Our daily diet — if we are not exercising at all — is supposed to be around 2,000 calories. But most of us eat ravenously and yet aspire to be slim. Ramazan can be an ideal month for shedding at least 5lbs fat. But we gain additional 6-8lbs weight during this month due to excessive eating. We indulge in overeating at sehri on the pretext that we won’t be eating anything all day and at iftar we eat saying we haven’t eaten since morning and eat till we can eat no more. Little do we know that our calorie intake increases two or three times during Ramazan.

This way we do a great injustice to our health besides ridiculing the spirit of Ramazan. If fasting is the excuse behind stuffing ourselves, what’s the logic of overeating on Eid?

A large number of people eat on Eid as if it is the last eating opportunity in life and yet they complain of indigestion. Even those who realise that they over eat in Ramazan don’t know that they eat more on Eid; since they are not fasting they eat something after every hour or so. If they are visiting they are served delicious treats and saying no is considered impolite and if they are the hosts they give ‘company’ to the guests.

And this is after they have started the day with a heavy breakfast saying: yaar baray dino baad nashtay ka mauqa mila hai! (As if sehri was not enough breakfast.)In a while, a range of sweet/savoury dishes — kheer, sheer khurma, firni, ras malai, gulab jaman, barfi, ladoo, dahi baray, chana chaat, etc — would be laid out on the table for guests as well as family members.

Since Eid dishes are always special and tasty, the temptation overcomes the resistance and one keeps on eating all day — alone or with the intent to give company to guests. One is ‘condemned’ to eat if he/she is visiting someone. So, it is the day of eating, eating and just eating.

Gyms are closed on Eid, so one has a good excuse not to do any physical exercise that day. Even if they were open one would not have the time or inclination to work out on a festival. Here are a few tips that you can follow to contain calories intake within limit yet enjoy your Eid delights. The key is to keep your portions small and avoid high calorie items.

Your first meal of the day should be a light breakfast of a small bowl of cornflakes or a slice or two of bran bread and black coffee. With that, if you are tempted, you can have a bit or two of chaat or any other special savoury item and a quarter cup of kheer, firni or sheer khurma. Don’t take any sweetmeats like burfi, gulab jaman, etc.

If you have to visit someone, then do not take anything except your breakfast as you will have to eat at least something where you go visiting, but firmly refuse to have any soft drink. Soft drinks not only add unnecessary calories but are otherwise too harmful for health and should only be served to one’s worst enemies. If you are making more than one visit on Eid day as is customary on Eid, ask your next host to serve green tea without sugar. Firmly refuse Eid delights saying that you already had them. By asking for a cup of tea, you won’t be revolting against the tradition and you would still be taking care of your health. A cup of green tea helps burn fat and speed up the digestion process. For evening visits stick to the same regimen, keeping your calorie count in mind and limiting sweet and oily stuff; replacing cold drinks and juices with green tea.

Back home, skip dinner and just take two glasses of saltish lassi and call it a day. This diet plan will save you from indigestion and tiredness on Eid.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, July 27th, 2014