08 Jun #fastingandstrong
The face of pure determination, no?
It’s been a week and a half since we started fasting, and I must admit, it is hard. The first day of fast, I had 2 sessions in the morning on water. The first session was one of my hardest sessions since I got back on the boat and by the second session, I was so tired that my coach stopped me halfway through training and told me to head back on land. He never does that.
It’s supposed to get easier as the days , but it doesn’t. The heat and humidity in Singapore are definitely not make it any better. I try to train before the sun rises but by the time training is done and I glance at my watch, I’ll be utterly disappointed- 10 more hours to getting a sip of water.
Usually, I will not have any energy left to do anything so I would end up lying in bed the whole day.
It is hard. And you tell yourself that it’s going to make you stronger. But sometimes, all you can do is just close your eyes and pray that when you wake up, it’s time to break your fast.
I’m terrible at this. I’ve been such a whiner, it’s so embarrassing.
That line is where I stop whining.
One day when I’m not fasting I’ll look back on these crazy days and think about how freaking easy training is when I have fluid in my body and knowing that I can fuel up after training. This is what keeps me going. Also when you’re fasting, you’re always consciously aware of your thoughts and actions. Because you’re constantly telling yourself not to eat or drink, you’re more careful about what you say, how you act, and what you think about too. And the bonus is that with training and fasting, you’ll lose weight (provided if you don’t binge like a hippo at night). I’ve already lost 4kg!
I’ve realized that if I do my long cardio sessions in the morning, I’ll end up not being able to do anything for the rest of the day, and often find myself struggling to complete my weights session in the evening. So I’ve tried to switch it around on days when I can. Do the resistance (and very likely air-conditioned) sessions in the morning. It will leave me tired, but not as thirsty like I’m going to die. Of course, I’m not saying that doing the long sessions in the evening is easier but knowing that there’s food and drinks after the session is a good source of motivation. I think it boils down to a matter of training smart, not training hard. I mean, you still train as hard as you possibly can, but you get what I mean.
And in terms of what I put inside my body, I’ve worked with the nutritionist from Sports SG, Cheryl, on getting the best food to fuel my starving body. I drink as much as I can (at least 1 liter of water at night and around 500ml during sahur) because I’m a freaking camel. Here’s an example of what I eat for the past few days (in case you’re interested to know):
Sahur, 5am:
Herbalife shake and a glass of juice.
1 or 2 slices of wholemeal toast with butter or jam or baked beans or cheese or turkey bacon or eggs or whatever my mum prepared that morning. (Wholemeal bread has high GI which keeps you fuller for long). I often struggle with eating in the morning though but I try to anyway.
Break of fast, 7:10ish pm:
Herbalife shake and a glass of sweet drink (like Coke or Ice Tea just because I am usually freaking thirsty)
And I will try and consume a complete meal with your basic carb, meat and vege. Usually after the Herbalife shake, I’m full af so I will eat this meal after prayers around 8:30pm.
Very often I am still full by 8:30pm and find it excruciating to eat but I will just say that if I don’t eat, my nutritionist and coach wouldn’t be very happy. You do things to make others happy, no?
Supper, 10pm:
If I am still up by 10pm (which I know I shouldn’t be), I’ll usually be chugging down water with the CR7 drive just because it tastes so good and has all the electrolytes and good stuff in it.
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Well, not the best, ideal meal plan tbh. I just find eating a struggle when I can eat, also because I’m always thirsty more than I’m hungry. But anyway, if you have a better meal plan, you can share it with me!
And last word of advice: Don’t go food/grocery shopping while fasting.
x
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