[RollandGarros]

I know i've just come on here and been arrogant and boasted, I apologise and it's actually time to do something useful lol. So even though i'm non-Muslim myself, i'm going to use the knowledge I have to help, so Muslims, listen up, this is a 'FAT LOSS/WEIGHT MAINTAIN AND HOW TO EAT HEALTHY GUIDE FOR RAMADAN'.

So firstly, salaam all.

As you all know, or should know from reading the stickies or in my case, been studying for years, weight loss will occur when your kcal out > kcal in. To obtain fat loss, work out your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) here:

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

And eat 500 kcal less than this i.e. mine is around 2000, so I consume about 1500kcal a day. The breakdown of this 1500kcal could be followed straight from the BBC or WHO RDA (recommended daily allowance), but personally I like to and am currently on a 'cut' so i'm following something called a ketogenic or near ketogenic diet - which essentially means low carb; high protein; moderate fat.

I could go into the advantages and disadvantages, etc, but i'll leave that for you to do some self-reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet

However, I must warn you that ketogenic diets, whilst statistically or in my experience, good for fat loss, i've never done it personally during fasting and here's why. When your body is fasting, or in starvation for several hours, your glycogen stores become quickly diminished, as does your glucose (the brain uses only glucose as fuel), so you, at iftar and sehri need carbs to fuel the rest of your day, and replenish the lost amount.

But here's where the diet plan comes in - try and keep your carb meals at before sunrise and at sunset that way you can fuel your body for the rest of the day - post-sehri, and fuel your body when your glycogen stores have depleted from fasting during the day - at iftar.

Then inbetween i.e. after taraweeh which maybe about 12ish, i'm not exactly sure, i'd recommend bringing a balanced diet into your plan i.e. have one meal which is like natural protein and veg based, being muslims you'll know what I mean by dahl, rajma, saag (lentils, kindey beans, spinach), and just have a bowl of this, with maybe some steamed veg for vitamins and nutrients - just me personally, but try and avoid cooking it in excess oil or ghee and don't add too much salt.

And then inbetween post-taraweeh, and sehri, so say like 2am, have another meal, maybe like a healthy wholemeal wrap with grilled chicken and salad and low fat cheese to get a balance and incorporate some veg and fruit into your diet.

Also, i'd recommend having fruit with every single meal, but again, that's just me personally. I'm sensible so if I want to lose weight, i'd rather fill up on having an apple and orange and less of fatty-carby stuff than fill up on fatty-carby stuff and have less fruit.

Example diet and reasons for choices of food (1500kcal):

Iftar - 9pm: Roti (chapati x 2) with chicken and veg; or (wholemeal) pasta with chicken and sweetcorn; or (wholemeal) rice with fish curry

~450-500kcal depending on portion size; if trying to lose weight, don't have more than 1 plate, just have a banana and an apple to fill up rather than another plate

Body, especially brain needs glucose, so carb source is best here. I've put roti first, then pasta, then rice, since I think rice is the most carby and in my opinion, one that i'd eat least of. Roti is probably the best carb, not energy wise, just sugar and other effects-wise, and pasta is somewhere in the middle.

Why this matters? Well, it doesn't at this age. But if you're Muslim, the chance is you'll be, or the majority will be Asian or African, and those two groups of people are more prone and likely to get diabetes in later life, and at a much younger age than the population of white-people. So also with your meal, have water with no added sugar squash instead of fruit juice, and though fruit juice contains natural sugars, it all adds up later and just something that I personally would avoid.

Post-Taraweeh - 12am: A pulse source i.e. bowl of dahl, rajma or saag, with handful of almonds, unsalted nuts/cashews, and fruit i.e. orange

~300kcal

Try and keep this a protein-based meal, since the carbs in your body have been replenished and excess carbs can store as fat, so you don't want carbs at every meal. People don't realise this, and hence some people actually put on weight during Ramadan.

