Apart from Muslims other religions and cultures have practised fasting throughout history. Many people also fast for dietary or health reasons. In this short video we take a look at what happens to your body without food.
Showing posts with label fasting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fasting. Show all posts
Wednesday, 1 June 2016
Wednesday Video - What If You Stopped Eating?
Ramadan is about to start. This is the time when millions of Muslims throughout the world will be fasting from sunrise to sunset as part of following their faith.
Apart from Muslims other religions and cultures have practised fasting throughout history. Many people also fast for dietary or health reasons. In this short video we take a look at what happens to your body without food.
Apart from Muslims other religions and cultures have practised fasting throughout history. Many people also fast for dietary or health reasons. In this short video we take a look at what happens to your body without food.
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Wednesday Video - Fasted Cardio and Fat Loss - Muscle Myth #5
You've heard it before and will probably continue to hear it - Do your cardio on an empty stomach, 1st thing in the morning. This way your body is forced to turn to your fat stores to supply the energy needed and so you will burn more fat.
Sound's logical and it seems to make sense. However, is it really that simple? Maybe. This video supplies the answer
Sound's logical and it seems to make sense. However, is it really that simple? Maybe. This video supplies the answer
Thursday, 2 July 2015
The Hunger Games
I am now 2 weeks info the fast and guess what? I still don’t feel hungry. Even the thirst has vanished. I wasn’t expecting this. After all the fasts this year are about 19 hours long here in Manchester and yet......
It seems it truly is mind over matter. It’s strange that every year this happens, almost as if a switch is flipped inside me that says “time to fast so no point in being hungry or thirsty”. Of course it helps that the weather this time has been kind as well. Although there have a few hot days, overall it has been fairly pleasant. In addition the rest of the household is also fasting so that too helps.
The only downside has been the lack of energy. Although I am moving around as much as usual, or some days more than that, it just seems more difficult. Getting up in the morning to start the day is also much more difficult.usually these have been the days when I have missed the alarm for the pre-dawn sehri and have had to leap out to get something in me before the fasting begins. This is approximately at 2:00am so I get generally about 2 hours sleep before waking, eating, prayers and then hope to get my head down for a couple of hours before the day properly starts.
But the hunger is totally abated. Maybe it is the fact that at iftar (the time at sunset when the fasting is over for the day) I am eating more than usual. This has been the same in the past, however, so something else is going on. Strangely I feel hungry in the minutes just before the fast breaks, maybe because I know that I will be eating soon.
It is always these last few minutes which are the hardest anyway as the stomach prepares to gladly receive the food which is on its way!
Liquid intake has been more than adequate as shown by the fact that I don’t feel thirsty at all. I am also drinking more plain water (hurray) so that cannot be a bad thing. The only exception to this is with the sehri where I am drinking a chilled drink of fruit flavour dextrose powder mixed with water. The reason is to top up my glycogen levels in my liver ASAP. Cool grapes straight from the fridge also make a delicious dessert. This has meant that my urine is almost colourless, which is the true sign of hydration. In normal circumstances you need at least 3 colourless urinations per day to show you are adequately hydrated. This is a lot more reliable indicator instead of the assertion to drink X glasses of water (what size?) or X amount (which depends on how big/old/sex you are) and so forth.
Sipping the water helps me to hold onto more of it. So after my meal and as soon as I wake at 2:00am I tend to sip instead of gulp. Every little helps as they say!
2 weeks down, another 2 to go.
It seems it truly is mind over matter. It’s strange that every year this happens, almost as if a switch is flipped inside me that says “time to fast so no point in being hungry or thirsty”. Of course it helps that the weather this time has been kind as well. Although there have a few hot days, overall it has been fairly pleasant. In addition the rest of the household is also fasting so that too helps.
The only downside has been the lack of energy. Although I am moving around as much as usual, or some days more than that, it just seems more difficult. Getting up in the morning to start the day is also much more difficult.usually these have been the days when I have missed the alarm for the pre-dawn sehri and have had to leap out to get something in me before the fasting begins. This is approximately at 2:00am so I get generally about 2 hours sleep before waking, eating, prayers and then hope to get my head down for a couple of hours before the day properly starts.
But the hunger is totally abated. Maybe it is the fact that at iftar (the time at sunset when the fasting is over for the day) I am eating more than usual. This has been the same in the past, however, so something else is going on. Strangely I feel hungry in the minutes just before the fast breaks, maybe because I know that I will be eating soon.
