Day 22

Lunch - 222 calories

1 can of Chicken Noodle Soup (Heinz) - 126 calories
1 Packet of Fiery Worcester Sauce & Sun-Dried Tomato ProperCorn - 96 calories

Dinner - 284 calories

Courgette and Red Kidney Bean Burguer with Onion Chutney and Mediterranean Cous Cous

Vege Burguer Patty - 129 calories
5 grams of Onion Chutney - 8 calories
115 grams of  Tesco's Mediterranean Cous Cous - 143 calories
4 sprays of Fry Light - 4 calories

  

Grand Total - 506 calories 

And how did it go?

I got the idea for the vege burger from here, but adapted it to use the courgette I had in the fridge. It turned out tasty, but I'd follow that other recipe more closely next time, as it looks more like a burger than the one I made. I used 150 grams of Courgettes (30 calories), a tin of Red Kidney Beans (280 calories), 150 grams of Onion (63 calories) and 1 Egg-whites (17 calories) and got 3 patties out of it.

I grated the courgette and diced the onion and "fried" them on some water. On a separate pan, I boiled the kidney beans for 5 minutes and  added them to the courgette and onion mixture. I then mashed the ingredients as much as I could and waited for it cool down a bit before adding the egg-whites, for binding. After portioning into 3 patties, I used Fry Light on a non-stick pan and very carefully cooked the patties on both sides and Voilà! 

After a big holiday and 2 weekends away in 2 months, I'm trying to do 4:3 this week to kick start my weight loss again. While I haven't lost much in weight, I have lost in measurements and haven't put on any kilos after indulging in some, more like a lot of, Brazilian, Dutch and French food. 

Day 14

Brunch - 235 calories

1 Scrambled Egg - 71 calories
1 Scrambled Egg Whites - 17 calories
3 Ryvita Crackerbread  - 57  calories
2 Streaky Bacon Rashers - 90 calories

Dinner - 268 calories

Red Pepper Risotto 
   - 100 grams of Red Pepper (37 calories)   
   - 30 grams of Basmati Rice, uncooked (123 calories)   
   - 50 grams of Onions - (21calories)
   - 13 grams of Parmesan (52 calories)
   - 350mls of Chicken Stock (35 calories)

Grand Total: 503 calories

And how did it go?

I could have sworn that I had Arborio Rice at home, turns out I didn't. Anyone in London today would've forgiven me for refusing to go out again to the shops in this cold weather so, fighting against my very Italian blood, I made this tasty little risotto with Basmati Rice. I didn't turn out as creamy as it would've been with the Arborio Rice and I also didn't have the budget to add the white wine, but nevertheless this dish was a success, even though the portion was on the smaller side. I used Chicken Stock, but for all of you vegetarians out there, this is easily done with Vegetable Stock. I have also given up on the Fry-Light thing and have fried the onion and the pepper with a bit of stock, as per Camila's suggestion.

To be honest with you, I find fasting on a weekend day a bit of a drag but, if you're like me and enjoy a spot of lying-in on the weekends, it has the advantage that you sleep through most (or all) of the morning. I wouldn't choose Saturday or Sunday - or even Friday for that matter - for a fast day if I had a choice, but my weeks have been a bit mad and sometimes I don't manage to find two non-consecutive days to fast from Monday to Thursday. It is a pain in the neck, but it also passes quickly. As with everything about the 5:2 diet, it is a small concession to make to feel better and be healthier.

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 12

Brunch - 287 calories

100 grams of Smoked Salmon - 180 calories
1 boiled Egg - 71 calories
1 boiled Egg Whites - 17 calories
1 Ryvita crackerbread  - 19 calories

Dinner - 215 calories

230 grams of Broccoli - 78 calories
20 grams of Stilton - 82 calories
2 teaspoons of Boullion - 20 calories
100 grams of Leeks - 25 calories
10 sprays of Fry Light - 10

Grand Total -  502

And how did it go?

I had been thinking about making this soup for a while and I roughly followed this recipe here. Just a little advice: before adding the Stilton I added some salt, and after I put in the cheese, the soup was too salty, so I had to add more water to the mixture. So be careful with your seasoning. Apart from an annoying headache in the evening, probably caused by the vast amount of salt I had ingested with the soup, this fast day was pretty much smooth sailing. 

