for members fasting ramadan -start august 1 st

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  • bosanka
    bosanka Posts: 336 Member
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    We human species are all sooo different :) hehe

    i love having cookbooks - to look through them .. but i hate following recipes. - like cooking ..but " on my own " and i'm like that in every aspect of my life.. stubborn and persistent :)

    My slow cooker i use mostly for two things :

    - turkey chilly - easy, healthy, cheap, filling- and mostly everyone likes - can't go wrong with it.

    - taco meat

    i love this bc it can't get easier than this. I put even frozen chicken breast in the pot ( 2 big chicken breast halves )
    1-2 cans of mild jalapeno peppers
    tomato paste
    tomato sauce ( can be the type that come with added flavors such as garlic/ roasted tomatoes, with cilantro etc.. )
    if you like you can put one can of chicken broth /or just plain water - no need for too much liquid if you have put the tomate sauce /diced tomatoes etc.

    put it on for 8-9 hours ( i usually put it on on " high " for 8-9 hours )

    that's all the work - you put frozen chicken breast- open a few cans of stuff .. dump it in, put it on- dinner is 70 % done .

    when ready to serve- shredd the chicken with a fork ( this works well with beef too - if you prefer it i have tried it and it tastes just as good - but you will have to add some diff. type of spices - i usually add some " hamburger " spice or black pepper /paprika etc.. )

    prep. some sliced veggies - olives, shredded lettuce , avocado, black beans.. maybe some rice for the rest of the family..
    get some tortilas, /tacos / and let every one wrap their own taco/burrito to their own liking -
    for my self- i skip the tortila ( if dinner ) - and just make a nice big " taco salad' .. but not really having tacos :)) maybe one small just for the crunch

    this stuff is so easy.. so " fresh " tasting.. everyone can mix their own stuff- and so you can stay eating with everyone but picking through the toppings and sticking to your kcls budget without feeling deprived from the rest of the family ..
    this really works well in my family i feel like eating " with everyone " but i still get to choose my own stuff on the plate

    If i use my slow cooker just for those two recipes i'm thankfull for it :) it doesn't get easier than this - and for the " beef " recipe - you can use any type of cut- doesn't have to be " expensive " meat.. it will be well cooked no matter what it is :)
  • bosanka
    bosanka Posts: 336 Member
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    If you cen reverse your breakfast and dinner- i think it would be good.. i agree with the protein part .. if you can't stomach to eat fish /meat in the morning ( it will be hard for me the first few days- later it gets easier ) ..- than there are other ways to add more protein in the am..
    make some good protein shakes - add more protein, banana, peanut butter .. you can even add some oatmeal to make it " rich " to hold you for the day..
    eggs are also a good way to get protein in - scrammbled- boiled etc .. i usually have more eggwhites and not to much of the yolk usually about 1 whole egg and 2-3 extra eggwhites.. scrambled or boiled- i do the same number

    dates are great source of fiber, carbs - i' m not sure about the protein part but .. no matter what they are great and if you are really craving sweets i would go for them instead of the cakes !

    yogurt - how about some greek yogurt with fresh fruit / frozen berries etc morning or night..

    my trainer has thought me to eat more of the seeds and nuts
    sunflower seeds / all you n eed is about 2 tbsp
    almonds keep me really full for a long time - and they are very good for losing weight

    don't forget soups !
    if you like " creamy " soups - avoid the cream/ etc- learn to use cornstarch ( got this from the book i have mentioned previously )

    grilled veggies - i could eat them all the time .. not a fan of steamed - but i loooove grilled veggies , and it's still summer so we all can get outside and grill some veggies and chicken for the dinner :)
  • fit_healthy
    fit_healthy Posts: 89 Member
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    Hi everyone,

    I was thinking of having porridge with banana in the morning. And a few glasses of water too :)

    Whats a protein shake? Never had them before.
  • concealedpearl
    concealedpearl Posts: 206
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    oh awesome thread...I was just about to start one for Ramadan.

