Ideas for fasting days on 5:2 diet

hairyprincess

I thought we could have a thread where we could share recipes on our fasting days. I've only started this today so I'm trying to find my feet!

I had no breakfast this morning, except two glasses of water. For lunch I had two poached eggs and two buttered slices of brown bread (340 cals).

Dinner will be stir fried cabbage, onion, garlic and mushrooms, using olive oil and a splash of soy sauce (80 cals).

And a plum for dessert! (36 cals)

Please share and help us all

The Hill Billy

Moved from Cooking & Recipes.

tHB

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

you sure about the breakfast cals?

on the myplate calculator over at livestrong it gives a 70cal reading for a poached egg and i'd imagine they'd be normalish sized eggs so that's 140-ish from the eggs alone

hairyprincess

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

you sure about the breakfast cals?

on the myplate calculator over at livestrong it gives a 70cal reading for a poached egg and i'd imagine they'd be normalish sized eggs so that's 140-ish from the eggs alone

That was a mistake in my maths! I've edited the op to correct it

Ant11

hairyprincess wrote: »

I thought we could have a thread where we could share recipes on our fasting days. I've only started this today so I'm trying to find my feet!

I had no breakfast this morning, except two glasses of water. For lunch I had two poached eggs and two buttered slices of brown bread (340 cals).

Dinner will be stir fried cabbage, onion, garlic and mushrooms, using olive oil and a splash of soy sauce (80 cals).

And a plum for dessert! (36 cals)

Please share and help us all

I'd ditch the bread and have meat instead for satiety.

dudara

I've started this today. I meant to plan out a menu last night, but things got in the way, so I'm relying on M&S instead

Breakfast
I don't generally eat breakfast, but I did have one mug of coffee with a splash of low-fat milk. Allowing 20 cals for this

Lunch
Edmame bean salad - 128 cal
Count on Us fruit yougurt - 60 cal

Dinner
Beetroot salad - 175 cal
1/2 pack precooked Mexican chicken - 85 cal

Plenty of water and peppermint tea throughout the day

daenerysstormborn3

Is there anything to be gained from excluding breakfast v excluding dinner? If I don't eat within a half hour of getting up I start

dry retching

so I think excluding breakfast would be a bad idea.

LaChatteGitane

I tend to eat my calories for dinner in stead of spreading them out over the day. That works best for me.
I also eat low carb.

dudara

pixiebean22 wrote: »

Is there anything to be gained from excluding breakfast v excluding dinner? If I don't eat within a half hour of getting up I start

dry retching

so I think excluding breakfast would be a bad idea.

I'd say stick to your normal eating pattern. I don't eat in the morning as it hurts my stomach to eat so soon, so it's no hardship for me to go until lunchtime. I decided to keep the bulk of the calories for my evening meal.

The only extra restriction I face is that I follow a wheat-free diet.

madma

a question regarding this type of fasting. I do IF myself and do various time lenghts.. this 600cal limit thingy.. when i fast i do it 100 per cent and just drink water and sometimes the odd cup of tea that has no sugar and only a small amount of milk

im wondering should i introduce 600cal amount of foods into this fasting or keep what im doing?? i find 24hr fasts no problem..

i was thinking of doing a 24hr one at the moment from 8pm just gone till tomorrow 8pm. im going to the gym tomorrow and anytime ive done that whilst fasting id avoid my usual 2 scoop why protein PWO shake. so if i do have this shake is it not breaking the fast tomorrow or as it fits into the 600cal allowance then ill still be on course to the 24hr fast??

cheers

Richard tea

I startex the 5:2 this week also. Today is my second fast day. From what i read it would be ideal to eat nothing for 24hrs. At the moment im doing the 600 kal option but i might stop this and do a complete 24 hour fast. Im also thinking of doing a fast 3 days a week. I think my first few weeks will be trial and error untill i find what suits me.

On a side note. The horizon doc has seemed to get alot of peoples attention. It would be nice to have a dedicated thread on boards.ie for everything intermittant fasting related.

madma

Richard tea wrote: »

I startex the 5:2 this week also. Today is my second fast day. From what i read it would be ideal to eat nothing for 24hrs. At the moment im doing the 600 kal option but i might stop this and do a complete 24 hour fast. Im also thinking of doing a fast 3 days a week. I think my first few weeks will be trial and error untill i find what suits me.