It is always these last few minutes which are the hardest anyway as the stomach prepares to gladly receive the food which is on its way!
Liquid intake has been more than adequate as shown by the fact that I don’t feel thirsty at all. I am also drinking more plain water (hurray) so that cannot be a bad thing. The only exception to this is with the sehri where I am drinking a chilled drink of fruit flavour dextrose powder mixed with water. The reason is to top up my glycogen levels in my liver ASAP. Cool grapes straight from the fridge also make a delicious dessert. This has meant that my urine is almost colourless, which is the true sign of hydration. In normal circumstances you need at least 3 colourless urinations per day to show you are adequately hydrated. This is a lot more reliable indicator instead of the assertion to drink X glasses of water (what size?) or X amount (which depends on how big/old/sex you are) and so forth.
Sipping the water helps me to hold onto more of it. So after my meal and as soon as I wake at 2:00am I tend to sip instead of gulp. Every little helps as they say!
2 weeks down, another 2 to go.
Sunday, 21 June 2015
The fasting continues
As expected the second and third days of fasting are not having any noticeable effect. There is no lack of energy so far, probably due to the foods being taken at iftari (the time at sunset when food can be consumed). These are traditional fare such as samosas, pakoras (baked where possible to avoid extra fat from frying) and dates. Generally I only eat these sparingly during the year, usually on special occasions, so they are a welcome treat.
Some fruit salad is also consumed and some form of cold sweet beverage. So far this has been homemade lemonade. The reason is to top up glycogen stores without a spike in sugar levels. Fruit is naturally sweet and also provides natural vitamins and fibre.
This is kept deliberately light due to the late time it is consumed - at present, here, that time is 21.41hrs!
The main evening meal follows but due to the prolonged fast not much can be consumed. As the month progresses the food taken in will be smaller in quantity due to a feeling that the stomach is shrinking!
Water is also consumed in a slightly larger amount. This along with the extra fibre helps to keep the bowel healthy. Some years ago, when I was living abroad in a hotter climate and had started fasting, I found that this last fact was crucial. Due to lack of both I became painfully constipated!! Needless to say I don’t want a repeat of that.
I have also noticed that my fingers and toes are colder. Due to the lack of energy i suppose. This always happens when i reduce my intake. I am driving with all the cooling systems turned off and the windows up. This also saves a slight amount on fuel so it can’t be all bad i suppose. Another thing is that my leg muscles are feeling tired and drained, similar to when one is ill. Since they are the largest muscle group in the body they require the most energy which is in short supply anyway.
Overall I am feeling fairly healthy apart from a dry throat which is irritating. The only downside is having to get up at 02:00hrs in the night for a light breakfast to tide me over till 21.41hrs again. I love my sleep so this disruption to my slumber is the only downside.
This is kept deliberately light due to the late time it is consumed - at present, here, that time is 21.41hrs!
The main evening meal follows but due to the prolonged fast not much can be consumed. As the month progresses the food taken in will be smaller in quantity due to a feeling that the stomach is shrinking!
Water is also consumed in a slightly larger amount. This along with the extra fibre helps to keep the bowel healthy. Some years ago, when I was living abroad in a hotter climate and had started fasting, I found that this last fact was crucial. Due to lack of both I became painfully constipated!! Needless to say I don’t want a repeat of that.
I have also noticed that my fingers and toes are colder. Due to the lack of energy i suppose. This always happens when i reduce my intake. I am driving with all the cooling systems turned off and the windows up. This also saves a slight amount on fuel so it can’t be all bad i suppose. Another thing is that my leg muscles are feeling tired and drained, similar to when one is ill. Since they are the largest muscle group in the body they require the most energy which is in short supply anyway.
Overall I am feeling fairly healthy apart from a dry throat which is irritating. The only downside is having to get up at 02:00hrs in the night for a light breakfast to tide me over till 21.41hrs again. I love my sleep so this disruption to my slumber is the only downside.
Saturday, 20 June 2015
The fasting starts
So the first day of the month long fast started on Thursday 18th. As usual Pakistan started the next day due to the new moon not being sighted in any part of the country. I still don't know why the moon has to be physically sighted.In this day and age we know PRECISELY the position of the moon at any given time, on any given day. Even if the date is a thousand years from now we know where the moon will be in the sky and yet some still insist that the moon has to be physically sighted....
