No S and Ramadan

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

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Nagla929
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No S and Ramadan

Post by Nagla929 » Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:34 pm

The month of Ramadan will be starting soon. This is a month where I will be fasting from sunrise to sunset. This means that from about 5:00 in the morning to 7:30 in the evening, I will not be able to eat or drink anything.

I'd like to try and adapt No S during this time but I am not sure how. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

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Mavilu
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Post by Mavilu » Sun Aug 31, 2008 2:09 am

Hmm, but you can eat after 7:30?, what do you traditionally do after 7:30 in this period?, eat one, two meals?.
I would just do whatever is that you've been doing, minus snacking and sweets after 7:30 and if it is allowed, give yourself a bit more leniency on the weekends, after 7:30.
I'm sorry if I'm not helping you much with this, as I had never fasted before and I'm unsure how is your hunger like during this period.
But, with the help of other in this forum, I'm sure we can figure it out!.

CrazyCatLady
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Post by CrazyCatLady » Sun Aug 31, 2008 2:18 am

It seems to me that the month of Ramadan would be all S days. I believe they are days of religious observance, with an increased focus on worship. I have never participated, but it would seem unlikely that people would be over-indulging at this time, but perhaps I am wrong?

rose
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Post by rose » Sun Aug 31, 2008 4:46 pm

NoS is supposed to be compatible with normal social life. I mean, you should be able to follow it without standing out.

Do you usually gain weight during the Ramadan? If not, perhaps you can just do as usual during that time (meaning you might have a full month of S-days if your family is in the habit of having traditional Ramadan sweets, and feasts every night). The drawback is that after Ramadan you have to start NoS from scratch. But don't you have to switch back to normal eating habits usually too?

On the other hand, if you think ordinary Ramadan eating habits will lead to weight gain, perhaps you can just count the Aids as S-days, and abstain from sweets on other days. I am not sure about seconds - perhaps you should preemptively fill your plate more than usual...

I am not a Muslim so... please tell us how it goes ;)
Started NoS Jan 07 at 74.5kg (164 lbs, BMI 26.7)
Stable since Jan 08 at 64kg (141 lbs, BMI 23)
My progress chart

TigerCrane
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Post by TigerCrane » Sun Aug 31, 2008 5:41 pm

I've never celebrated Ramadan, but I've read about it. My understanding is that there is a light breakfast before dawn, and then at sunset the fast is broken with dates and lentil soup, and then there is a big meal in the evening.

That sounds No-S compatible with me.

I understand that there is lots of heavy fried food and sweets during the big meal. Can you just abstain from the sweets except on the weekends and particularly big family gatherings? If so, it sounds like you're on straight No-S to me.

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Tue Sep 02, 2008 2:13 am

Dear Nagla,

I'm afraid I have no direct knowledge -- though from the little I do know Ramadan sounds pretty no-s compatible, even if you take most or all of the days as N-days. My dim understanding is that with a couple of exceptions you aren't really required to eat sweets, snacks, or seconds, and that the traditional structure is two meals.

Found this in the wikkipedia:
Some studies have shown that at least some groups of Muslims gain, rather than lose, weight during Ramadan. This is due to compensatory eating at night
So I guess, perhaps counterintuitively, taking a solid month of "fasting" S-days might have its risks...

Whatever you decide (and do let us know), happy Ramadan!

Reinhard

Nagla929
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Post by Nagla929 » Wed Sep 03, 2008 7:34 pm

Thank you to all who replied. Your suggestions and comments have been much appreciated.

Traditionally, during Ramadan, a person should eat TWO meals; one just before dawn and then dinner. Sweets are NOT required, but they are very common.

In my particular situation, I find it very hard to wake up at 4 or 5:00 AM just to eat, so I generally eat just one meal (dinner).

Last Ramadan, I ate one meal and picked on sweets and I lost 8 lbs.

Therefore, I have decided that this Ramadan, I will eat one plate of dinner food and occasionally I'll eat whatever sweets there are when my parents make them. (I only see these sweets once a year and they are homemade, need I say more?! :P )

I guess I was just flipping out about the thought of being hungry and not wanting to lose sight of No S.

deadweight
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Post by deadweight » Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:20 pm

That sounds reasonable to me.

I think the important thing is that you come up with a structure you're happy with beforehand, and then you stick to it. You won't be doing NoS, but you'll be exercising your habit building skills which is what NoS is all about.

And you lost 8 pounds in a month last year, so it sounds like it's not going to screw you up as far as gaining weight is concerned.

Hmmm...

8 pounds in one month.

Hold on, let me check something...


It's official, www.ramadiet.com is available. Who wants to go in on it with me?

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