On a side note. The horizon doc has seemed to get alot of peoples attention. It would be nice to have a dedicated thread on boards.ie for everything intermittant fasting related.

ah yeah so its an option really.. i dont think id be able to manage the 600k option as well as what i do as i think with little amound of eating it would make me want to eat more! i find the 24hr one handy enough..i do drink plenty of water though maybe 5/6 pints. and if excercsing i make sure to drink a bit more than normal.

yeah theres been several threads about it but its good to see new ones pop up and to read about different peoples plans and what works for them etc..

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

i actually accidentally managed my first fast day yesterday. had some coconut oil and scrambled eggs for brekkie around 2 o clock and the timer on my halogen oven broke while i was cooking a chicken so it got burnt to absolute crap. managed to salvage some of the meat to eat during the week but the drums/wings I normally have for lunch on the day I cook the chicken were all unusable so I just skipped lunch.

dinner time came around and i forgot to cook any meat while my veg was in the steamer so I just had a lil bit of coconut oil and a small portion of broccoli and cauliflower.

not entirely sure of the overall cals, but around 600 i'd imagine. I had a cup of coffee on the go during the day, sipping on it every 20 minutes or so.. dont know if that kept the hunger at bay or if fasting was just easier than I thought it would be.


either way I was doing the 8 hour window version of IF for a while and I actually prefer it to my normal eat at 8am, lunch at 1pm, dinner at 5pm.. starving by 9pm. after yesterday I'll work a couple of "fast" days in there too, if anything else it'll be cheaper as I wont have to buy much food for those 2 days.

I'm considering starting again - I will need my breakfast though as I found my mood dropped a lot if I had nothing. an egg would do the job

LaChatteGitane

I started the 5:2 in August, the week after the BBC broadcast. I lapsed spectacularly in the month of December :rolleyes:.
Now I have been on the low carb for a week and I'll start the fast this Monday.

I have found that I really must weigh everything or I'll go over the calorie limit (also spectacularly)

Will post a couple of recipes later for anyone interested.

Richard tea

Come 9 O'Clock tonight that will be 24hrs for me. Like you LaChatteGitane im shocked how much cals are in some foods & its best to measure/weigh them. The hard parts of a fast day is preparing the kids dinner and not grazing on it or finishing off a few lovely crispy greasy chips from their plate:rolleyes:

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar Im not too sure, maybe some one else can comment but I dont think you have to sip on one coffee. You can drink a few cips of black tea or coffee without harming the fast. Could be worng
Its very important to drink plenty of water though especially on a fast day.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

Richard tea wrote: »

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar Im not too sure, maybe some one else can comment but I dont think you have to sip on one coffee. You can drink a few cips of black tea or coffee without harming the fast. Could be worng
Its very important to drink plenty of water though especially on a fast day.

I stopped drinking coffee for years because I get panic attacks and too much caffeine makes me very jittery. i've discovered recently that I can space the coffee out over a few hours and I don't feel bad but still get a bit of a kick from it. wasn't fast-related, more me-related

LaChatteGitane

Ingredients
serves 4

• 4 fillets of chicken, 150 grs each
• 2 onions, 200 grs finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tin plum tomatoes, 400 grs, chopped
• 2 tbsp greek yoghurt
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 very mild chilli, sliced in rings (I have them in my greenhouse, now I use them in and on everything, not for 'seriously spicy' food, though)
• a few fresh basil leaves, to taste
• seasoning

Preparation

• preheat oven 170°C - fan assisted
• on the hob, sautee the onion and garlic in one 1 tbsp of olive oil till onion has turned translucent
• add the tomato puree and leave it to cook out for a minute or so
• in go the chopped tomatoes from the tin
• simmer for 10 minutes
• take from the heat and add the dried basil, the chilli and stir in the yoghurt
• season
• heat a non stick pan on the hob with 1 tbsp olive oil
• season the chicken fillets with salt and black pepper
• sear them in the pan on both sides
• transfer to a suitable roasting tin and cover with the sauce
• in the preheated oven for 20 minutes to half an hour
• the chicken fillets should be cooked through, but check to be sure.

