Ramadan, fasting, MFP, and you. A guide
taunto
Posts: 6,420 Member
I am writing this short guide in regards to the month of Ramadan in hopes that it will come in handy to many of the MFPers who will be observing it and will be fasting.
For anyone not aware, a brief explanation of Ramadan is that Ramadan is a lunar month where Muslims fast (that is, no drinking (even water), no eating, no smoking, no sexual activity among other things). The restriction is from dawn till sunset. Muslims are allowed to eat and drink etc normally in night time.
The first challenge we face is kind of psychological. Thoughts come to mind that the diet and exercise plan set by MFP cannot be carried on during Ramadan. The good news is that this is incorrect assumption. There is a concept called “intermittent fasting” which is very close to how Ramdan is observed.
Really the main thing regarding the plan set by MFP is that we eat a reasonable amount. That being said, it does NOT matter when we eat the calories. So in Ramadan we really only skip lunch (based on the traditional 3 meals a day). Which isn’t so bad if we eat a little bit more during the night time. What I personally do is I split my calories in 3 parts. So lets assume I have to eat 1800 calories. I eat 1200 calories after Maghrib (dinner/iftar) and the rest of the 600 calories is consumed right before Fajr (Sehri/breakfast).
Another challeneg faced is “I cannot eat all those calories and worry I might be eating too little”. Luckily, there are many delicious solutions. Typical Iftar consists of many heavy food items. 5 dates alone are about 120 calories. Then we have samosas, kubsa, madghoot, pakoras and many other oil heavy snacks. Then we have fruits (fruit salads are a norm in many Muslim cultures for iftar). All these make up more calories than we think. Try counting out the calories. You will be surprised how much you actually eat during iftar and sehri. And if you are still under your calories, you can always take a tablespoon or 2 of honey or peanut butter or just eat some extra samosas
A challenge on the other aspect is “I eat too much in Ramadan and will gain weight”. That is a valid concern and something I myself face. Which is why I try to reduce my weight loss to either 0.5 lbs a week or just bring my diary to a maintenance and not worry about trying to lose weight for that month. I, however, will emphasize to please NOT stop logging your diary. That is a habit that you should in every situation continue. When you look at your diary daily, you will naturally try and be more careful with what/how much you eat.
Last challenge is “I cannot workout during Ramadan”. In Saudi Arabia, Fast is from around 4 AM to 7 PM. This gives you plenty of time between Maghrib and Isha to workout. I personally workout after 9 PM anyways so I don’t see the schedule changing much for me. Try to workout as much as possible.
One thing that I would like to encourage is “pre-logging”. Log what you plan to eat before breaking fast. Leave couple of hundred calories as wiggle room but the concept is to try and log what you would like to or plan to eat before you eat them so you don’t lose focus. I used to use pre-logging a lot and it helped me take control of how much to eat greatly.
I would like to remind you all that this is a month where we face many challenges. Specially thes few years when Ramadan is coming in summer. Hydrate yourself. Eat properly. Don’t be afraid of iftar parties. You will likely go crazy trying to avoid iftar parties and eating only salad when everyone is enjoying all kinds of delicious meals.
I hope others will add any other concerns or other points in this thread.
Happy Ramadan folks
ETA: Credit goes to taso42 and Sarauk2sf for helping me with this.
For anyone not aware, a brief explanation of Ramadan is that Ramadan is a lunar month where Muslims fast (that is, no drinking (even water), no eating, no smoking, no sexual activity among other things). The restriction is from dawn till sunset. Muslims are allowed to eat and drink etc normally in night time.
The first challenge we face is kind of psychological. Thoughts come to mind that the diet and exercise plan set by MFP cannot be carried on during Ramadan. The good news is that this is incorrect assumption. There is a concept called “intermittent fasting” which is very close to how Ramdan is observed.
Really the main thing regarding the plan set by MFP is that we eat a reasonable amount. That being said, it does NOT matter when we eat the calories. So in Ramadan we really only skip lunch (based on the traditional 3 meals a day). Which isn’t so bad if we eat a little bit more during the night time. What I personally do is I split my calories in 3 parts. So lets assume I have to eat 1800 calories. I eat 1200 calories after Maghrib (dinner/iftar) and the rest of the 600 calories is consumed right before Fajr (Sehri/breakfast).
Another challeneg faced is “I cannot eat all those calories and worry I might be eating too little”. Luckily, there are many delicious solutions. Typical Iftar consists of many heavy food items. 5 dates alone are about 120 calories. Then we have samosas, kubsa, madghoot, pakoras and many other oil heavy snacks. Then we have fruits (fruit salads are a norm in many Muslim cultures for iftar). All these make up more calories than we think. Try counting out the calories. You will be surprised how much you actually eat during iftar and sehri. And if you are still under your calories, you can always take a tablespoon or 2 of honey or peanut butter or just eat some extra samosas
A challenge on the other aspect is “I eat too much in Ramadan and will gain weight”. That is a valid concern and something I myself face. Which is why I try to reduce my weight loss to either 0.5 lbs a week or just bring my diary to a maintenance and not worry about trying to lose weight for that month. I, however, will emphasize to please NOT stop logging your diary. That is a habit that you should in every situation continue. When you look at your diary daily, you will naturally try and be more careful with what/how much you eat.
