Did you gain weight in Ramadan?
With the approach of Eid Al-Fitr, we offer you tips to get rid of belly fat and burn the belly, through exercises and nutrition, taking care to drink enough water, and consult your doctor first if you suffer from any disease.
In the report published by the American "Health Digest" website, author Maria Faller said that exercise is a very important factor in building muscle and burning fat.
According to exercise physiologist Tom Holland, abdominal exercises should be the last on your list, since "spending more time practicing them will make you waste your time, rather than burning calories and building lean muscle."
Aerobic exercise (cardio) is necessary to burn calories, which helps reduce fat, and studies show that aerobic exercise may help curb appetite.
Aerobic exercises are activities during which the body uses oxygen to produce the energy needed for its performance, and they include walking, brisk walking, jogging, running, swimming, cleaning the house and playing with young children.
Walking is the most popular aerobic exercise, as it is easy and does not require special equipment except for suitable sports shoes and will, and it is also suitable for most people, and it can be practiced on the seashore or over the slopes of the mountains or even in the corridor of the house.
As for strength exercises, they are activities that include resistance to another force, such as resisting your weight when doing a pushup, or weighing weights, or weighing vegetables when you carry a shopping bag.
Usually, in these exercises, the body activates the process of anaerobic respiration to produce the necessary energy for the muscles.
Strength training has important benefits for the body, as it works to maintain muscle mass in your body and resists its decline as you age.
A running or cycling routine 3 times a week, along with strength training, helps reduce body fat.
Holland considers the combination of cardio and weight training as a "multi-pronged approach" to reducing excess body fat and accentuating the abdominal muscles.
nutrition
You can lose up to a pound a week (450 grams) by cutting 500 calories a day.
And since weight loss can also cause muscle atrophy, it is important to increase your lean protein intake to about 1 gram per pound of body weight, to maintain abdominal muscles.
Choosing healthy foods like those in the Mediterranean diet, which include vegetables, fruits, lean protein and healthy fats, can help promote fat loss.
"If you follow a balanced diet in terms of calories, and a gradual training program that increases its intensity every week, you will increase the likelihood of the emergence of abdominal muscles in a short time," said trainer Lay Clayten.
Clayton added that "it is very difficult to determine the amount of time required to get rid of body fat and show abdominal muscles, as there are many factors that can affect this."
Besides nutrition and fitness, Clayton says other factors include sleep quality, stress levels and your current health status.
The author pointed out that the time required to sculpt the waist and highlight the abdominal muscles varies from person to person, and with healthy nutrition and a regular training program, this goal will be possible.
Getting rid of belly fat without sports
Biba magazine says in a report that it is possible to get rid of fat around the abdominal area by taking care of your diet and exercising contraction of the abdominal muscles.
And the magazine states that for women who are short of time or simply do not want to exercise, there is a way to get rid of the extra weight at the level of the abdomen without moving from your seat.
This exercise requires no equipment and is practiced in a sitting or standing position.
It is about stimulating the transverse abdominal muscle through contraction of the abdominal muscles.
The first step is to stretch your stomach as much as possible by breathing deeply, then exhaling as much as you can, and trying to pull your stomach further.
This extraction period should not exceed 5 seconds and may extend to 15 seconds, depending on your endurance.
For the exercise to be effective, you need to do at least 4 consecutive sets of these exercises.
Healthy eating habits that help to lose weight during Ramadan
The Health Education Programs Department in the Qatar Ministry of Public Health advises the following:
Limiting the use of oils in preparing food, such as: not adding ghee to foods such as purees, and replacing cream soups with cereal or vegetable soups.
Using grilling or boiling in preparing meals instead of frying, for example grilling samosas instead of frying them.
Eat lean or grilled meat and poultry without the skin, and have more grilled fish.
Replacing sweets with fresh fruits without exaggerating them, it is sufficient to eat two servings of fruits a day, as 3 dates are considered at the rate of one food portion, i.e. approximately 60-70 calories.
Using low or skimmed milk products in the preparation of Ramadan foods and sweets, such as: pudding, custard or other sweets, and eating yogurt or skimmed milk.
Eat unroasted and unsalted nuts in moderation.
Replace fresh juices with sweetened juices and concentrated syrups, with only one cup per day.
Drink plenty of fluids, especially water, between breakfast and the pre-dawn meal.
Eat fresh vegetables and serve salads without adding fatty dressings and mayonnaise, and you can add a little olive oil and vinegar and not add salt.
Reducing the amount of starches by mixing steamed rice with vegetables or legumes, to give a good flavor and increase the amount of dietary fiber in the dish, which leads to a feeling of satiety.
One cup of cooked rice or pasta is sufficient for a serving.
Doing exercises such as brisk walking for 30 minutes a day, or swimming or exercising in air-conditioned sports centers.