us get to the meal plan:
Sehri:
In sehri, you will need to eat enough to not feel hungry throughout the day (like that’s gonna happen) as well as stay hydrated. But since you will not be consuming any food throughout the day, the plan is to stay low in carbohydrates and high in protein and fats. Yes, you will have to eat fats to burn fats. This way, your body will have no choice but to use fats (and proteins to some extent) for energy. Proteins can include protein shakes (whey isolates or casein) prepared in low fat milk and water, chicken (skinless), lean meat, egg whites, fish, tofu etc. Fats should include “good fats” which includes olive oil, coconut oil, almonds, nuts and peanut butter. You will be having a few carbohydrates which can include oats, fruits, and whole wheat grain.
Example meal: 100g Chicken breast prepared in 1tbsp of olive oil along with half whole wheat roti + a scoop of casein in low fat milk with a hand full of nuts.
Iftar
Iftar will be another low-carb, high protein meal. Most of your calories should come from proteins, aforementioned. Keep the fats less than that in sehri. Apart from this, you will be filling up your tummy mostly with green vegetables such as spinach, salad leaves, beetroot, capsicum, beans, cucumber, tomato, lettuce etc. You are allowed to have some fruits or moderate carb food such as dahibaray. But remember, samosas, pakoras and all deep fried dishes are a no go.
Example meal: 100g steamed chicken shredded and included in a bowl of salad
Dinner
For dinner, you can have almost anything you want as long as you don’t overeat and whatever you eat is fat-free. Again your focus should be on proteins. Dish made out of chicken, fish, lean meat etc is great. But you can always go for lentils and legumes, black bean, kidney bean etc. These foods are high in protein as well as dietary fibers which will give feeling of satiety at a cost of low calories. If you like to have a roti, chose whole wheat. If you plan to have rice, go for brown rice.
Example meal: A large bowl of lentil soup with 1/3 cup brown rice
To lose weight overall, you need to be in calorie deficit. Use fitness apps to track the amount of calorie you consume. Upon entering your data, it will give a rough estimate of your daily required calories. As low as 500 calorie deficit without any exercise can help you lose one pound of weight without any cardio. It is not much to go about, but in the long term, along with the properly planned diet, you will definitely cut down the fats and reach your goal.