    I'm not a fan of walking, I rarely walk I'm more into hardcore intense workouts...but I know walking works. So my plan for this month was to do 30DS(only 30mins and I get both cardio and weightlifting). If anyone would like to join me that'll be awesome.

    Last year I was able to eat healthy and light exercise and actually lost weight, but silly me made poor choices after the month ended and ended up gaining the weight. So this year the plan is to see success and keep it going.

    I usually break my fast with an avocado smoothie in my protein shake before my workouts...it fills me up tremendously and after my workouts I would have a small meal before heading to prayers or I would have it after the prayers. I always made sure to get up in the morning to have my pre dawn meal.
  • bosanka
    bosanka Posts: 336 Member
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    i'm not a fan of walking either.. and i like hard core work outs- but what can you do if you can't have water ? walking seams to be the most reasonable thing to do without getting to dehydrated . And we don't have to do it for ever- it is only this month- with maybe some weight sessions inbetween. " Just to keep moving " ..

    Protein shakes- i make my own. You can buy " protein powder " almost anywhere- i get it from costco " muscle milk " .but there are so many brands to choose from. For female i wouldn't think it's recommended to take more than 27 gm of protein in one serving - there are some out there for guys and have about 50 gm per serving ( if you are female.. wouldn't recommend it )

    Protein is good- fills you up- keeps you full- and is not to much loaded with kcls.. has few carbs, little sugar but a lot of protein.. always good to have on hand .. as a meal replacement/on the go.. or as a after-workout " snack "
  • fit_healthy
    fit_healthy Posts: 89 Member
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    oh awesome thread...I was just about to start one for Ramadan.

    I'm not a fan of walking, I rarely walk I'm more into hardcore intense workouts...but I know walking works. So my plan for this month was to do 30DS(only 30mins and I get both cardio and weightlifting). If anyone would like to join me that'll be awesome.

    Last year I was able to eat healthy and light exercise and actually lost weight, but silly me made poor choices after the month ended and ended up gaining the weight. So this year the plan is to see success and keep it going.

    I usually break my fast with an avocado smoothie in my protein shake before my workouts...it fills me up tremendously and after my workouts I would have a small meal before heading to prayers or I would have it after the prayers. I always made sure to get up in the morning to have my pre dawn meal.

    I was thinking of doing the 30DS too. At the moment im on L3D27. Not sure that i would do it everyday, as i have missed 3 so far on this workout. So during fasting it maybe more, but im up for the challenge :smile:

    Thank you Bosanka - i may just try out the protein shakes, and see how i go :smile:
  • bosanka
    bosanka Posts: 336 Member
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    Wanted to let you all know there is a open group that is starting in august.. " walking group " we all can join- it's open for anyone
    so i thought it would be nice if we all joined them :)

    Like i said i set this crazy goal of 114 miles to walk - it's a lot of walking .. but hey.. i have high goals .. i will do my best :)

    the group is here :

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/301757-august-walking-challenge-don-t-sweat-it

    please everyone- join :)

    still we can stay here for communication and to support each other- so when you join that group don't forget to check in here every now and than ..

    on this link you can make your goal /ticker
    http://www.tickerfactory.com/ezticker/ticker_designer.php

    if you want one for " walking/exercising etc " go on fitness/exercise
  • naku
    naku Posts: 109 Member
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    hi guys!

    im not actually fasting for ramadan as im not muslim but my boyfriend is and does. it breaks my heart every time i eat or drink when he cant ! especially now that its summer and so light so early/late.

    but just wated to wish good luck for you all with your diets during august... and hopefully you live in dark countries :D
  • ehte_h
    ehte_h Posts: 293 Member
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    Thanks for the good wishes Naku.

