Ramadan is coming

jbootman
jbootman Posts: 145 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
so sleep is really my challenge during Ramadan, I can get up early, eat, pray and then off to exercise, I can deal with the hunger and thirst, I will rest midday, but this year magrib is so late, here about 8pm, and then eating and drinking in order to keep hydrated results in being up all night in the loo,

other years I just have born it, but this year I have been going to sleep very early, 7 or 8 so that I can get up to go exercise at 4am and that has been a successful schedule for me, but thinking that I will be awake until 10pm or later is worrysome,

so what do you plan, your schedule, your sleep

please share

Replies

  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    Yes, but don't you guys party like a rock star once the daily fast ends?
    :drinker:
    I am not religious, but I love a god party.
    And it's also my downfall when it comes to food. NO CONTROL.
    In Islam, drinking is minimal - right? And only clean animals - no pork, shellfish..ect....

    Today, we know these things are not good even though I might still indulge but in moderation.
    I would not make the best Muslim:bigsmile:
    Or Christian, Jew, Shinto.....lol
  • hunny73
    hunny73 Posts: 112 Member
    Sleep, water, food!! Feel deprived of all of these during Ramadan but somehow manage it every year :) Last year i tried to eat healthily and exercise about 1/2 an hour just before the end of fast. It didn't always go as planned but i tried. I'm going to try again this year and see how it goes. i've just joined a mfp group and am hoping more people will join so we can support each other in Ramadan.
  • bhankiii
    bhankiii Posts: 217 Member
    lol @ "god party"

    I'm not Muslim, or much of anything, but I have some Muslim neighbors that I'm fond of. I've been thinking about joining in the Ramadan fast this year, and taking the money I save on food and donating it to a charity. Not as a religious exercise but more as, I guess, an exercise in humanity. I get up well before sunrise and work past sunset, so I think for me the only real challenge would be skipping lunch, and, the part I'm not sure I can do - giving up my 9A, 12PM, and 3PM coffees.

    I read so much on this site about people hating being "hungry", as if anyone here really knows what real hunger is like. But every hour of every day 1,000 children die from starvation. So, yes - I think I'll try to fast for a month, and send the savings to charity. Think of it like running a charity marathon.
  • amirdanial
    amirdanial Posts: 1
    lol @ "god party"

    I'm not Muslim, or much of anything, but I have some Muslim neighbors that I'm fond of. I've been thinking about joining in the Ramadan fast this year, and taking the money I save on food and donating it to a charity. Not as a religious exercise but more as, I guess, an exercise in humanity. I get up well before sunrise and work past sunset, so I think for me the only real challenge would be skipping lunch, and, the part I'm not sure I can do - giving up my 9A, 12PM, and 3PM coffees.

    I read so much on this site about people hating being "hungry", as if anyone here really knows what real hunger is like. But every hour of every day 1,000 children die from starvation. So, yes - I think I'll try to fast for a month, and send the savings to charity. Think of it like running a charity marathon.

    wow my friend, your idea is a great idea. in my country most people(muslims) finish all their savings from fasting month to buy new clothes n stuffs to celebrate the end of ramadhan. thanks for the idea, i think im gonna used it :)
  • jumpyjavajawa
    jumpyjavajawa Posts: 36 Member
    I admire such devotion.
    I don't know how the sunset, sunrise works specifically if it has to be completely down or up, but I live way up north. The sun doesn't finish setting until after midnight and rises around 4am. I wonder how any Muslim people in my area cope.
    I really like the plan to donate all the saved money to charity.
  • rohmaansarii
    rohmaansarii Posts: 39 Member
    OMG we have Muslim brothers and sisters here too :D yaaay :drinker:

    The month of Ramdan has always been a fun month for me.. waking up for sehri, going to school (teachers go easy on us, NO HOMEWORKS) haha.. and everyone becomes extra caring, sweet, humble and all the good things :D and then sleep the rest of the day and then at sunset, yuuum the goodies we get to eat :D AND OFCOURSE THE CONNECTION WITH ALLAH, praying.. It all feels great like it really cleans our body and soul :')

    BUTTT this time I think it's going to be a little different for me coz firstly im on holidays so no school (that's a good news) but then the difficult part is that I dont think I'll be able to keep up with my exercise routines.. :$ But oh well, I'll figure something out :)
  • jbootman
    jbootman Posts: 145 Member
    we have been told that moderation in everything, except that which is forbidden like pork, and so for muslims in very northern or southern areas that choosing a reasonable timeframe is a good way,

    I am a muslim convert and not connected to any party hardy crowd, for our family it is a time of real reflection on the hunger and even more importantly thirst for many of our fellow human beings, so no big feasting, we even are more careful of our water waste,

