Fasting for Ramadon

zahea

I am fasting for Ramadon this year, for those who are not familiar, its a month long fast where a muslim can not eat during daylight hours. A rough example : start fast at 3:59 am, break fast at 8:45 pm. The purpose of this is spiritual, not for the purpose of losing weight. Im just worried that I don't know enough about the side affects and i don't want to gain the weight back!


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littledeak

I do not know but I think you will not gain any weight back. You are eating only one meal each day. Visually estimate amounts and don't go back for seconds.
I lived in Palestine a short time. I miss the call to prayer. It is a powerful reminder for people of all faiths to worship God. I wish you well.

Glamorous_RN

Hi hunny no you won't gain any weight back as long as you eat a healthy suhr like dates and veggies and fruits and water then when you break your fast eat healthy and don't overheat all night like others do and catch up on water!

meshashesha2012

everyone i know who does ramadan makes up for their calories once the sun goes down, so there isnt any weight loss or weight gain.

skinnyminnay

I dont eat suhoor since its so late at night and I usually sleep right after. Probably really unhealthy.

zahea

Ok my number one worry is that ill mess up my metabolism and it will go slower. I have worked extremely hard to get where im at today and dont want to mess it up badly by fasting (even though i shouldnt be worried about weight gain and should be focused on the religious aspect.) but still, im here to lose weight yo!

africaa

I was gonna make a topic also..but I was gonna wait until July...lol

But I don't know what to do...I'm so confused on how to eat and I really don't wanna gain any of the weight back! By the way I'm really not excited about Ramadan being in July! It's soooo hot lol

africaa

everyone i know who does ramadan makes up for their calories once the sun goes down, so there isnt any weight loss or weight gain.

It's not easy to eat back calories though...most people I know won't even make it to 1000 cals for the day b/c technically you aren't supposed to pig out

zahea

Girl i know! and i work at Mcdonalds and will be working there during the day. Imagine that! i hardly eat there as it is but its going to look like heaven when im fasting. But, the ultimate goal is to be closer to Allah which will be better for us in the end. I wish you the best

Glamorous_RN

Yup but if you eat 3 small meals before bed and depending on what you eat, you'll have a good amount ;-)

africaa

Girl i know! and i work at Mcdonalds and will be working there during the day. Imagine that! i hardly eat there as it is but its going to look like heaven when im fasting. But, the ultimate goal is to be closer to Allah which will be better for us in the end. I wish you the best

You know you'll get extra blessings for avoiding temptations! lol I wish you the best also

Glamorous_RN

And don't forget you gatta eat suhr otherwise you'll reallyyyyy slow down your metabolism

Glamorous_RN

That's true! I give you credit

airlily

You'll be okay! The only thing that will be hard is having Ramadan during the Summer Solstice! It's easy when it's during the Winter Solstice, but summer?! BOO!

zahea

I also workout 6 times a week (45 mins fatburn on eliptical) then i have once a week sessions with my personal trainer. How should i modify my workouts during my fast? And does anyone have any info about how when a person fasts, and breaks they're fast, whatever they eat after the food (no matter what it is) is stored as fat for survival mode. Does this make sense?

Reignofmongo

Ok my number one worry is that ill mess up my metabolism and it will go slower. I have worked extremely hard to get where im at today and dont want to mess it up badly by fasting (even though i shouldnt be worried about weight gain and should be focused on the religious aspect.) but still, im here to lose weight yo!

Your metabolism won't be effected. This fasting for Ramadon is very similar to IF, a program created by Leangains. You fast most the day and then eat around dinner. You'll just be eating a bit later. Even during an absolute fast, or very low cal diet, your metabolism will only slow by like 5%. People get too worked up about that so called, "starvation mode." It's just broscience.

zahea

I eat 1400 cals a day to lose 2 lbs a week. So should i like eat 700 cals for breakfast, and then 700 for dinner? or what should i think about when deciding how much calories to eat?

tajmel

My faith has a similar fasting period. I always gain weight. You're just so hungry once the sun goes down! I'd say your best bet is to have a large, protein heavy breakfast before sunrise, as protein digests more slowly. Also, I'm personally much less likely to overeat around others, so perhaps breaking the fast with others would help. Good luck!

