Ramadan Fasting and losing weight
Discussion
Does anyone here have any articles or recommendations on how to lose weight whilst fasting for Ramadan?
I was sitting at 99.4kg on the 18th May. I am currently down to 97kg. I do want to make the most of the month and drop as much as I can. I will try then to maintain it there after which is the tricky bit.
I saw a nurse specializing in cardio health yesterday who said I dont look fat. I look about right. The fact I have a belly is enough for me to say I need to shed the pounds. Also being 5'10 and 97kg is putting me on a rather heavy side of things.
Thanks!
I was sitting at 99.4kg on the 18th May. I am currently down to 97kg. I do want to make the most of the month and drop as much as I can. I will try then to maintain it there after which is the tricky bit.
I saw a nurse specializing in cardio health yesterday who said I dont look fat. I look about right. The fact I have a belly is enough for me to say I need to shed the pounds. Also being 5'10 and 97kg is putting me on a rather heavy side of things.
Thanks!
UpTheIron said:
o offence intended, but that's 15st 2lb in old money isn't it? Are you an incredibly odd shape, as the comment from the nurse sounds rather suspect.
As for weight loss, it sounds to me like you are doing OK as it is and trying too hard probably won't have any positive benefits at this time - your body will be under enough stress as it is. Unless you already exercise vigorously and regularly I would be wary about overdoing it when fasted. I would have thought if weight loss (rather than specific fitness) is the goal then perhaps stick to brisk (long) walks / relatively low intensity exercise whilst maintaining your fasted & reduced balanced diet.
Indeed, I completely agree. I do not understand the nurse at all. Seemed a very odd comment to make. A belly isn't good for anyone. I dont feel hugely confident in his assessment. As for weight loss, it sounds to me like you are doing OK as it is and trying too hard probably won't have any positive benefits at this time - your body will be under enough stress as it is. Unless you already exercise vigorously and regularly I would be wary about overdoing it when fasted. I would have thought if weight loss (rather than specific fitness) is the goal then perhaps stick to brisk (long) walks / relatively low intensity exercise whilst maintaining your fasted & reduced balanced diet.
I do think weight loss in important, slow and steady, as a pose to hard and fast. I am doing 10k steps a day. Cant really do running as my energy levels are low. I struggled to do a mile without slowing right down.
I have a sweet tooth so need to curb that really.
PWeston said:
Intra-day meal frequency has zero effect on metabolic rate and even in the total absence of food it takes 2-3 days minimum for there to be any reduction in metabolic rate.
To the OP, weight loss during Ramadan should come without any real effort if you stick to unprocessed and not overly calorie dense foods.
I think you are right. I have not seen any reduction in weight over the past 2-3 days. It is static at 97kg. I suspect my metabolic rate has stabilized. To the OP, weight loss during Ramadan should come without any real effort if you stick to unprocessed and not overly calorie dense foods.
During the day my weight drops to 96kg (i.e. the weight before fast break). I eat a moderate amount and drink a lot of water. The following day in the morning I am 97kg again.
True, I will track my food intake over the next few days.
Yesterday I had a skewer of chicken, one brown bread pita, a yogurt, maybe 100-150g of mince, a chicken roll, 3 dates, and a packet of crisps.
I tried to do a 2 mile run over the weekend. Really struggled to get a mile down without stopping. Energy levels really drop. I am keen to ensure I don't burn muscle away too.
By the way, thanks folks for your inputs. It is much appreciated.
Yesterday I had a skewer of chicken, one brown bread pita, a yogurt, maybe 100-150g of mince, a chicken roll, 3 dates, and a packet of crisps.
I tried to do a 2 mile run over the weekend. Really struggled to get a mile down without stopping. Energy levels really drop. I am keen to ensure I don't burn muscle away too.
By the way, thanks folks for your inputs. It is much appreciated.