The random meal lol - 2am: Cooked egg (x 2) with mixed peppers, onions, chicken and salad/low fat cheese, or a wholemeal wrap with chicken, salad and low fat cheese.

~350kcal

Again, this is a protein-based meal where i've incorporated random veggies and fruit and salad to bring that balance of natural vitamins and minerals that are essential for your body and another way to fill up and avoid carbs, or just showing you that you can diet without eating unnecessary carbs. The chances are you will probably be awake, especially as a student on this website, so this is also pretty easy to cook, quick and convenient, and the fact that you eat every 2 to 2.5 hours or so will be good for your metabolism and boosting it.

Sehri - 4am: Oats with milk and a banana; cereal with milk and a banana

~400kcal

You can have a bigger portion of oats or cereal, and this is an amazing carb source to fuel the rest of the day since you have a long day of fasting ahead of you. The milk will provide your calcium source and the banana (and you may have more than one), your potassium source. Foods throughout the day will have contained salt so you'll have a balance in your bodies sodium-potassium levels and hence overall, a balanced diet.

I'm happy to take any questions and if somebody wants or has any specialist requirements i.e. gluten-free, allergic to egg, vegetarian, then i'm happy to provide and suggest alternative options. I've tried to create a lasting diet, with reasonable explanations and suitable foods which can help you maintain a good weight, and even lose some, with or without exercise.

I wish you all the best with your month of fasting

Khuda hafiz.

[RollandGarros]

For those of you who wish to do exercise, but are worried you will need water, you can do exercise, just lower the intensity you normally do it at, and pick it up after Ramadan.

Also, you can basically do exercises that you see people do in gyms i.e. squats, deadlifts, press ups, sit ups, burpees, skipping, cycling (outdoor), but the rest is indoor, and that can quite easily be done with no weight or just the bar and more reps instead of say 60kg and only 5-8 reps where you might need water.

Basically with exercise, when you have a good, regulated and strict disciplined diet, you don't need it to lose weight, obviously it helps when it's at good intensity, but any exercise you do, some kcal will be burnt and remember from line 1, weight loss is kcal burnt > kcal in, so just like Tesco, every little helps

[silent ninja]

Nice one. Useful stuff.

Oily foods is the main one to avoid. It's everywhere this time of year. I'm gonna try and do something imaginative with a can of tuna today....carbs will be Tesco farmhouse bread I love that stuff even though it's not brown, and a steam bag of veggies or salad-- not yet decided. Really could do with some salad dressing ideas, most of the ones in the supermarket are haram. Any tasty olive oil recommendation? The ones I've tried just don't taste good.

The biggest challenge is getting enough protein down. Consuming 150+g in 6 hours is hard (especially when 3 of those hours are spent sleeping).

I've just joined Pure Gym and will hit the weights tomorrow night around 1am. I'm too tired today.

[cyfer]

(Original post by RollandGarros)
kcal out > kcal in.

You fell short at the first hurdle.

It's

Energy output>Calorie intake.

So that includes exercise, which your one does not. Yes you could be a pedant (mimicking this post...) and say that you lose calories whilst exercising but that's just a bit facetious.... and 'meh'. No one goes off after exercise and says 'I lost x calories there!'. They just say they worked out really hard, i.e. used a lot of energy.

[Fresh Prince of]

Helpful. I'm thinking of fasting throughout the month for the first time and worried about losing weight/strength.

[RollandGarros]

(Original post by silent ninja)
Nice one. Useful stuff.

Oily foods is the main one to avoid. It's everywhere this time of year. I'm gonna try and do something imaginative with a can of tuna today....carbs will be Tesco farmhouse bread I love that stuff even though it's not brown, and a steam bag of veggies or salad-- not yet decided. Really could do with some salad dressing ideas, most of the ones in the supermarket are haram. Any tasty olive oil recommendation? The ones I've tried just don't taste good.

