Fasting, Exercising and Losing Weight?

KhadijahOwos

I've got a lot on my mind about the coming months and could use some advice.

***First off, this is NOT meant to be a religious debate***

Ramadan is right around the corner, which means I'll be fasting (no water or food) from sunrise to sunset for 28 days starting in May. This will be around 20-22 hours a day because it's summer in Scotland.

I'm not new to it by any means but I am concerned about my ability to lose weight and exercise during this time.

Usually we eat something just before sunrise and then something at sunset to break our fast. With 2-4 hours in the day to eat/drink, there's only so much one can eat. so I'm almost guaranteed to be below my calories, so I guess that's not a problem. What does worry me though is whether I'll get enough of all the right things in my diet during this time.

My questions are:
1) What type of foods would be good to eat? As I'm thinking about blood sugar spikes and dips, and also having enough energy to exercise.
2) Would it be wise to limit my exercise? As I don't want to stop altogether, that'll just make things more difficult when I start back.

Any thoughts/advice welcome!

yesimpson

I would imagine it would wise to limit exercise, as you might dehydrate yourself faster as you can't take in fluids to replenish what's lost through sweat. Something gentle, like yoga or a short walk, might be fine, but I'd err on the side of caution.

middlehaitch

Oh my, Ramadan wasn't designed for the northern daylight hours of Scotland.

I think if it were me I would seriously cut back on my exercise. Maybe just a few brisk walks.

Eat what you would normally eat during Ramadan staying within your deficit, and try and keep hydrated by drinking water when you break your fast, and before you restart it.

Sorry I can't be more help.
I will be in Scotland in may though

Cheers, h.

StealthHealth

Some interesting stuff in here about athletic performance & fuel during Ramadan.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/rowing/34125890

jenilla1

This would be a challenge, especially with longer daylight hours, but I suppose that's kind of the point, right? It's not supposed to be easy. It's about overcoming the physical to get closer to the spiritual. So I guess what I would do is really back off of the exercise a bit (because it might be hard to fuel your workouts and recovery on fewer calories if you aren't able to eat as much) and try and focus on getting adequate protein. I'm the type of person who could go all day without anything and really pack it in within a short time frame, but I suppose that's not typical. I don't think this should negatively impact your weight loss. It might actually help. If you think about it, this is the perfect time to take a break from worrying about weight loss and fitness (the physical body) while you focus in on your non-physical needs (the spiritual). Then you can start back up again where you left off next month.