    It would be interesting to find out how you guys get on with the shred. The gym have literally 'banned' me until ramadaan is over.. So plenty of walking after taravi it will be
  • AakifahSiebert
    AakifahSiebert Posts: 65
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    Salaam everyone...I'm so glad someone started this thread already. This is only my 3rd Ramadan (I reverted), and I still haven't figured out what are the best things to eat for suhoor in the AM....especially since I HATE cooking (so cooking at 4am is definitely out of the question). Any suggestions???

    Also, in the evenings, I get a sweet tooth (particularly for chocolate)...anyone have any good healthy ideas for a chocolate fix?

    Insh'Allah, my plan is to walk a little every morning after fajr. I don't know if I can do 114 miles by the end of Ramadan, but it's something to work towards. Maybe I can look into the core training as well.

    Since I'm new to this site, I'm not familiar with some of the abbreviations... what is 30DS???

    Ramadan mubarak!
  • bosanka
    bosanka Posts: 336 Member
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    naku- i know what you mean .. but trust me .. we all kind of feel excited and scared " oh.. how will we do this.. it's harder this year. hotter/longer days etc " but believe me . as soon as it starts we just feel the difference in us spiritualy. We do it with the intention to please God , and we believe He is merciful to us and makes it easier than we think. And than knowing you are a part of a multi-million group challange :) where millions of people are fasting the same fast all over the world..without exception , no matter if you are in usa, africa, new zeland or alaska.. or china.. etc .. we all fast the same . So you feel as a part of a huge family. That makes it easier. Don't feel bad for your boyfriend .. be happy for him .

    AakifahSiebert:
    first- welcome to the website and the group :)
    now to your questions .. 30ds - is " 30 day shred " it's a dvd from Jillian Michaels.. it's basically a workout that lasts 20 minutes - the dvd has 3 levels.. you should be doing each level for 10 days.. it's very tough , it's " only " 20 minutes but those minutes are very hard.

    Now to the cooking p art :).. I don't think many of as a very excited to be cooking anything at that time in the morning . What you can do is have some leftovers from the night before. You can cook " ahead " - during the day for the morning.
    You can make some oatmeal in the night for the morning. You can .. make protein shake a little bit richer than usual

    add milk
    protein powder
    1/2 banana
    1/2 tbsp peanut butter
    1/3 cup of oatmeal ( that you have allready prep. last night )

    blend all in a blender- drink
    you can add ice cubes ..
    you can make it with chocolate powder.. or if you make with vanilla - you also can add frozen berries etc.
    instead of oatmeal you can add a little bit of cereals in it / whole grain cereals

    nght before you can boil eggs - load up on the eggwhites.. less on the yolk
    have some dates/ olives.. greek yogurt .. have a fruit - there you done.

    make cereals with a handfull of walnuts, some raisins, flax seed, maybe chop up a few dates. - done.

    if you sick of boiled eggs. - scrammble them on some days- that's a 2 minute job it's not really " cooking "

    as you can see all this are " quick " things you can make- they are all rich in carbs and protein - good for you
    i don't recommend white bread / sugary cereals etc- all that stuff is empty kcls .. that are loaded on bad carbs, ton of sugar, not enough protein / or fiber to hold you for the day or give you any good energy at all.

    You don't have to eat a lot - but you need to eat qualiy kcls..

    in the night you are craving sugary stuff because most probably your sugar is low from the fasting. This can be a little bit fixed if you increase your protein intake in the morning.

    When you break the fast do it with dates .. they are sweet - and goodfor you but that sugar will help you bring back up your sugarlevel.
    if you still are craving sweets.. drink water.. most probably you are dehydrated and our brains often confuse thirst for hunger.
    if you are still craving it even after eating a good meal and drinking water.. than go ahead have something - but again make it something " good " not plain chocolate etc.

    there are good and qulity bars you can get that can help you overcome that " chocolate " craving - you stil get the chocolate but at least with benefits .
    i recommend

    for carbs and fiber - fiber one bars
    for protein ; pure protein bars , think thin, luna bars

    Larabars- are the most natural and best tasting ones ! I really recomend you to find them and stock up on them .. get the ones with dates, or " ap ple pie " etc.. they really taste to me like the real cake etc.. but they are sooo healthy -this you can maybe take when your cravings hit you ..
    i like also pure protein bars- when i crave chocolate ' the caramel deluxe " or .. chocolate fudge - those two help me out big time - they are about 180-210 kcls each but they are only 2-3 gm of sugar and 18-20 gm of protein.. so that is something good for you .

