Religious Fasting

sammijdee

I am a Christian woman with a very strong faith. My church is doing a community fast for the next 21 days and there are a few different options for how to fast. My personal choice is to do what is called a Jewish fast, which is no food from sun up to sun down. I know that I still need to consume at least 1,200 calories for obvious health reasons. I just have a few questions for those who have done anything like this, whether for religious purposes or not.

FYI: I plan on eating breakfast before the sun rises and dinner after the sun sets.

1. Should I alter the types of food I am eating? For example: more protein & fiber to sustain me longer?
2. How should I exercise during this time to ensure that I have adequate energy?
3. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated! It's only 21 days.

Thanks!

Athijade

Good for you for trying to do this is a healthy way while still respecting your faith! I just had to give you some props for that first.

I would make sure to increase my protein and healthy fats during the times I was eating. To me these are the things that keep ME from feeling too hungry too quickly.

For exercise I am not too sure. Working out makes me hungry so that wouldn't be a good combination! What times are you planning on working out?

Make sure to stay hydrated!

Admiral_Derp

If you're only eating two meals, I would add higher carb foods as well to make sure you hit your calorie goals and have a solid energy level. You can also pull back on the intensity of your workouts during this time, just a little. It'll be hard to hit everything perfectly, but try to get as close as possible.

SideSteel

1. Should I alter the types of food I am eating? For example: more protein & fiber to sustain me longer?
2. How should I exercise during this time to ensure that I have adequate energy?
3. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated! It's only 21 days.

1) Wouldn't hurt, but it also might not be necessary to change much depending on your appetite. You could just eat your daily intake over the course of two meals (a large breakfast and a large dinner).

2) That would depend on how you're able to eat. If you can still get a days worth of nutrition over two meals (many people can) then you could workout the same as you are now.

3) You may want to look into more calorie dense foods if food volume becomes an issue.

See if you can eat a big breakfast and a big dinner while still getting close to your calorie and macro targets.

Admiral_Derp

Calorie-dense! That's the term I was looking for instead of higher-carb.

rml_16

If you're doing a Jewish fast -- TRULY doing a Jewish fast -- you are not allowed water during fasting hours. I wouldn't do any strenuous exercise when you can't hydrate.

BamBam125

I am a Christian woman with a very strong faith. My church is doing a community fast for the next 21 days and there are a few different options for how to fast. My personal choice is to do what is called a Jewish fast, which is no food from sun up to sun down. I know that I still need to consume at least 1,200 calories for obvious health reasons. I just have a few questions for those who have done anything like this, whether for religious purposes or not.

FYI: I plan on eating breakfast before the sun rises and dinner after the sun sets.

1. Should I alter the types of food I am eating? For example: more protein & fiber to sustain me longer?
2. How should I exercise during this time to ensure that I have adequate energy?
3. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated! It's only 21 days.

Thanks!

Just curious, why do they call that a Jewish fast? Most Jews (including my husband) I know that fast for holidays go 24 hours--aka sundown to sundown. There are a few ways to get "out" of a Jewish fast---youth, old age, medical needs (like taking medication with a meal), and pregnant/nursing mothers. They also avoid drinking water. It's usually pretty short, like one day total.

What you are calling a "Jewish" fast sounds more like Muslim Ramadan in a way, I think--but they do that for a longer time (like a month), so eating after sundown is necessary because it goes on for so long.

While I don't consider Wikipedia a very academic source, it does give pretty good general info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting
Compare the Judaism section to the Islam section and you'll see what I'm talking about.

rml_16

Just curious, why do they call that a Jewish fast? Most Jews (including my husband) I know that fast for holidays go 24 hours--aka sundown to sundown. There are a few ways to get "out" of a Jewish fast---youth, old age, medical needs (like taking medication with a meal), and pregnant/nursing mothers. They also avoid drinking water. It's usually pretty short, like 24 hours total.

My family is Reform and they fast sunup to sundown.

BamBam125

Just curious, why do they call that a Jewish fast? Most Jews (including my husband) I know that fast for holidays go 24 hours--aka sundown to sundown. There are a few ways to get "out" of a Jewish fast---youth, old age, medical needs (like taking medication with a meal), and pregnant/nursing mothers. They also avoid drinking water. It's usually pretty short, like 24 hours total.

