Salam Aleikom,

Thank you for submitting your question to us.

 

Yes, BMI (Body Mass Index) tells you whether you have normal weight, you are too skinny or you are overweight. However, to give you a fuller picture, I encourage you to measure not only your body weight but your body fat rate, your muscle weight, and the visceral fat rate as well. This will give you a more punctual picture of your body. Your weight includes all these, plus the weight of your bones, the water in your body, etc. What we care about – what causes the problems – are the body fat rate that includes the visceral fat, the type of body fat that’s stored within the abdominal cavity. It’s located near several vital organs.

 

There are many places you can measure these such as certain fitness centers or health centers. I advise you look for one in your local place and check these.

Being overweight is not Ok first and foremost because it can cause many serious health problems (and not because you look fat.)

Therefore, I highly encourage you to start eating healthy and exercise.

Muslims are particularly encouraged by Islam to live a healthy lifestyle as health is going to be among the three questions the angel of death will ask from us after our death.

 

“The son of Adam will not be dismissed from his Lord on the Day of Resurrection until he is questioned about five issues: his life and how he lived it, his youth and how he used it, his wealth and how he earned it and he spent it, and how he acted on his knowledge.”

Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2416

I do not recommend following a psecific diet for a short period because 1, in the first weeks you will only loose water and not fat. So, in the first few weeks you will feel happy that you are losing weight but then this will stop and you will get unmotivated and go back to your regular eating routine, which we do not want.

 

Instead, look for a healthy lifestyle that you can keep easily with little sacrifice. Forthe first round, try to change the quality of the food (whole grain stuff, Eritrit instead of sugar,…) Because you want to lose weight, it would be important that you follow up with how many calories you take per day. Just for a few days, and then try to cut this back. A personal trainer or nutritionist can easily help you calculate how many calories your body actually needs for functioning and can help you create for you a plan how you should start eating from now on.

 

You can find plenty of materials, even from Muslims, on how to live a healthy lifestyle online, so I am not going to go into too much details, I am sure you already know some.

 

What I would like to emphasize is the importance of eating verious type of foods, various fruits and lots of lots of vegetables. (If you are not allergic or they do not cause you problems to your current illnesses.) Also, take care of your liquid intake; drink approx. 8 glass of pure water (2 L) every single day. Good food and water are essential for your immune system and your whole body to work well and feel energetic, so please, please make living a healthy lifestyle your top priority.

 

And of course if we are talking about healthy lifestyle then I must encourage you to exercise regularly. I certainly believe that exercising is the ultimate solution for our modern age problems. Indoor, outdoor, online trainings; there are lots of opportunities. Just stick to exercising at least 30 minutes per day. It can be walking, cycling, yoga, gym, whatever you feel is your sport. Just do it! If your aim is losing fat, then you will need lots of cardio exercising along with strengthening training. You will need both for an optimal weight loss.

 

I highly encourage you to seek help from a trainer Personal Trainer who will be able to help you changing your lifestyle to a healthier one. He or she will also help you to exercise in a preventative way so that you do not get injured or have other health problems.

 

Mind & Body Connection

I also encourage you to look at your mental health as well. Obesity and emotional eating are often created by too much stress, anxiety, depression, or conflicting relationships because we humans are holistic creatures; our mind and body works together and affects each other. Have a look at your life: do you find these in it? Do you suffer from stress, anxiety, or depression? Do you tend to eat snacks, or overeat when you feel stressed? If so, please do something against them.

 

Seek professional help from a psychologist or life coach, if you need. Try to solve these issues and you will see your physical problems will decrease at the same time.

 

For emotional eating, try to socialize a lot. Emotional eating is often indicator of not having deep human connections in our life. So, try to work on them and pursue your goals you want to achieve in your life.

 

Regarding flat stomach in Islam: Islam encourages exercising so that you to look good, especially if you live in marriage, but the main emphasis is that you must exercise to stay healthy and fit, to feel good in yourself.  Fat stomach is promoted by the Western fashion and fitness industry. Do not fall for them. We are more valuable than a sexy body. This is not the point.

 

Why do you need a flat stomach? What is the function of it in your life? What if you have some fat on your stomach?

 

There is no any need for our stomach to be flat. We do not need a six pack abs. These are fake beauty ideas, unless it is a challenge for yourself maybe, that you can do this and it gives you self confidence. But right now, your priority should be losing weight, having a normal body fat rate and decreasing the risk of any health problems that comes with obesity.

 

Please do seek professional help!

Salam,