    Ramadan is what Lent was, serious, but with many personal gifts of insight, it is hard, very hard and I really want to fast, but dawn to dusk without water, and the sleep disruption this year will be especially difficult,

    no more whining, just wondered if there were any better strategies other than exhaustion.
  • Natheera
    Natheera Posts: 6 Member
    Salam! Yeah Ramadan is so close! I plan to wake up early for sahoor, eat something healthy amd high in healthy carbs and then break my fast on some fruits and have a healthy dinner! Am still going to calorie count though! I plan to exercise about 3 to 4 times a week at night though..I couldn't do it while fasting even half hour before iftar coz I probably faint haha!
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
    Do you get Ramadan off from work?
  • Natheera
    Natheera Posts: 6 Member
    Salam! Yeah Ramadan is so close! I plan to wake up early for sahoor, eat something healthy amd high in healthy carbs and then break my fast on some fruits and have a healthy dinner! Am still going to calorie count though! I plan to exercise about 3 to 4 times a week at night though..I couldn't do it while fasting even half hour before iftar coz I probably faint haha!
  • NocturnalGirl
    NocturnalGirl Posts: 1,762
    Well meal timing and frequency doesn't matter so just because the timings change it doesn't mean anything else has to. So it just changes to two bigger meals a day to make up for the calories, it didn't say to deprive ourselves once it is broken after sunset. As for your workout, I think it's best to do it at night time as you would have more energy once you've eaten or perhaps before sunrise and then fuel up. It's kind of like intermittent fasting because you are just fasting for a part of the day, not a full day. But overall, focus on the religious aspect and the true reason you are doing this. Good luck :)
  • kathyms13
    kathyms13 Posts: 497 Member
    id like to try the Ramadan, my calls are a bit low so i think i can do it. gonna give it a go.
  • kathyms13
    kathyms13 Posts: 497 Member
    lol @ "god party"

    I'm not Muslim, or much of anything, but I have some Muslim neighbors that I'm fond of. I've been thinking about joining in the Ramadan fast this year, Not as a religious exercise but more as, I guess, an exercise in humanity. I get up well before sunrise and work past sunset, so I think for me the only real challenge would be skipping lunch, and, the part I'm not sure I can do - giving up my 9A, 12PM, and 3PM coffees.

    I read so much on this site about people hating being "hungry", as if anyone here really knows what real hunger is like. But every hour of every day 1,000 children die from starvation.

    i so agree with the bit about people starving, we are told we have to eat so many calls but we realy dont know what its like to starve.
  • ameena76
    ameena76 Posts: 18
    Try to eat as healthy as possible and exercise if it's possible. When you break your fast eat a small amount, then wait 30 mins or an hour to see how hungry you really are. Ramadan is a beautiful month, so I wouldn't focus on losing weight. Focus on why we are fasting.
  • jamlastsforages
    jamlastsforages Posts: 70
    Hello! I'm Muslim, too!

    This year will be the first year that I will fast with diabetes. I was diagnosed with Type 1 last year, a month before Ramadhan and I was advised not to fast then but I've been managing my condition well so I'm very much looking forward to fasting again.

    I started working out about three months ago and I plan to keep up with working out at home. Here, in Singapore, the sun comes up around 7am or so. My plan is to wake before 5am and squeeze in my workout, then have sahoor, take a nap before subuh prayer and then go about my daily routine. Maghrib is somewhere between 7.15pm and 7.20pm. Should be manageable. If I'm not working then I can fit another workout a couple of hours after breaking fast. :)

    I will continue logging in and unlike the past Ramadhans, I will watch what I eat this year because before I used to go overboard at sunset just because I hadn't eaten the whole day and that was just unhealthy because I ended up bloated, sluggish and generally I felt like crap. Plus, it just screwed up the whole spiritual bit of it. Haha. So good luck to me.
  • neverlost
    neverlost Posts: 121 Member
    Just curious - Can you drink water during the daytime fasting for Ramadan or is it no liquid/no food during the daylight hours?
  • BSummers321
    BSummers321 Posts: 94 Member
    Growing up my non-muslim friends thought that Ramadan meant that I would lose weight, little did they know that when the sun goes down, Muslims go cray with the food and stuff their faces, well they do in my house lol and coming from a South Asian family that means Biryani, Samosas, Keema Patties (puff pastry full of spicy mince/groundmeat, omg my mouth is watering just thinking about them) and the biggest feast ever come Eid time!

    I'm going to be a good girl though, keep doing what I've been doing so far, watch my calories. Eat clean and healthy, I will workout at night, after I break my fast because I'm pretty sure I'd faint without food/water in this heat!

    Hopefully I'll keep losing weight, but I shall have a cheat day on Eid!
  • ameena76
    ameena76 Posts: 18
    Just curious - Can you drink water during the daytime fasting for Ramadan or is it no liquid/no food during the daylight hours?

