Daniel fast

amh927
amh927 Posts: 33 Member
edited November 24 in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone done a Daniel fast while losing weight?

Any suggestions or tips?
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Replies

  • amh927
    amh927 Posts: 33 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    It's for religious, not weight loss purposes. To lose weight, just follow MFP's suggestions.

    Yes I am aware of that. Our entire church is doing one for 40 days and I am just nervous about joining in while trying to maintain weight loss

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited February 2018
    Log the foods you are eating and make sure your calories are within the calorie budget MFP set up for you. From what google told me, it's a meatless fast. Since protein is important while dieting, focusing on legumes would be a good thing.
  • amh927
    amh927 Posts: 33 Member

    kommodevaran wrote: »
    amh927 wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    It's for religious, not weight loss purposes. To lose weight, just follow MFP's suggestions.

    Yes I am aware of that. Our entire church is doing one for 40 days and I am just nervous about joining in while trying to maintain weight loss
    What do you mean by maintain weight loss? If it's called a fast, I'm pretty certain you're not going to gain weight on it, at least. Can't you log what you eat? You lose, gain or maintain weight by eating the apprpriate amount of calories, no matter what food you eat.

    Is a religious fast. So it’s not actual fasting. Simply avoiding foods for religious purposes, mostly meat and dairy, sugar, etc

    Most of my protein is chicken. So I’m nervous about getting enough protein so I’m not starving and wanting to eat everything is sight. It’s fruit and veggie based. I don’t eat much fruit and a lot of it is high in calories. Hence why I asked for tips. Maybe people had some great recipe resources etc. it’s not being don’t for weight loss. It’s just coinciding at a time that I’m trying to lose weight.
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  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Oh, for meal ideas, you could check out the resources for a plant-based diet starter plan or else try EatThisMuch, which you can set for your calories and "vegan diet" and then modify as needed.

    https://www.eatthismuch.com/

    I can't follow a plan personally, but ideas might help.

    Good vegetarian and vegan recipe sites are:

    101cookbooks (vegetarian)

    OhSheGlows (vegan)

    Sources for more recipes and probably a plant-based meal plan would be places like ForksOverKnives. I don't really buy into their claims so am not promoting that at all, but I'm sure they have some helpful resources.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I have the same concerns as lemurcat, but I'm even more skeptical - none of the foods on the approved list is praticularly high in protein; when maintaining weight, it should be easy enough to get enough protein, but when dieting, you need the same amount of protein, but fewer calories (you know this, that's what you're asking for help with); and if you're not used to eating a vegan diet, you have to learn a different way to plan and cook, as well as tolerating a different range of flavors and textures - this is challenging enough when you're eating enough to maintain weight - but you're having a Woody Allen dilemma (terrible food and small portions). Personally, I wouldn't do the Daniel Fast unless I had at least some experience with vegan cooking and liked the food, or were not dieting.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited February 2018
    For protein focus on soy, beans, and legumes. Whole grains and nuts will also get you a little. Think barley and beans, lentil soup, soy milk, tofu, etc. 40 days is actually really long, the longest I've ever heard it done for is 21 days. If it's important to you to to do it, just focus on that protein number and don't let it dip too low.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I didn't expect to become so engaged in this topic :D I think for a vegan to start dieting, is unproblematic (I imagine you just cut down on fruit and grains and oils). I think for an omnivore dieter to start eating vegan, is risky. And the website where I read about the Daniel fast, describes a diet that is stricter than the usual vegan diet (no refined/processed foods, so no white/brown sugar or molasses, no white rice or flour).
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    We do a similar fast with slightly different rules twice a year, before Christmas and before Easter, and I wish I could tell you there is an easy way for protein. I never have a problem with food choices (I find vegan food delicious), I have not been able to sustain a good level of protein while dieting on this fast no matter what I did (I don't have access to soy), and it has been 5 years since I started dieting. I don't notice a change in my hunger level, though. The food is pretty high volume and satisfying (at least to me). So basically, if getting a high amount of protein is important to you, maybe consider maintenance for now? If you're just concerned you'll get hungry on lower protein, it may not necessarily be the case and you may want to continue dieting if you wish.
  • ShelbyLynnMFP
    ShelbyLynnMFP Posts: 10 Member
    I’ve heard of it but have not tried it. If it is a fast that is low on animal protein, since it isn’t for a hugely extended period of time, maybe incorporate vegan protein powder? It’ll help keep your grams of protein higher without forcing you to up your calories a lot. Again, this could work just for the duration of the fast. I wouldn’t recommend forever doing that as part of your diet.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Good thinking, but protein powder would be out, depending on interpretation - no processed/refined foods.
  • ShelbyLynnMFP
    ShelbyLynnMFP Posts: 10 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Good thinking, but protein powder would be out, depending on interpretation - no processed/refined foods.