I'be just joined Pure Gym and will hit the weights tomorrow night around 1am. I'm too tired today.

Welcome.

Yeah, it's often just cheaper, and I see people go to halal kebab shops and what not, it's just not healthy or something i've ever recommend. I'm not really sure about olive oil, I just tend to buy the healthiest one, and use it, and when mixed with other things or used on top, I can't really taste it. As for salad dressing, look at recipes for vegetarian ones, they will automatically be halal. In my wraps and sandwiches, I like to put humus with salad, cheese, and grilled chicken, so perhaps try that.

Pure gym is good definitely because it's 24 hours. A lot of my friends will be going after taraweeh. Remember that you can lose a good amount of weight and body fat and put on lean muscle from eating clean and doing weight training providing you eat a good ketogenic-style diet. You obviously need carbs to make mass gains, but tbh in Ramadan, due to the nature of fasting, you probably won't make huge gains in strength regardless of how many carbs you eat, so you may aswel try and lose bf% and become more lean, sort of like a 4-week cut program, and follow it up with a X-week bulk program.

[Ayshizzle]

(Original post by silent ninja)
Nice one. Useful stuff.

Oily foods is the main one to avoid. It's everywhere this time of year. I'm gonna try and do something imaginative with a can of tuna today....carbs will be Tesco farmhouse bread I love that stuff even though it's not brown, and a steam bag of veggies or salad-- not yet decided. Really could do with some salad dressing ideas, most of the ones in the supermarket are haram. Any tasty olive oil recommendation? The ones I've tried just don't taste good.

The biggest challenge is getting enough protein down. Consuming 150+g in 6 hours is hard (especially when 3 of those hours are spent sleeping).

I've just joined Pure Gym and will hit the weights tomorrow night around 1am. I'm too tired today.

Hmm, a couple of tsp olive oil mixed with 2/3 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp mint sauce and some toasted cumin seeds and/or chilli flakes is a good one. You can put the ingredients in diff proportions to what I've said depending on your tastes!

[RollandGarros]

(Original post by Fresh Prince of)
Helpful. I'm thinking of fasting throughout the month for the first time and worried about losing weight/strength.

If you're non-Muslim, then fasting the standard hours of Ramadan isn't the best way to make gains/strength, lose weight, etc, hence this was written specifically for those whom have no choice i.e. do it out of religious purposes.

By all means read up Intermittent Fasting, which could be done during Ramadan, but the standard hours I believe are workout and eat during the day in an 8 hour window and fast for the other 16 (if done daily) - but considering the hours of Ramadan, I guess it could work this way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting

Note, IF does mean you often drink water during the fasting period, something which is forbidden in Ramadan, hence why I said it's not a program designed for Ramadan, but if you avoid the water, and consider the hours can, hypothetically, be used in Ramadan.

[Fresh Prince of]

(Original post by RollandGarros)
If you're non-Muslim, then fasting the standard hours of Ramadan isn't the best way to make gains/strength, lose weight, etc, hence this was written specifically for those whom have no choice i.e. do it out of religious purposes.

By all means read up Intermittent Fasting, which could be done during Ramadan, but the standard hours I believe are workout and eat during the day in an 8 hour window and fast for the other 16 (if done daily) - but considering the hours of Ramadan, I guess it could work this way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting

I am muslim

[RollandGarros]

(Original post by Fresh Prince of)
I am muslim

Oh, in that case, you can follow the OP post or something similar to it. What are you looking to do, lose fat/weight, bulk up and gain muscle mass, or a bit of both?

What is your height, weight, are you a regular gym user?

[Fresh Prince of]

(Original post by RollandGarros)
Oh, in that case, you can follow the OP post or something similar to it. What are you looking to do, lose fat/weight, bulk up and gain muscle mass, or a bit of both?

What is your height, weight, are you a regular gym user?

I'm looking to gain muscle and lower body fat, height - 5' 11 weight 85 kg, yeah I am.

