Fast Diet - Week 11 - #LoseDayTuesday

Kicking of week 11 of the 5:2 Fast Diet!! To find out more about it, read my original post here.

Okay so if you're following along, you may have noticed I didn't post a Lose Day Tuesday last week, please forgive me, I was on sick leave! I had planned to Fast over the festive period, but then a tummy virus ripped through our little house, and then Husband and I caught colds as well, so I listened to my very achey body and gave it sustenance. A lot of sustenance.

The positive side of this two week hiatus, other than being able to just relax and enjoy as much as we could over this very grim and gloomy Christmas, was that I could start the New Year off with a bang. I was SO ready to fast again! I had indulged and enjoyed so much beautiful food, that it felt okay to go back to fasting, I hadn't deprived myself of anything. I had tried two 16:8 days of fasting, but I'm not sure they had much effect, so just gave myself a break and listened to my needs.

So with renewed motivation I fasted again yesterday and loved it! I embraced the hunger pangs, put off eating until 4pm and just felt like I was back on track, only after one day back. I made three brand new meals because I was excited to try new things again. I didn't realise it before, but I really did need the break.

I am loving the twitterwaves at the moment, they are awash with new Fasters in the new year. It feels great to have a growing community of Fasters who are going through it together, sharing recipes and tips, and getting healthy together. Its amazing how much support I've found through this little community, so thank you for reading along and for being in touch!!

Lunch - Smoked Salmon with a Poached egg

Reading the package of Scottish Smoked Salmon I saw that 1/2 a packet contains 85 calories. So half a packet it is then!! I poached an egg and served it with some chopped parsley for some freshness. It was so simple, yet tasty and filling, although I must say, I wanted about five times the amount!! Don't know how to poach an egg... it's actually really simple! 

Snack - Beetroot & Courgette Soup

I was feeling a little peckish after my late lunch and so raided the fridge for some soup ideas. I was thrilled to find two cooked beets and so used that for the base of this soup.

Ingredients (2 small portions)
2 small beetroots
1/4 brown onion
1/2 courgette
1 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon low fat creme fraiche
parsley to garnish
salt and pepper

Method:

1. Chop the vegetables and add water and seasoning to a pot and boil for 20 minutes. 

2. When all the veggies are cooked through and the water has reduced down, blend until smooth. 

3. Add 1 tablespoon of the creme fraiche and some parsley and stir through. 

It was tasty and filling and low calorie, so I still came in under my 500 for the day! If I wasn't fasting I would probably add some marscapone cheese as well, just to sweeten it up a little. 

Dinner - Tarragon Chicken

I love a good chicken and potato dish. And if it were creamy, all the better!

I've been drooling over so many of Fiona's recipes on London Unattached, and this one has been on my Reading List for a few months, so I thought it was time to try it out.

It was smooth and creamy, and salty and tender. I didn't use chicken thighs, I decided to go with the breast meat (also to reduce calories) and so was careful not to overcook the chicken. I also wasn't able to source fresh tarragon or bay leaves, so had to resort to the dried variety, but it was delicious none the less!!

If you're looking for a low-calorie but still delicious dinner, look no further! Well actually, don't look further, but do look at more of Fiona's recipes, she has loads of 5:2 Diet Recipes, and they all look divine.

Drinks

Lots of water and the usual Creme Caramel Rooibos tea! I need to shake up my drinks a little I think!!

Total calories for the day = 452

Exercise

Well lets be honest, there was absolutely no motivation to take a sick and achey body out into the blustery weather over these past two weeks, so really, I did very little! I still did my Reformer Pilates class though, and some incidental walking, but I just didn't have the strength for more. 

Weight loss?

Total loss to date = 2.5kg (5.5lbs)

I was kind of expecting to be a few kilo's up, so for it to be only 500g I am choosing to see as a real positive sign. I am hopeful that I will have some great results in the coming few weeks!

Goals for the coming week

Perhaps it is the new year that has me feeling fresh and determined, or perhaps it is just my little break in Fasting that has done it, but whichever it is, I feel like January will be a great month! My goals for this coming week are:

• Drink more water on Non-Fast days to continue to fight the lurgy
• When feeling fully better get right back into exercising
• Try to keep carbs low this week
• Have dessert on just two nights a week (this is going to be a really tough one, because I think I can dessert every night over the past two weeks, oops)
• Get more sleep. Be in bed in the 10 o'clock series, no more coming to bed at 1am!

Happy New Year and New Fasting Year to everyone! Are you starting up after a bit of a hiatus too, or are you a complete newbie to the 5:2 Diet?? Its a great time of the year to be putting our health first, so here's to a positive week of strong willpowers!

Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!