A Fasting Day Dinner

 

In case you aren’t aware, I’ve been following the 5:2 or Intermittent Fasting Diet for most of this year.
Ive found it really to be the only eating plan that suits my lifestyle being that I’m absolutely hopeless when it comes to deprivation.

I simply cant stick to a diet that doesn’t allow me to eat yummy food or drink delicious wines, and that’s the beauty of the 5:2 diet – you only have to cope with that deprivation 2 days a week.

Now don’t get me wrong – those 2 days can be quite hard on the soul of a foodie like me but knowing that tomorrow I can indulge just a little bit makes it much easier.

Ive lost 11kg this year on this diet ( and 10cm from my waist and 8cm from my hips) so I know it works for me, and the best thing about it is that its easy to stick to – Ive been eating this way now for 9 months ( with a brief break during my holiday to the US earlier this year) .
Im sure if I watched what i ate and drank more on my non fasting days I would have lost more weight but Im happy with this slow and steady loss and still being able to treat myself occasionally on non fasting days.

Its not true fasting – you are allowed ( as a woman) 500 calories on a fasting day.  I have to say it doesnt go very far and initially i tried eating a small breakfast and then dinner but I found that by 4pm I was getting very irritable and not really worth living with, so I changed my pattern so that I eat almost nothing through the day. Weirdly its once you eat something you often feel hungrier, so by not eating that solves that problem.

I cant live without  my coffees, and I allow myself 1/3 cup of trim  milk for my 2 coffees on my fast days  ( It froths up to nearly a whole jug full when I steam it with my machine)

That accounts for 32 of my 500 calories.

If I’m absolutely starving around lunchtime I will eat a hard boiled egg  ( 78 calories)

That leaves almost 400 calories for my dinner and I find that works well for me. I can usually adapt whatever I’m cooking for the family for myself and get in under that limit..

I usually have my fasting days on Mondays and Wednesdays – Today being Monday was my fasting day – and it was a bit of a struggle today I must admit as I had yesterdays cookies sitting tempting me on the bench and then my mother bought round a most divine looking carrot cake that her neighbour had baked for her – but resist I did – Call me Devoted !

Tonights dinner for the family was Linguine with a tomato,pepper aubergine and chorizo sauce. – I was easily able to adapt that for myself to make a very low calorie option.

My dinner was Cherry Tomato and Herb Linguine. Its yummy! – I actually prefer this light summery pasta to the heavier sausage pasta the rest of the family had. ( Of course I would love it  more with a nice glass of Pinot Noir but that will have to wait till tomorrow!)

 

 

Cherry Tomato and Herb Linguine

1c cooked Pasta of your choice
1c Cherry Tomatoes – halved
1/4 red chilli – chopped
1 tspn Olive Oil ( I like to use a flavoured oil like Garlic or Lemon Infused)
1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs ( Basil, Parsley Oregano, Chives – whatever you have on hand)
10gms Parmesan, shaved
1 tspn balsamic vinegar
Black Pepper

While the pasta is cooking, in a bowl toss all the other ingredients except the parmesan and pepper .
Add hot pasta and toss again.
Serve topped with parmesan and black pepper.

Total calories for this meal 377.