[RollandGarros]

(Original post by Fresh Prince of)
I'm looking to gain muscle and lower body fat, height - 5' 11 weight 85 kg, yeah I am.

Okay, I get the picture. Just one more question, do you want to gain a lot of muscle i.e. appear big and muscular, or do you want a slim frame with a lean-muscular toned-like body?

For the month of Ramadan, either way, i'd recommend going on a diet similar to the one above in the OP and fit in any exercise that you can. This will help you lower your BF%.

The type of exercise you do, should then vary with the type of body you want i.e. because I box, I need to keep my weight down, hence I opt for the latter body choice, and 'cut' to 70-75kg (I fight at 76.2), and then 'bulk' to gain strength/muscle and then re-cut to get a toned but defined frame.

If you want the first type of body i.e. the standard bodybuilder or muscle mass look, then do the opposite (and the normal thing) which is 'bulk' then 'cut', so lift heavy, and keep it routined for a several number of weeks in a program, and then go on a cut to get a good shape.

Either way, you won't be able to lift heavy or do full intensity exercise during the month of Ramadan, but if you want muscle mass body you can still Bench-Squat-Deadlift (just at lower weight), and if you want what I call 'A boxers body', then you can still run HIIT, sprint cycle, box, row and as mentioned in post 2, do squat-deadlift-press ups-pull ups-etc, just at body weight.

Read the following two articles (first for strength training, second for cut):

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wi...inner_Programs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-in...erval_training

There are also programs for each in the stickies based on your level of experience

[Fresh Prince of]

(Original post by RollandGarros)
Okay, I get the picture. Just one more question, do you want to gain a lot of muscle i.e. appear big and muscular, or do you want a slim frame with a lean-muscular toned-like body?

For the month of Ramadan, either way, i'd recommend going on a diet similar to the one above in the OP and fit in any exercise that you can. This will help you lower your BF%.

The type of exercise you do, should then vary with the type of body you want i.e. because I box, I need to keep my weight down, hence I opt for the latter body choice, and 'cut' to 70-75kg (I fight at 76.2), and then 'bulk' to gain strength/muscle and then re-cut to get a toned but defined frame.

If you want the first type of body i.e. the standard bodybuilder or muscle mass look, then do the opposite (and the normal thing) which is 'bulk' then 'cut', so lift heavy, and keep it routined for a several number of weeks in a program, and then go on a cut to get a good shape.

Either way, you won't be able to lift heavy or do full intensity exercise during the month of Ramadan, but if you want muscle mass body you can still Bench-Squat-Deadlift (just at lower weight), and if you want what I call 'A boxers body', then you can still run HIIT, sprint cycle, box, row and as mentioned in post 2, do squat-deadlift-press ups-pull ups-etc, just at body weight.

Read the following two articles (first for strength training, second for cut):

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wi...inner_Programs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-in...erval_training

There are also programs for each in the stickies based on your level of experience

Well I want to make the rugby team at university, so I don't want to lose weight. appearance wise, have you played mass effect? I wanna look like James Vega

[RollandGarros]

(Original post by Fresh Prince of)
Well I want to make the rugby team at university, so I don't want to lose weight. appearance wise, have you played mass effect? I wanna look like James Vega

Oh, well in that case, you're in the wrong thread I'll PM you a suitable exercise and bulking diet plan, this ones a weight loss and how to avoid gaining weight and eat healthy and a balanceddiet during Ramadan.

[Freakonomics123]

(Original post by RollandGarros)
I know i've just come on here and been arrogant and boasted, I apologise and it's actually time to do something useful lol. So even though i'm non-Muslim myself, i'm going to use the knowledge I have to help, so Muslims, listen up, this is a 'FAT LOSS/WEIGHT MAINTAIN AND HOW TO EAT HEALTHY GUIDE FOR RAMADAN'.

So firstly, salaam all.

