The modern world has brought with it much convenience and ease. From taps with running water, to motorized vehicles and fully-stocked grocery shelves throughout the year – the list of lifestyle improvements is endless. However, one of the side effects of the ease with which everything is available is that people are eating more sugar-rich, processed foods than before and they have become more sedentary and less active than before.
The inevitable result of this is that obesity and its related illnesses (diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension, etc.) are more common than ever before and are affecting people of all age groups.
Whether for health reasons, due to aesthetic concerns or a combination of both, people are desperate to lose weight. At this point, it must be stated that Allah Ta‘ala has created each person with different temperaments. Hence, just as one person may sleep just 4-5 hours a night, yet thrives and suffers no ill-effects, while another person can barely function with less than 7 hours of sleep, in the same way, different people require different amounts of bodily fat to remain healthy. If a person with a moist temperament loses all their fat, until they are completely thin, they will feel unwell and will become sick. This is often seen in the monthly cycle becoming disrupted, etc.
In essence, the media has portrayed the stick-figure as being the ideal standard of beauty to aspire towards, but this is devastating to people’s health, impractical and foolish. Nevertheless, since there are many people who are genuinely obese or overweight, there is a need for dieting.
The reality though is that in many – if not most – cases, if the person manages to lose some weight, they find it difficult to maintain in the long run. As a result, they soon thereafter relapse and regain the lost weight, and even pick up a few bonus kilos as well. Hence, we have seen people who lost as much as 20kg, but thereafter regained the weight within a few months and returned to square one.
Why are most diets unsustainable?
The reason that most diets are unsustainable is that the person dieting is under too much of strain due to being deprived of the foods which he/she are accustomed to and enjoy. Deprive a man of his roti, tea and homemade biscuits, and other foods which he grew up eating, and there is only so long that he will last before he caves in and buckles under the pressure. The occasional cheat day is simply not enough – especially in a society wherein inviting people for meals is commonplace, due to which the dieting person is often placed in a compromised situation, surrounded by delicacies and desserts, yet bound by his restrictive diet.
The solution to this problem is to stop dieting and rather adopt a lifestyle change. When dieting, a person has it in his mind that the diet is temporary – for just a few months, until the goal weight is reached, and thereafter, he can go back to normal. How can he then maintain his weight-loss?
Therefore, a permanent lifestyle change is the solution. In this, the first aspect is for a person to not entirely forego the foods which he enjoys. Rather, he should reduce the amount that he eats slightly. If he feels like eating chocolate, then he should indulge, but instead of eating half a slab – as is his habit – he should eat a few pieces of the slab. If he enjoys tea with biscuits, then instead of eating his normal five biscuits, he should eat two biscuits, and so on.
Similarly, one should not change his entire diet (unless certain foods are necessary to refrain from, as advised by a doctor or hakeem [herbal doctor/dietician] due to health concerns). In many cases, especially when all fats and carbs are eliminated entirely, it results in severe health complications due to the increase of acid, etc. In fact, we are aware of one case where a person was rushed to hospital and had to have his gall bladder removed after following such a diet.
Therefore, instead of changing the entire diet, the same foods may be eaten, but the amount should be slightly reduced. Instead of eating one entire roti per meal, it can be reduced to three-quarter or half a roti, and so on.
The benefits of this approach are firstly that due to the change being slight, and not drastic, it is not an unbearable strain to bear. A person does not feel deprived, nor does he feel hungry and starving. Furthermore, a person who is starving, hungry and craving his favourite foods is a miserable and irritable person who may accidentally vent his irritation and misery on those around him. Thus, this approach is safer for one’s marriage, family life and Deeni condition as well.
After one or two weeks pass in this manner, a person will become accustomed to the new portions that he is eating and will find that while his stomach may have initially felt unfilled with the reduced portion, it will now feel satisfied. Thereafter, if need be, one can continue to gradually reduce the portions of unhealthy foods until the correct portion is reached. For instance, if one is accustomed to drinking tea with three teaspoons of sugar, then one should initially reduce it to two-and-a-half teaspoons, and then continue to reduce it until one reaches an acceptable amount, such as one teaspoon.
The downside to this approach is that it takes a little longer to lose weight. However, since the adjustment is gradual and manageable, it is undoubtedly easier to maintain and sustain in the long term, leading to overall improved health and permanent weight loss.
Low GI
To beat the hunger and cravings that will inevitably accompany any lifestyle change to diet, it is beneficial to eat unprocessed foods that have a low GI (glycemic index). These foods release sugar gradually into the bloodstream, thus avoiding the spike in blood-glucose levels and insulin release which lead to sugar-cravings. Instead, they stabilize blood sugar levels and cause a person to feel full for longer. Many lists of unprocessed low-GI foods can be viewed on various websites. When snacking as well, one should opt for unprocessed low GI snacks, especially fruit etc.
Weight-Loss ‘Miracle’ Substances
Over the years, many weight-loss so-called ‘miracle’ substances have entered and left the market, with all of them sharing one common feature – they made the sellers a lot of money. Sadly, while many of them may have worked for weight-loss, the weight loss was not permanent, and also, they contained side-effects which led to overall deterioration of health, or worse – the onset of acute health complications.
Many people feel that herbal substances do not have any side-effects, but this is a dangerous misconception. Herbs definitely have side effects, and no herb, herbal medication or supplement should be taken without a prescription from a qualified hakeem.
To understand the side effects of herbs, consider the example of a certain person who was taking nutmeg powder daily in order to lower his cholesterol. After a few months, the cholesterol was indeed lower than before, but unfortunately, the nutmeg had raised the blood pressure, causing the person to suffer a mild stroke.
In essence, for normal people, there is no short-cut when it comes to losing weight. There are certain people who are exceptions to the rule, and for whom normal dieting does not work (due to health complications), and such people should consult with a Hakeem (herbal doctor/dietician) to treat and address the underlying issues.
Finally, in order to manage one’s weight and enjoy good health, controlling one’s eating (i.e. eating in moderation) should be complemented with exercise.