Weight-Watchers are here to prevent you from ballooning up!
Hari Raya Aidilfitri is coming!
Streets, malls and markets are busy with people buying groceries, new clothes and everything related to Raya especially at places offering crazy bargains and big sales. After approximately thirty days of fasting, however, there may be a tendency to go a little bit crazy over the food. Many of us will definitely gain back all the puasa weight lost and then some.
If you lost a lot of weight during puasa? Great! You have a little room to pig out on the delectable Raya dishes. Be warned though, extra weight comes back pretty quickly. But at least you don’t have it so bad. Some of us have inexplicably actually gained weight over the fasting month (and wonder why we are not losing weight).
With Hari Raya just around the corner and so much good food to look forward to, how do you keep check on your waistline? Here is a list of food weight-watchers can happily enjoy during Raya without worry.
1. Apple Cider VInegar
Fruits provide the necessary vitamins that you need to protect your body from harmful diseases. For example, apples have been scientifically proven to help lower the levels of bad cholesterol in the body. Researchers have found that older women who ate apples have lower bad cholesterol levels compared to those who do not eat apples. So, if you happen to have apple cider vinegar in you pantry, try taking a spoonful in the morning throughout the Raya month. This could help you maintain or maybe even lose some body weight.
2. Honey + Lemon
Now, here are two food items on my weight-watchers list that you won’t mind consuming! Besides being deliciously tasty, honey and lemon have a lot of health benefits. The honey’s natural sweetness goes well with the sour and slightly bitter taste of the acidic lemon. A concoction combining both of these ingredients is not only low in calories but can even boost your metabolism. So, how do you drink it?
- Add a teaspoonful of unprocessed honey and stir it well with warm water
- Squeeze half a lemon to get the juice into the honey water and stir it up
3. Nuts
Are you going nuts thinking about the weight that you will gain during Raya? Then, you need to chill and eat some nuts. There are a variety of nuts to choose from but not all nuts can help you lose weight.
Take note: Nuts that are good for you are almonds, walnuts, cashews and pistachios
Rich in fatty acid, fibre and protein, nuts make you feel full and reduce the risk of you suffering from diabetes, cancer and, God forbid, a heart attack. So, if you have hunger pangs or need to munch on something, a few almonds may be all you need. Tired of nuts? Snack on these instead!
4. Chicken
No cash, no time but want to lose weight? Get a whole chicken! True, all the good Raya dishes are chicken-based but you can always substitute the oily, crunchy ones with the healthier roasted or grilled option. Chicken contains low fat protein and is needed to promote muscle growth. So, if you cannot stop yourself from reaching for a piece of the delectable meat, make sure you have them grilled or roasted!
5. Chilli
Spice is life but do you know spicy food, particularly chilli, can help you maintain or even lose weight? That is why, I have listed chillies as one of the food items that deserves to be placed in my weight-watchers list. For those who love spicy dishes, your chance to lose/maintain weight during Raya is as bright as the morning sun! Almost all of the special Raya dishes are spicy like the classic ayam masak merah, the rich sambal kacang, the saucy sambal tumis, the sinful rendang and many more. Chillies help burn some of the excess calories and boost our metabolism rate. So, get out the tissues and switch on the fans because it is time for you to sweat your fats out!
So, there you are, five special weight watchers types of food for you to enjoy and aid you in losing some of those jiggly fats. Fat or thin, however, the most important thing is to enjoy your Hari Raya with your loved ones and obviously, with good food. So, relax and just fill up your plate! You can worry about your weight for the next 21 days and eat clean even when ordering in!
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