As you all know, or should know from reading the stickies or in my case, been studying for years, weight loss will occur when your kcal out > kcal in. To obtain fat loss, work out your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) here:

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

And eat 500 kcal less than this i.e. mine is around 2000, so I consume about 1500kcal a day. The breakdown of this 1500kcal could be followed straight from the BBC or WHO RDA (recommended daily allowance), but personally I like to and am currently on a 'cut' so i'm following something called a ketogenic or near ketogenic diet - which essentially means low carb; high protein; moderate fat.

I could go into the advantages and disadvantages, etc, but i'll leave that for you to do some self-reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet

However, I must warn you that ketogenic diets, whilst statistically or in my experience, good for fat loss, i've never done it personally during fasting and here's why. When your body is fasting, or in starvation for several hours, your glycogen stores become quickly diminished, as does your glucose (the brain uses only glucose as fuel), so you, at iftar and sehri need carbs to fuel the rest of your day, and replenish the lost amount.

But here's where the diet plan comes in - try and keep your carb meals at before sunrise and at sunset that way you can fuel your body for the rest of the day - post-sehri, and fuel your body when your glycogen stores have depleted from fasting during the day - at iftar.

Then inbetween i.e. after taraweeh which maybe about 12ish, i'm not exactly sure, i'd recommend bringing a balanced diet into your plan i.e. have one meal which is like natural protein and veg based, being muslims you'll know what I mean by dahl, rajma, saag (lentils, kindey beans, spinach), and just have a bowl of this, with maybe some steamed veg for vitamins and nutrients - just me personally, but try and avoid cooking it in excess oil or ghee and don't add too much salt.

And then inbetween post-taraweeh, and sehri, so say like 2am, have another meal, maybe like a healthy wholemeal wrap with grilled chicken and salad and low fat cheese to get a balance and incorporate some veg and fruit into your diet.

Also, i'd recommend having fruit with every single meal, but again, that's just me personally. I'm sensible so if I want to lose weight, i'd rather fill up on having an apple and orange and less of fatty-carby stuff than fill up on fatty-carby stuff and have less fruit.

Example diet and reasons for choices of food (1500kcal):

Iftar - 9pm: Roti (chapati x 2) with chicken and veg; or (wholemeal) pasta with chicken and sweetcorn; or (wholemeal) rice with fish curry

~450-500kcal depending on portion size; if trying to lose weight, don't have more than 1 plate, just have a banana and an apple to fill up rather than another plate

Body, especially brain needs glucose, so carb source is best here. I've put roti first, then pasta, then rice, since I think rice is the most carby and in my opinion, one that i'd eat least of. Roti is probably the best carb, not energy wise, just sugar and other effects-wise, and pasta is somewhere in the middle.

Why this matters? Well, it doesn't at this age. But if you're Muslim, the chance is you'll be, or the majority will be Asian or African, and those two groups of people are more prone and likely to get diabetes in later life, and at a much younger age than the population of white-people. So also with your meal, have water with no added sugar squash instead of fruit juice, and though fruit juice contains natural sugars, it all adds up later and just something that I personally would avoid.

Post-Taraweeh - 12am: A pulse source i.e. bowl of dahl, rajma or saag, with handful of almonds, unsalted nuts/cashews, and fruit i.e. orange

~300kcal

Try and keep this a protein-based meal, since the carbs in your body have been replenished and excess carbs can store as fat, so you don't want carbs at every meal. People don't realise this, and hence some people actually put on weight during Ramadan.

The random meal lol - 2am: Cooked egg (x 2) with mixed peppers, onions, chicken and salad/low fat cheese, or a wholemeal wrap with chicken, salad and low fat cheese.

~350kcal

Again, this is a protein-based meal where i've incorporated random veggies and fruit and salad to bring that balance of natural vitamins and minerals that are essential for your body and another way to fill up and avoid carbs, or just showing you that you can diet without eating unnecessary carbs. The chances are you will probably be awake, especially as a student on this website, so this is also pretty easy to cook, quick and convenient, and the fact that you eat every 2 to 2.5 hours or so will be good for your metabolism and boosting it.

