The FastDay Forum

I've planned to fast tomorrow (Thursday), but I've just realised I have a works meeting which includes a sandwich lunch. So I'm trying to plan my meals around that. I'll allow 300 calories for a small sandwich and a cuppa, piece of fruit if it's on offer, leaving 100 each for breakfast and dinner.

Breakfast - I have a lovely slice of ham left over, which I might make into an omelette with some egg whites and a tomato.

Dinner - maybe fruit salad - I have half a cantaloupe that needs using up, if I added some blueberries and half a tin of pears or grapefruit. But that might be too high in sugar.

Might be time for the zero noodles! I could make a puttanesca sauce with passata, anchovies, olives and mushrooms.

Or I have an aubergine and lots of flat leaf parsley, if I could find something to do with those.

Hmmm, decisions decisions...

Do you normally eat in the daytime or just in the evening Melanie? I find fast days quite easy now but I always leave all food (except for a bit of linseed in the morning) to dinnertime. I would be quite nervous having some lunch and knowing I then had to keep going with v little in the evening. Good luck, will be interested to hear how it goes...

[Moogie]

Have you thought about maybe skipping breakfast to allow for a larger dinner?

I sometimes I have a salad of around 200 cals for my fasting dinner and it fills me up!

150g iceburg lettuce, finely chopped
150g cucumber, finely chopped
150g cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
That's around 70 cals there
I then add salt & pepper, 2 tbsps of garlic & herb dressing (helmans is around 33 cals per tbsp.) and 4-5 slices of lean ham (13 cals a slice in this case). 200 cals, massive salad - very filling!

Have you thought about maybe skipping breakfast to allow for a larger dinner?

It's not really breakfast it's just something I'm trying to keep my insides moving - 10g of linseed (about 50 calories).

Thanks for the dinner tip, sounds nice. What sort of ham do you get?

I've only once skipped breakfast, it's not my normal approach. Usual fasts are eggy breakfast, fish and veg dinner. With a very light soup lunch. I'm happy to explore skipping breakfast.... But not in a public arena where tummy rumblings would be obvious, and where I can't control my access to herbal teas and bouillon!

I'm also up for trying out different eating patterns, so I'm interested in my body's response to this way.

Choices of breaky with 50 calories or less:
2 rice cakes (50 cals max)
3 slices of lean ham (45 cals max)
2 egg whites, one slice of ham (50 cals max)

All the above will somehow fill your stomach and leave 150 calories for your dinner.

My Fiancé also does this, not out of choice but because like you lunch is provided at work. He gets on well with it How have you managed so far?

Actually, today's been great! Eggwhite/ham/tomato for breakfast, had 2 small triangles of ham salad sandwich for lunch, plus one open-faced one that had lost it's top. A clementine about 4, cos I was heading to the gym at 6, where I did a 30 minute run on the treadmill. I was intending to do zero noodles with puttanesca sauce, but when I got home it was nearly 8 and I wasn't hungry. I turned my mushrooms, anchovies, olives into a salad with some spinach and cherry tomatoes - under 100 cals. Feel great! I might do this again. Though it doesn't give me a long "fasting" period.

Great! Glad it went so well for you
I will have to try it sometime, it would make a change.