Ramadan is two weeks away. Let's hear your advice

[Admin]

1.) What foods should do you eat at your pre-sunrise meal for the most nutrient-dense and filling benefits?


2.) How should bulkers/cutters take advantage/make it easier?
3.) Some people have problems standing in prayer since it is so long. Any advice on what to stretch or strengthen to make standing for a long period of time easier?

any other tips you would like to add

 

[Big Mick]

any other tips you would like to add

No.

 

[Timeah]

No.

Heh.

Tim.

 

[Arfwit]

Is Ramadan like intermittent fasting?

 

[Fadi]

To a practicing Muslim, (or to one who is somewhat falling short of his Islamic duties and obligations), Ramadan arrives and brings with it an opportunity for change. This is the time when the whole Muslim world is united into observing this holy month. Bad habits are broken and are replaced by beneficial ones instead. Attitudes change from being mainly temporal focused to ones where the desire for the spiritual is embraced.

The desire of the bellies and the aim to build muscles takes a back seat to one of muscle maintenance. Having said that, experience has taught me that whatever muscle is lost during the month of Ramadan is swiftly regained back within two weeks after Ramadan’s departure.

So what physiological changes take place as one begins to fast?

The human body has an astonishing ability to adapt, and once the first headaches and slight feelings of hunger are over, the body adapts pretty quickly to its new physiological clock.

After about two days of fasting, (without having prepared for it at all), one’s metabolism quickly slows down. This is not a new phenomenon but an old one that the body utilises to increase its chances of survival. An example is in orderat this point I believe:

Say you and I are both bricklayers. You’re a non-Muslim and I’m a Muslim. We’ve always done the same thing as far as taking a smoko here and a lunch break there etc. We wear hats when it’s sunny to keep cool in the hot sun but we also drink plenty to prevent dehydration. Suddenly, I’m fasting!

After two days of fasting, I lose my desire to drink or eat. My perspiration is virtually none existent whilst you are still perspiring profusely in the hot sun. My body has slowed right down in burning anything and now has gone into a preservation mode. At a time other than Ramadan, one would be feeling hunger pangs and dizziness etc. if there was a prolonged (say 16 hours) of no food or liquid intake; not in Ramadan!

No sane Muslim is going to run a marathon or go to the gym and have a blast of a workout when he’s fasting. That can wait till after sunset when he can break his daily fast.

Again, it’s important to keep two points in mind here. The first is, one may desire to go to the mosque for the Muslim congregational prayer instead of going to the gym or going for a run after observing the fast all day long. Priorities do change in this holy month and Muslims act unconsciously without too much effort on their part.. It’s as if one is suddenly instinctively driven.

It’s important to realise that Ramadan does no arrive to make life miserable for the fasting Muslim no, and on the contrary, it comes to strengthen him and make him a better person on all levels: physically, psychologically, and of course spiritually.

There are always exceptions and exemptions to fasting during Ramadan.

The mentally challenged are fully exempt.

Children under the age of puberty are exempt. However by the age of 10, they are encouraged to fast for half a day here and there, and building up to a full day or two, before increasing this as they get older.

Travelling on a journey exempts one from fasting.

Permanently ill people with ailments such as cancer, AIDS, TB, diabetes and the like, are exempt. However these Muslims are required to give a poor daily food during this holy month. They are not required to make up for not fasting with fasting after Ramadan is over due to the nature of their permanent illness.

There are other exemptions of course granted by Islam.

1.) What foods should do you eat at your pre-sunrise meal for the mostnutrient-dense and filling benefits?

Different Muslims from different cultures have different food preferences. Lebanese Arabs would mainly eat some "labneh" with some vegetables http://allrecipes.com/recipe/labneh-lebanese-cream-cheese/, eggs, cheese, Lebanese bread and drink some tea.

2.) How should bulkers/cutters take advantage/make it easier?

As I've stated in my main message; priorities do change, and the gain or loss is not significant to such a point as to warrant some special concern.

3.) Some people have problems standing in prayer since it is so long.Any advice on what to stretch or strengthen to make standing for a long periodof time easier?

Perhaps if one is 80 years old, one may have few problems standing for those long prayers in Ramadan. However such a person may sit on a chair and conduct his prayer in a sitting fashion. I've never seen or heard of any healthy / fit Muslim having an issue with a 30 minutes or so of standing, kneeling, and prostrating.



Fadi.

 

[Rugby88]

Had a few mates who have to do this - it wasnt so much the not eating - but the not drinking water they had a problem with.

The eating part would be fairly easy - once you get into the swing of things - def the not drinking (water) part is the hardest.

 

[steveP]

Good thread. Yes, I agree that breaking the habit of sipping on water is the hardest. It also builds will power and is a good annual reminder to appreciate food.

I plan on banking my breakfast and morning shake together. Then at night have my regular dinner, and then half of my usual lunch before bed instead of my protein shake.

I've been bulking for 5 months, so it will be a wind-down phase to my maintenance nutritional plan before shredding for the Max's challenge.

 

[manyak]

[MENTION=2727]Fadi[/MENTION]; I know you said priorities change during Ramadan, but do you ever try and use it to achieve something you wouldn't generally go for? ie your being forced to fast, so may as well use it to cut down your bf %

 

[Fadi]

I'm not sure where you got your information on Islam from, but I'm not aware of any Muslim being forced to observe the holy month of Ramadan. Secondly, I would not use Ramadan for cutting on body fat percentages because in Ramadan, your metabolism would actually slow down a notch due to both food and water restrictions. I'm sure there are Muslin scholars who would not even allow for competitive bodybuilding, just as they would not allow for boxing etc... but that's an altogether different subject which is not for this forum.



Fadi.