Ramadan has started - how do I best hold on to muscle given the fast?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 to 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and submissiveness to God. The fast begins at sunrise and ends at sunset.

As a Muslim I can not drink alcohol, eat pork, or eat meat where the blood has not been drained. I use supplements as any bodybuilder does, and I work as a software engineer. During Ramdan I often don't start work until early afternoon.

Hi Moham,

I always get tons of questions this time of year around dealing with Ramadan from Muslims who are trying to build and retain muscle. Often, this can be an opportunity to shed a bit of fat but you have to use a few tricks.

Ideally, you'd be eating 6 or 7 times per day with meals and snacks...but despite the constant advice to eat multiple meals, actually WHAT you eat is still more important than WHEN.

Basically, you need to still get your 2 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight daily and your body will adapt somewhat to the larger, less frequent servings. You'll probably end up burning off more of the protein you eat but if you play it smart, you shouldn't lose too much muscle. Unless you have your own personal chef (or an understanding mom), you'll almost certainly need to use whey and casein protein shakes.

Depending upon your bodyweight, have at least 40 grams of whey protein upon waking. Then, cook up some omega-3 eggs (with yolks), along with as much oatmeal mixed with extra virgin olive oil as you can eat and either a fruit smoothie drink or some kind of fruit and get them down your neck just before the sun rises.

Right when the sun sets. Mix up another 40+ grams of whey protein, then feast on a nice balanced meal. Before bed, do the 40 gram casein shake, with peanut butter or with some kind of healthy oil in the shake, etc. Feel free to snack on any kind of carbs also. Chances are, you'll lose a little weight and muscle but if you stick to these recommendations, you should be able to maintain most of your hard earned muscle gains.

Really great answers fella's, I asked another question.