Umeboshi

Stay within your calorie goals and you'll do fine! 700 for breakfast and 700 for dinner should work perfectly for you. Or maybe eat more of your calories for breakfast to keep you full all day long, and then a bit less for dinner? 900 for breakfast and 500 for dinner?

zahea

Thank you! And i already know (or hope!) i wont pig out. I went from eating around 4000 calories a day to eating 1200-1400 calories a day. So im immune to pigging out! and how much do u gain after the fast?

taunto

Duing ramadan I have a few strats that I think you can use

First off, your metabolism doesn't slow down during fasting period. You not eating during the day light has no affect on your metabolism and neither does eating multiple times a day. Even if you eat all your calories at the same time, it has absolutely no affect.

That being said, I usually try to have a BIG meal for sehri (suhur). I make sure that I eat atleast 1/3rd of my daily calories.

For iftar, I eat about 1/3rd of my calories and then the remaining for after Isha. This has worked well for me to keep me mentally satisfied, help me during Iftar parties and help me coupe for the good food available during this month

The main reason most muslims gain weight is because for iftar and suhur we eat massive quantities of deep fried foods and sweets etc. If you're counting calories, this problem should be fixed up.

Remember, you can always workout after Maghrib if you do go over your calories. A big thing you can use to help is that Taraweeh and other Prayers can be counted as workouts too (I feel kinda dirty doing it for some reason though lol)

My personal big problem is that during ramadan my water intake has to go down since if I try to remain at my current water intake, I feel thirsty during the day. If I decrease my water intake, I don't have that thirst as much anymore so during Ramadan I happily decrease my water intake since according to Imam Ghazali less water and food is good for the soul and body

Hope this helped. Good luck and Ramadan Mubarak in advance

LabRat529

Ok my number one worry is that ill mess up my metabolism and it will go slower. I have worked extremely hard to get where im at today and dont want to mess it up badly by fasting (even though i shouldnt be worried about weight gain and should be focused on the religious aspect.) but still, im here to lose weight yo!

Your metabolism won't be effected. This fasting for Ramadon is very similar to IF, a program created by Leangains. You fast most the day and then eat around dinner. You'll just be eating a bit later. Even during an absolute fast, or very low cal diet, your metabolism will only slow by like 5%. People get too worked up about that so called, "starvation mode." It's just broscience.

I agree with this. You should be fine. Even if your metabolism slows a little, it will only be a little, and you'll be back up to speed in no time.

Enjoy your religious worship. Best wishes.

Reignofmongo

Duing ramadan I have a few strats that I think you can use

First off, your metabolism doesn't slow down during fasting period. You not eating during the day light has no affect on your metabolism and neither does eating multiple times a day. Even if you eat all your calories at the same time, it has absolutely no affect.

That being said, I usually try to have a BIG meal for sehri (suhur). I make sure that I eat atleast 1/3rd of my daily calories.

For iftar, I eat about 1/3rd of my calories and then the remaining for after Isha. This has worked well for me to keep me mentally satisfied, help me during Iftar parties and help me coupe for the good food available during this month

The main reason most muslims gain weight is because for iftar and suhur we eat massive quantities of deep fried foods and sweets etc. If you're counting calories, this problem should be fixed up.

