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Fasting & Programming

mahdiyusuf.com

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Re: Fasting & Programming

#51

Post by irahul »

RyanMcGreal wrote: post #46
irahul wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If I were an employer, after reading this... There isn't much you can do; at least you can't make religious fasting the reason for your actions unless you are interested in lawsuits and tons of negative publicity. What does it take to start a new religion? What if I start a new religion which says working more than 4 hours a day is against my gods? Can employers deny me jobs? Or if they don't deny it, are they boun…

If you want to start a new religion, be prepared to spend an awful lot of donation money on a crack legal team who can defend a) your religion from anything that looks like defamation and b) your adherents from anything that looks like discrimination.

I am aware of the fact that whatever you can get away with(what you do doesn't affect others, legal team, political pressure, terrorism) becomes reasonable after some time. Religion is just a ruse. It's not that people adhere to everything their religion tells them to. Gay bashing, female subjugation etc. are just bigoted assholes hiding behind their religion and projecting their limited, hateful world view on others.

Re: Fasting & Programming

#52

Post by mseebach »

salibhai wrote: post #40
jezclaremurugan wrote: post #10

I am currently working in Saudi Arabia (here, fasting is a national rule , however I eat because I'm a Indian and non-Muslim) as a programmer, and I've noticed one funny thing - people just become nocturnal. They eat and work in the night and sleep during the day. This is simply the normal routine reversed. Fasting has minimal effects on them, its not fasting, just the time in which they eat is changed! They work sho…

Muslims around the world are going through the same materialistic tendencies as being seen all over the world. Instead of using Ramadan as a chance to cut back on worldly life and focus on spirituality, they are using it to focus on shopping, malls, entertainment, television, etc.. Fasting heightens the senses and brings an awareness to your mind about how we are only here for a short time. If you choose to sleep all…

> If you choose to sleep all day, I wouldn't call it a loophole, since you are not hurting anyone but yourself by sleeping all day during the fasting hours.

Well, if you chose to eat, you also wouldn't be hurting anyone but yourself, so that can't be the relevant benchmark.

Re: Fasting & Programming

#53

Post by dalore »

ramblerman wrote: post #19
jezclaremurugan wrote: post #10

I am currently working in Saudi Arabia (here, fasting is a national rule , however I eat because I'm a Indian and non-Muslim) as a programmer, and I've noticed one funny thing - people just become nocturnal. They eat and work in the night and sleep during the day. This is simply the normal routine reversed. Fasting has minimal effects on them, its not fasting, just the time in which they eat is changed! They work sho…

Humans are funny creatures. To believe on the one hand a god laid down these rules, and then in the same thought think "Well I bet he didn't think of this loophole"

Isn't there whole sections of Judaism that work out loopholes to God's laws?

Re: Fasting & Programming

#54

Post by skMed »

jezclaremurugan wrote: post #10

I am currently working in Saudi Arabia (here, fasting is a national rule , however I eat because I'm a Indian and non-Muslim) as a programmer, and I've noticed one funny thing - people just become nocturnal. They eat and work in the night and sleep during the day. This is simply the normal routine reversed. Fasting has minimal effects on them, its not fasting, just the time in which they eat is changed! They work sho…

Adding a quick note here about Ramadan - the act of fasting and feeling hungry, thirsty, and tired also serves to invoke feelings of empathy with those who are less fortunate. Essentially, it is a reminder that there are always those who are in need. This is why muslims are encouraged to donate to the needy during this month.

Simply sleeping through the fast and reversing a sleep schedule seems to go against the spirit of the exercise. Of course, everyone fasts for different reasons and it is a very personal undertaking. I just wanted to clarify for those who may be thinking "Why bother doing it at all if you can flip your sleep schedule?"

Re: Fasting & Programming

#55

Post by michaels0620 »

Multiplayer wrote: post #49
nsxwolf wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was probably very common in the human experience prior to the development of agriculture. People didn't eat regular meals. Hunting opportunities would not have come along every day, and sometimes hunts would fail. I don't think humans would become too weak to throw spears because they didn't have their Cheerios in the morning. When I hear people who have skipped a meal complain "my blood sugar is low", I worry f…

"When I hear people who have skipped a meal complain "my blood sugar is low", I worry for their health. We have fat stores for a reason. Skipping a meal should not be a big deal." That is such a great point. People have been programmed around the 3 meal regime. I have found it fun to experiment with fewer meals and generally it works fine if I have an primarily protein breakfast I sail through to an early dinner.