    I hope i have helped a little .. go stock up on the " good stuff " :)
  • 1234lbsgone
    1234lbsgone Posts: 296 Member
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    I am so glad to see this thread! I am not Muslim, but for several years I have chosen to participate in fasting after I took a class on Islam. The Imam who taught the class invited us all to learn more. I enjoyed the teachings and the stories and asked if it was OK for a non-Mulsim to fast. They gave me their Blessings and I have tried it every year since :heart:

    I like this thread because I do not have anyone around me that is fasting. Just a few friends online from overseas. I live in the Detroit area, near Dearborn, so finding delicious Middle Eastern foods is easy. I would love to learn to cook some of these foods myself. I would also love to have friends to share this time with who truly understand what is going on, both inside and out.

    I hope you will accept me in your thread and help me learn more:flowerforyou:

    Thanks,
    Holly
  • bosanka
    bosanka Posts: 336 Member
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    Holly - wow i'm impressed .. a non muslim who is doing this fast .. not only once but few times now ? That's impressive, i have never met anyone like you . I have met muslims that have never done the fast .. but not a non-muslim that has done it :)

    Of course you are welcome in the group , if you have any questions - you are welcome to ask- if they are not diet/fitness related but more " religious " please do so on private since we don't want to violate the policy of this website. I'm open to any and all qustions you might have about the fast . And i'm sure all other members of this group will welcome your messages and questions as well.

    Feel free to add me to your friends list if you like
  • AakifahSiebert
    AakifahSiebert Posts: 65
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    Hi Holly...wow, I too am impressed! I have had a few non-Muslim friends make the intention to fast but never follow through with it, which is okay...I know it's not easy if you're not accustomed to it. Heck, this is only my third Ramadan, so I know how difficult it is the first time around. lol

    Glad to have you here in the thread. :)
  • concealedpearl
    concealedpearl Posts: 206
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    WELCOME EVERYONE!!!

    Yaay I'm soo excited for Ramadan this year. If it falls on August 1st then I'm lucky since that day is a holiday here in Canada so at least I can take a nap in the afternoon.


    I'm also excited about doing the 30DS...My goal is to do all 30days and I pray that Allah makes it easy for me and for you all.
    If I complete it then I am going to reward myself !!! So let us all think of our rewards for completing our goals for this month.

    I wish I had known about the walking before I decided to do the 30DS, it would have been awesome to do 114miles...that is a great GOAL!

    SAY NO TO THE SAMOSAS THIS RAMADAN :)
  • chrisc31
    chrisc31 Posts: 137 Member
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    I have a binder of recipes that I've come across that sound good. I've tried most of them I have in there but I haven't tried this one yet. It sounds like it would be part of a great suhoor meal....made ahead of course!

    Do-Ahead Egg Bake

    Prep time: 20 min
    Total time: 13 hour 10 min
    Makes: 12 servings

    What You Need:
    8 eggs
    3 cups milk
    8 cups French bread cubes (3/4 inch)
    1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
    12 slices Turkey Bacon, cooked, crumbled
    1 pkg. (8 oz.) 2% milk Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided

    Make It:
    Whisk eggs and milk in large bowl until well blended. Stir in bread. Add spinach, bacon and 1-1/2 cups cheese; mix lightly.
    Pour into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining cheese. Cover; refrigerate overnight.
    Heat oven to 350ºF. Bake, uncovered, 48 to 50 min. or until top is puffed and golden brown.

