Meal Plans for Non Fast Days

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Meal Plans for Non Fast Days

This topic contains 6 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by  WeeAmy 1 year, 11 months ago.

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  • I’m on my second fast day and so far so good. I have a reasonable idea of what I can eat when I’m fasting and I’m trying out some recipes in the Fast Diet book.

    My problem which is what has really led me to having a jelly belly is over eating on non fast days. As stupid as it sounds I am a grown woman and have no idea how to meal plan or what to make. I do enjoy cooking and I think that because I live on my own I end up eating portions that are too large for one person, hence the jelly belly.

    I’ve just moved to a new country so I my cupboards are empty and I need to start stocking up. I think with everything else involved in the move I feel so overwhelmed that I don’t know where to start.

    Can anyone recommend some good cooking for one recipe books? A few years ago I bought Jamie Oliver’s 15 minute meals book only to realise that most recipes couldn’t easy be divided down for one person (quarter of an egg anyone) and that most of the meals weren’t suitable for batch cooking either.

    Hello again WeeAmy,

    I occasionally use cookbooks – mainly old vegetarian ones I’ve had for years but they aren’t aimed at single serves.

    I also live alone but the only single serve meals I regularly cook are omelettes, grilled meat/fish with veg or salad, or a salad bowl.

    I choose meals based on what I feel like and what’s in season and I’m happy to have leftovers. I mostly still make meals that serve 3-4 but also freeze well. (eg soups, stews, curries, casseroles.) This means I have a stock of home cooked meals for when I don’t have the energy or time to cook and I find it more efficient that cooking a new single plate of food every night. This also encourages me to cook some new meals each week and also keep turning over those in the freezer. That way things in the freezer don’t get to old and I get variety each week.

    For things that don’t freeze I will make one or more vegetable dishes that will keep well for 3-4 days int he fridge and then add a different protein each night so that I have variety. For example I might do a tray bake of spicy vegetables and then also cook some greens. Each night I’ll cook a piece of chicken, lamb, haloumi, eggs etc and have it with a serve of the reheated veg. Because I’m changing the protein it keeps enough variety so I don’t get bored.

    I too find that serving sizes can be a big trap. If you find it hard to reduce the volume then I’d suggest increasing the amount of veg – especially those with a lower starch and sugar content. This will help you feel full but reduce the calorie content of the meal.

    I hope this helps.

    Hi. I purchased Chloe Madeleys fat loss blitz last week and have been following the meals in there for non fast days. Boy had it shown me my normal portions are way over size. There is a food list and it’s not a massive selection which you can either make your own meals or do some suggested recipes. It’s sensible eating really with suggested portions of protien, carbs and fat. The portion sizes are an eye opener. To be honest I have not felt hungry once. I got the kindle edition and read it cover to cover. I followed the sedentary plan, it’s good to be back in control.

    Hi WeeAmy,
    I am another one who lives alone, and cooks for one.

    It must be a huge adventure to be stocking your kitchen in a new country. I bet there are so many little things that are new and strange.

    As I read your post I did think ‘hooray for 5:2’ because those two fast days give such a wonderful chance to rest and reset eating, and time to gradually get our non fast days into order.

    Not knowing more about your experience and circumstances, I am going to write several things I thought of to answer your questions, so excuse anything that is obvious or patronising. I just love your question and have all sorts of things to say.

    Eating well does take a lot of work these days when we are bombarded with advertising and all sorts of depictions of huge serves and food that isn’t really nutritious. The Australian Dietary Guidelines are a good resource for portion sizes, sensible guidelines, nutrition info and recipes. But I am going to link the Canadian ones, as they have been recently updated and I think they do a better job. https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/

    Nutrition studies the world over find the Mediterranean Diet is the best for everyday eating. Again it is guidelines rather than rules. Dr Mosley recommends this too.

