The FastDay Forum

To all of those veteran fasters on here - how easy do you find fasting in the colder months of the year? Obviously, having started in July, salads and cold, low calorie foods have been absolutely fine for me so far, but the colder weather (I know it's not THAT cold, but I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to warmth and obviously it will only get colder) makes me crave warm, clarty, carb-heavy foods more than ever! Does anyone have any advice on what to eat on fast days?

soup soups and more soups - homemade usually best as you can regulate salt and calories etc

Or oxo cube in hot water or even vegetable bouillon granules in boiling water

I was actually about to start a thread myself on this exact same subject!!
I too crave carbs and blankets when it gets chilly!!
The soup thing makes sense! Maybe hot chocolate too?

Slightly different question, but does anyone know how many calories there actually are in a sweet potato? So many different answers!

We're just coming out of winter. Chunky soups for dinner, blitzed soups for lunch, miso, loads of stir fries, a 20cal hot choc in the evening and lots of tea and coffee have been fast day staples in the cold. You can still have warming casseroles, just load them up with veg and go easy on the meat.

You need to cook the food yourself, asTracE said you can then regulate what you're putting in. Soups are great, stews (veggie based) , tomato based curries ( add prawns, chicken etc) stir fry is another of my faves.
If its drinks then oxo, miso soup, lite hot chocolate, bouillon etc

Hairy dieters have some good low cal recipes as well.
There is a good fast food bit on this forum, check it out.

Good question pinchypops was wondering the same
Remember when I started mid April plenty soup around I also have oxo
Re sweet potato 180 cals on My fitness pall that's a good cal counter
Sue.

[Moogie]

Chunky homemade veg soup, stews, quorn bolognese (yes, I know pasta is not ideal for fast days, but I had pasta & spuds with my fasting meals throughout last winter & it got me through!)... lasagne and my personal fave - fasting roast! You can have a giant roast dinner for 500 calories or less using a nice piece of chicken breast, some lean ham or quorn sausages, lots of steamed veg, some mashed carrot/swede mix as well as a few baby potatoes lightly roasted in their skins. Make yourself a calorie counted portion of gravy and you couldn't wish for something more filling or warming on a winter's night!

At the risk of sounding like an echo - Soup. I make a big pot using low cal veggies and blitz it then freeze it in bathces, it comes in at around 60 cal per bowl. I have also got in the freezer, some Jambalaya from the Hairy Dieters, but with Quorn,(I add the Prawns in just before serving, also a Veg Chili, a Veg Curry, and a Ratatoule (sorry about the spelling) all of which can have Quorn pieces added and can be served with Slim Rice or Slim Noodles.

Isn't this woe brilliant! You can eat a "normal" winter meal as it gets colder and salads are less appealing, just be mindful how you cook it - and how much you serve yourself.

If you like ready meals there are plenty you can have that are calorie counted. And if you are really struggling with lack of calories left for the day there is always the zero noodles, or slice vegetables like carrots or courgettes thinly with a veg peeler or mandolin and serve with a sauce instead of pasta.

Home made spicy chilli con carne on a bed of courgette tagleitelle, and some parmesan shavings on top.

[carieoates]

So glad you started this thread pinchypops. Like you I haven't fasted during colder weather. But I am a massive homemade soup fan. I sometimes flake some left over cooked chicken or salmon into it to make a chunky evening meal. It's even better with a bit of chilli in.

For tonights fast we had homemade tandori chicken (dry roasted) with a massive pile of vegetable curry and a half cup of cooked rice. It came in at 470kcals.

I also agree about the soups, they are a winter mainstay. Stews and casseroles, just be careful how much root vegetables you have and go for a chicken casserole or stew than beef. Have the beef one on a normal day.

Lots of spices to warm you up as well. My poor little chilli plant outside is bursting with green chilli's, I don't think many more will be turning red this year. I have to find a way to preserve them.

THe last couple of fasting days I have made a lovely warm salad of roasted carrots, onions and other veg, roasted in a tsp oil and warming spices like paprika & cumin. A tsp of maple syrup and cider vinegar makes a yummy dressing and I finished it with 60g feta (180 cals) and some chickpeas (around 100cals). I think when I totted it up last week it came to about 350 overall (I'm not too precise about the veg weighing) and was lovely and filling. Leaves me enough for a couple of cuppas with milk and some oatcakes before bed.

Yeah, and soup! But I'm one of those weird people who enjoys cooler weather and I didn't really enjoy fasting when it was really hot as it just made me feel sick. Much better when it's cooler - not sure if I'll be saying that when it's below zero though!

I was wondering the same too because I started in April and have been happy with salad until now. I went searching for quick 'interesting' veg to have with my chicken or fish on a fast day and found in Tesco frozen Mediterranean grilled mixed veg with tomatoes. It can be stir fried or oven roasted. 55 calories per 100g. 750g in the whole bag. I didn't weigh it out but probably had about a quarter of the bag with a chicken breast. It was really warming, filling and tasty. Would be good made into a soup too I should think.