    Nutritional information per serving
    Calories 250 , Total fat 14g , Saturated fat 7g , Cholesterol 170mg , Sodium 470mg , Carbohydrate 15g , Dietary fiber 1g , Sugars 4g , Protein 15g , Vitamin A 70%DV , Vitamin C 10%DV , Calcium 30%DV , Iron 10%DV .

    The nutrition facts would be less than stated above because I changed the ingredients to say turkey bacon and 2% sharp cheddar. I bet it would be fine with turkey sausage crumbles too. I would have plugged the recipe into MFP's recipe calculator but I'm on my phone at the moment!
  • bosanka
    bosanka Posts: 336 Member
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    gym owner has weight me last week - she got sick and tired of my whining and how'm i never losing any weight. So she put her fist down. You tell me you are logging your food every day - each bite, you stick to a 1400 kcls a day and you work out 4-5 x a week and you never lose weight ?
    Well- if you are telling the truth.. bring me your food log - wanna see it !

    Ups.. than i started with.. well - i dooo.. log .. but.. uhm.. well, you know some days i'm about 1800 kcls, others 1900, ..

    how much cardio do you do ?

    about 4-5 x a week..

    let me see it ! bring me your log..
    uhm..

    so she made me realized i wasn't as honest and strict as i thought i was . So she said.. ok- starting today ( a week ago ) she put me on the scale .. was at 255.6 lbs she told me - stick to the 1400 kcls. log everything even a gum you take ! bring me your journal in a week and we'll go from there .
    I was so intimidated to show her my diary i really tried everything and i had some falls.. i had candy, i had muffin today ! .. so i messed up many times in one week but i stuck to the rules- drink water, eat veggies, log your food. Work out.

    So .. today she walks up to me and says- step on the scale let me see it. I was nervous.. had breakfast ( and a big muffing ) a gallon of water .. i should have come in the morning to weigh in !! .. To late now i'm thinking no way out of here

    Well.. i step on that scale and i can't believe it ! .. last week 255.6 - this week 247.4 ! i had lost 8 lbs !!!!!
    ( scale at gym usually shows about 4-5 diff. than the one at home .. so i'm about 251.6 from last week and tomorrow am i'm weighin in to update my status here .. so excited to weigh in tomorrow )

    Ok that was a long story :) .. now to the end result..
    she really surprised me big time.. she came up to me and said.. Maida.. if you keep losing 5 lbs for the next 3 weeks.. i will give you a 75 $ gift ( body wrap ) at the gym .
    I was like.. but that's during this month of fasting !?!
    Oh.. really.. , good .. than i did my job to keep you focused :)

    so - there.. i have my reward - if i achieve the goal :)

    phewww.. sorrry for the long story i just had to share it with you all
  • concealedpearl
    concealedpearl Posts: 206
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    bosanka....WOW THAT IS AMAZING...you should be proud of yourself...and now you have a major reward waiting for you in three weeks. I have no doubt that you will do it in this month since your meal in take will be half of what you normally eat.

    I'm planning to lose 12lbs by the end of Ramadan, I'm not sure if it is achievable considering I have been up and down with the same 5lbs the past couple of months. I really hope this month will create a change and thus have me drop weight.

    Quick question, when you were eating 1400cals did she have you eat back your exercise cals or no?
  • bosanka
    bosanka Posts: 336 Member
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    This past week i was trying stricktly to stick to 1400 kcls no matter how much i've burned. And i weighed myself this am- officialy at my home scale and i have lost 5.5 lbs this week. So i guess for now- not eating any of my burned kcls seams to be working for me. While i had been eating them back- i didn't lose anything.
  • AakifahSiebert
    AakifahSiebert Posts: 65
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    That's wonderful sis!!! Excellent job on the weight loss. :) And thank you for the suggestions...esp the protein shake, insh'Allah I will try that.

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