RAMADAN

I am not a Muslim either, but I know that 21 hours of fasting will NOT put you in starvation mode. It takes at least 72 hours for that to have any effect. Many people have been successful at losing weight during a fast. It all comes down to the total calories for the day consumed being less than what is used (in vs. out).

72 hours? Wrong! Google "Starvation mode myth".

I've done that. I thought I learned that any kind of extra metabolic slowdown from not eating anything would take at least 72 hours to start setting in, and it would be a small percentage. I wasn't referring to actual starvation. Am I misunderstanding something? I was just trying to express that if we're talking about 21 hours, starvation mode is definitely not a player.

I will be fasting...even though my TOM will start around the time we begin(not pleased::mad: ). Unfortunately for me I can't eat a whole lot during that time but I drink a lot of water. As for exercise, I'm not sure but if anything,I may be jumping rope.

I'm not an expert on Islam, but aren't you allowed to not fast during menstration? I know a lot of muslims and last year I asked a lot of questions like do diabetics have to fast, pregnant women, etc. and they told me that menstration was another circumstance in which you are permitted to abstain from fasting.

This is true. Women do not have to fast during their time of the month, but are suppose to make it up after Ramadan is over.

Not to derail the topic of this thread, but what about diabetics? It wouldn't be feasible for them to fast at any point. I'm assuming they just don't make it up and they're permanently excused, right?

I'm not Muslim, but I know many people who are and who fast during Ramadan. It's important to try and eat the same amount of calories you did before Ramadan. Once the sun goes down, stuff your face with calories. It may be hard to eat that many calories in a short time, so consider eating calorically dense foods like peanut butter, whey protein, ice cream, butter, olive oil, etc

My ex is Muslim, and that's exactly what he did. As soon as the sun went down, he was eating like there was no tomorrow. He actually lost about 4 lbs. during the process, though he certainly didn't need to.

Good luck!

I will be fasting...even though my TOM will start around the time we begin(not pleased::mad: ). Unfortunately for me I can't eat a whole lot during that time but I drink a lot of water. As for exercise, I'm not sure but if anything,I may be jumping rope.

I'm not an expert on Islam, but aren't you allowed to not fast during menstration? I know a lot of muslims and last year I asked a lot of questions like do diabetics have to fast, pregnant women, etc. and they told me that menstration was another circumstance in which you are permitted to abstain from fasting.

This is true. Women do not have to fast during their time of the month, but are suppose to make it up after Ramadan is over.

Not to derail the topic of this thread, but what about diabetics? It wouldn't be feasible for them to fast at any point. I'm assuming they just don't make it up and they're permanently excused, right?

if the medical condition is like diabetes in which you know fasting can be a problem for health and you wont be fast even after the ramadan ends .... you are not required to fast .... but you have to feed the poor instead .... but if the condition is temporary (like i was required to take medicine during the day and it was compulsary to take it at that time) then you have to fast for the same number of days as you missed anytime during the year ..... ramadan is not only about staying hungry .... it is the month to empower your self control .... it teaches you when you can leave the things which are permissible in this month then why cant you leave bad things for the rest of the year .... it makes you feel the pain of the people who are not as fortunate as us as we know we wont be able to eat anything for 16-18 hours but then we have enough that we can eat but they know they might not have anything to eat even after that .... it is a very spiritual and calming month .... it is the training for the rest of the year to resist the bad temptations and do good .... i have always loved ramadan .... even when i was a kid .... and still wait for it the whole year

I have several friends and family who are type 1 and 2 diabetics. Both have actually seen improvement in their diabetic condition (lower blood sugar levels, fewer spikes, etc). If you are a Type 1 diabetic you need to fast with a doctor's supervision and if the doctor deems it unhealthy to go without insulin throughout the fasting period than it's permitted not to fast. The person would have to make up for the lack of fasting in some other way such as feeding the poor or other types of charity.

Is anyone interested in doing a weight loss bet?! MESSAGE ME!

