Mixing religious fasting with dieting gaols

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cakewalk9
cakewalk9 Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
I had an interesting question.I am Catholic and have been trying to maintain the Lenten fasting that was the traditional fasting before Vatican council 2. I know Catholics are not the only religion that has days of fasting. If I am not mistaken don't Jews and Muslims also have days for fasting days like Ramadan and Yom Kippur? How do you balance the fasting restrictions with the healthy diet goals? Like not being allowed to eat before sun down or sun up. Does this make it more difficult?

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  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
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    That's like showing concern for 1 cup of sand on a beach. Don't over-think it. You are probably talking about a very brief time in the scope of your life, so don't over-analyze something that in the long haul, has very little if any consequence (to you diet goals that is).
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
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    As you say, it's usually not eating during daylight hours. So just eat your calories when you're allowed to eat.
  • many_splendored
    many_splendored Posts: 113 Member
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    Cake, I'm Catholic too - I try to plan ahead on those day so that I have a good nutritious dinner.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Fasting is difficult all around. When I've attempted fasting I obsessed about food. The result was an entirely hedonistic response; not the saintliness I was shooting for. I think least about food when I enter a mindful state and allow all the sensations to pass through me without attachment.

    gaol is an interesting word choice.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    cakewalk9 wrote: »
    How do you balance the fasting restrictions with the healthy diet goals? Like not being allowed to eat before sun down or sun up. Does this make it more difficult?

    What's to balance? The human body evolved specifically to handle stretches without food.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    If it is just not eating during certain times of day, then eat when you can. But it wouldn't hurt most people to skip a day of eating. In much of the world, there are people who wake up in the morning without any assurance that they will have something to eat that day. It is a luxury to be able to decide when to eat.
  • never2bstopped
    never2bstopped Posts: 438 Member
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    I fast one Sunday a month for religious reasons.

    The last thing I eat is sat night and I don't eat again till Monday.

    I allow myself all the liquid I want but keep all cream/sugar out of it.

    I have had no issues staying healthy with this one day of fasting a month.
  • freeoscar
    freeoscar Posts: 82 Member
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    Depending on level of observance, there are 2 full on 24hr (really 25hr) fast days days in Judaism, and numerous semi fast days (sun up to sun down). Fasting means nothing, not even water, so the most important thing is to make sure you are well hydrated the day before. And I try to make sure I eat plenty of protein the day before since that tends to keep me more sated, but no matter what it gets hard towards the end.
    As far as keeping in check w/nutrition goals, it's just too short to matter. In general I'm don't hyper focus on matching everything up over a given day, but over a few days time.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
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    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    cakewalk9 wrote: »
    How do you balance the fasting restrictions with the healthy diet goals? Like not being allowed to eat before sun down or sun up. Does this make it more difficult?

    What's to balance? The human body evolved specifically to handle stretches without food.

    Quoted for truth!!!!

    I follow IF (Intermittent Fasting). I don't eat till after 12 noon every day and stop eating at 8 in the evening. I have had no negative effects. I follow a group on Facebook and there are some that only have a 4 hour window they eat in. I thought I might have trouble missing breakfast but I didn't have any issues. Granted I know some people for health reasons need to eat more regularly but based on my experience and research, I think our frequency of eating now days is a mental thing, not a physical. Disclaimer, I know for some there are medical reasons.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,153 Member
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    I fast one day a week for weight loss. 1) There is nothing unhealthy about this as long as the overall weekly goal results in a moderate deficit. 2) There are health benefits from intermittent fasting like this that have nothing to do with fat loss.

    As a person above stated, don't over think it. There is no danger of any metabolism slow down from complete fasting unless you are fasting more than 72 hours straight.
  • tekkiechikk
    tekkiechikk Posts: 375 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    gaol is an interesting word choice.

    LOL, I thought the same thing!

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