Eid al-Adha is one of the most important days of the Muslim year. For many families it begins with the voluntary fast of the Day of Arafah the day before, then Eid prayer, the qurbani, and a day or several days of visiting relatives and friends, sharing meat dishes, sweets, and tea at one home after another.<\/p>\n
If you take Zepbound or compounded tirzepatide, both the fast and the feast deserve a little planning. Decisions about fasting belong to you, your clinician, and your imam together.<\/p>\n
For people who are not on Hajj, fasting on the Day of Arafah is voluntary and highly valued. Islamic teaching does not ask anyone to fast when it would harm their health. If you would like to fast, talk to your clinician first, especially if you have diabetes.<\/p>\n
The prescribing information for Zepbound states that “ZEPBOUND lowers blood glucose and can cause hypoglycemia.” In practice, the risk is mainly for people who also take insulin or a sulfonylurea. If that is you, ask your prescriber well before the fast whether anything needs adjusting and how often to check your blood sugar. Never change those medications on your own.<\/p>\n
On Zepbound, a large pre-dawn meal can leave you nauseated for the morning. Choose a smaller suhoor with protein and fluid: eggs, yogurt, labneh, cheese, dates, and plenty of water. Avoid very salty or fried foods that make you thirsty during the day.<\/p>\n
Break the fast, drink, and seek help if needed if you have dizziness that does not settle, confusion, fainting, vomiting, very dark urine, or shakiness and sweating, especially if you take insulin or a sulfonylurea. Your health comes first.<\/p>\n
At iftar, start with water and a date, then wait a little before the main meal. Take small portions and eat slowly. A big, rich meal straight after a day without food is a common route to feeling sick on these medications.<\/p>\n
Many people notice side effects most in the day or two after an injection. Look at where your injection day falls against the fast and the first day of Eid. The label allows the weekly day to be changed if doses stay at least 3 days apart, but ask your provider before changing it. Ask your provider to hold any dose increase until after Eid.<\/p>\n
Never skip a dose to make the fast easier or to eat more at the feast. Our guide on taking a break and restarting<\/a> covers why stopping and restarting is more involved than it sounds.<\/p>\n Eid tables are generous, and many dishes are built around the qurbani meat: stews, rice dishes, grilled meat, and slow-cooked lamb or goat. Rich, fatty meat and fried foods are the ones many people find hardest to tolerate.<\/p>\n Take a small plate at each home,<\/strong> and remember there may be several more visits.<\/p>\n Start with protein,<\/strong> but choose leaner cuts where you can.<\/p>\n Go easy on rich sauces and fried sides.<\/strong><\/p>\n Have a little of the sweets,<\/strong> not a full plate.<\/p>\n Our guide on what to eat after an injection<\/a> has ideas for foods that tend to sit well.<\/p>\n Hosts often show love by insisting you eat. You do not owe anyone an explanation. “It’s delicious, may I take some home?” or “I’ve just come from my aunt’s and couldn’t eat another bite” usually works. If someone keeps pushing, it is reasonable to ask them privately to stop.<\/p>\n Between visits, drink water, and keep tea and sweet drinks to small cups.<\/p>\n Part of the qurbani is shared with neighbors and those in need. If your own appetite is smaller, that tradition of giving is a natural place for extra portions to go.<\/p>\n Days of fasting, feasting, and visiting can swing between too much and too little. Watch for persistent fatigue, feeling cold, hair shedding, dizziness when you stand, losing strength, and losing weight faster than you and your provider intended.<\/p>\n If you started recently, our guide on the starting dose of tirzepatide<\/a> covers why the early weeks tend to be hardest, and a voluntary fast may be one to skip this year. If you switched from semaglutide, our guide comparing tirzepatide and semaglutide side effects<\/a> covers how the two compare.<\/p>\n Consider this scenario: a man with type 2 diabetes who takes Zepbound and a sulfonylurea fasts on the Day of Arafah without talking to his prescriber. He eats a large, salty suhoor, feels queasy, and by mid-afternoon is shaky and sweating. On Eid itself he eats a full plate of rich lamb at four different homes and is sick by evening. Talking to his prescriber before the fast, choosing a small suhoor with water, breaking the fast at the first warning sign, and taking small plates on Eid would very likely have made both days safer and happier.<\/p>\n On Zepbound, talk to your clinician before a Day of Arafah fast, especially if you take insulin or a sulfonylurea, and break the fast if you feel unwell. Keep suhoor small with protein and water, break the fast gently, and hold any dose increase until after Eid. On the day, take small plates at each home, choose leaner meat, keep sweets small, and drink water between visits.<\/p>\nThe Eid table<\/h2>\n
Visiting many homes<\/h2>\n
Sharing the qurbani<\/h2>\n
Watch for under-eating<\/h2>\n
New to Zepbound, or recently switched<\/h2>\n
The short version<\/h2>\n