Anyway conventional wisdom has it the first few days of fasting are the hardest as the body is getting used to less food coming in. Those who know me know that in many ways I am an Iconoclast so will now be surprised to learn that I do not hold with conventional wisdom. For me the first few days are relatively easy. Although I do like my food it feels as if a switch activates inside me and I find the beginning of fasting to be no problem at all. Only as it progresses does it feel harder.
This may be due to the fact that glycogen stores are depleted in the first few days. No problem. Then the fat stores are targeted to supply the energy needs for the body - good news!!!
However this is when it gets tricky. As the fast progresses over the days and weeks the body gets the signal that, as always throughout history until relatively modern times, a famine is starting. The low food and water intake then acts as a signal to the body to start self preservation measures. So guess what? It starts preserving those tissues which will ensure survival and these tissues just happen to be fat stores. BOOOOO.
At the same time it starts to cannibalise those tissues which are not so important for survival and require extra energy to maintain. These are the muscle tissue. Just a pound of muscle requires an extra 50 calories per day just to maintain itself. this is the reason it is absolutely essential that any weight loss programme needs weight training to build up some muscle so that you continue to burn extra calories even at rest.
Anyway as the fast progresses is when I really start to feel it. the hunger becomes more acute. My body starts to ache, particularly in the joints.
It's only the first few days so I am still in the glycogen reduction phase. I am even enjoying the feeling of fasting. It's a familiar path. Let's see if it goes the same way as previous years.
I'll keep you posted
Anyway conventional wisdom has it the first few days of fasting are the hardest as the body is getting used to less food coming in. Those who know me know that in many ways I am an Iconoclast so will now be surprised to learn that I do not hold with conventional wisdom. For me the first few days are relatively easy. Although I do like my food it feels as if a switch activates inside me and I find the beginning of fasting to be no problem at all. Only as it progresses does it feel harder.
This may be due to the fact that glycogen stores are depleted in the first few days. No problem. Then the fat stores are targeted to supply the energy needs for the body - good news!!!
However this is when it gets tricky. As the fast progresses over the days and weeks the body gets the signal that, as always throughout history until relatively modern times, a famine is starting. The low food and water intake then acts as a signal to the body to start self preservation measures. So guess what? It starts preserving those tissues which will ensure survival and these tissues just happen to be fat stores. BOOOOO.
At the same time it starts to cannibalise those tissues which are not so important for survival and require extra energy to maintain. These are the muscle tissue. Just a pound of muscle requires an extra 50 calories per day just to maintain itself. this is the reason it is absolutely essential that any weight loss programme needs weight training to build up some muscle so that you continue to burn extra calories even at rest.
Anyway as the fast progresses is when I really start to feel it. the hunger becomes more acute. My body starts to ache, particularly in the joints.
It's only the first few days so I am still in the glycogen reduction phase. I am even enjoying the feeling of fasting. It's a familiar path. Let's see if it goes the same way as previous years.
I'll keep you posted
Wednesday, 17 June 2015
Fasting
Just had my last cup of coffee (black) for a month due to fasting starting tomorrow. I suppose I am lucky that unlike a lot of people I know I am not addicted to coffee or tea and so do not suffer with headaches, nausea or both when I stop. It's like a switch in my head which goes off when the fasting starts.
That's probably why I treated myself to an ice cream this morning. As I have always maintained - as long as the overall caloric balance is maintained it does not matter about the so called "bad" foods or treats in the long run. In fact such "cheating" helps you to maintain your dietary habits and allows you to stick to your goals.
What will be hard for me is the need to get up at 2:00 - 2:30am for the fast to start and prayer. I hate my sleep being disturbed and then to try to sleep when the stomach is semi-full.....
That's probably why I treated myself to an ice cream this morning. As I have always maintained - as long as the overall caloric balance is maintained it does not matter about the so called "bad" foods or treats in the long run. In fact such "cheating" helps you to maintain your dietary habits and allows you to stick to your goals.
What will be hard for me is the need to get up at 2:00 - 2:30am for the fast to start and prayer. I hate my sleep being disturbed and then to try to sleep when the stomach is semi-full.....
Friday, 29 May 2015
What happens when you stop eating?
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