How can I best prepare for Ramadan?

This isn’t fasting advice per se, but I would suggest just saying that you’re on a fast—for whatever reason—rather than mimicking Ramadan. That makes it sounds like you’re minimizing or trivializing an important holiday.

Yeah, OK, but naming conventions aside: how would I do it?

Ah, never mind, I’ve decided against doing it since it will be quite a lot to ask from the people around me, especially considering some of them don’t really understand why I am doing this.

What exactly were your reasons for participating in 2/3 of a Muslim holy holiday? Were you planning to pray 5X daily (starting at sunup), read the Quran, and celebrate the end w.. a communal feast? That would be like fasting for Yom Kippur (sundown to sun up), attending all the Synagogue services for the 24 hours and breaking the fast w. the Jewish community w/ being Jewish.

Are you a Muslim?

No, I’m not exactly bound to a specific religion (though I do feel there is something more, like a God, and that one doesn’t end with death). I fast to get a feel for what it’s like when you do not always have food available to satisfy your hunger, and yet I know it’s even nothing compared to people in the third world. It also use the period I’m fasting to try and help something, which mostly comes down to saving money and at the end of the period donate it to a charity. Since I was wondering what would be harder, the fasting I do normally or like it is done during Ramadan, I thought I’d do it that way this time. But sjg102379 was right, I shouldn’t have called it ramadan, but I guess that was just easiest.

@Vincentt; what a scrupulously honest and reasoned answer. Thank you. Enduring a fast for your own principles is wonderful…remember, however (I am sure that you know this) that Muslims can and do eat while the sun is down..During the day, they not only don’t eat but are allowed no water and can’t even kiss their partner.

Perhaps fasting as part of a religious community is easier than doing it on your own? I would guess so. On Yom Kippur, if one fasts, there is company w. the same headache, bad breath and good intentions. It helps. Let us know what you try and how it goes. Check out how Ghandi, etc fasted for political reasons..

@gailcalled: I wasn’t aware of the not-kissing-their-partner thing, but that won’t be a problem, since I don’t have a partner ;-)

And yeah, I knew you’d be allowed to eat when the sun is down, otherwise I wouldn’t make it ;-)

But I’ve realized that this puts a burden on those around me, especially to those who do not even understand my motivation for doing it. That’s why I’ve decided to fast like I did before; just eating very little, and only to not starve, so dry bread, etc.