I served mine with a rustic olive tapenade

sdp

Hi, thinking of starting this, what plan/books/site are ye using?
Many thanks

sdp

sdp wrote: »

Hi, thinking of starting this, what plan/books/site are ye using?
Many thanks

There isn't one
eat for 5 days, fast for 2 non-consec

hairyprincess

I downloaded a book to my Kindle during the week called 'The 5:2 Diet Book: Feast for 5 Days a Week and Fast for 2' by Kate Harrison. It's where I originally heard about the diet

gjc

would appreciate recipes as I am scratching my head for low carb yet filling recipes.

LaChatteGitane would you give me the recipe for your rustic olive tapenade. Ta

sdp

Great, thanks for that,

LaChatteGitane

gjc wrote: »

LaChatteGitane would you give me the recipe for your rustic olive tapenade. Ta

Had to dig it out from my notebook, but found it in the end.

I used

80 grs black pitted olives, roughly chopped
100 grs green pitted olives, roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated
1 small chilli red, finely chopped
1 tbsp balsamico
1 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
233 cal for the lot - 134 cal per 100 grs
Mix together and leave to rest for half an hour before use. Can be stored in the fridge for a few days.

gjc

Gosh was doing really well yesterday on a fast day, but cracked at about 8pm had to have a sandwich, harder than i thought....was drinking loads of water etc had no hunger pangs at all then came the wall at 8pm, boom!!!!!

LaChatteGitane

gjc wrote: »

Gosh was doing really well yesterday on a fast day, but cracked at about 8pm had to have a sandwich, harder than i thought....was drinking loads of water etc had no hunger pangs at all then came the wall at 8pm, boom!!!!!

What is your eating plan like (for a whole fast day) ?

On fast days I do get hunger pangs, but they pass and come back, to pass once again. I drink loads of water but also black tea. I find black tea is more satisfying when feeling hungry.
Miso soup is also great for keeping the hunger at bay.

I usually don't eat at all during the day. My meal will be eaten early evening.
About 300 to 350 calorie main meal, which leaves me plenty of room for a yoghurt and a piece of fruit later on in the evening.

gjc

Thanks for that will try the miso soup, never had it before....I googled miso never seen it before, I presume tesco will have it, yes indeed a soup i think is my answer i remember WWatchers promote a no points soup which is just loads of veggies in a pot with a stock cube.

Had a poached egg that morning but had nothing after that just water. I am throwing myself too hard at this, purely because I REALLY need to lose the weight. I was asked last week was I pregnant, I couldnt fault the person who said it I knew myself I need to turn myself around.

LaChatteGitane

gjc wrote: »

Thanks for that will try the miso soup, never had it before....I googled miso never seen it before, I presume tesco will have it, yes indeed a soup i think is my answer i remember WWatchers promote a no points soup which is just loads of veggies in a pot with a stock cube.

Had a poached egg that morning but had nothing after that just water. I am throwing myself too hard at this, purely because I REALLY need to lose the weight. I was asked last week was I pregnant, I couldnt fault the person who said it I knew myself I need to turn myself around.

That really is not enough !!
You need to eat 500 calories or there abouts if you are a woman, on your fast day.
Why would you do low carb ? Have you problems with high blood sugar ?
If not, I woul just leave out the carbs on you fast days and eat a moderate amount on eat days. The weight will still come off and it'll be more sustainable.

You are setting yourself up for a fall and you're abusing yourself. :eek:

Richard tea

So 3 fast days completed now ( I started last monday ) & I lost a whopping ZERO and my waist size fell by ZERO Not surprising though due to the tins of choco left over from Christmas & no exercise:o I just wanted to see if there would be a change without exercise.

I was good on the fast days. I didn't go over the 600 calories. I ended up having my 600 calorie meal in the evening time which was about my 20th hour on the fast. Ideally I would like to switch to a breakfast then fast for 24hrs ( not easy due to shift work though ).

LaChatteGitane

Oh Richard ! I don't weigh myself often. Once every 2 months or so, if that.
Be sure that on the 'feast days' you don't go more than 10% over your normal calorie allowance. For me that means weighing everything and counting calories on these days too.

Give those chocolates to someone you don't like very much.

Today was my first fast day of this year.
Salmon Burgers and Artichoke, Asparagus, Broccoli Salad with yoghurt dressing

Recipe for 2 - 355 calories pp

Salmon burgers

• 250 grs salmon (3/4 blitzed in the food processor, 1/3 chopped smallish)
• small piece of grated ginger
• zest and juice of 1/2 lime
• finely chopped green chilli (I used half of a 6 cm one)
• salt and black pepper

Mix it all together and shape into 2 burgers and put in fridge till time to cook. Fry in a non stick pan, lightly greased with olive oil.