    You are making new eating habits for the rest of your life that are healthier, but it takes time and persistence to make new habits, and beware that under stress all the old habits come running back, and the unhealthiest foods are the easiest available. So be kind to yourself during this settling in time, and just keep plodding at getting the new habits in place.

    I don’t know of any good cook books for cooking for one, I’ve looked, but never found one I loved. ChooseSuzie’s find sounds excellent though!
    You will have a local library, maybe several,free to join and may well have recipe books for cooking for one, or others that might be fun to borrow and look through. But the internet may be even better help.

    These are the things I have found work for me

    Planning is good! Just sitting down and thinking ahead for the week makes me think about how often I will be at home, what cooking things will or won’t work, how to use up what is in the fridge etc, how to be most efficient. Twenty minutes planning can save a whole week of grief!

    I usually make a few batch things and then use up the left over veggies etc in dishes for one, usually stirfries come to think of it, or mixing some fresh ingredients with something I have in the fridge, eg a meat and bean stew, and then I cook up veggies to eat with it.

    LJoyce’ post above is very much true for me too. I also find the best trick is lots of vegetables.

    I found looking up portion sizes was useful, but I have to work out for myself how much makes me satisfied (not as easy as I thought).

    My other tricks are to avoid eating between meals, and then to have a good, satisfying, healthy meal. And also to drink lots of water.

    Good luck working out what suits you.

    Choosiesuzie, how do Chloe Maddley’s recipes work for non fast days? Everything I can find says they are for dieting, ie restricted calories?

    Hi Cinque, Well on NFD you are supposed to eat normaly. The thing is what is normal? I think I’ve forgotten. I don’t know what a good balanced diet exactly is. I could quite easily eat 1400 calories of cake but I know that’s not good for you nutritionally. As she is a qualified nutritionalist and her meal plans are broken down in to protien, carbs and fat portions, with recommended portion sizes, I thought that was the best way to go. It doesn’t actually state how many calories you’re eating but with three portions of protien, two of carbs and one of fat, good quality food, it’s not over 1500 at all although I’ve not actually worked it out. Perhaps I will later after swimming.

    Thanks for explaining Choosiesusie. It is great if you can use her recipes for eating normally.

    Thanks everyone. It’s good to know I’m not the only solo cook out there on the 5:2. I have been eating a lot of egg based meals because they are quick and easy for a singleton. I was browsing in a book shop at the weekend and I came across “The Plan, Buy, Cook Book” and I have found that really useful. It has a list of store cupboard ingredients to stock up and and makes the point that you don’t need bottles upon bottles of different oils and vinegars. There was so much waste when I cleared my kitchen cupboards out at home before the move. I was able to donate my spices, pasta and other bits and bobs to my brother though.

    I’ll see if I can get a copy of that Choosiesusie’s recommendation because it sounds straightforward and I like the idea of no calorie counting.

    I’m on my third day of fasting today, so far so good. 🙂

    Edit to add:

    I’ll need to get some containers for freezing my batched cook meals. All my old containers are still in the UK which isn’t much use. This time I will write what is in each container and the date on which it was made. Like my cupboards, my freezer was full of wasted food.

    Nothing like defrosting a unmarked spag bol only to discover its soup.
    I got the book on my kindle. I would not want to mislead you in to thinking it’s a cook book as it contains three exercise plans depending on what type of exercise you do. The food bible in there is quite small but once I got my head around PCV, protein,carbs and veg for breakfast and lunch and PFV, protien, fat and veg for tea with two snacks I’ve found it easy. As I said portion sizes are small but perhaps that’s what’s made me so overweight in the first place. Fruit is classed as a carb and your only allowed 50g. Hopefully though I’m eating daily body requirements and I have not been hungry at all.

    Bolgnaese and chilli look so alike in an unmarked freezer bag too. 🙂

    I think organisation is the key. If I’m organised and I know exactly what meals I’m having then I’m ok. It’s when I have to freestyle it that things usually go to pot. Friday was a great example of this although I do have to say that the apple and plum muffin was delicious.

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