Day 13

Brunch - 219 calories

Day 10's French Onion Soup - 123 calories
4 Ryvita crackerbread  - 76  calories
1 Extra-Light Laughing Cow Cheese Triangle - 20 calories

Dinner - 275 calories

140 grams of Chicken breast strips - 160 calories
1 teaspoon of Olive Oil (to grill the chicken) - 40 calories
1 Steam Bag of Mixed Vegetables (carrots, peas and sweetcorn) - 75 calories

Grand Total: 494 calories

Exercise - 70 minutes

10k Bike
1.3k Swimming

And how did it go?

Cooking a bigger portion and then freezing half of it for a later day is definitely a good idea. Just be sure that you are deviding the portions right. I have used my kitchen scales for that and I think that it was as accurate as possible. The Bird's Eye Steam Bags are quite convenient, but for 75 calories I could have gotten more vegetables than that if I had prepared them myself. As it was, I got home at 8.30 and needed a quick fix.

Exercise has been a great part of my life since I started on this diet. I have, in a fit of madness, enrolled myself on this year's London Triathlon and this summer I will be competing in the Sprint category, together with my boyfriend. Since I have to train to do the combination of 750m Swim, 20k Bike and 5k Run, I have been going to the gym at least 3 times of week and have been training with a Personal Trainer as well.

Some of my training days fall on my fast days, same don't. For me, it feels like I have more energy when I'm fasting, but I understand that it may not be so for everyone. This was the first time I have gone to the gym after work on a fast day and I was somewhat expecting it to be difficult, but it wasn't. I think it is because I am now quite used to the fasting days and don't feel as hungry anymore, I'm not sure how a trip to the gym this late in the day would have felt in the early days of fasting. So people, it does get better. Just remember to follow your own rhythm when exercising.

Day 6

Breakfast - 91 calories

3 Ryvita crackerbread  - 57 calories
9 grams of Lätt & Lagom margarine - 34 calories

Lunch - 191 calories

1 boiled Egg - 71 calories
4 wafer thin slices of Ham - 40 calories
42 grams of Roasted Peppers (canned) - 37 calories 
40 grams of Artichoke Heats  (canned) - 43 calories

Dinner - 198 calories

50 grams of Fresh Egg Noddles - 100 calories
50 grams of Chicken Breast - 58 calories
150 mls of Chicken Stock - 15 calories
20 grams of Sweet Corn - 14 calories
15 grams of Petit Pois Peas - 10 calories
1 tablespoon of Chives - 1 calorie 

Snacks - 20 calories

70 grams of Strawberries

This is what 70 grams of Strawberries look like. Thought it was more? Me too.

Grand total 500 (again!)

And how did it go?

Great! No headaches, no nausea and full of energy. Easy breakfast, using a low-fat Swedish margarine, Lätt & Lagom and easy but tasty lunch, a variation of a meal I had on Day 2 (here). The 5:2 Ramen I had for dinner was a great idea, 50 grams of Noodles and 50 grams of Chicken is no a lot at all, but the broth compensated for the lack os sustanence. The strawberries I had as snacks were delicious, but there could have definitely have been more of them. I guess they don't call it fasting for nothing, right?

Basics and Day 1

As I mentioned on the post before, I didn't have this idea until today and I didn't take pictures of my meals on Monday, my first "fast day". 

Some people that are on the 5:2 diet choose to have a big breakfast and have nothing but black tea and water for the rest of the day, some choose to have a snack during the day and concentrate their calorie allowance on their dinner. I have chosen to have all three meals and something to snack on during the day. 

I am planning on taking all of my "fast days" during the week, I figured if I am at work I will be less inclined to open the fridge, so most of the meals here will probably be things that can be assembled quickly and don't require a cooker. So no fancy scallops and pancetta recipes during the day (like this one), I will mostly be doing the "fast days" on Mondays and Wednesdays, but that will be adjusted according to my will. 

Another important thing: I have a partner-in-crime! My dear friend an co-worker Camila is doing this with me (in fact, if one of us is doing something crazy, chances are the other one gave the idea) and she actually started a bit earlier. And it was thanks to her that the menu from Day 1 was assembled. This is what I did:

Breakfast - 88 calories

1 boiled Egg - 71 calories
1 boiled Egg Whites - 17 calories

Lunch - 103 calories

100 grams of Prawns (bought cooked and peeled) - 80 calories
135 grams of Cherry Tomatoes - 23 calories

Dinner - 246 calories

125 grams of Chicken breast - 145 calories
1 teaspoon of Olive Oil (to grill the chicken) - 40 calories
150 grams of Mixed Vegetables (bought frozen) - 61 calories

Snacks - 57 calories

100 grams of Blueberries - 57 calories

Grand total - 494 calories 

Exercise - 40 minutes of Boxercise