The best time to shape up is now

Zainab al Nassri -

Have you ever tried many types of diets but never worked for you? Take the chance now. Ramadhan is an ideal time to lose weight and give you the perfect body you dream of.

Ramadhan is considered as the best time to get in shape because you only eat two meals: iftar —to break fasting by sunset — and Sohoor — to give your body strength for the next day of fasting.

Health experts say that one must have the meals on time and with right proportion and quantity to get the result you wish for.

For Iftar meals, experts suggest one of the following combinations:

— half cooked chicken, soup and grilled vegetables

— 3 teaspoons of rice, 6 spoons of vegetables, medium size piece of meat, soup and salad

— one chicken cutlet, 3 teaspoons of rice, soup, salad

— 6 spoons of pasta, medium size piece of meat, soup and salad

— or a chicken cutlet, grilled vegetables, 3 spoons of rice, soup and salad

For sohoor meal, health experts suggest one of the following food combination:

— a loaf of bread, 5 spoons of peas, 50 gram of Cheese, a cup of fat-free milk

— bread, an egg, 50 grams of Cheese and fat-free yogurt

— bread, half can of oil free tuna, salad

— or bread, 5 spoons of peas, fat-free yogurt

Experts pointed out that it is important to maintain this food combination continuously during Ramadhan as these combinations are full and healthy programmes with the combination containing all essential elements for the body to make it through it.

With food table full of different kind of sweets and desserts, those on diet are urge to limit one’s sugar intake at a small, reasonable amount — just enough to make up for the body.

One can also eat two pieces of kunafa (pastry) after iftar or for sohoor daily, or go for fruits as a substitute.

Specialists agree that diet in general is not about avoiding a certain type of food as much as it is about controlling food habits.

Dr Majid Zaiton, a Dietician, said that body loses more in Ramadhan compared to other days of the year. However, he also warned that overeating desserts and traditional sweets that are full of oil and sugar causes overweight and fat accumulations instead of losing them.

“Even cooking methods must be changed. Grilled food is better than the fried ones with respect to number of calories. Also, desserts must be replaced with fruits,” he said.

When following a certain diet programmes, alternatives that have lowest calories should be considered.

Everyone should also remember though that sohoor meals should be full of protein to help the body function for the whole day.