Ramadan, fasting, MFP, and you. A guide

Changingmyfatitude

I agree! Bump

Would be great to hear what everyone's plans are.

HavtaLose

I'm worried about my workout this Ramadan. We have 16 hr fasts this yr. Hunger is not issue for me but i get pretty thirsty while working out. And then after Iftar, i feel v busy with Maghrib, Isha, Taraweeh and night Quran and then wake up early for Tahajjud and suhur. So far I'm going to be very happy if i can just stick to my daily calories of 1350. If i start going over or weight loss decreases, I'm going to seriously think about exercise. My goal is to lose atleast 20lbs by Sept and it's going to get hard if I don't stay on track this Ramadan. Last Ramadan i GAINED 5lbs.

Changingmyfatitude

HavtaLose wrote: »

I'm worried about my workout this Ramadan. We have 16 hr fasts this yr. Hunger is not issue for me but i get pretty thirsty while working out. And then after Iftar, i feel v busy with Maghrib, Isha, Taraweeh and night Quran and then wake up early for Tahajjud and suhur. So far I'm going to be very happy if i can just stick to my daily calories of 1350. If i start going over or weight loss decreases, I'm going to seriously think about exercise. My goal is to lose atleast 20lbs by Sept and it's going to get hard if I don't stay on track this Ramadan. Last Ramadan i GAINED 5lbs.

I think if you can manage to stick to your calories, log diligently you will be fine. Even if you cant get a full workout in try going a long walk. I think being active even from a mental point of view during fasting is really helpful.

Especially when it gets hot, being active helps that sleepy feeling. Just plan ahead with meals etc so you can still make good choices.

Good luck and Ramadan Kareem in advance

BodyByBex

Bump! :flowerforyou:

Susieq_1994

My Ramadan plan is the same as any other day--Eat to my macros and drink plenty of fluid, and get in my steps.

I'm lucky in that it's just me and my husband living at home, so we don't have to make all the fatty fried goodies that a lot of people insist are a Ramadan staple. We'll break our fast with dates and water, then we'll have a regular meal that fits our calories (Usually something slightly higher in calories than our non-fasting norms, like pasta or mac 'n' cheese). Dinner and suhoor will both be light meals (a peanut butter sandwich and some dates, for example).

Ramadan Mubarak, everyone!

halimaiqbal00

We have a 4 hour eating window where I am cutting out junk so will not be able to eat anywhere near as many calories to maintain. As for working out, i will be lifting after tarawee prayer as I have an hour window before suhoor to eat again. I live with my husband and 2 young daughters and we don't eat the traditional fatty and sugary foods during Ramadan so unsure how to make up the calories

halimaiqbal00

I typically lose 6-9 pounds during Ramadan doing this. And I'm not overweight

RodaRose

Changingmyfatitude wrote: »

HavtaLose wrote: »

I'm worried about my workout this Ramadan. We have 16 hr fasts this yr. Hunger is not issue for me but i get pretty thirsty while working out. And then after Iftar, i feel v busy with Maghrib, Isha, Taraweeh and night Quran and then wake up early for Tahajjud and suhur. So far I'm going to be very happy if i can just stick to my daily calories of 1350. If i start going over or weight loss decreases, I'm going to seriously think about exercise. My goal is to lose atleast 20lbs by Sept and it's going to get hard if I don't stay on track this Ramadan. Last Ramadan i GAINED 5lbs.

I think if you can manage to stick to your calories, log diligently you will be fine. Even if you cant get a full workout in try going a long walk. I think being active even from a mental point of view during fasting is really helpful.

Especially when it gets hot, being active helps that sleepy feeling. Just plan ahead with meals etc so you can still make good choices.

Good luck and Ramadan Kareem in advance

Regarding thirst: I remember reading suggestions last year about eating fruits during eating time at night so that you are not dehydrated during the day. This matters especially when Ramadan occurs in the summer.


This is a helpful link from the UK.

http://www.communitiesinaction.org/Ramadan Health and Spirituality Guide.pdf

sukkara

Great post!

BeHappy4good

I am on the other side of the coin. My regular goal is to make sure I get my 5-9servings of veg every day and then not worry too much about whatever I'm eating. I have plenty of time during regular days to get that done and probably eat my 1800-2000 calorie diet no problem (I can't count calories - itd drive me crazy). But during Ramadan, eating a huge plate of broccoli or spinach trying to get to 5 servings in one sitting is exhausting. It takes forever to chew that much food at just iftar (I don't wake up for sehri except to drink water). I am also trying to get my minimum 2L of water everyday. Between the veg and the water, I end up not having enough space for carbs or proteins and my body is suffering. Usually, I am strong and energetic but during Ramadan, I can't even go up 2 flights of stairs bc I get light-headed from severe calorie deficit. I counted today and pretty disappointed that I got around 600-700 calories in only.

RodaRose

@BeHappy4good
Instead of broccoli, for carbs and protein consider rice and bread and beans

Complex carbohydrates are foods that help release energy slowly during the long hours of fasting. They are found in foods such as barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, wholemeal flour and basmati rice.
Fibre-rich foods are also digested slowly and include bran, cereals, whole wheat, grains and seeds, potatoes with the skin on, vegetables such as green beans, and almost all fruit, including apricots, prunes and figs.

Foods to avoid are the fast-burning, heavily processed foods that contain refined carbohydrates (sugar and white flour), as well as fatty food (such as cakes, biscuits, chocolates and sweets such as Indian mithai).

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Healthyramadan/Pages/healthyfasting.aspx
http://www.theecomuslim.com/2013/06/hydrating-vegetables-ramadan.html

Idle_Moon

Hope your Ramadan is going well!
My stomach gets upset, because I'm eating the food in little time. Plus running after 25 minutes hurts my stomach. Buy I'll keep this going!

Moose4143

This year's Ramadhan is coming up FAST (pun intended hehe). This article is a great read. So as my first post ever here, I will bump this up to the top ;-)