Enjoy Your Lebaran Feast Without the Fear of Gaining Weight

It’s the end of the holy month of Ramadhan. It can only mean one thing: mouthwateringly irresistible Lebaran feast! A table filled with a selection of divine main courses, from Opor ayam, Rendang and the customary ketupat, jars upon jars chock-full of sweet and dainty cookies, and that’s not even the whole of it. Even a man with the strongest willpower will have a hard time resisting all those goodness. How can you stick to your weight loss plan when you’re presented in that situation? Lisa Namuri, a pilates trainer, will give tricks on how you can still enjoy all the Lebaran feast without all the fuss of gaining weight after!

Drinking plenty of water and eating fruits has been proven to be good for our health in general. Well, turns out they’re beneficial during this time of year, too! If your dining table during Lebaran is just like any other table elsewhere, then there’s bound to be at least one thing in common: absence of vegetable dishes. No vegetables mean your body is going to be lacking of fibers for a few days.  To make up for it, you should stock up some fruits, like papaya, apple, watermelon, and pineapple, in your fridge to consume during all the festivity.

“It’s a good idea to consume fruits before you go on and dig in with the feast. With your stomach partially filled with fruits, there’s going to be less space for all the luscious coconut milk-laden, meat-dominated high fat main dishes. Pineapple is a good choice. Because of its high fiber contents, pineapple is going to fill you up pretty quick. Beside preventing you from gorging up too much food in your face, all the fibers will also protect your digestive system and delay the absorption of oil and fat.” Lisa suggested. . To help with your digestive system, you can also eat some papaya. Not only it’s a natural laxative, it also can help with your metabolism.

Not only your house will be filled with a plethora of delicious spread of special Eid Al-Fitr dishes, all of your family, friends, and loved ones will probably flock to your house as well. With that many people gathered together in a confined space, there bound to be one or two children with contagious infections hence catching flu might be inevitable. This is definitely the time of year where your immune system should be at its best shape. This is why you should consume fruits that can help flush all the toxins out like an apple.

What’s even easier than consuming fruits? Drinking water! Drinking water prior to eating can fill you up as well so you won’t go to overboard with eating. You can drink one or two glasses of water or even start the meal with a clear soup. It has to be clear soup, though, not those high in calorie, rich cream soup filled with full fat milk products.

Healthy lifestyle is not something impossible to attain. The key is balance. You have to balance every aspects of your life, including eating. “Anything that’s in excess is never good for your health,” Lisa said.

Originally published on Fimela.com. Translated and edited by Gold's Gym Indonesia.