    Ahh, good point! Like I said, I’ve heard of it but I’m not terribly familiar with all the details.

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    It's not really complicated, just difficult. You eat fruit, veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, some oils, water, and then some versions allow some specific processed foods like tofu and soy milk probably to deal with the protein issue.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    It's not really complicated, just difficult. You eat fruit, veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, some oils, water, and then some versions allow some specific processed foods like tofu and soy milk probably to deal with the protein issue.

    That does make it complicated ... But, I digress.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    manwithmustache wrote: »
    Who's Daniel and what makes him so fast?

    Nike Vaporflys.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    andfivesixseveneight wrote: »
    Weirdly, the hardest part to me was not using condiments containing vinegar or sugar.

    That would be hard for me. Not the sugar so much (although I do love my sriracha) but the vinegar.
    The whole point for us was to focus less on earthly pursuits and more on Christ’s sacrifice for us. For me, trying to track weight, calories and macros while fasting might have detracted from the focus on this being a spiritual discipline.

    If it's something her (or his, don't know why I'm assuming) whole church is doing and he's/she's started losing successfully and doesn't want to ruin her momentum, I do think they could be done together. Having a general template of how to eat (and I agree it would be simple foods/preparations) and in advance calculating things like protein/calories so it's not too much fuss would work and would probably be a good idea if OP has not eaten anything other than omnivore before.

    My own feeling is that I would avoid choosing a significant food-based sacrifice if focusing on weight loss and the choice were just mine (although I always eat more simply in Lent anyway), but if this is a group thing OP wants to participate in and wants to stick with something that is currently working for weight loss, I don't think it requires her to stop dieting or tracking or whatever. I think you can both do that (or find some other way to watch portions) AND focus on the spiritual fasting aspect. The spiritual aspect isn't the calories stuff, but eating simply, giving up luxuries you normally have, using the feeling of missing something as a reason to think about the reasons for the sacrifice and so on -- if you are someone who uses food to self comfort thinking of that cue and the food not being there as a reason to turn to God. (At least that's one reason I think fasting can be a useful spiritual discipline for people who find that kind of spirituality helpful -- clearly this forum has people with a huge variety of views and I am not preaching at anyone!)
  • mortuseon_
    mortuseon_ Posts: 257 Member
    I don't know much about the specific fast, but the blog Olive Tomato mentions Greek Orthodox fasting a lot and has lots of related recipes that you may find useful.
  • ZRunner5Lulaica
    ZRunner5Lulaica Posts: 168 Member
    I don't have personal experience, but a coworker of mine did a modified version of the Daniel fast with her son and their church. They were allowed a minimal amount of chicken or fish (one meal per day). They ate a lot of fruits and vegetables, which was good for them as it pushed them to try more than green beans and broccoli.

    There were other things they gave up, such as all social media for the time they were fasting. I know she liked it from a spiritual standpoint.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    I have the same concerns as lemurcat, but I'm even more skeptical - none of the foods on the approved list is praticularly high in protein; when maintaining weight, it should be easy enough to get enough protein, but when dieting, you need the same amount of protein, but fewer calories (you know this, that's what you're asking for help with); and if you're not used to eating a vegan diet, you have to learn a different way to plan and cook, as well as tolerating a different range of flavors and textures - this is challenging enough when you're eating enough to maintain weight - but you're having a Woody Allen dilemma (terrible food and small portions). Personally, I wouldn't do the Daniel Fast unless I had at least some experience with vegan cooking and liked the food, or were not dieting.

    I agree.

    OP if you're going to do this fast, I would recommend eating at maintenance for those 40 days.
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