My family is Reform and they fast sunup to sundown.

Ah, his family is conservative. Maybe that's the difference.

bounedjar

i am muslim and we fast simalar to jewish fast no food,water,candy or anything from sun up to sun down. we eat before sun rise which for me most the time consist of some type of bread maybe english muffin or bagel ,lots and lots of water and a banana. bananas just seem to feel me up and last longer than other fruits, and of course COFFEE. Dinner (after sunset)always consist of a soup its easy on the stomach after a fast. we also will have some sort of main dish (chichen or fish cooked with veggies). I exercise at night when fasting normally a hour or so after eating and then will eat a lite snack before going to bed. you will be hungry for the first few days but as your stomach shrinks it will get easier. i have even fasted while pregnant and never had a problem. we fast for 30 days and i normally lose 10 or more pounds even without counting calories and eating sweets at night. good luck to you

35khris

Check out Eat, Stop, Eat or Intermittent Fasting.

sammijdee

The type of fast is Jewish (like individual day) but the duration is for other purposes. I'm not wholly concerned with discussing the faith portion, just the nutritional portion. Thanks for the information though.

fightininggirl

I am likewise a christian and our church called for the same thing too. I am going to try the Daniel one. I need to learn to eat more fruits, veggies and less meat. so this is perfect for me.

rml_16

Just curious, why do they call that a Jewish fast? Most Jews (including my husband) I know that fast for holidays go 24 hours--aka sundown to sundown. There are a few ways to get "out" of a Jewish fast---youth, old age, medical needs (like taking medication with a meal), and pregnant/nursing mothers. They also avoid drinking water. It's usually pretty short, like 24 hours total.

My family is Reform and they fast sunup to sundown.

Ah, his family is conservative. Maybe that's the difference.

Probably, The more strict sects do things very differently.

My father's cousin married an Orthodox Jew. He does not drive or ride the bus or anything on the Sabbath and women and men are segregated at Synagogue. And they keep kosher (separate dishes and everything).

My Reform relaives eat shellfish and bacon. lol And most of them only go to temple on high holidays.

theblitz

I know a lot of Muslims gain weight during Ramadan because they eat a lot at once when they are permitted to and then fast in between-- in which time the body tries to hang on to what they did get and store it as fat.
Good luck.

Admiral_Derp

Either way, from the fitness perspective, I think it's really important to stay hydrated. If it doesn't violate the rules that you're setting out for your personal fast, drink plenty of water. Especially if you are continuing your workout!

vim_n_vigor

As far as the exercise portion goes, I would try to do it around the times you can eat. I generally prefer to eat in the morning before I eat. You could try that. It might be more comfortable to do it in the evening though if you get pretty hungry in the hours after you exercise. I personally would try for over 1200 calories each of the days if you are comfortable getting that much food in during the hours you can. It should help with energy levels during the day.

Skinny_minny_mo

Hi there,

Fasting has many benefits including spirutual, so good for you for giving it a bash!

I'm Muslim and therefore fast from sunrise to sunset. It's important to still have breakfast - i.e wake up slightly earlier and have something nutritious. For me it usually a bowl of filling oats, some dates, water and a banana. The foods keep me full for longer.

When breaking your fast, try not to go overboard! It's easy to feel deprived and feel the need to fulfil all your cravings from before. Stick to soups and lighter foods, drink plenty of water, and have a heavier meal later in the evening. i also eat lots of veggies and salads - foods which i usually eat - but just break it up over the evening.

All the best! 21 days isnt that long and it's amazing how quickly your body will get used to it.

sammijdee

Either way, from the fitness perspective, I think it's really important to stay hydrated. If it doesn't violate the rules that you're setting out for your personal fast, drink plenty of water. Especially if you are continuing your workout!

For medical purposes, I have to be able to consume water throughout the day to take my medicines. Hydration will not be an issue.

rml_16

Either way, from the fitness perspective, I think it's really important to stay hydrated. If it doesn't violate the rules that you're setting out for your personal fast, drink plenty of water. Especially if you are continuing your workout!