TartanPaint said:
I don't want to sound like I'm on commission here, and other perfectly good ways of eating are available, but really does sound like a keto diet would suit you. It's definitely not for everyone, and I rarely recommend it to others, but it does sound like you'd benefit. Take a look at the FAQ section on www.reddit.com/r/keto for more info. There's a keto diet thread on PH too:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Basically, for energy, your body can either burn sugar (including all types of sugars from fruit, milk, bread, pasta, starchy veg, which all get broken down into sugar) or it can burn fat. Sugar is energy dense, and your body will always prioritise it. To get your body to burn fat efficiently instead, all you have to do is completely deprive it of sugar and carbs for a few days (and put up with a bit of low energy and flu-like symptoms while your body screams out for more sugar! It's like going cold-turkey, but it doesn't last long). Once you're over that, you tailor your diet to a mix of the right amount of protein (for muscle retention) and as much healthy fat as you like (for energy and to stop hunger). But here's the glorious bit. If you eat a little less fat (or if you're fasting, or exercising more, or all of the above, or indeed any other of form of calorie restriction or calorie deficit) your body simply taps into the effectively unlimited fat reserves it handily stores around your waistline in all that flab! Sugar burning people simply cannot do this. They think they can, but really they just get tired and hungry. Fat burners should rarely feel hungry, because the hunger feelings are mostly tied to sugar burning and fluctuation of insulin levels after meals.
This fat burning idea is the basis of the ketogenic diet, and it has proven very successful for weight loss, hunger management, high energy levels, improved focus, athletic endurance (e.g. marathon running, but not so much for high-intensity bursts like sprinters where sugar still wins) and many other benefits (including reversing T2 diabetes because fat burners have very low and stable blood glucose levels, and thus insulin dependency drops).
it's not easy to stick to, because carbs are EVERYWHERE and in EVERYTHING. But it's worth reading up on, because it sounds like it might help your situation.
I think you're eating just enough carbs that you're still a "sugar burner" not a "fat burner" but not enough of anything that you can go a day on your reserves. That means when your small sugar reserves (from your food, and some reserves in your muscle mass) are depleted, you've got nothing left, and your energy crashes. You're probably storing more of the fat you consume than you can access again. Accessing fat reserves requires a complete absence of sugar for an extended period. It's not instant. The fasting will help, but converting to a fat burner and THEN fasting is like a double whammy for weight loss. Your body will rip through stored reserves as long as you don't give it any sugar (which triggers sugar burning and fat storage again) without you feeling hungry, which again helps keep you out the fridge.
Fat burners can run for miles on just water. I fast for 16 hours every day, naturally simply by skipping breakfast. It's easy. I'm never hungry. I do 7 to 10k two or three times a week without so much as a banana before or after.
See what you think. I might not be for you, but it's an option.
This is by far the best explanation I have ever read on the topic of burning fat.https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Basically, for energy, your body can either burn sugar (including all types of sugars from fruit, milk, bread, pasta, starchy veg, which all get broken down into sugar) or it can burn fat. Sugar is energy dense, and your body will always prioritise it. To get your body to burn fat efficiently instead, all you have to do is completely deprive it of sugar and carbs for a few days (and put up with a bit of low energy and flu-like symptoms while your body screams out for more sugar! It's like going cold-turkey, but it doesn't last long). Once you're over that, you tailor your diet to a mix of the right amount of protein (for muscle retention) and as much healthy fat as you like (for energy and to stop hunger). But here's the glorious bit. If you eat a little less fat (or if you're fasting, or exercising more, or all of the above, or indeed any other of form of calorie restriction or calorie deficit) your body simply taps into the effectively unlimited fat reserves it handily stores around your waistline in all that flab! Sugar burning people simply cannot do this. They think they can, but really they just get tired and hungry. Fat burners should rarely feel hungry, because the hunger feelings are mostly tied to sugar burning and fluctuation of insulin levels after meals.
This fat burning idea is the basis of the ketogenic diet, and it has proven very successful for weight loss, hunger management, high energy levels, improved focus, athletic endurance (e.g. marathon running, but not so much for high-intensity bursts like sprinters where sugar still wins) and many other benefits (including reversing T2 diabetes because fat burners have very low and stable blood glucose levels, and thus insulin dependency drops).
it's not easy to stick to, because carbs are EVERYWHERE and in EVERYTHING. But it's worth reading up on, because it sounds like it might help your situation.
I think you're eating just enough carbs that you're still a "sugar burner" not a "fat burner" but not enough of anything that you can go a day on your reserves. That means when your small sugar reserves (from your food, and some reserves in your muscle mass) are depleted, you've got nothing left, and your energy crashes. You're probably storing more of the fat you consume than you can access again. Accessing fat reserves requires a complete absence of sugar for an extended period. It's not instant. The fasting will help, but converting to a fat burner and THEN fasting is like a double whammy for weight loss. Your body will rip through stored reserves as long as you don't give it any sugar (which triggers sugar burning and fat storage again) without you feeling hungry, which again helps keep you out the fridge.
