Sticking to a specific diet plan is one of the reasons losing weight is difficult. People are always on the lookout for the latest, easiest dieting techniques and some resort to extreme measures such as starving themselves or sticking to one kind of food, which is not a sustainable lifestyle. Little do they know that the best tip is to simply eat smaller meals more frequently. The Luqaimat diet (which means small bites in Arabic), created by Dr Mohamed El-Hashemy is more of a lifestyle plan, and has been successful in changing the lives of his patients. Besides regular exercise, the main idea of Luqaimat is to eat several micro-meals of your favorite foods throughout the day. "Luqaimat is a smart way of training the eyes to see small quantities of food, the brain to interpret small quantities, and the stomach to adapt to them, he said. In other diets, people usually have to follow a rigid plan to lose weight and work even harder to keep the weight off. Many people regain more weight once they are off the diet. With El-Hashemy's plan, he says, you will keep the weight off without starving yourself or cutting out certain foods. "The diets I recommend are for life, he said, adding that not eating enough eventually leads to weight gain. Ramadan is a good time to start training yourself to view food differently. Prophet Mohamed said we should eat and drink no more than two thirds of our stomach size, said El-Hashemy. When fasters sit at the iftar table, they have two choices. The first is to eat large amounts of delicious foods until the stomach is overstuffed, which, he said, may lead to dyspnea because the diaphragm is raised by the inflated stomach. It can also lead to abdominal distention (because the colon is filled with gases), and by the end of the month, careless fasters can gain around 10 pounds. The other choice is to eat a few luqaimats, or several micro-meals, as Prophet Mohamed advised. This can lead to a 10-pound weight loss by the end of Ramadan. Clearly, the second choice is the healthier of the two, and it also has spiritual value. El-Hashemy recommends Muslims break their fast with the following meal:. 2/3 cup of fruit juice (to supply sugar for brain activity). 2/3 cup of soup (to satiate the hunger). 2/3 cup of green salad with olive oil (rich in vitamins and minerals that stimulate the health-boosting lutein). 2/3 cup of starchy food (pasta, mashed potatoes, rice or bread) and cooked vegetables. A small piece of grilled meat, chicken, or fish. A small piece of sweets or a small cup of ice-cream After praying taraweeh, drink one glass of water and have a piece of fruit every one to two hours. For sohour, have a glass of water then a cup of coffee or tea, a cup of yoghurt plus one piece of toast and three spoonfuls of beans; or a piece of cheese plus a small piece of sweets. Although this diet seems extensive, its total volume is around two thirds of the normal full stomach, said El-Hashemy. Throughout his clinical experience over the last four years, El-Hashemy said a large number of his patients suffering from obesity lost an average of 10 pounds during Ramadan by following his diet plan. Hoda, one of his patients who lost 10 kg in one month, said It is funny how this diet works, even though you are not eating much, the fact that you are eating frequently tricks your mind into thinking you are full. Osama works at a hotel and is always exposed to tantalizing food. He tried this diet and said, "The number one reason why I like this diet and find it practical is because you get to eat all kinds of food, including mangos in the summer and basboosa in Ramadan, and still lose weight. For more information, visit www.prof.elhashemy.com.