For medical purposes, I have to be able to consume water throughout the day to take my medicines. Hydration will not be an issue.

But if you're truly fasting, you would take a sip to swallow your pills and not drink an entire glass (unless that's required medically).

BamBam125

My family is Reform and they fast sunup to sundown.

Ah, his family is conservative. Maybe that's the difference.

Probably, The more strict sects do things very differently.

My father's cousin married an Orthodox Jew. He does not drive or ride the bus or anything on the Sabbath and women and men are segregated at Synagogue. And they keep kosher (separate dishes and everything).

My Reform relaives eat shellfish and bacon. lol And most of them only go to temple on high holidays.

Ah, getting off topic but I guess the difference in fasting makes sense for the different sects. Conservative is in the middle between Orthodox and Reform for following traditions. Hubby only keeps kosher for holidays (loves shrimp, scallops, BBQ pork and such like a good southern boy after all, although he just plain doesn't like bacon) and working/driving on Sabbath is not a big deal... Unless one lives close enough to a temple to walk there (unlikely in the South) it's pretty hard to avoid using a car to get to Shabbat services after all. Services do include a lot of Hebrew, but they aren't segregated by gender. In fact, the current rabbi is female. They do clean out the pantries for Passover still, which I think is a good tradition for everyone regardless of religion--aka spring cleaning! I only think a few people in the congregation use separate pots/pans for keeping foods separate for Kosher cooking though. I think some of that is regional though... It's pretty hard to eat kosher full time in the south. Unless you are in Florida with all the northern retirees, there aren't a lot of kosher restaurants and grocery stores can be finicky about what they carry in this region.

I guess I just thought it odd that a Christian church would have a "Ramadan style" fast and yet call it "Jewish"... *shrugs* It seems like an arbitrary name.

Back on topic: Since you are only missing one meal, I would just adjust your calorie count accordingly. This time of year the days are short, so the timing of breakfast and dinner won't be that greatly affected. You can probably also use a slow cooker a fair bit for the 21 days. After breakfast set your slow cooker up and then by the time you get home after work (assuming a 9-5ish job) the sun will be about to set and dinner will be ready. You'll spend less of your evening preparing the meal and it'll give you time in the evening to exercise if you would like to.

sammijdee

It's medically required. The medicines I take cause extreme stomach problems for me so water helps a lot. I have to continually drink water throughout the day.

LernRach

So, actually Jewish fast is an amusing name for it as there are two forms of jewish fasting. There is the 25 hour one, (Yom Kippur etc) and there are the "minor" fasts which are, as you said, sunrise to sunset.

From personal experience, as a Jew, I have found that I eat things like rice pudding and watermelon, as these seem to be the things that keep you full for the longest. I have never worried about counting calories to make sure you have 1,200. You eat what you need. Being over stuffed doesn't really seem to help so wouldnt try that tactic either.

LernRach

Just curious, why do they call that a Jewish fast? Most Jews (including my husband) I know that fast for holidays go 24 hours--aka sundown to sundown. There are a few ways to get "out" of a Jewish fast---youth, old age, medical needs (like taking medication with a meal), and pregnant/nursing mothers. They also avoid drinking water. It's usually pretty short, like 24 hours total.

My family is Reform and they fast sunup to sundown.

Ah, his family is conservative. Maybe that's the difference.

Probably, The more strict sects do things very differently.

My father's cousin married an Orthodox Jew. He does not drive or ride the bus or anything on the Sabbath and women and men are segregated at Synagogue. And they keep kosher (separate dishes and everything).

My Reform relaives eat shellfish and bacon. lol And most of them only go to temple on high holidays.

I'm actually one of "those Orthodox Jews" don't drive on Saturday, separate dishes, Kosher, the works... but yes, the way the different sects of Judaism fast is very different...

BamBam125

Thanks for the clarification Lern!

Bob314159

There are 2 Jewish full day fasts -- sundown to sundown - around 25 hours, the rest are daybreak to sundown. Neither allows water.

newnan6

As Lent approaches, I am gearing up for a heart felt sacrifice and fasting. Not sure what that will look like, but I am prayerfully considering how I will experience Lent this year.