Fat burners can run for miles on just water. I fast for 16 hours every day, naturally simply by skipping breakfast. It's easy. I'm never hungry. I do 7 to 10k two or three times a week without so much as a banana before or after.
See what you think. I might not be for you, but it's an option.
Truly inspiring. I sincerely appreciate it. I will take up this approach. I've told the wife I'm not doing sugar and carbs. I'll be having veg and chicken tonight. Also lots of water!!! Nothing else... not even a date. I will try this for the rest of the week. I suspect by Sunday morning I'll be fat burning!!! Thank you!
It is true, a lot of Muslims do excessive fried stuff when they break fast. That isnt so in my household. We keep it clean - the wife knows better.
I kept it keto style today. I had 3 eggs, a tuna tomato dish and veg. Walked about 10km (according to the fitbit) which is around 13k steps.
I kept it keto style today. I had 3 eggs, a tuna tomato dish and veg. Walked about 10km (according to the fitbit) which is around 13k steps.
TartanPaint said:
Good stuff, Cimaguy. I hope it works for you. Sadly, so many newbies don't get good advice, and don't do it right, then think it doesn't work and they give up. So I'm going to help out where I can. Feel free to ask questions. I'll keep an eye on this thread. There are a few good knowledgeable PH Keto guys, so they might chip in too.
1) Your first stop should be dietdoctor.com. They have some great visual guides on the carbs in different foods. You gotta learn this stuff, and some of it will surprise you. e.g. nuts of different types can range from super low carb, to super high carb!
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides
2) Next step, planning. dietdoctor website has a ton of meal plans and recipes. There are even more if you sign up for the free trial. It would be a bit dishonest to, you know, maybe perhaps maybe sign up for the free trial, then print ALL the recipes, and then cancel the trial. So don't do that. Wink wink, nudge nudge. Keto success is all about having the right snacks and ingredients to hand when you need them. Every time I've fallen off the wagon, it's because I haven't planned ahead and there's nothing keto in the fridge. It's not an easy way of eating at all. It takes planning and effort. But over time you'll be motivated by how good you feel, and shopping lists become second nature.
Stuff your fridge with keto-friendly foods and snacks. Lots of snacks. If you get hungry and all you've got is bread and ice cream and crisps, you're going to fail. I've been there!
Read every food label. Low sugar does not mean low carb. Many artificial sweeteners contain carbs. You want low GI sweeteners only.
http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/glycemic-...
3) Bad news time... you're about to crash. Hard. The "keto flu" for newbies is very real. Standby for feeling terrible for a few days. Maybe a week for some people, depending how badly you were addicted to sugar. Trust me, push through, believe that you're doing something good here, and you'll suddenly be alert and feel on top of the world. To get through the flu, you need water and salt. LOTS of water and salt. Some people mix up some light broth from stock cubes and drink that. I prefer to just add Lo Salt (because it contains potassium, which you need) to food and drink plain water and black tea and coffee. But when you think you've had enough water, drink some more. If you get cramps, you need potassium (Lo Salt again) and magnesium (eat a bag of spinach or get some supplements). Just remember, hydration hydration hydration! (The keto diet is sometimes jokingly called "Pee yourself thin" and you'll soon see why.) And hydration is as much about replacing salts as it is about drinking water. In fact, water alone can flush out more salts and make things worse. You need water. And salts. Got it? Good. I'll say it again anyway. Water and salts. Can't stress it enough.
