Losing weight with Prophetic Medicine: where to start?

The essentials. Prophetic Medicine does not offer fat-burners: it begins with the right measure, that is, eating slowly and stopping before feeling heavy. First you remove refined sugars, ultra-processed products, and fried foods, then you fill your plate with vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and protein, along with water and a regular brisk walk. Fasting, broken with a date and then water, and a small vegetable juice taken as a course, come next, not before. The doctor remains the point of reference, especially in cases of diabetes, ongoing treatment, or pregnancy.

The right measure, before any diet

A fashionable diet holds for a few weeks, then gets abandoned. Prophetic Medicine starts from somewhere else. It does not aim first to melt away pounds. It seeks to recover a way of eating and drinking that no longer overloads the body.

Regarding Ramadan, the Institute reminds us that this month should not become one of overconsumption, but one of the right measure. The purpose of a meal is not to fill up until you feel heavy, but to restore your energy. This sentence is already a program in itself.

The conduct of the Prophet ﷺ points in this direction, even in how he drank. Ibn al-Qayyim notes that his manner of drinking is one of the best ways to preserve health. It is reported from 'Aisha: "The Prophet's ﷺ favorite drink was one that was cold and sweet." He drank honey in cool water, and water in which dates had been soaked. These are simple drinks, far removed from today's sodas.

Before getting started, a letter from the Institute devoted to obesity invites us to look beyond the scale. BMI, that is, weight divided by height squared, gives a benchmark. But it is above all excess fat around the belly that is associated with risks to the heart and metabolism.

What to remove first

It is simpler to start by removing than to change everything at once. The Institute's letters on being overweight clearly name what needs to be limited:

• refined sugars: sodas, pastries, candy;
• ultra-processed products;
• fried foods and saturated fats;
• excess red meat;
• excess salt.

White sugar is often the first lever. It hides in drinks, cakes, and breakfast cereals. Removing it does not mean giving up all sweetness. A whole fruit, a date, or a little honey in cool water can replace a pastry, as long as it is kept in moderation.

We also remove a habit: eating quickly. The same letter recommends eating slowly, respecting fullness, and favoring homemade food. Stopping when you are no longer hungry, rather than when the plate is empty, is a quiet but important change.

What to add: the plate, water, and walking

Once the excess is removed, the plate needs to be filled. Otherwise, hunger returns, and snacking with it. The Institute's letters recommend favoring:

• vegetables, green (spinach, broccoli, zucchini, green beans) and cruciferous (cabbage, cauliflower);
• legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans), which provide plant protein and fiber and stabilize appetite;
• whole grains: brown rice, oats, whole wheat bread;
• protein (fish, eggs, lean poultry, legumes), which helps preserve muscle and limit snacking;
• oily fish and olive oil, in moderation but regularly;
• two servings of fruit per day, whole rather than juiced;
• water, in sufficient quantity.

For movement, the same letter cites brisk walking, cycling, swimming, and gentle muscle-strengthening. Brisk walking is often the simplest entry point: it requires no equipment and fits into a busy day. Two pillars are added to this, often forgotten: sleeping at least seven hours a night and reducing stress, which promotes fat storage.

And juices?

Juices have their place, but a specific place. The Institute's lessons reserve them more for courses and remind us that whole fruits and vegetables remain preferable. For weight loss, they mention in particular celery, cabbage, and green apple.

• A vegetable juice rather than a fruit one: fruit should not exceed 30% of the juice, and repeated fruit juices tire the pancreas.
• Simple juices, with one to three ingredients, which you vary.
• One or two small glasses a day, and never more than 750 ml to 1 liter.
• Between meals, 20 to 30 minutes away from any food, drunk slowly.
• Homemade and drunk quickly: store-bought juices, having been heated, have lost their micronutrients.

Above all, a large glass of vegetable juice is equivalent to a meal. It does not add to the rest. As these lessons put it, "there are no juice trees": juice is a supplement, not a base.

