With the end of summer, many people and particularly women begin searching for a relatively quick way to lose the extra weight they may have gained while maintaining their vitality and health. This is especially important during the school season, when they need energy to keep up with their children and help them with their studies.
As a result, many people have turned to a reverse fasting regimen as a dietary solution to shed the fat accumulated over the summer months.
According to Sherry Onsy, a clinical nutrition consultant at the Faculty of Medicine at Ain Shams University in Cairo and a member of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition, the concept of reverse fasting involves abstaining from food in a pattern that is the opposite of Islamic fasting.
Instead of fasting from dawn to sunset as Muslims do during the month of Ramadan, the reverse fast begins at sunset and continues until dawn or shortly after. No food is consumed from sunset until the following morning. Only water and certain light, metabolism-boosting drinks are allowed, such as green tea, cinnamon, ginger, anise, and caraway without any added sugar.
Onsy explained that reverse fasting is essentially a form of intermittent fasting, in which food intake is restricted to an eight-hour window while fasting for 16 hours. The difference lies in its timing, as it is the reverse of conventional fasting.
She noted that this approach allows the body to detoxify, as fasting at night gives the liver and kidneys a break from the burden of digesting food, particularly since only fluids are consumed during this time. The secretion of fat-building hormones such as insulin is also reduced, while the body produces growth hormone, which aids in fat burning and muscle building, enabling the liver and kidneys to function more efficiently.
Onsy recommends this regimen for patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and insulin resistance, but notes that it is not suitable for diabetics, as they cannot remain without food for 16 hours. She also considers reverse fasting more appropriate for those who wake up and go to bed early.
Onsy warned against the harm of eating late at night, advising patients to avoid food at least four hours before bedtime. She said that eating at night leads to weight gain, as metabolism slows after sunset, digestion becomes less efficient, and the likelihood of fat storage increases. Nighttime eating, she added, also raises the risk of indigestion, reflux, and acidity.
Soha, a 36-year-old woman in Cairo, recounted how she had recently experienced rapid weight gain, the appearance of facial hair on her chin, and severe mood swings, before realising she was suffering from PCOS and insulin resistance.
She said that her doctor advised her to try intermittent fasting, and with the start of the new school year and her need to go to bed early like her children, she adopted reverse fasting, refraining from food after 5:00pm and eating breakfast at 9:00am. Despite following the regimen for only three weeks, she reported feeling much healthier and has already lost four kg.
Nutrition expert Sally Nagi also endorses reverse fasting, describing it as a beneficial system that improves sleep quality and helps those with insulin resistance and obesity. “It is a healthy dietary system but is not suitable for children, diabetics, or pregnant women, while it is recommended for people with digestive problems. I advise following it, but only under the supervision of a specialist,” she said.
Coach Amr has launched a two-week fasting challenge on a social media group called “Rescue Programme” while providing free consultations and answering participants’ questions.
As part of the challenge, those seeking to lose weight are required to fast for 16 hours and eat within an eight-hour window, with breakfast at 12 noon, lunch at 4:00pm, and dinner at 8:00pm.
Participants are instructed to drink two glasses of water before each meal, maintain a daily intake of three litres of water, and are allowed one “free meal” on the 14th day of the challenge. Sugar is strictly prohibited throughout the fasting period. The food plan is designed to be low-cost and based on simple homemade meals.
Dinner for all days of the challenge consists of either a cup of yoghurt with lemon juice and a sprinkle of cinnamon, an orange or other piece of fruit, or a glass of skimmed milk.
Amr’s two-week challenge might look like the below.
DAY ONE: This is a detox day designed to help those whose weight has plateaued. It consists of vegetables, fruit, milk, yoghurt, and unsweetened hot beverages.
DAY TWO: Breakfast: a plate of fava beans with a spoonful of olive oil, salad, and two light oven-baked falafel patties. Snack: two oranges or two mandarins or two guavas or 10 peanuts or a handful of nuts. Lunch: chicken breast with five tablespoons of rice, salad, and a home-cooked vegetable dish or five tablespoons of rice with any available protein and salad.