It's gotten even worse now with many fitness gurus strongly advocating 6 small meals a day.

Re: Fasting & Programming

#56

Post by neutronicus »

sambeau wrote: post #33

As (a non-religious) someone who tried fasting while holding down a similar job, my advice is simple: don't break your fast every night. It only takes 24-48 hours for your body to adjust, your fat to start melting and your blood-sugar levels to stabilise. You also stop feeling hungry. I found that while I was generally a little 'light-headed' my powers of concentration were fine and I returned to full productivity. A…

My experience with this sort of thing is that despite thrice-weekly lifting sessions, I lose a LOT of muscle. Just a heads-up for anyone thinking of trying this.

Re: Fasting & Programming

#57

Post by vimalg2 »

I've been trying one of the more popular Intermittent fasting protocols -Leangains for 20 days and counting. It was uncomfortable only for the first 3 days.

16-20hr (well-hydrated) fasts ended with a heavy lifting workout and BIG meal at 'breakfast' (6pm or later for me). FAQ: http://examine.com/leangains-faq/

I love it.

Increased alertness, focus, no more mid-day food comas. I'm a fat guy, so my body is probably fat-adapted after a couple weeks of IF.

And i work at my ghetto standing desk from 9 to 5 weekdays.

I can't imagine living any other way now. It's wonderful not to be a slave to food. I see food as just fuel now.

Note: I do take 10g of BCAAs before lifting heavy fasted. There is evidence that they prevent catabolism of muscle.

Re: Fasting & Programming

#58

Post by delluminatus »

nsxwolf wrote: post #41
sambeau wrote: post #33

As (a non-religious) someone who tried fasting while holding down a similar job, my advice is simple: don't break your fast every night. It only takes 24-48 hours for your body to adjust, your fat to start melting and your blood-sugar levels to stabilise. You also stop feeling hungry. I found that while I was generally a little 'light-headed' my powers of concentration were fine and I returned to full productivity. A…

This was probably very common in the human experience prior to the development of agriculture. People didn't eat regular meals. Hunting opportunities would not have come along every day, and sometimes hunts would fail. I don't think humans would become too weak to throw spears because they didn't have their Cheerios in the morning. When I hear people who have skipped a meal complain "my blood sugar is low", I worry f…

I think a big part of the "low blood sugar" complaint is people misinterpreting their body. I used to get "low blood sugar" if I didn't eat for six hours or so, even getting headaches from it (I think 60% of the headaches I've gotten in my life have been from the placebo effect, and the rest stress-related).

People are just so unused to being hungry that they freak out when it happens.

Re: Fasting & Programming

#59

Post by stcredzero »

paperwork wrote: post #2

Very interesting, my experience has been slightly different this year. Normally my brain is thinking 10 different things at one time. It is fairly difficult for me to focus (more so since I work at an office that has 5 TVs that I can see, and a couple of channels I can hear). The first few days of fasting, I was surprised how easily I was able to focus. Frankly I was far more productive than I normally am. Unfortunat…

> The first few days of fasting, I was surprised how easily I was able to focus.

Back in olden times, the occasions when you haven't been eating are precisely the times to focus.

Re: Fasting & Programming

#60

Post by dllthomas »

nsxwolf wrote: post #41
sambeau wrote: post #33

As (a non-religious) someone who tried fasting while holding down a similar job, my advice is simple: don't break your fast every night. It only takes 24-48 hours for your body to adjust, your fat to start melting and your blood-sugar levels to stabilise. You also stop feeling hungry. I found that while I was generally a little 'light-headed' my powers of concentration were fine and I returned to full productivity. A…

This was probably very common in the human experience prior to the development of agriculture. People didn't eat regular meals. Hunting opportunities would not have come along every day, and sometimes hunts would fail. I don't think humans would become too weak to throw spears because they didn't have their Cheerios in the morning. When I hear people who have skipped a meal complain "my blood sugar is low", I worry f…

Too weak to throw spears, maybe not. Too weak to churn out top quality code may be another matter, however.
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