Q: I am a young muslimah. I have been always told to lost weight. The doctor has put me on drugs that would help me lose weight. I want Islamic advice on how a person could lose weight. Does this even exist? (email)

A: Our teachers used to tell us that the ingredients of student success demand eating less and talking less. You would notice too much eating contributes to laziness. Causes one to just lounge around with a filled up belly. Makes a person sluggish in their affairs.

Likewise, talking too much creates unwanted arguments, debates, gossiping, lying, and fudging the truth and contributes to other useless outcomes. If you can monitor these things that we are already all aware of, becoming a superior candidate in all our matters becomes much easier.

To be fair, weight issues are not always linked to merely eating a lot of food. It could be very well due to other chemical imbalances. People that are not ‘fat’ should not always think that ‘fat’ people are ‘fat’ because of them merely shoving food into the bellies all day. Sometimes it is quite the contrary. We should be nice to all.

Advice:

• Eat five small healthy meals rather then 3 big meals.
• Be sensitive to your bodies digestive system. All food do not digest at the same rate. Be sensitive to this fact. If a food takes longer to digest, then try and eat less for your next meal. Or eat that which is most essential. Being aware of your body is imperative.
• Get into a habit of fasting two times a week as part of sunnah (and health benefits.) It is also sunnah to fast on Mondays and Thursdays. The more of the sunnah you incorporate into your life, the more healthier you would become.
• Let go of junk food. Chips, can foods, cakes and cookies, excessive meat intake must be all reduced. Limit yourself to one (small) candy bar per week once goals are met. You have a stomach not a garbage can; convince yourself to put the best into it.
• Eat foods cooked at home. Eat healthy foods. Eat what you make. People sometimes eat less of what they cook, for they are tired of seeing it by the time it is fully cooked, they also appreciate what they make. Appreciation makes a person relish what they eat, not just eat till they cannot move. You also know what is in the food. Thus, you would also cut down with unhealthy ingredients.
• When invited out, do not eat for the entire week. Do not only eat meat at the home of your guest, as if no meat exists in your home! Be balanced in your habits!
  

Hadith advices us to fill our bellies with one-third water, one-third food and one-third should be left for air.

• Have a purpose linked to your eating, do not eat to just eat. Have a plan to use up the new energy derived.
• Allah created us in the best of shape, (ayah) our duty is to maintain it to the best of our ability.
• Excise daily. Meditate. Make zikr as you exercise, etc. A great body is good, a great mind with the remembrance of the Creator is better.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.

P.s. My advice does not exist to replace your medical doctor’s advice or the advice of other health care professionals. Kindly have our advice evaluated by your doctor(s) for superior results.