Fasting, a protection to introduce step by step

Fasting is first and foremost an act of worship. Allah says: "O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain piety." And the Prophet ﷺ said: "Fasting is a protection." (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim). We fast for Allah, and the benefit for the body comes in addition.

A letter from the Institute describes what happens when food intake stops: the body gradually draws on its reserves, blood sugar stabilizes, insulin secretion decreases, and fat mobilization activates. The digestive load, too, is lightened.

That said, fasting does not come first. In the first days, the Institute reminds us, the body feels hunger and fatigue more intensely, sometimes headaches or dizziness. And the benefit of a day of fasting is lost if it is broken in the evening with excess. It therefore finds its place better once the plate has been rebalanced.

Breaking the fast follows the Sunnah: "When one of you wants to break his fast, let him break it with a date. If he cannot find one, then with water, for it is pure." (Reported by At-Tirmidhi). Next comes a simple meal: a soup, vegetables, a little whole wheat or barley bread, plain yogurt. An herbal tea, of fenugreek or oregano for example, is better than a heavy dish.

In practice: a realistic starting plan

Here is a simple order, to adapt to each person. The idea is to change one thing at a time, then keep it.

The first two weeks: remove

• Remove sodas and sugary drinks, and replace them with water.
• Remove one source of refined sugar: the afternoon snack cake, cookies, sugary cereals.
• Eat slowly and stop before feeling heavy.

The following weeks: add

• Vegetables with meals, legumes several times a week.
• Whole grains instead of refined ones.
• Two whole pieces of fruit a day.
• A regular brisk walk, starting with what you can sustain.
• An earlier bedtime, aiming for seven hours of sleep.

Then: fasting and, if you wish, a juice course

• A day of fasting from time to time, broken with a date and then water, followed by a light meal.
• A small glass of homemade vegetable juice, between meals, for the duration of a course.
• After meals, a fennel or ginger herbal tea can help with digestion.

This plan is nothing spectacular, and that is intentional. What you maintain over time matters more than a quick loss that does not last.

Precautions

• Diabetes, high blood pressure, ongoing treatment: talk to your doctor before fasting or significantly changing your diet. Fasting lowers blood sugar, and honey as well as dates remain sugars.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: this is not the time to try to lose weight or to multiply voluntary fasts. The doctor's or midwife's advice comes before anything else.
• Children and teenagers: no restriction or fasting for the purpose of slimming. Address sugars and movement, with the doctor.
• The sick: in its article on medical jurisprudence, the Institute notes that a sick person breaks the fast if it harms them.
• Juices: no juice when the body lacks energy, during a cold for example. Too much juice, too quickly, tires the intestines.
• Unexplained weight gain or loss, lasting fatigue, dizziness: see a doctor. The doctor remains the reference for diagnosis and follow-up.

And in all things, we ask Allah for health: the means are in our hands, healing comes from Him.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to follow a diet to lose weight with Prophetic Medicine?

No. Prophetic Medicine starts from the just measure: eating slowly, stopping before feeling heavy, removing excess and filling the plate with simple foods. It is a change of habits rather than a few weeks of deprivation.

Can you keep honey and dates when you want to lose weight?

Yes, in moderation. The Prophet ﷺ drank honey in cool water, and a date can replace a pastry, provided it replaces it rather than being added to it. In case of diabetes, ask your doctor's advice, since these are sugars.

Do vegetable juices help you lose weight?

Not on their own. The Institute's lessons present them as a supplement, rather as a course, and mention celery, cabbage, and green apple for weight loss. One or two small glasses a day are enough, and a large glass is equivalent to a meal.

Can you fast to lose weight?

Fasting is first and foremost an act of worship, and its benefit for the body comes in addition. It is better to introduce it once the diet has been rebalanced, to break it with a date and then water, and to avoid excess in the evening. In case of treatment, diabetes, or pregnancy, a doctor's advice is essential.

What should you start with as early as tomorrow?

Replace sugary drinks with water and eat more slowly. Add a brisk walk that you can sustain. The rest will come next, one thing at a time.