Yes, it's still about fasting. But this time, we will look at it from an entirely different perspective.

Fasting has been practised for ages in most cultures and religions. Fasting too, is encouraged for a number of reasons - among others cleansing, sacrifice, penance or enhancement of knowledge. But, how does one appreciate fasting?

To most Malaysians, Ramadan is an incomplete package without scrumptious and delicious food line ups, be it in 5-star hotels or the Pasar Ramadan. Our nation's standing as a culinary melting pot provides one with a wide variety of cuisine made available at the numerous restaurants, food expos and gastronomy events. The question is, is this a true measure of a Malaysian's appetite?

Every year we fast, welcoming the holy month with festivities, yet we lack proper appreciation of the potential of character building that fasting holds for us. Some of us may find ourselves spiritually backwards after the fast is over, as when the month began. Our lack of knowledge of the real objectives of fasts often tends to produce an adverse effect in us, as is known; the best of medicines could have ill effects if not taken in accordance with the physician's directives and instructions.

Here are alternative perspectives to fasting…

• Fasting makes you fat

Did you know that fasting can make you fat? Of course it can! The crucial point to understand is… 'The problem is not the weight. Weight is the result of the problem. The real problem is our inability to control our appetite.'

If we can control our appetite, the weight is automatically controlled. However, it is not as simple as it sounds. There's more to it than what meets the eye…

Many of us try to diet to lose the extra pounds and miserably fail. Only a small fraction amongst us who diet, lose the weight and manage to maintain the weight for at least 5 years. So, what happens to the rest of us? We remain fat or get fatter. The question is… Is diet effective for weight management? Yes and No. Diet is effective, we are not. We lack the discipline to control our diet and eventually slip back to our old habit or pattern that we are so familiar with.

The infamous corridor topic amongst us is 'weight management' but have we done anything about it? We continue to spend voraciously at Pasar Ramadan on a borong basis giving in to our insatiable desire for food.

But wait a minute…

All our cultures and spiritual traditions have dieting practices. From the Mahabrata and the Upanishads, the Bible to the Quran, terms fasting as a form of dieting. Fasting can be a real life saver for the overweight person. However, the power of fasting is not in losing weight during the fast, but in gaining control of one's insatiable appetite - which, to most of us, is the ROOT of the problem.

This is not a lie or trying to make fasting sound something it is not. Yes, fasting can make us fatter if we don't change our eating habits after the fast.

Fasting allows you to gain control of our appetite. It nurtures the power of self-control. We may not attain the self-control on the first instance.. but no one masters anything at their first try either!

Fasting on a periodic basis allows a person to gradually gain control over his appetite. According to the Hindu philosophy, food means gratification of the senses and to starve the senses is to elevate them to contemplation. As such, fasting nurtures our learning to control our desire for food. When we break fast, we may not be that hungry, but the desire to eat will exist and self-control is paramount. Fasting, if practised correctly will assist in differentiating actual hunger versus greed.

Such, the only way to successful weight management is to change our view about food. We eat to live, not live to eat.

• Fasting as a litmus test

Litmus test means a reliable test used to classify something or someone as favourable or unfavourable. How can this be related to fasting? Easy! Fasting is a life litmus test. It paves the route to contemplation on the past, present and future. Thus, we may be irritable and quick tempered liking or disliking what we contemplate upon. However, the point of this contemplation is to ascend into becoming a better human being, exhibiting the finer traits of human character.

In other words, being lazy and feeling lethargic whilst fasting simply means we have been all along a lazy and an unproductive person. Fasting is about developing self-control and compartmentalising. It is about learning to perform your daily tasks just the same as you would or better than when you are not fasting. Fasting too, inculcates a spirit of tolerance to face unpleasant conditions and situations without making us a victim of wrath.

• Fasting means 'stay the course'

In history, we learn a lot about Great People staying the course. What motivated them? Gandhi, for instance, remained silent even though the British continuously battered him for burning the votes. So, how to stay the course?

To stay the course, we need to understand motivation. Motivation is defined as why we do and not do things, or, why we behave the way we behave. At the end of the day, all actions and willingness to respond comes from within. Same thing goes with fasting.

Fasting demands rigid discipline - mentally, spiritually and physically. Such, it is apparent why fasting is pertinent for one's success in life.

In other words, if we can stay awake for the whole day whilst in the office, this means the sense of discipline is already within us. We are disciplined regardless of fasting or not. They say, "Only people who fight through boring period will become successful."

As in this case, so as in other spheres of life, our attitude to fasts ought to be radically changed too. We need to welcome fast as a practical means of reforming ourselves rather than nearly considering it as an inevitable religious bondage, eagerly waiting to free ourselves to resume our ways of old again. Focusing on actions will help us realise our thoughts and emotions.

In the hustle bustle of the present life, we constantly find ourselves ill-equipped to battle through life's odds. While we find ourselves frustrated or looking at other directions with difficulty, we have overlooked the character building force that the fasts provide us every year.

So, consider little effort for a big change?