Last challenge is “I cannot workout during Ramadan”. In Saudi Arabia, Fast is from around 4 AM to 7 PM. This gives you plenty of time between Maghrib and Isha to workout. I personally workout after 9 PM anyways so I don’t see the schedule changing much for me. Try to workout as much as possible.
One thing that I would like to encourage is “pre-logging”. Log what you plan to eat before breaking fast. Leave couple of hundred calories as wiggle room but the concept is to try and log what you would like to or plan to eat before you eat them so you don’t lose focus. I used to use pre-logging a lot and it helped me take control of how much to eat greatly.
I would like to remind you all that this is a month where we face many challenges. Specially thes few years when Ramadan is coming in summer. Hydrate yourself. Eat properly. Don’t be afraid of iftar parties. You will likely go crazy trying to avoid iftar parties and eating only salad when everyone is enjoying all kinds of delicious meals.
I hope others will add any other concerns or other points in this thread.
Happy Ramadan folks
ETA: Credit goes to taso42 and Sarauk2sf for helping me with this.
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Replies
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Nice work, thanks for posting this.0
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Thanks for this I'm actually worried I'm going to go over my calories but will allow myself to eat up to maintenance, which is a fair 2080 last time I checked. I'm almost at my goal weight anyway! I'll also probably count my calories per day as Sehri then Iftar of the same calendar day, rather than just the 6 hour period during the evening.
As for working out, I wouldn't be able to do it after Iftar so I'll probably skip for the month. I definitely won't be spinning 5 times a week :P But I'll probably go insane after a few days so might try and go in at least once a week for a half hour or so to do some weights and super light cardio. Obviously I'll have to know my limit without water!
Again, thank you! I had actually just been searching for similar posts earlier today 0 -
Great post!0
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:flowerforyou:0
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Ramadan Kareem to all.1
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Yummy food! I used to eat normally all day AND eat yummy food at night with my Muslim friends during Ramadan. This, however is probably not recommended for people whose goal is to consume less calories:)2
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Hi Taunto0
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A side tip that might work for some but not all, I use to workout before iftar.
Going to be easier this year since I've been already intermittent fasting, I just have to stop drinking water.
Sahur is going to mess up with my intermittent fasting, might try to skip Sahur at first to see how it goes.
People who say they can't eat their calories during Ramadan must not be fasting in a house that observes Ramadan the traditional way, cause you will blow a 1000 calories on juices alone during Iftar. And the carbs overload with desert will get you there 3-4 hours after Iftar.
Ramadan Kareem Everyone! And Inshallah cooler weather wherever you are :-)1 -
Ramadan Kareem, everyone! Thanks to Taunto for posting this insightful post! May you all have a an easy and meaningful fast.0
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Thank you for posting. I had heard of RAMADAN but wasn't sure what it involved. I enjoyed learning all that is involved. Enjoy your month, sounds like you have a sound plan.2
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thank you for this post. I recently kept some voluntary fasts and counted my calories and was amazed how they can add up. at iftar without attempting to eat any fried foods.0
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0
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Not relevant to me personally but an insightful and well written post that I found interesting. :flowerforyou:1
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Nice post!0
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While this isn't relevant to me, I found this to be a well written post.
Bumping so it finds it's right audience!1 -
Asa,
Shukran for the post. It's funny I rarely find any one who has lost weight after Ramadan. Like some one posted one Iftar alone can have you eating enough calories for the week. MashaAllah. I am going to try and be more conscious of what I eat but the main goal is that we take advantage of this holy month and become closer to our lord which is the most important thing. I would say to not skip sahoor since it is the Sunnah. Even if it is just water and maybe some dates.
I have been trying to figure out if I can manage working out. It is seemingly going to be extremely difficult because of the summer hours. My husband has been playing soccer and basketball fasting since he was little. Me in the hot hand can hardly go through warm up without taking a sip of water. I don't know. I was thinking I would workout before Magrib but I am going to be making Iftar and by that time I am sure I am going to be lethargic and not want to even think about working out. I was thinking about before sahoor but it is so early and I have to wake up to cook that too. I don't know I don't know.0 -
Really good info. I had wondered about mfp and the people who do Ramadan.
Ramadan Kareem!!1 -
Hi all!
I'd like to share this site too with you, for tips on healthy Ramadan eating, where you can also post questions to be answered by a Registered Dietician and Nutritionist.
Also recipes for Ramadan (with calories) like TABOULI YUM!
http://www.thetaboulibowl.wordpress.com
Happy Fasting & RAMADAN KAREEM!0 -
Bumping. Ramadan starts tomorrow here
Happy Ramadan everyone 0 -
Bumping. Ramadan starts tomorrow here
Happy Ramadan everyone
Great post!
Ramadan Kareem :flowerforyou:0
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