Day 10

Brunch - 234 calories

3 Ryvita crackerbread - 57 calories
1 boiled Egg - 71 calories
1 boiled Egg Whites - 17 calories
50 grams of Fromage Frais - 23 calories
1 teaspoon of Mustard - 10 calories
Half a Banana - 56 calories

Dinner - 268 calories


1 Slice of Wholemeal Bread - 83 calories
15 grams of Gruyere Cheese - 62 calories
French Onion Soup - 123 calories
   - 150 grams of Onions - (63 calories)
   - 25 sprays of Fry Light (25 calories)
   - 12.5 mls of Red Wine (10 calories)
   - Half a Pot of Beef stock (25 calories)

Grand Total -  502 (naughty again!)

Exercise - 30-minute running session with the Personal Trainer

And how did it go?

I love French Onion Soup and I always make it at home, so I decided to see if I could do a light version of it for dinner and it worked really well. Instead of frying the onions in butter (nham!), I used Fry Light but, having gained know-how from when I cooked the onions for Day 9's Strogonoff, I planned for a lot of it. Turns out that Fry Light is not so great to fry after all. Anyway, this soup is really easy to prepare, but it does take a bit of time, around 40-50 minutes. Again, I have made double the recipe above and kept one portion in the freezer.

Fry the onions - with a lot of Fry Light - on a very low heat for about 20 minutes, constantly stirring so as not to burn them. Ideally, once they are softened, you would crank up the heat and caramelise them, but I didn't feel confident in the Fry Light to do that, so I just added the wine  and after a minute or two, I poured in the stock. After seasoning, I just let it simmer for another 20 minutes or so. In the meantime, I toasted the bread  and after adding the cheese, I finished it off in the oven. Not a lot of cheese in it and only a small slice of brown bread, as opposed to one (or three!) massive crouton, but we are supposed to be fasting here, people!

As for lunch, I have learned that inspiration for the fast days come from sources you would least expect to inspire you in your diet. I have taken the recipe for this egg-mayo deliciousness from a BuzzFeed post. There are a few other 5:2-friendly ideas there, so I might be preparing some of that soon.

As you might have noticed, after a bit more research I have decided to change my meal pattern during the fast days and have abolished both breakfast and snacks and it hasn't been horrible at all. I now eat lunch at around 2pm and dinner at 8pm and then break my fast only at lunchtime the following day. This way, I created longer actual fasting periods, while still continuing to fit the diet around my life and not letting my life be dictated by my diet. I have never been a breakfast person and have now found the perfect excuse to skip it altogether on most days. I still have energy, my mood still hasn't been affected and my skin and body continue to improve. It certainly looks like this 5:2 thing is a keeper!

Day 9

Brunch - 298 calories

100 grams of Honey Roast Ham - 110 calories
36 grams of Sundried Tomatoes (canned, drained) - 55 calories
28 grams of Artichoke Heats  (canned) - 30 calories
2 Ryvita crackerbread  - 38 calories
1 pot of Strawberry Yogurt - 65 calories

Dinner - 200 calories

60 grams of boiled Basmati Rice - 78 calories
Mixed Mushroom Strogonoff - 122 calories
   - 150 grams of Mixed Mushrooms - Portobello, Shitake and Baby Button Mushrooms (24 calories)
   - 50 grams of Onions (21 calories)
   - 100 grams of Fromage Frais (46 calories)
   - 30 grams of Tomato Puree (14 calories)
   - Half teaspoon of Mustard (5 calories)
   - 7 sprays of Fry Light (7 calories)
   - Vegetable stock - (5 calories)

Grand Total - 498 

And how did it go?

Well, let me first get this off my chest: I am such an amazing cook! There, I said it! Seriously, the Mixed Mushroom Strogonoff came out really good, by far the best dinner so far. I had made two portions, as I was again planning on freezing one for a latter fast day (even though I am not completely sure you can freeze Fromage Frais), but my boyfriend asked if he could have a little taste and ended up eating the whole thing. He has even made me promise I'd cook this again.

To prepare the Strogonoff, simply fry - as well as you can with that Fry-Light thing - the onions, add the mushrooms and some stock and season well with salt, pepper and parsley. Throw in the puree and the mustard and let it cook for 5 minutes or so. Finally, turn the heat down and stir in the fromage frais. You might need to adjust the seasoning, as the cream tones it down a bit. And it is done!

