On the Art and Science of Not Eating
Last night I read an article in the news about World Cup soccer players fasting for Ramadan during the tournament. The fact that anyone would be doing both at the same time blew my mind. How do you run around for 90 solid minutes without any water?? Now that's dedication.
It's the first time that Ramadan and World Cup have coincided since 1986. This doesn't seem like that long ago but is probably the entire lifetime of most of the players there. Apparently quite a few players are both playing and observing the fast and a lot of people are wondering what effect (if any) this will have on their game. According to past studies (there are studies on this?!), as long as their overall calorie count is maintained at normal levels throughout the month, then not very much. The results are a bit mixed, but in general it seems like bodies adapt pretty quickly to the altered schedule. Good to know.
It's only day 3 of Ramadan, but at 8:30 this morning I was already hungry. Apparently I have not gone through that period of adaptation the studies talk about yet. Sunrise in Korea is at 5:11am these days, which means the morning meal needs to be finished just after 4. Which means that for the last 3 days I have been awake at 3:30 in the morning, padding around the kitchen trying to get down enough to see me through the next 16 or so hours while not even a little bit hungry. After all, at that hour it hasn't been that long since I ate my fast-breaking meal the evening before (around 8pm), not to mention it being a time when I am normally sound asleep in bed and definitely not thinking about food.
This is the first time I've observed Ramadan in the northern hemisphere's summer, and it is entirely different from doing it during southern winter. The days are much longer. The interruption to sleep is much more acute. The heat and humidity mean I feel the lack of water much more than the lack of food. And the food, well, I have no idea what to eat. In summer I usually veg out - lots of salads and fruit and small, light meals scattered throughout the day. Exactly the kind of food that doesn't fuel a 16 hour fast. On the other hand, the kinds of hearty stews that got me through my last two Ramadans are completely unappealing in hot weather. I've experimented with a couple different options now but haven't struck on a combination that works yet. As is clearly evident from the early rumblings of my stomach today, with almost 10 hours left to go before the fast breaks.
This morning's stomach pangs aside, if I don't get a better handle on how to manage my food intake during the next month then not only will I be hungrier than necessary for the next 27 days, but none of my clothes are going to fit either. And not because I've suddenly dropped a bunch of pounds. Ironically, the last time I fasted for Ramadan I put on weight despite not eating for a large portion of every day, and I am looking set to repeat that trend this time if I'm not more careful. The issue that those soccer players at World Cup struggle with - keeping their calorie counts up throughout the month - is definitely not an issue for me. I eat way more in the morning than I ever would normally, in an effort to make sure I have enough fuel to get me through the day, and then am so starving in the evening (and so aware that I haven't eaten anything all day long) that I eat more than usual then too. Add that to not exercising as much as usual and it's a recipe for diet disaster. How do people who do this year after year after year manage this? Probably they have a lot more direction to follow than I do. At least I hope they do.
Which brings me to the point of this post that I am supposed to neatly tie up all the loose threads and say something witty and moving in conclusion to make the reading seem worthwhile. But I am feeling neither witty not moved this morning, just hungry. Sorry. There will be no tidy ending, no poetry to take into your day. Just this - I hope that wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you know that you are blessed. Whether your stomach is rumbling or not. Happy Ramadan.
It's the first time that Ramadan and World Cup have coincided since 1986. This doesn't seem like that long ago but is probably the entire lifetime of most of the players there. Apparently quite a few players are both playing and observing the fast and a lot of people are wondering what effect (if any) this will have on their game. According to past studies (there are studies on this?!), as long as their overall calorie count is maintained at normal levels throughout the month, then not very much. The results are a bit mixed, but in general it seems like bodies adapt pretty quickly to the altered schedule. Good to know.
It's only day 3 of Ramadan, but at 8:30 this morning I was already hungry. Apparently I have not gone through that period of adaptation the studies talk about yet. Sunrise in Korea is at 5:11am these days, which means the morning meal needs to be finished just after 4. Which means that for the last 3 days I have been awake at 3:30 in the morning, padding around the kitchen trying to get down enough to see me through the next 16 or so hours while not even a little bit hungry. After all, at that hour it hasn't been that long since I ate my fast-breaking meal the evening before (around 8pm), not to mention it being a time when I am normally sound asleep in bed and definitely not thinking about food.
This is the first time I've observed Ramadan in the northern hemisphere's summer, and it is entirely different from doing it during southern winter. The days are much longer. The interruption to sleep is much more acute. The heat and humidity mean I feel the lack of water much more than the lack of food. And the food, well, I have no idea what to eat. In summer I usually veg out - lots of salads and fruit and small, light meals scattered throughout the day. Exactly the kind of food that doesn't fuel a 16 hour fast. On the other hand, the kinds of hearty stews that got me through my last two Ramadans are completely unappealing in hot weather. I've experimented with a couple different options now but haven't struck on a combination that works yet. As is clearly evident from the early rumblings of my stomach today, with almost 10 hours left to go before the fast breaks.
This morning's stomach pangs aside, if I don't get a better handle on how to manage my food intake during the next month then not only will I be hungrier than necessary for the next 27 days, but none of my clothes are going to fit either. And not because I've suddenly dropped a bunch of pounds. Ironically, the last time I fasted for Ramadan I put on weight despite not eating for a large portion of every day, and I am looking set to repeat that trend this time if I'm not more careful. The issue that those soccer players at World Cup struggle with - keeping their calorie counts up throughout the month - is definitely not an issue for me. I eat way more in the morning than I ever would normally, in an effort to make sure I have enough fuel to get me through the day, and then am so starving in the evening (and so aware that I haven't eaten anything all day long) that I eat more than usual then too. Add that to not exercising as much as usual and it's a recipe for diet disaster. How do people who do this year after year after year manage this? Probably they have a lot more direction to follow than I do. At least I hope they do.
Which brings me to the point of this post that I am supposed to neatly tie up all the loose threads and say something witty and moving in conclusion to make the reading seem worthwhile. But I am feeling neither witty not moved this morning, just hungry. Sorry. There will be no tidy ending, no poetry to take into your day. Just this - I hope that wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you know that you are blessed. Whether your stomach is rumbling or not. Happy Ramadan.
posted by Roberta | 10:40 AM
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