I'm fasting. Help!

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YanmiYann
YanmiYann Posts: 33 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm fasting for the month (for religious purposes) and I can't for the life of me figure out how to eat and exercise. Today was day 1 and I only consumed 700 calories and 2 cups of water. Didn't workout as I wasn't feeling up to it and wasn't even sure I should.

How do you eat and workout during a fast and not stop your weight loss goal?
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Replies

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    You're going to have to explain what you mean by "fasting for the month" before we can give you any reasonable advice.
  • YanmiYann
    YanmiYann Posts: 33 Member
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    I'm not eating and drinking from waking up until after 7 at night daily. Does that help?
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
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    Op, you have to get your nutrition in somehow. If it were me I would eat a big meal at 7 and a smaller one at bedtime.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    Usually such fasts allow you to eat something before sunrise and then to eat again after sunset. I am thinking of Ramadhan.

    Are you sure this is safe?
  • YanmiYann
    YanmiYann Posts: 33 Member
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    At big meal to get me around 1200 calories? Sometimes I struggle to get there on a regular day.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    Well, for Ramadhan, usually there is a feast meal in the evening--almost like Thanksgiving, but with different foods, depending on the culture.

    People don't exercise much during that month.

    I am familiar with traditions in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. I've had lots of students in the US (from many different countries) who are fasting for Ramadhan and they are DRAGGING in class, especially if the month falls during the longer days of the year.

    You could eat 1200 calories during a big meal, but when are you going to have energy to exercise?
  • YanmiYann
    YanmiYann Posts: 33 Member
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    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    Usually such fasts allow you to eat something before sunrise and then to eat again after sunset. I am thinking of Ramadhan.

    Are you sure this is safe?

    Oh. It's perfectly okay. I've done it before, just not while working out.
  • YanmiYann
    YanmiYann Posts: 33 Member
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    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    Well, for Ramadhan, usually there is a feast meal in the evening--almost like Thanksgiving, but with different foods, depending on the culture.

    People don't exercise much during that month.

    I am familiar with traditions in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. I've had lots of students in the US (from many different countries) who are fasting for Ramadhan and they are DRAGGING in class, especially if the month falls during the longer days of the year.

    You could eat 1200 calories during a big meal, but when are you going to have energy to exercise?

    That was my thought exactly. I'm not sure I can exercise. Will have to put it on pause I guess.
  • YanmiYann
    YanmiYann Posts: 33 Member
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    You're going to have to explain what you mean by "fasting for the month" before we can give you any reasonable advice.

    I'm not eating and drinking from waking up until after 7 at night daily. Does that help?
  • hearthwood
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
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    700 calories a day for a month is going to make you weak and lethargic. Exercising would be out of the question.
  • YanmiYann
    YanmiYann Posts: 33 Member
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    hearthwood wrote: »
    700 calories a day for a month is going to make you weak and lethargic. Exercising would be out of the question.

    I figured as much. Darn it. Was trying to hold out hope I wouldn't have to stop.
  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Is there any reason you can't eat more calories after 7pm? Many people do intermittent fasting as a lifestyle choice, and choose to eat all their calories in one meal. Is there any restriction on the type of food you can eat? If you are finding it hard to fit in all those calories, maybe you should look at more calorie-dense foods. If I found myself at the end of the day with 1200 calories left, I reckon I could be satisfied with a meal of around 6-700 calories, then I'd blow the rest on chocolate and ice-cream :D
  • lalepepper
    lalepepper Posts: 447 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I do IF and often don't eat until about 7. Drinking plenty of water helps - 2C is very low, and I'd definitely recommend more. I spread my calories over 2 bigger meals and plenty of interspersed snacks in my eating window. You might want to add some more calorically dense foods like nuts or vegetable oils to help boost calories. 700 cal/day over the month is going to make you miserable!

    Exercise wise you could consider some light walking, or not exercise much if you're having difficulty fitting in calories.
  • mwapem
    mwapem Posts: 16 Member
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    YanmiYann wrote: »
    I'm fasting for the month (for religious purposes) and I can't for the life of me figure out how to eat and exercise. Today was day 1 and I only consumed 700 calories and 2 cups of water. Didn't workout as I wasn't feeling up to it and wasn't even sure I should.

    How do you eat and workout during a fast and not stop your weight loss goal?

    I have done a religious fast as well and I think during that time it's not good to focus on other things other than your purpose in fasting otherwise good eating and weight loss can easily make a fast a diet. Naturally as you fast you make lose weight because of changes in eating and exercise patterns.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    You're going to lose a ton of weight eating 700ish calories everyday for month, not to mention you'll be struggling to hit your macros. Is weight loss also one of your goals?
    As the others have said, wouldn't be exercising
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    If I were doing something like this, I might try very gentle exercise (walking, swimming) in the early morning.

    You kind of have to see how you feel and go from there.

    Some religious fasts exclude water during the day and even things like gum.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    YanmiYann wrote: »
    I'm not eating and drinking from waking up until after 7 at night daily. Does that help?

    But, do you eat your maintenance calories during a certain time then? I hope I don't come across as offensive, but it seems to me religious fasting would not entail being on a very low calorie diet for an entire month because it would be dangerous to anyone's health.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    YanmiYann wrote: »
    At big meal to get me around 1200 calories? Sometimes I struggle to get there on a regular day.

    Are you also on a weight loss journey? I ask because 1200 is low, and I can't imagine that being maintenance calories.
  • kramrn77
    kramrn77 Posts: 375 Member
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    As said, up your calories during early morning or evening meals and for the love of your body get more then 2c of water a day! For a month you are risking, at the very least, kidney stones. Not to mention acute kidney failure if that's all the water your going to be getting for a month coupled with low caloric intakes. Seriously, I passed a 7cm kidney stone. Took a week. I don't recommend it.
  • kramrn77
    kramrn77 Posts: 375 Member
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    That should be 7mm. But to be fair it felt like 7cm!

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