Switching to two meals a day has its advantages, so I was able to eat bigger portions when I did get to ingest something. Lunch was dead easy, pretty repetitive of previous days, but this is what you get when you don't prepare the day before. Apart from the lack of meal planning, I was absolutely fine with just the two meals a day and don't foresee any problems to continue with this. 

Day 8

Brunch - 318 calories


1 boiled Egg - 71 calories
1 boiled Egg Whites - 17 calories
2 Extra-Trimmed Smoked Bacon rashers - 70 calories
180 grams of Mushrooms -  25 calories
50 grams of Baked Beans - 35 calories
1 tomato - 15 calories
3 Ryvita crackerbread - 57 calories
1 cup of English Breakfast Tea with semi-skimmed milk - 28 calories

Dinner - 198 calories

300 grams of Covent Garden Leek and Potato Soup - 108 calories
3 Ryvita crackerbread - 57 calories
1 Extra-Light Laughing Cow Cheese Triangle - 20 calories

Grand Total - 503 (naughty!)

And how did it go?

This is the first Weekend Edition and it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. True, I did wake up quite late, so when I had the brunch it was well into the afternoon, so after my 5:2 Full English I wasn't hungry at all until dinner time. Speaking of which, it was by far the bigger meal I had on a fast day and it was delicious. Of course I would've loved to have cooked the mushrooms with butter, but I settled for a bit of stock and some extra seasoning. I would've also loved to have some proper toast, so I guess you can see why I need to be on this diet, right?

A few adjustments, though... Two tomatoes was definitely overkill (I was lured by the low calorie count) and I just couldn't eat both of them and ended up having the Cheese Triangle with dinner, which explains my 3-calorie indulgence. I also can't decide whether the Extra-Trimmed Smoked Bacon rashers are really worth it. They don't taste really bad, but they were quite dry and I am thinking I might have been better off with some Ham slices.  

On another note, I am looking into changing the way I do this 5:2 diet. I am doing some extra research, so stay tuned!

Day 7

Breakfast - 40 calories


Weight Watcher's Hot Chocolate - 40 calories

Lunch - 229 calories

Pret's Kale and Garden Vegetable - 229 calories

Dinner - 190 calories

50 grams of boiled Basmati Rice - 65 calories
Vege Green Curry - 125 calories
   - 50 grams of Courgettes (10 calories)
   - 50 grams of Aubergines (10 calories)
   - 50 grams of White Mushrooms (8 calories)
   - 25 grams of Leeks (7 calories)
   - 3 sprays of Fry Light (3 calories)
   - 65 grams of Green Thai Curry Sauce (87 calories)

Snacks - 36 calories

1 Ryvita crackerbread  - 19 calories
10 grams of Sundried Tomatoes (canned, drained) - 17 calories

Grand Total: 495 calories

Exercise 

45 minutes of Boxercise
20 minutes of Swimming

And how did it go?

Honestly, it's getting easier and easier. I went for a light breakfast, as I was never a big breakfast person and I have been having this Hot Chocolate on my feed days with milk, which is much nicer than to have it with hot water, the case on this fast day. It's not the best hot chocolate in the world, but it does its job. Mostly due to lack of planning on the day before, I got my lunch from Pret. The soup was on the smaller side, but it tasted good and not like one of those watery, diety soups. For dinner I cooked a vegetable green curry, which turned out delicious. It didn't go completely according to plan, because I overestimated how much 100 grams of Curry Sauce would turn out to be, so I left some of the vegetables I had bought out and put a bit more sauce in. I cooked enough for two portions and put the other one on the freezer, so I can have it in a few weeks time. This way, the actual cooking portions were twice of what I put above.

Again, I had lots of energy at the gym and during my day at work. Some people have said that they would be bitchy if they were only allowed 500 calories in a day but, if I may say so myself, I don't feel like I'm in a bad mood during my fast days. I hope my co-workers and boyfriend agree and are not just scared to say otherwise...

