dieting while fasting.....need help

hello there...... im in a bit of a diley  u see its my holy month for fasting... and i cannot miss it at all..... it starts like this....  i can eat before dawn ... b4 5am after 5 i cannot even sip water or even taste salt till sunset.

Now the issue is.... i hardly wake up for such an early breakfast so i have to fast with an empty stomach, the most if i do wake up its enough to have an apple with 3-4 glasses of water and say my prayers. Later at sunset ...which is usually at 6:40 pm i eat a nice big bowl of vegetables or sometimes milk and banana or maybe a samosa for a treat..... but no fatty food.  The problem is , i recently made a rule to not eat or even snack after 7pm... i noticed it really cheers me up in the morning when i check my weight.... but now i dunno what to do.... there isnt much time between 6:40 and 7:00.  But i have to fast , i will never avoid it .  So my calorie comes to be 800 or less, which is not to bad i guess (since im not working or studying)  but i know it will go alot less , like 300 or maybe 400 , i know cuz it has happened b4. What should i do?... i dont wanna have a very large meal of 1200 calorie at one shot and i dont want to eat after 7pm.

I can appreciate where you're coming from as I have to fast a few times/year for religious purposes. However, some of your posts have indicated a possible eating disorder. Does your faith make fasting exceptions for people with health issues? If so, I would speak to your doctor about the healthiest way for you to stick close to your religious practices but stay healthy and safe. For instance, my dad is diabetic and, therefore, doesn't have to follow the fasting rules. He does as best he can but he has to eat something or it would be dangerous.

I would suggest setting the alarm for 4:45 and having a granola bar and going back to bed to get SOMETHING in you. Just keep a box on the bedside table. Wake up long enough to munch it and go back to sleep.

Also, while your no snacking/eating after 7 is a GREAT rule for losing weight, it probably isn't wise to stick to this during fast time. Consider having a healthy snack or small meal around 10 am just for during this past period.

Take care and have a blessed Ramadan.  (I presume that's what your celebrating as my calendar indicated it started today.)

as far as i know (one of my best friends is a muslim and also has to fast every year at this time) there are a few exceptions.
in her case, if you're more than moderately sick, pregnant/nursing, elderly, or on TTOM, you can skip fasting during that time, but i think you have to make it up later and fast for extra time when everyone else is done.  im not 100% sure...id have to ask her again.
i have not heard of dieting issues as an exception, or even health issues (only virus/bacteria-caused illnesses, like if you get the flu, pnemonia, malaria, etc.)

i don't think it would hurt to change your rule for just this period of time to 8:00 PM. it is only an hour's difference.
Since you can't change the fasting part, you'll just have to work with what you CAN change. unless you want your metabolism to slow down like traffic in rush hour by the end of the month.

An eating disorder is classed as an illness and therefore sufferers would be able to get an exemption from any religious rituals on that basis....  I should talk the problem through with your family and your religious leader and aks for their suggestions.  It's meant to be an observance of faith, not an instrument of torture.

This is one time when a meal replacement drink would help.  If you want it cold, put it in a thermos with ice on your bedside table and drink it when you wake up. 

However, I agree with gi-jane about seeking a medical exemption from the fast.

I think you will feel the least guilt if you stick to the rules of your religion and your own personal rules.  If I were you, I would just wake up a bit earlier and eat a decent sized breakfast, then have a snack right at sunset.  You could even wake up to eat and go back to bed if you need to.

I like that you're so dedicated to your 7 o'clock food bedtime & keep up the hard work w/o overdoing it!  Good luck on the fast & let me know what you end up doing.

You can't have it both ways. If you are following one set of strict eating rules for your religion, you can't simultaneously follow another set of strict self-imposed rules as well. In other words, if you can't eat until sunset at 6.30pm it's ridiculous to tell yourself that you can't eat after 7pm as well. You couldn't possibly stuff down enough calories to keep your body going in that length of time. It's dangerous, and if you keep it up for a whole month it's guaranteed to put your body into starvation mode and probably make you very sick as well. 

Your religious fast is already cutting your calories down (because of all the hours of not-eating each day) so you NEED to eat in the evening instead. Your body needs the fuel to keep it going so that you don't get sick.

I think during this month of fasting you should scrap your rule of not eating after 7pm as it will result very low levels of calorie intake (well below 800 etc) and result in a very slowed metabolism due to the long periods without food.

Try to eat for as many hours between 5pm and 5am (in the hours that you are not asleep) and make sure you drink PLENTY as well.

Goodluck! and Happy Fasting!

Thankyou all, Ure very kind.