    No food or any kind of liquids including water during the fasting time.
  • cannonfury2006
    cannonfury2006 Posts: 27 Member
    Ill definitely try and fast this time. I always fail and eat like an hour before the time lol. I do fine during the morning and day because I'm doing stuff but when I get bored I get cravings.
  • africaa
    africaa Posts: 228
    It starts with two weeks left of summer school for me ..so after that two weeks I'm sleeping my days away. lol This is gonna be so hard, but I love the challenege and it's for a good reason :)

    What helps me get through Ramadan is by thinking to myself that there are people out there who don't eat or drink for days and I get to eat and drink at the end of the night so I need to suck it up!

    My goal for Ramadan is to get through the entire Qur'an...still haven't achieved that so this would be the best time!

    God bless & Good luck :)
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2166706/Ramadan-gold-rush-Time-year-Arab-plutocracy-descends-austerity-London-party-spend.html

    hmm before the ramadan seems like all the rich muslims are in the UK spending, spending and them spending some more and flying in the super cars and visiting casinos (thought gambling was a no no?)
  • africaa
    africaa Posts: 228
    Growing up my non-muslim friends thought that Ramadan meant that I would lose weight, little did they know that when the sun goes down, Muslims go cray with the food and stuff their faces, well they do in my house lol and coming from a South Asian family that means Biryani, Samosas, Keema Patties (puff pastry full of spicy mince/groundmeat, omg my mouth is watering just thinking about them) and the biggest feast ever come Eid time!

    I'm going to be a good girl though, keep doing what I've been doing so far, watch my calories. Eat clean and healthy, I will workout at night, after I break my fast because I'm pretty sure I'd faint without food/water in this heat!

    Hopefully I'll keep losing weight, but I shall have a cheat day on Eid!

    I love Eid! That is also gonna be my cheat day...I hope I don't go too crazy though with all that delicious food around lol
  • pavingnewpaths
    pavingnewpaths Posts: 367 Member
    Gah, I was just talking to a friend about what a struggle it's going to be to try and maintain my good eating habits during Ramadan. I tend to overeat once the Magrib hits because when i'm hungry I literally only have food on my mind until I get it, haha.

    What I decided to do was eat something hearty and healthy before Sunrise. I have work at 9 and we're usually so unbelievably busy that I don't even get around to eating until about 5 anyway. But I thought i'd bring a book, or maybe even my sketchbook to keep me busy. And once I get home I would clean or do something to get my mind off of how parched I am.

    Honestly, I think avoiding sleeping the majority of the day is a good idea. For one, it makes you really exhausted and irritable (or maybe that's just me) and even though moving around more might make you hungry/thirsty, it's still better than laying in bed for most of the day. That's why I chose to take a different path this year. I used to sleep most of the day and just pig out at the end which not only wasted the entire day, but made me gain an enormous amount of weight.

    Basically: eat in moderation and don't let yourself get sluggish!
  • jamlastsforages
    jamlastsforages Posts: 70
    I love Eid! That is also gonna be my cheat day...I hope I don't go too crazy though with all that delicious food around lol

    In Singapore, the Eid is celebrated for the whole month of Syawal. I'm not kidding ya. :/
  • jbootman
    jbootman Posts: 145 Member
    so my whining: getting up at about 4 am to eat or not to eat, to drink perhaps, pray then go exercise, 3.2 mi walk and curves circuit training(about 2 hours) home, shower, activities of the day, magrib (sunset about 7-8 pm for the nonmuslim readers), eat my planned healthy meal, and drink liquid --at least 6 cups, 8-10 better, bed, spend the first half going to the toilet every 20 minutes because of all that liquid, so I end up with about 3 hours real sleep, and do not even think about 'special' time with my husband being sure to leave time for ghusl(bathing after)........

    so any of you experienced fasters: any suggestions???

    ashamed, I have no obligations of children or work, lazy self indulgent housewife, ashamed to complain,

    please keep me in your prayers, I would love to be able to keep this month, but A will have to step up and help, this year it is going to be tough,

    julienne
  • bhankiii
    bhankiii Posts: 217 Member
    so my whining: getting up at about 4 am to eat or not to eat, to drink perhaps, pray then go exercise, 3.2 mi walk and curves circuit training(about 2 hours) home, shower, activities of the day, magrib (sunset about 7-8 pm for the nonmuslim readers), eat my planned healthy meal, and drink liquid --at least 6 cups, 8-10 better, bed, spend the first half going to the toilet every 20 minutes because of all that liquid, so I end up with about 3 hours real sleep, and do not even think about 'special' time with my husband being sure to leave time for ghusl(bathing after)........

    so any of you experienced fasters: any suggestions???

    ashamed, I have no obligations of children or work, lazy self indulgent housewife, ashamed to complain,

    please keep me in your prayers, I would love to be able to keep this month, but A will have to step up and help, this year it is going to be tough,

    julienne

    I fast a couple days every week and it's 99% mental. I would suggest that you plan ahead, cook ahead if you can, and stick to your plan. Eat complex carbs and nutrient rich foods, low in sodium. Keep your exercise the slower fat burning kind rather than the more intense muscle burning and dehydrating type. Maybe you can sneak in a nap during the day?

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