I'm fasting, help me from...slowing.

March 17, 2008 9:35 PM

I'm finishing off a 19 day fast and have only 3 days left. This week is a bit intense for me (2 exams and a lot of running around) give me some tips and tricks to power through.

It's the Baha'i Fast and it's from sunrise to sunset. No eating or drinking during that time.

So far, it has gone really well, however, I find by around 1PM, I start to get a little tired and I will usually take a nap for an hour. The next few days are going to be a little intense for me and I won't be able to take a nap during the day.

I don't get up before sunrise to eat/drink (although I REALLY should), does anyone have any advice on how I can power through these next few days? You know, special things to eat or drink prior? Exercises to keep me going through the day, whatever you can think of.

Oh, I'm willing to get up early but the thing is, I go to bed really late and I don't know if shifting my entire schedule for 3 more days is going to help.

posted by 913 to health (7 comments total)

dude, you really need to just eat in the morning. The energy boost your metabolism and body will get will totally outweigh the lost(or shifted) sleep.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 9:43 PM on March 17

I can't believe I just started an askme answer with 'dude'.
but yeah, the extra food in the morning will outweigh the shift in schedule, especially if just for three days.
also, if you're feeling tired or listless, some quick pushups or jumping jacks will get your blood moving enough to overcome it.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 9:46 PM on March 17

You have only 3 more days to go, so here are my thoughts on the next 3 days.
Muslims do the same kind of fast you do, except they do it for a month.
Jews do a 24 hour fast.
You have already done 16 of them, so I'm sure you can just power through the next 3. I can understand why you are getting tired (you're presumably consuming fewer calories), why not increase the amount of sleep you get; go to bed an hour or two earlier at night.
Eat whatever you have been eating since its working for you, no need to experiment during the next 3 days if they are going to be stressful.

THE NEXT time:
When you break your fast, break it with a nice fat protein shake. Get one of those 2 shakes that I have NEVER seen anybody get at Jamba Juice (peanut butter, or chocolate...anybody? seriously?). Then eat what you want to. Sounds logical enough to me.
Seems like you're getting enough water, so I won't even touch upon that, although with a protein shake, you WILL need more water.
Talk to Muslims. See what they do for the long haul.

Good luck.
posted by hal_c_on at 9:51 PM on March 17

When I used to fast in college, I also used to go to bed really late, so I'd end up eating a meal right before I went to bed instead of waking up before sunrise. It never kept the hunger/tiredness away as well as a pre-sunrise meal, but it was better than nothing. In high school I did the morning thing. If you make the food the night before, getting up and zapping it in the microwave doesn't take too long and I always fell back to sleep really easily. If you're super lazy, soup or hot chocolate doesn't take that much energy to consume. No spoon, no chewing...right back to sleep.

And maybe instead of taking a daytime nap, you could take an early evening nap? Anything to make sure you're still sleeping enough might help with the tiredness.

Also, I always found that keeping busy actually helped with fasting because it took my mind off food and how my body felt. Sitting at home and studying near my kitchen was always the worst. Good luck!
posted by loulou718 at 9:54 PM on March 17

You definitely need to eat breakfast -- the quantity of food is far less important than the content, though. Stay away from high-sugar breakfast foods (pancakes, doughnuts, etc.) and focus on denser foods, stuff that's high in protein and iron. Eggs are good, as are nuts.

Personally, I tend not to be very hungry in the morning, so eating a lot isn't an option (I'm also fasting). For breakfast this morning I had a cup of yogurt and half of an Odwalla bar and it kept me going all day.
posted by camcgee at 9:59 PM on March 17

You can eat after sunset. If you have trouble getting up before sunrise, try to eat three meals - one immediately at dusk and one right before bed and one midway between those two. Eat as much as you would in a regular day in those meals even if you're not hungry, and it's a chore to finish the meals.

I apologize if you're already doing this, and it's not working. I've never done it, but it makes sense to me as a strategy.
posted by ignignokt at 10:57 PM on March 17

Can you get up before sunrise, eat, and then go back to sleep? I know not everyone can (a) go to sleep right after eating or (b) get back to sleep once they've woken up, but if you can, it might be the solution for you.
posted by boomchicka at 5:52 AM on March 18 [1 favorite]