Weight Actually Increases When Fasting, This Is The Cause According To Nutritionists

Illustration of weight gain when fasting (Pexels/Shvets production)

YOGYAKARTA – Fasting or holding back thirst and hunger from dawn to sunset, or maghrib, does not only result in weight loss. Many people experience, during the month of Ramadan weight actually increases. So what causes it, even though the time to eat and drink is limited?

According to Nazima Qureshi reported by CBC Radio Canada, Tuesday, April 19, regardless of age, many people experience weight gain during Ramadan. It turns out that short hours of eating can affect and result in weight gain. Why? Because eating food is not controlled or selected. Delicious carbohydrate foods are not enough to eat one serving or one type. Sometimes eating a lot is also an excuse for being hungry all day.

Apart from being difficult to calculate precisely how many calories from takjil foods you eat. Ramadan is a very social month, says dietitian and nutritionist Nazima Qureshi. Meetings or iftar events with family are usually prepared with many dishes. Starting from dates, snacks, takjil, sweet drinks, heavy meals, fruit, to desserts. Regardless of which culture you are in, there is always some kind of food served. The majority are processed by frying and many are heavy carbs.

If one spring roll contains 200-300 calories, not to mention a fresh sweet drink. Qureshi said, during Ramadan, people often turn to sugary drinks to stay hydrated instead of mineral water. So that means drinking calories from sugar instead of meeting the body's fluid needs.

Snacking at night also affects weight gain. Dietitians recommend snacking on foods high in protein from plants, such as nuts, seeds.

The third reason that causes weight gain when fasting is limited activity. According to Qureshi, you are what you eat. So, what is eaten is the same as what is burned for energy. If the activity is limited, it means that the calories are burned into less energy. Therefore it is stacked into energy storage fat so that you gain weight.

Well, that's what causes weight gain when fasting. In order not to increase up, you can limit portions or select healthy foods.