Day 4

Breakfast - 122 calories

3 Ryvita crackerbread  - 57 calories
9 grams of Philadelphia Extra Light - 10 calories
36 grams of Sundried Tomatoes (canned, drained) - 55 calories

Lunch - 126 calories

1 can of Chicken Noodle Soup (Heinz) - 126 calories

Dinner - 218 calories

Smoked Salmon Pate - 123 calories
    - 50 grams Smoked Salmon (90 calories)
    - 20 grams of Philadelphia Extra Light (22 calories)
    - 1 tablespoon of Chives (1 calorie)
    - 2 Lemon wedges (4 calories)
    - 5 grams of Horseradish sauce (6 calories)

5 Ryvita crackerbread - 95 calories 

Snacks - 34 calories

2 Seafood sticks - 34 calories

Grand total - 500 calories (exactly!)

And how did it go?

It looks a bit Ryvita + Philadelphia heavy, but it was actually the easiest day so far. Breakfast was a variation of the bruschetta I made the other day with grilled peppers. A good thing to play around with ingredients. Lunch was a bit uninventive, I'll admit, but it did its job on a very cold day here in London. I am usually a cook-from-scratch sort of person, but for the purposes of this diet, I figured it would be best if I knew exactly how many calories went in there. At the same time, the whole purpose of this diet is to be healthy and I'm not sure canned soup is the best thing for that, so I am feeling a bit guilty (yes, guilty over canned soup. This is what going to Catholic school does to you). Camila gave me the recipe for dinner, and it was so good I am actually going to make this on "feed days" as well. Another great idea to toy with ingredients, I'm thinking about doing a Sundried Tomatoes pate. 

I will let you know how it goes, as usual!

Day 3

Breakfast - 127 calories

3 Ryvita crackerbread  - 57 calories
40 grams of Roasted Peppers (canned) - 37 calories
30 grams of Philadelphia Extra Light - 33 calories

Lunch - 147 calories

150 grams of Prawns (bought cooked and peeled) - 120 calories
100 grams of Asparagus Tips (boiled in salty water) - 25 calories
1 Lemon Wedge - 2 calories

Dinner - 210 calories

Camila's Scrambled Eggs - 180 calories
70 grams of Mushrooms - 15 calories
30 grams of Rocket Salad - 5 calories
10 mls of Balsamic Vinegar - 10 calories

Snacks - 11 calories

20 grams of Blueberries - 11 calories

Grand total - 495 calories 

40 minutes of Boxercise

And how did it go?

As I said on Day 2, I wanted to change a bit my breakfast and this 5:2er bruschetta was delicious, even though it was a bit more calorific that I wanted at first, so I had to compromise on the snacks. My lunch not only looked good, it tasted good as well. Definately a keeper. Camila's Scrambled Eggs for dinner were very tasty too, the picture doesn't do it much justice, and the good thing about it is that you can add more things to it if you have saved calories during the day, or you can take thing out if you have had a heavier lunch.

I also went to the gym at lunch time and did some boxing. It was quite a heavy class, but I had energy throughout. In comparison, on Monday I went running at 6pm, after having had a heavy lunch and it was the contrary! I had no energy at all, it took a lot of effort to drag myself through 25 minutes in the treadmill, by which point I gave up and went home, panting.

All in all, a good "fast day", with no bad ideas and a few keepers.

Day 2

Breakfast - 88 calories

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

Lunch - 158 calories

4 wafer thin slices of Ham - 40 calories
40 grams of Roasted Peppers (canned) - 37 calories 
40 grams of Artichoke Heats  (canned) - 43 calories
2 Ryvita crackerbread  - 38 calories

Dinner - 196 calories

1 snap pot of Heinz Baked Beans - 139 calories
3 Ryvita crackerbread - 57 calories

Snacks - 57 calories

100 grams of Blueberries - 57 calories

Grand total - 499 calories 

And how did it go?

The eggs for breakfast are a great idea, but I don't want to get bored with them, so I need to find an alternative that gives me as much energy and has such a low calorie count. The lunch was yummy and I didn't feel hungry again until the 5 o'clock mark, so it is definitely a keeper. Dinner wasn't such a great idea, though. It didn't taste all that nice to have that amount of beans with just 3 Ryvittas and the minute I finish the meal I knew I'd be hungry. I soon was. I spent a long time thinking about burgers until I went to bed.  

Beans on toast, great. Beans on Ryvita, not so much so.