Had an easy salad of sorts

• 1 tin (yeah, I know) of artichoke hearts 240 grs (drained) and cut in half
• 1 small jar (yeah, I know) of white asparagus spears 110 grs (drained)
• 190 grs broccoli, cooked al dente

Dressing for the salad

• 125 grs low fat yoghurt
• 2 tsp powdered garlic
• zest and juice of the other half a lime
• salt and black pepper

Kev.

gjc wrote: »

I REALLY need to lose the weight. I was asked last week was I pregnant, I couldnt fault the person who said it I knew myself I need to turn myself around.

That happened to a girl I know,a year later she was like a different woman,it was a great motivator for her ,hopefully it will be to you too...all the best

hairyprincess

Fast day number two for me. I had planned to have a cuppa soup at lunch time but at that stage I convinced myself it was only 2 hours until dinner time so I held back through the hunger pangs!

So at 3.45 I sat down to a huge salad of lambs lettuce, rocket, red and yellow peppers, sweetcorn, celery, carrot and a chicken breast fried in flora cuisine squeezy bottle stuff. Drizzled it all in a little sweet chilli sauce, it was yummy, and came to 399 calories.

I was a bit bold over the weekend with my dinners, no rubbish but I was out for dinner Saturday night and then I had a fry yesterday evening. It's not the norm so i'm not concerned.

Richard tea

Im not disheartened. Im more determined now to get it right. Thanks for the meals Hairyprincess & LaChatteGitane.

Macha

A good tip I read in that online book mentioned earlier is the BBC Good Food website's recipes. You can choose them by calories/serving:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search.do

dudara

A cup of Bovril comes in at 20 cal, so it's a quick simple way to knock back the hunger.

onlyup

Cottage cheese + small tin of tuna ~151 cals

gjc

The BBC good food website is very good there are recipes there for 200-400 calories I'm planning on making this today as my fast day

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2089/spiced-carrot-and-lentil-soup, thanks for your help guys appreciate the company.

Question is how come my soup is 238KCal yet cottage cheese and a small tin of tuna is 151 cals??? puzzled???

Im leaving out the yogurt and nan bread as I dont have them in my cupboard and I going to use low fat milk or perhaps water (dont know yet) so are they bumping up the calories or is it a misprint do you think

Stench Blossoms

I think the calories are just an estimate.

You'd be better off putting the ingredients into myfitnesspal etc to get a more accurate amount.

Duvetdays

I'm doing the alternate day diet which is the same kind of idea eat fast eat fast, on the fast day which is 500kcal I hold off for breakfast until around 11 by then I'm starving but a really good breakfast I found is peel and chop an apple sprinkle a tiny bit of cinnamon on it then microwave for about 2mins after it cools slightly I pour a glenisk strawberry fat free yogurt on it. You have a really nice breakfast for 150kcal.

Lunch yesterday way a small can of tuna flakes in a tomato and onion dressing with a handful of mixed lettuce leaves. I find the flavour of the tuna dressing takes the blandness away

Dinner was a two egg omelette with a bit of spring onion and a tiny bit of grated cheddar.

hardCopy

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

I think the calories are just an estimate.

You'd be better off putting the ingredients into myfitnesspal etc to get a more accurate amount.

I'd agree, it's a great starting point though as it can be very hard to create a recipe from scratch that will actually work.

I just wish the recipe section of myfitnesspal was easier to use. If you want to tweak the quantity of one ingredient you have to delete the ingredient completely and re-add it with new quantities, on the regular food screen and on the mobile app you can do this, but not with the Recipe section.

gjc

gjc wrote: »

The BBC good food website is very good there are recipes there for 200-400 calories I'm planning on making this today as my fast day

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2089/spiced-carrot-and-lentil-soup, thanks for your help guys appreciate the company.

Question is how come my soup is 238KCal yet cottage cheese and a small tin of tuna is 151 cals??? puzzled???

