Weight loss: A Muslim's perspective?

Salam brother,

Imam Ghazali's book from the Ihya deals with this -- the problems of the stomach -- i.e. overeating. It has been produced in a brilliant edition by ITS and translated by Shaykh Abd al Hakim Murad:



In it the Imam says to eat more than once a day is 'extravagance' and provides many strategies to cut one's amount of eating.

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For dunyadaar people like me, although the Imam's book is inspiring, who can never hope to reach those levels, I found the book Transcend by Ray Kurzweil has really helped me to lose weight. It is really simple: you just eat the number of calories you would eat if you were already at your ideal weight and eventually you will reach that weight. (A very scientific book). Plus I go to the gym 4 times a week and have started eating a lot more salads and less desi food which is luscious by high in calories!!

You're right- it is a lifestyle change.

Good luck!

 

Assalamua'laikum.

I request brothers to share their views and experiences on this topic. I have been dieting and exercising for the past 4-5 years. What initially began as an attempt to get in in shape (i was overweight not obese) has now become a lifestyle for me. In these years i've tried countless methods (much to my family's discomfort) to lose weight and keep it down. All the diet plans i used were my own conjurations, derived from the umpteen plans out there. I have succeeded to the point that even without any exercise for the past 18 months or so i've maintained my weight. I've picked up MANY healthy eating habits along the way and think of them as an achievement.

What kept me going, everytime i felt like giving-up and going back to over-eating, were the countless ahadith and hikayaat of awliya and ulema that emphasized less-eating as an essential element in the process of spiritual development, and that madani channel keeps reminding of 'kufl-e-madina' for the belly.

My question is: what's more important to a muslim, less weight or more strength? I've a very fortunate friend who has joined a madrasa after having spent 18 years in a normal school. He was obese and he's successfully reduced to what many would call skinny. But now he's finding it difficult to go on on the meagre food he used to. Studies are being affected.

Both of us have realized that food is a 'necessary-evil'. But haven't the past generations of muslims managed to live on frugal diets?

Any tips in the books of taswwuf?