To put it bluntly, you need to eat as much as you can when you can. You only get about 5-6 hours of eating time and you need to try to maintain the same calorie intake as you get outside of Ramadan. So, as soon as you feel hungry again, eat!
Can someone experience fat loss during Ramadan?
During fasting (or using the principle of Intermittent fasting) you should not be expecting to make huge gains. Use this time to your advantage and get leaner. At the end of the 24 hour day, you’re likely to still be in a calorie deficit compared to your normal everyday routine. With that in mind, so long as you stick to a healthy/”clean” diet when you can eat, you should be able to lose fat.
What’s eating healthy/”clean”?
Eating “clean” is a term used in bodybuilding to refer to eating foods that are not junk food. For example, try to avoid overly processed foods.
Is it best to stay away from processed carbohydrates like bread and pasta?
This is a long debated subject and there’s lots of research out there. You could spend a career looking into this (people do!). However, keep in mind that everyone’s body is different, what works for one person might not work for you. Try cutting bread/pasta if you think its impacting you or try adding it in if you miss it too much! Listen to your body and decide what’s best for you.
What’s the best way to train during Ramadan to experience fat loss whilst maintaining muscle mass?
It can be very tricky to train when fasting. If you feel able to give it a go, follow these guidelines to maximize fat loss whilst maintaining muscle mass:
• Keep it light weight (and stay around 12-15 reps). You are very unlikely to make any muscle gains during Ramadan. That’s why there’s no need to train heavy (which is primarily done for muscle gain).
• Keep your workouts short, around 30 minutes.
• Train around 4-5 days a week, don’t go crazy… you’ll need more recovery time.
• Skip the cardio, enjoy weight training.
Most importantly, don’t overdo it! You don’t want to stress your body more than necessary, not eating nor drinking for long periods of time can be hard work for your body.