Some other useful stuff:
If you haven't found this already from the reddit faq, you should do this: https://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
And weigh everything, and start tracking everything in MyFitnessPal. It gets very, very tedious, but I don't know another way to learn what 150g of broccoli even looks like, or how much white cabbage is ok and how much will knock you, personally, out of ketosis. Your carb macro should be a very hard limit. Do not exceed 20g NET carbs per day. Ever. Or you've wasted the next 3 days while you get back into ketosis. Hit your protein target every day. Or exceed it. Don't ever be under, or you could lose muscle mass. Eating too much protein for your training needs can knock you out of ketosis, as your body will convert very high excesses of protein back to sugar, but we're talking waaaaaay over here, like 150-200% over. A little bit over is fine, and it's better than a little bit under. Fat is the key to taste and flavour and filling you up. Fat is miles better at making you feel full up than sugar is. This is the magic. You're going to want to eat less. You need to add enough fats to your cooking to reach your daily calorie target. But don't go crazy and start adding oil to your coffee (yes, people do that). Fat macros are not a target like protein. You just eat enough to make things yummy and make you feel full. And remember, it's GOOD fats. Basically anything natural. Butter, olive oil, ghee, coconut oil, more olive oil. Throw out any chemically extracted oils (sunflower, vegetable oil, margarine etc). Don't ever take the low-fat option of anything off the shelf. It's probably full of sugar.
Right, I'm rambling now. You can find most of this info on the net already. You'll find a load of conflicting info too, and you'll find some real, real douchebags (like, worse than vegans
) who think keto is a religion and it's the only true way to eat, and you're going to die of diabetes and heart disease tomorrow if you're not doing it exactly their way. Try to ignore that cult nonsense and focus on the science and what works for you.
Thank you so much for the detailed guidance. I did not understand the impact of straying away from the diet actually does impact the overall mechanism, in other words I will need to be religious with the approach. 1) Your first stop should be dietdoctor.com. They have some great visual guides on the carbs in different foods. You gotta learn this stuff, and some of it will surprise you. e.g. nuts of different types can range from super low carb, to super high carb!
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides
2) Next step, planning. dietdoctor website has a ton of meal plans and recipes. There are even more if you sign up for the free trial. It would be a bit dishonest to, you know, maybe perhaps maybe sign up for the free trial, then print ALL the recipes, and then cancel the trial. So don't do that. Wink wink, nudge nudge. Keto success is all about having the right snacks and ingredients to hand when you need them. Every time I've fallen off the wagon, it's because I haven't planned ahead and there's nothing keto in the fridge. It's not an easy way of eating at all. It takes planning and effort. But over time you'll be motivated by how good you feel, and shopping lists become second nature.
Stuff your fridge with keto-friendly foods and snacks. Lots of snacks. If you get hungry and all you've got is bread and ice cream and crisps, you're going to fail. I've been there!
Read every food label. Low sugar does not mean low carb. Many artificial sweeteners contain carbs. You want low GI sweeteners only.
http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/glycemic-...
3) Bad news time... you're about to crash. Hard. The "keto flu" for newbies is very real. Standby for feeling terrible for a few days. Maybe a week for some people, depending how badly you were addicted to sugar. Trust me, push through, believe that you're doing something good here, and you'll suddenly be alert and feel on top of the world. To get through the flu, you need water and salt. LOTS of water and salt. Some people mix up some light broth from stock cubes and drink that. I prefer to just add Lo Salt (because it contains potassium, which you need) to food and drink plain water and black tea and coffee. But when you think you've had enough water, drink some more. If you get cramps, you need potassium (Lo Salt again) and magnesium (eat a bag of spinach or get some supplements). Just remember, hydration hydration hydration! (The keto diet is sometimes jokingly called "Pee yourself thin" and you'll soon see why.) And hydration is as much about replacing salts as it is about drinking water. In fact, water alone can flush out more salts and make things worse. You need water. And salts. Got it? Good. I'll say it again anyway. Water and salts. Can't stress it enough.
Some other useful stuff:
If you haven't found this already from the reddit faq, you should do this: https://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
And weigh everything, and start tracking everything in MyFitnessPal. It gets very, very tedious, but I don't know another way to learn what 150g of broccoli even looks like, or how much white cabbage is ok and how much will knock you, personally, out of ketosis. Your carb macro should be a very hard limit. Do not exceed 20g NET carbs per day. Ever. Or you've wasted the next 3 days while you get back into ketosis. Hit your protein target every day. Or exceed it. Don't ever be under, or you could lose muscle mass. Eating too much protein for your training needs can knock you out of ketosis, as your body will convert very high excesses of protein back to sugar, but we're talking waaaaaay over here, like 150-200% over. A little bit over is fine, and it's better than a little bit under. Fat is the key to taste and flavour and filling you up. Fat is miles better at making you feel full up than sugar is. This is the magic. You're going to want to eat less. You need to add enough fats to your cooking to reach your daily calorie target. But don't go crazy and start adding oil to your coffee (yes, people do that). Fat macros are not a target like protein. You just eat enough to make things yummy and make you feel full. And remember, it's GOOD fats. Basically anything natural. Butter, olive oil, ghee, coconut oil, more olive oil. Throw out any chemically extracted oils (sunflower, vegetable oil, margarine etc). Don't ever take the low-fat option of anything off the shelf. It's probably full of sugar.