Salam,

A recent Czech study claimed that eating 2 meals a day helps weight loss.
Well, we break our fast at sunset, then eat again before sunrise. Perfect!

It's not too hard to get the nutrients you need. For instance, if your goal is 1500, you can have 800-900 at sunset and 600-700 at sunrise! Just make sure you're getting the nutrients (i.e, no junk food!)

Ramadan Kareem

Salam,

A recent Czech study claimed that eating 2 meals a day helps weight loss.
Well, we break our fast at sunset, then eat again before sunrise. Perfect!

It's not too hard to get the nutrients you need. For instance, if your goal is 1500, you can have 800-900 at sunset and 600-700 at sunrise! Just make sure you're getting the nutrients (i.e, no junk food!)

Ramadan Kareem

Do your sleeping patterns get messed up during Ramadan?

Not really. You can eat before bedtime or just wake up before sunrise for 30-60 minutes to eat.

I'm not muslim, but some people do intermittent fasting, which means their window for eating is only a few hours (5 I think), so it's a similar idea because they fast for the rest of the day.

Those who partake in what they refer to as "IF" still make sure to get all of their alloted calories in, or the body will go in to starvation mode. Not right away, but gradually...your body will hold on to every last ounce it can at that point so you want to avoid it.

You sure treat your fasting for ramadan in the same fashion. Just because you are required to fast that does not mean that your body requires less calories for that time period.

Hope that helped.

im also muslim and i will be fasting this month for ramadan.
my advice is to eat lean, wholesome foods full of protein and fibre.
eat calorie dense foods because if you try to squeeze in what you would eat in a day into the space of a couple of hours your stomach will stretch and you'll get hungry quickly.
also, dont stop working out!
im a 198lb woman doing p90x (6 x 1hour workouts a week), have done nearly 1/3 of the program and will not stop during ramadan.
what i plan on doing is breaking my fast with dates (fibre), watermelon and banana (fibre) then do my workout. the fruits will lightly fill you so that you have energy to exercise and that you wont feel drained. that way, i am rest assured that my metabolism will not slow right down

im also muslim and i will be fasting this month for ramadan.
my advice is to eat lean, wholesome foods full of protein and fibre.
eat calorie dense foods because if you try to squeeze in what you would eat in a day into the space of a couple of hours your stomach will stretch and you'll get hungry quickly.
also, dont stop working out!
im a 198lb woman doing p90x (6 x 1hour workouts a week), have done nearly 1/3 of the program and will not stop during ramadan.
what i plan on doing is breaking my fast with dates (fibre), watermelon and banana (fibre) then do my workout. the fruits will lightly fill you so that you have energy to exercise and that you wont feel drained. that way, i am rest assured that my metabolism will not slow right down

Wow. Magrib comes in so late. I have a family that I am responsible for feeding and cleaning up after. Are you single? I don't have an hour so late to work out and then have to turn around and wake up to cook sahoor. I hope it goes great and you have a blessed Ramadan!

When is the best time to exercise during Ramadan? There's so much mixed information! I can't exercise on a full stomach (I always feel uncomfortable and get cramps.), so exercising right after I eat in the morning won't be a good option, and waking up before 4 AM (around the time the fasting begins) might not be a very practical option for me. Would it be okay to exercise (cardio) a couple of hours after the day's fast begins, or would that be harmful since I won't be able to 'refuel' until around 8 PM?
Some suggest exercising an hour before the fast is broken, but then others say that exercising on an empty stomach after not eating for over 12 hours is harmful (because it raises cortisol levels and that destroys muscle? is that true?).

Honestly, you just need to exercise at some point during the day. Whatever is most comfortable for you. Either way you likely wont see significant gains during Ramadan, but it is still important to lift weights. so you don't experience too much muscle atrophy throughout the month. I personally prefer to exercise before iftaar by just over an hour, so I can drink water by the end of my workout. I've tried working out early in the day and have found that I'm terribly thirsty throughout the day. Ultimately, it's up to you when you workout.

Great, thanks!


Here is an awesome article to anyone who is taking part in Ramadan or fasting in general: http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html