Sehri - 4am: Oats with milk and a banana; cereal with milk and a banana

~400kcal

You can have a bigger portion of oats or cereal, and this is an amazing carb source to fuel the rest of the day since you have a long day of fasting ahead of you. The milk will provide your calcium source and the banana (and you may have more than one), your potassium source. Foods throughout the day will have contained salt so you'll have a balance in your bodies sodium-potassium levels and hence overall, a balanced diet.

I'm happy to take any questions and if somebody wants or has any specialist requirements i.e. gluten-free, allergic to egg, vegetarian, then i'm happy to provide and suggest alternative options. I've tried to create a lasting diet, with reasonable explanations and suitable foods which can help you maintain a good weight, and even lose some, with or without exercise.

I wish you all the best with your month of fasting

Khuda hafiz.

hey many thanks for your help and advice...i was wondering if you could help me with a small dilemma....i plan on fasting saturday sunday tuesday wednesdays, but on the 29th i need to weigh 67kg for a competition. at the moment im fluctuation between 68-70kg. after a heavy workout in just boxers i hit 67.8kg i was wondering what would be best to keep my weight low, and also my mum is adamant on giving me white rice for the main meal, after iftar

[RollandGarros]

(Original post by Freakonomics123)
hey many thanks for your help and advice...i was wondering if you could help me with a small dilemma....i plan on fasting saturday sunday tuesday wednesdays, but on the 29th i need to weigh 67kg for a competition. at the moment im fluctuation between 68-70kg. after a heavy workout in just boxers i hit 67.8kg i was wondering what would be best to keep my weight low, and also my mum is adamant on giving me white rice for the main meal, after iftar

Okay, no problem. Firstly definitely don't eat the white rice. If anything, you kind of want your glycogen stores to diminish (temporarily) immediately beforethe competition to keep your weighdown. Try and avoid water asmuch as possible and immediately before the weigh in do 20 minutes skipping and sit in a salt bath to dehydrate yourself. Lift absolutely no weights from now until the day as muscle weighs 3 times as much as fat. Do HIIT every day from now until then, and again sit in a salt bath or steam room after. Fill up on veggies and fruit and milk to get a sugar, sodim, potassium and calcium balance, at meal times, and turn vegetarian for a few days.

All the best, make sure you take caution with all of the above and hydrate yorself and eat a good meal immediately after the weigh in.

[RollandGarros]

Can I just say to the wider public, my advce in post 16 can be extremely dangerous if done long-term and I only recommend it to myself who box or similar at competitive level, and I would not suggest it and make sure you consult a professional or your coach/trainer before trying such a thing.

For healthy and sustainable weight loss, the original post is very adequate.

[Freakonomics123]

(Original post by RollandGarros)
Okay, no problem. Firstly definitely don't eat the white rice. If anything, you kind of want your glycogen stores to diminish (temporarily) immediately beforethe competition to keep your weighdown. Try and avoid water asmuch as possible and immediately before the weigh in do 20 minutes skipping and sit in a salt bath to dehydrate yourself. Lift absolutely no weights from now until the day as muscle weighs 3 times as much as fat. Do HIIT every day from now until then, and again sit in a salt bath or steam room after. Fill up on veggies and fruit and milk to get a sugar, sodim, potassium and calcium balance, at meal times, and turn vegetarian for a few days.

All the best, make sure you take caution with all of the above and hydrate yorself and eat a good meal immediately after the weigh in.

one tiny issue, i compete an hour after my weigh in so i dont think that dehydration would be the right path to go, not sure htough

[DontBeJelBeReem]

Rollard garros is asian?
bad genetics brah

[Becca]

Hey, I've edited the title of the thread to the topic to pull in more people who are interested in reading about this. Good post.