DAY THREE: Breakfast: a cup of low-fat yoghurt with three teaspoons of oats or a dish of wheat with milk sweetened with honey or two vegetable omelettes with cottage cheese. Snack: two bananas. Lunch: two medium-sized grilled or baked fish with salad and five spoonfuls of rice or a can of tuna drained of oil with salad and half a loaf of baladi bread.
DAY FOUR: Breakfast: Five tablespoons of fava beans with lemon and olive oil, half a loaf of bread and a green salad, or five tablespoons of chickpeas. Snack: A piece of dark chocolate with a cup of coffee or three dates with coffee or a cup of Nescafé with milk. Lunch: A quarter of a chicken, grilled or boiled and skinless, with vegetable soup, or alternatively boiled eggs or a dish of cooked lentils.
DAY FIVE: Breakfast: Two boiled eggs with green salad and grilled aubergine or four breadsticks with a cup of skimmed milk. Snack: A cup of cocoa with milk, sweetened with honey. Lunch: A can of tuna, drained of oil, with green salad and a quarter loaf of bread or a bowl of lentils or two boiled eggs or cooked beans.
DAY SIX: Breakfast: A portion of cottage cheese or low-fat cheese with salad with brown bread or two slices of toast. Snack: An apple, a banana, or a cup of chickpeas in broth. Lunch: Two pieces of boiled beef or three grilled kofta skewers with five tablespoons of pasta and salad.
DAY SEVEN: Breakfast: A cup of low-fat milk with four tablespoons of oats or five tablespoons of wheat porridge, or, alternatively, 200 grams of boiled potatoes with salad. Snack: Three dates.
Lunch: Grilled or oven-baked fish with five tablespoons of rice and leafy greens with parsley.
DAY EIGHT: Breakfast: Boiled potatoes with leafy greens and a cup of low-fat milk or cottage cheese with a boiled egg and salad. Snack: Two bananas or three dates. Lunch: Two boiled eggs with cooked cauliflower and five tablespoons of rice and salad or a dish of beans or 200 grams of liver with half a loaf of bread and salad.
DAY NINE: Breakfast: Shakshuka eggs prepared with olive oil or ghee with leafy greens and grilled aubergine. Snack: Three dates or a cup of coffee with a piece of dark chocolate or tea with milk. Lunch: A bowl of lentils with salad and a quarter of a loaf of bread or five tablespoons of rice or a dish of fava beans as an alternative to lentils.
DAY 10: Breakfast: A cup of milk with four tablespoons of oats or a cup of milk with wheat porridge sweetened with a spoonful of honey. Snack: Three dates or a cup of cocoa with milk and honey or a guava. Lunch: 200 grams of beef liver or chicken liver with a quarter of a loaf of bread and green salad.
DAY 11: Breakfast: Cottage cheese or a piece of low-fat cheese with four tablespoons of fava beans and salad without bread or boiled potatoes with salad and also without bread. Snack: A cup of Nescafé with milk or plain coffee with 10 peanuts. Lunch: A quarter of a chicken with vegetable soup and five tablespoons of rice and salad or two boiled eggs with salad and five tablespoons of rice or a dish of lentils.
DAY 12: Breakfast: An omelette with grilled aubergine, salad, and half a loaf of bread. Snack: An orange and a banana or a serving of popcorn. Lunch: Two pieces of beef with a dish of cooked spinach, four tablespoons of rice, and salad, or 200 grams of minced beef cooked with courgettes.
DAY 13: Breakfast: Boiled potatoes with salad or boiled eggs with salad and half a loaf of bread.
Snack: Ten peanuts. Lunch: Grilled or oven-baked fish with five tablespoons of rice and salad.
DAY 14: Breakfast: A healthy breakfast. Lunch: An open meal of your choice in reasonable quantities accompanied by generous amount of water.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 9 October, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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