Remember, you can always workout after Maghrib if you do go over your calories. A big thing you can use to help is that Taraweeh and other Prayers can be counted as workouts too (I feel kinda dirty doing it for some reason though lol)

My personal big problem is that during ramadan my water intake has to go down since if I try to remain at my current water intake, I feel thirsty during the day. If I decrease my water intake, I don't have that thirst as much anymore so during Ramadan I happily decrease my water intake since according to Imam Ghazali less water and food is good for the soul and body

Hope this helped. Good luck and Ramadan Mubarak in advance

^THIS^

And though I know it doesn't feel right, even if you ate all your cals in one meal, it wouldn't hurt you. It's the same as eating them throughout the day. Only difference is you'll probably feel bloated and kinda ****ty, because from a mental standpoint... It LOOKS like you pigged out, even though it's all in accordance to a plan.

kdeaux1959

This type of fasting should not affect your weight loss at all. The key is getting the calories in during the day. Timing of the calories is really irrelevant. Some Christians fast as well and there are different types of fasts we observe.. There is the total food fast where we do not consume anything except liquids (sometimes only water) for a period of one or more days... That type of fast will generally result in a significant weight loss for a period of the fast with a rapid but smaller weight gain after the fast... I once did this for a week and lost like 10 lbs and regained like 3 of those back -- nice side effect but not the purpose of the fast.

Many Catholic Christians fast a particular food item (or even an activity) for the period known as "LENT" (40 days between Mardi Gras and Easter)... Some will fast chocolate... others ice cream etc. Of course, this has nothing to do with one's caloric intake.

Some pastors even suggest a "Fasted Lifestyle" where you just don't eat everything you want for an extended period (hence lifestyle)... That is more like dieting than a fast but it does have spiritual implications as well since the focus is upon the Lord.

However, since you are eating calories... just not during the day, you may see some scale variations based upon the assimilation of food through digestion but the long term effects are simply not significant. A calorie is a calorie without regard to when it is consumed.

Best wishes on your endeavors.

zahea

Thank you all! All this advise has put my mind at ease!

Reignofmongo

My faith has a similar fasting period. I always gain weight. You're just so hungry once the sun goes down! I'd say your best bet is to have a large, protein heavy breakfast before sunrise, as protein digests more slowly. Also, I'm personally much less likely to overeat around others, so perhaps breaking the fast with others would help. Good luck!

With all due respect, fats digest the slowest. But protein is definitely much better for satiety.

rachmaree

Some good advice in this thraed. Stick to your calorie goal and you will be fine. I personally would allow for a bigger iftar meal, but that is just me. I found going without water far more difficult than food anyway.

likeschocolate

Peace,

From about 15-20 years of fasting experience, i don't think you either lose too much or gain too much weight during Ramadan.
As previous posters have mentioned--that depends on your caloric intake. Metabolism isn't affected much either -- think of it as missing lunch.

Overall, I found my workplace productivity went up during Ramadan and I could sleep in later (didn't have to spend 30 mins doing breakfast/lunch prep in the mornings). But, as you mention, the primary benefit is growing one's soul closer to God and building self-discipline.

As for the pre-dawn meal -- personally, I like yogurt, fruits, nuts & protein powder. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogurt#Nutritional_value_and_health_benefits . Eating a balanced meal with sufficient proteins, fiber, vitamins, etc. is helpful.

Re: workouts: may depend on what time you break fast and how. When I worked with a trainer, we'd schedule for 1-2 hours after breaking the fast (a light meal). I found it helpful to be able to workout at a time when i could drink water either during or after the workout.

Wish you all the best.

tas3980

Thanks for posting about this topic!! While I am not a muslim, I live in a muslim country and I observe Ramadan... it makes me feel very spiritual! I was worried about the exact same thing because I didn't want to 'fall off the wagon' during Ramadan so thank you all for your enlightenment!

Ramadan Kareem in advance!

ayfa

You'll be fine, just be sure to wake up before Fajr to eat otherwise, you'll get really hungry as the days are long.

You'll be fine iA, I doubt u will gain anything!

LizziesReversingDiabetes

Hey Girl - I've ordered a book on Fasting written by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, I've read and now live by his Eat to Live book. He fasts all of his patients at first to "reset" their bodies from salt, sugar etc. People fast for days at a time drinking only water, it doesn't affect your blood sugar. You'll be fine.