Im leaving out the yogurt and nan bread as I dont have them in my cupboard and I going to use low fat milk or perhaps water (dont know yet) so are they bumping up the calories or is it a misprint do you think

I skipped breakfast had a bowl at 1 o clock and will have a bowl at 6 o clock with an apple after it, absolutely no hunger pangs...was very filling (all thats in it is carrots and lentils really) so far so good.

hairyprincess

Fast Day 3: started of terribly! I had not one but two Tunnocks teacakes at 106 calories each!! I pulled myself together after the second one and braved the elements to go for a good brisk walk. I was in two minds whether I would do the fast today but I decided to carry on with it. So for dinner I made a kind of ratatouille, which I forgot to talk a picture of, sorry! But it contained chick peas, garlic, red onion, celery, red pepper, yellow pepper, Courgette, carrot, a tin of tomatoes some cumin and chilli flakes. Yummy and just 291calories

dudara

Today's lunch was an edamame salad plus diet yogurt. When I got home I had a 150g grilled chicken breast that I flavoured with smoked paprika & salt. A little beetroot salad on the side bought the total for the day to 460 cal.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

finding the fast days easier this week compared to last week
up since 8, 3pm now and I'm.. kinda hungry I guess but nothing a glass of water won't fix

up until I started doing this properly I'd get kinda panicky the hungrier I got, used to have big problems with panic attacks so as soon as I felt the big hunger pangs I'd rush straight into the kitchen to get dinner or lunch prepared. now though I seem to be able to handle it much better. I'll probably do up a veggie filled stir fry around 6 or 7 o clock but im not sure if I should throw some meat in there or not. is the 600 calories a maximum guideline or is <600 a-ok if you can manage it


--edit

actually I just realised I'm probably cheating. spoon of coconut oil in the morning and in the afternoon

That's a major benefit about this, you learn that the first wave of hunger isn't something you need to start fussing about and that you're actually fine for ages after.
Am doing 24h fast instead of 36h - 500kcal, I suppose it's easier
dinner to dinner

It's up to 600 for men so you're ok if you want less.
500 for women

gjc

the very first fast day i did..... i crashed and burned at the first hunger pang which i got at 8pm ......you you become more used to it as you go along and managing becomes a little more easier ..i was going completly tooo long without anything...i found soup to be a friend....but also to have it ready on the standby for these emergencies rather than grabbing the first thing in the fridge..i hope that helps you my friend...

dudara

Didn't realise that 100g of broccoli contains only about 35 cals. Had a massive portion of lightly steamed broccoli on Thursday night, along with grated carrot (55 cal) and a handful of cooked prawns (60 cals) to give me a dinner total of 150 cal. This actually left me feeling very full and with 100 cals left over for the day

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

yeah I end up with a massive mountain of food on my plate on my fast days that by my calculations is only around 3-400 calories. it seems wrong.. but since it's mainly bulky low cal veg and a chicken breast.. i guess it's kinda right?

seems ridiculous anyway that I can get that full and eat that much with so little calories

Richard tea

Good or bad???

If you start your fast at 8pm on a Sunday & eat your 500/600 cal meal at 5pm on Monday, should you try and continue the fast until breakfast on Tuesday morning. The reason I ask is because I find myself eating after 8pm which is the 24hrs mark.

kimokanto

Richard tea wrote: »

Good or bad???

If you start your fast at 8pm on a Sunday & eat your 500/600 cal meal at 5pm on Monday, should you try and continue the fast until breakfast on Tuesday morning. The reason I ask is because I find myself eating after 8pm which is the 24hrs mark.

I've been doing 5:2 for about 2months now and usually do wednesday & thursday fast days. I will have my last normal/ non-fast meal @6pm tuesday. Wednesday & thursday will be 500/600 Calorie days and then return to normal eating friday morning brekfast. I reckon approx 60 hours(Including sleep) of fast/low calorie intake. From watching the Horizon documentary about 5:2 diet the extended period of fasting is what causes the metabolism to change. The body then goes into "Repair Mode" where the health benefits are. I know there are different opinions re consecutive/non-consecutive days but consecutive suits me-take the hit in one go! Did my first weight check this week & I am down almost 12lbs from last november so seems to be working for weight loss too.

bluecherry74

I'm going to try this next week and see how it goes. I haven't worked out calories yet (and I will), but does this sound like it would be a reasonable 500 calorie day?

Breakfast - hardboiled egg
Lunch - homemade veg soup, small apple or satsuma
Dinner - grilled chicken breast or grilled salmon, with either a green salad or steamed green veggies.

I'll drink black coffee and water throughout the day.