Right, I'm rambling now. You can find most of this info on the net already. You'll find a load of conflicting info too, and you'll find some real, real douchebags (like, worse than vegans
) who think keto is a religion and it's the only true way to eat, and you're going to die of diabetes and heart disease tomorrow if you're not doing it exactly their way. Try to ignore that cult nonsense and focus on the science and what works for you.Edited by TartanPaint on Thursday 24th May 08:57
Tartanpaint, thank you so much for your input. I will be re-reading this quite a few times until it sinks into my mind! I will definitely check the links out too!!!
I've attached my Fitbit weight log for the past few years. It has clearly been a really struggle and focus of my attention. There have been quite a few unfortunate highs. There is a downward shift however it isnt as quick or maintained as I would like it to be. 90kg is my target weight for the short-term.
TartanPaint said:
3) Bad news time... you're about to crash. Hard. The "keto flu" for newbies is very real. Standby for feeling terrible for a few days. Maybe a week for some people, depending how badly you were addicted to sugar. Trust me, push through, believe that you're doing something good here, and you'll suddenly be alert and feel on top of the world. To get through the flu, you need water and salt. LOTS of water and salt. Some people mix up some light broth from stock cubes and drink that. I prefer to just add Lo Salt (because it contains potassium, which you need) to food and drink plain water and black tea and coffee. But when you think you've had enough water, drink some more. If you get cramps, you need potassium (Lo Salt again) and magnesium (eat a bag of spinach or get some supplements). Just remember, hydration hydration hydration! (The keto diet is sometimes jokingly called "Pee yourself thin" and you'll soon see why.) And hydration is as much about replacing salts as it is about drinking water. In fact, water alone can flush out more salts and make things worse. You need water. And salts. Got it? Good. I'll say it again anyway. Water and salts. Can't stress it enough.
When does this kick in? I guess this is my second day without sugar and carbs. I am not feeling a thing. Again, tonight I'll keep it clean. Edited by TartanPaint on Thursday 24th May 08:57
Right, second day on Keto. For my second Keto meal (yesterday night) I had about 500g of chicken, about 150g of olives, 400g of green veg (including small corn). I drank 2 litres of water. I did 15k steps and burnt about 3.3k cals. I lost no weight but I suspect it is too early for all of that.
I did feel as I had a lot less energy this morning walking from the station to work. I guess that is a good thing? It means my glucose reserves are low. I am feeling quite hungry today.
What type of fats should I eat? I didn't see much online about good fats to munch.
Thanks.
I did feel as I had a lot less energy this morning walking from the station to work. I guess that is a good thing? It means my glucose reserves are low. I am feeling quite hungry today.
What type of fats should I eat? I didn't see much online about good fats to munch.
Thanks.
SignalGruen said:
That's way too much protein. I get fats from avocado, full fat greek yogurt, salmon, macadamia nuts, walnuts and whole eggs fried in butter or coconut oil. So tonight I will eat 200g steak, 250g 10% greek yogurt, 5 whole eggs and some macadamia nuts and walnut spread over 5 hrs.
Okay, I will do the same.. well replace the steak with chicken. I cant digest avocado so will need to give that a miss. Are you having any greens?
Thanks for the pointer.
I have dropped down to 95.6kg after a few days of watching my diet which is approximately 4kg lost in 15 days. I have 2 more weeks of it to go.
I will need to ensure I keep it clean and controlled after this period of time. Might be tricky as I'm off to canada for a week straight after. With all their good food there I'm going to struggle somewhat.
I have dropped down to 95.6kg after a few days of watching my diet which is approximately 4kg lost in 15 days. I have 2 more weeks of it to go.
I will need to ensure I keep it clean and controlled after this period of time. Might be tricky as I'm off to canada for a week straight after. With all their good food there I'm going to struggle somewhat.
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