If you fast for Ramadan and the scale drops, what is actually changing in your body? A new Cureus study, published November 4, 2026, found that weight went down in 36 young adults, but the loss showed up as skeletal muscle and body water, not body fat.
What did the new Ramadan study measure?
The study followed adults aged 18 to 45 who fasted for Ramadan, about 13 to 14 hours a day for at least 24 days. It was run at a teaching hospital in Western Uttar Pradesh, India, and Ramadan that year ran from February 18 to March 19, 2026. Of 40 planned participants, 36 were analyzed. Their mean age was 26.6 years, and 72.2% were male. Each person was measured with an InBody 570 bioelectrical impedance device before Ramadan and again within one week after it.
| Measure | What the study found |
|---|---|
| Body weight | Fell significantly (p<0.001) |
| Body mass index (BMI, a weight-to-height measure) | Fell significantly (p<0.001) |
| Skeletal muscle mass | Fell significantly (p<0.001) |
| Resting metabolic rate (energy your body uses at rest) | Fell significantly (p<0.001) |
| Fat mass | No significant change |
| Body fat percentage | No significant change |
| Visceral fat (deep belly fat) | No significant change |
| Waist-hip ratio | No significant change |
| Intracellular and extracellular water | Both fell |
| Extracellular water share of total body water | No change |
It is a small study. There was no comparison group, it covered one region of India, participants were a convenience sample, and each person was measured once, within a week after Ramadan.
Why might the scale drop without fat loss?
The authors say the modest but significant drop in weight and BMI came with a loss of skeletal muscle and body water, not fat. They read the fall in resting metabolic rate as a sign of metabolic adaptation, meaning your body adjusts how much energy it uses. They suggest that adequate hydration, nutrition and physical activity during Ramadan may help preserve lean mass.
Keep the method in mind too. Bioelectrical impedance is sensitive to hydration, so a drop in body water can look like a drop in muscle. Scale-style measurements pick up water as well as tissue, which is why one number during a month of fasting does not tell the whole story.
Is weight loss common during Ramadan, and how much should you expect?
A 2019 meta-analysis in Nutrients, indexed by PubMed, pooled 70 publications with 2,947 participants. The studies measured weight and body composition before and after Ramadan without trying to change diet or activity. In people with overweight or obesity, body fat percentage fell by 1.46% (95% confidence interval -2.57 to -0.35, p=0.010). In people of normal weight, the change was not significant. The loss of fat-free mass, meaning lean tissue such as muscle, was about 30% less than the loss of absolute fat mass.
The meta-analysis also found that two to five weeks after Ramadan, weight and body composition returned toward, or to, pre-Ramadan levels. Its authors describe the reductions as “consistent-albeit transient.”
A 2019 review in Nutrients, also on PubMed, describes weight changes during Ramadan as “variable and typically modest.” That review found few studies on energy use and reported no significant change in resting metabolic rate. The new study found resting metabolic rate fell, so the findings do not line up perfectly.
So a 20-pound drop in 30 days is not what these studies describe as typical.
What is happening inside your body during the fast?
One 2019 review describes Ramadan fasting as a state of intermittent liver glycogen depletion and repletion. Glycogen is stored sugar, so your liver’s reserve runs down during the day and refills after sunset. Carbohydrate is the main fuel early in the fasting day, and fat becomes a bigger part of the fuel toward the afternoon and the sunset meal. The review also notes that sleep and activity patterns change during Ramadan.
Will you lose belly fat, and does it last after the month?
In the new study, visceral fat and waist-hip ratio did not change. The meta-analysis found that the drop in weight and fat mass faded within weeks after Ramadan ended. The new study measured people within one week after Ramadan and did not follow them afterward. Its introduction notes that earlier studies were mixed and that changes often reverse after Ramadan.
If you want a wider view of fasting and weight, our page on intermittent fasting covers what the evidence says beyond Ramadan.
What should you track instead of just the scale?
The authors suggest that hydration, nutrition and physical activity during Ramadan may help protect lean mass. That gives you three habits to watch:
- Hydration: how much you drink between iftar and suhoor. Our guide to hydration during a busy day shows a simple way to log it.
- Nutrition: what you eat at suhoor and iftar, and how large the evening meal is.
- Activity: a short walk or some light strength work. Our body weight exercises for beginners page lists simple options that need no equipment.
Beyond the scale, watch your waist. The study tracked waist-hip ratio, and it found no change in it. If you use a body composition reading, use the same device at the same time of day each time, because hydration can shift the number.
Your next step is small. Pick one habit to track this Ramadan, such as your daily water or a waist measurement on the same day each week. Then compare the results at the end of the month, not day to day.
By MakeTimeForWellness.com Wellness Team
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