CHAPTER THREE
A Month of Fasting 2 Days a Week: Meal Plan for 8 Fasting Days
Your first few fast days on the Fast Diet may be challenging. The meal plan will ease you into fasting. To make the transition even easier, many of the dishes in this meal plan are recipes found in this book, indicated by asterisk (*) in the meal plan.
Most people find that they feel less hungry if they wait until at least 9:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. for their first meal. This might not be realistic for you if you work in an office or go to school. You can also try eating one large meal at lunch or for brunch with a couple of small snacks to see how that works. The beauty of the Fast Diet is its flexibility.
HELPFUL HINTS
• Your fasting day meal will be the opposite of your eating day meal. One-third of your plate will be a small piece of meat, fish, or poultry, and the other two-thirds will be vegetables and fruit.
• You will not be eating many simple carbohydrates, like muffins and mashed potatoes, but if you want to use up all your calories on a fast day by having a slice of dark chocolate cake, it is your choice.
• You should use a lot of herbs, spices, vinegars, and fresh lemon juice to add flavor and depth to your dishes rather than condiments and sauces.
• Your meals will be very economical because the majority of your fasting day food will be vegetables and fruits. If you buy seasonal produce, your grocery bill will even be lower.
• If you don’t want to cook on a fasting day, there are many low-calorie, low-sodium soups available that are 100 to 200 calories per serving.
• Try to plan your fasting days to coincide with an activity-packed schedule. You won’t have time to think about eating. This means weekdays for most people because weekends are often time that you spend with family and friends . . . eating.
HOW TO USE THE MEAL PLAN
The meal plan takes the guesswork out of your first month on the Fast Diet and helps you to ease into planning your own fast days. Keep in mind that this plan is just a guideline and that the labels “breakfast,” “lunch,” and “dinner” are not fixed or rigid. The meals can occur whenever you feel hungry and can even be broken up and eaten as six small meals, depending on your routine and physical response to the diet. For example, if the breakfast recommendation is a Greek yogurt parfait, you can eat the yogurt and granola at 8:00 a.m. and the raspberries at 10:00 a.m. The Fast Diet is extremely flexible within the calorie allotment, so use it in a way that suits you. Each meal is labeled with its calorie count so you can swap meals around as long as the day adds up to the right number of calories.
At some point in your Fast Diet experience, you may have a strong craving for a particular food. The Fast Diet will teach you the difference between hunger and craving. Cravings are not hunger. Feeling hungry means that your body needs nutrients, and after you eat you will not be hungry anymore. Your stomach is only about the size of a fist, and a surprisingly small amount of food will fill it. Eating whatever you are craving won’t necessarily make the craving go away. And by trying to make the craving stop, you might overeat, which may make you feel bloated and tired.
MEAL PLAN FOR 8 FASTING DAYS
* indicates a recipe in this book.
DAY 1
Breakfast
*Multigrain Pancakes, with fresh berries (219 calories)
1 serving Multigrain Pancakes
½ cup raspberries
Lunch
Tuna-topped salad (97 calories)
2 cups mixed salad greens
½ cup grated carrot
½ cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ounce water-packed tuna
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Dinner
*Angel Hair Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes (167 calories)
1 serving Angel Hair Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes
Daily total
483 calories
Note: If following a plan of 600 calories per day, add 1 ounce tuna to lunch and 1 cup fresh strawberries as a snack (88 calories).
DAY 2
Breakfast
Egg-white omelet with spinach and tomato (72 calories)
3 egg whites
¼ cup gently packed shredded fresh spinach
6 quartered cherry tomatoes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
Lunch
Baked potato with cottage cheese and green onion (198 calories)
1 small baked potato, stuffed
¼ cup fat-free cottage cheese
1 tablespoon sliced green onion
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dinner
*Spicy Chicken Breasts, with asparagus spears (197 calories)
1 serving Spicy Chicken Breasts
8 asparagus spears, steamed or blanched
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Snack
6 baby carrots, six ½-inch slices
English cucumber (30 calories)
Daily total:
497 calories
Note: If following a plan of 600 calories per day, add 1 slice low-calorie whole wheat bread to breakfast and 1 tangerine as a snack (100 calories).
DAY 3
Breakfast
Fruit salad (175 calories)
1 small banana
1 kiwi
½ cup blueberries
Lunch
*Easy Turkey Noodle Soup (136 calories)
1 serving Easy Turkey Noodle Soup
6 low-calorie crackers
Dinner
Baked chicken breast (178 calories)
2 ounces chicken breast seasoned with fresh chopped thyme
Olive oil cooking spray
1½ cups beet greens sautéed with ½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 small plum tomato, sliced
Daily total
489 calories
Note: If following a plan of 600 calories per day, add ½ slice low-calorie whole wheat bread topped with 1 tablespoon fat-free cream cheese to breakfast and 1 ounce skinless chicken breast to dinner (106 calories).
DAY 4
Breakfast
*Cinnamon Pancakes (130 calories)
1 serving Cinnamon Pancakes
½ small apple, diced
Lunch
Beans on toast (195 calories)
1 slice rye bread, toasted
½ cup navy beans mixed with ½ teaspoon maple syrup, pinch of cumin, pinch of sea salt
½ green onion, sliced thinly
Dinner
Baked lemon fish (140 calories)
3 ounces tilapia
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
2 cups cauliflower florets, steamed or blanched
Snack
10 red seedless grapes
Daily total
500 calories
Note: If following a plan of 600 calories per day, add ½ apple to breakfast, 1 ounce of fish to dinner, and 10 grapes to the snack (98 calories).
DAY 5
Breakfast
Greek yogurt parfait (138 calories)
3 ounces plain nonfat Greek yogurt
½ cup raspberries
1 tablespoon low-calorie granola or muesli
Lunch
Coleslaw (80 calories)
2 cups shredded cabbage
½ cup grated carrot
1 green onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon fat-free mayonnaise
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ packet artificial sweetener
Dinner
*Chicken Skewers with Cucumber Sauce (272 calories)
1 serving Chicken Skewers with Cucumber Sauce
1 cup gently packed beet greens, chopped
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Daily total
490 calories
Note: If following a plan of 600 calories per day, add ½ baked sweet potato to dinner and 1 large plum as a snack (92 calories).
DAY 6
Breakfast
Cream of Wheat (125 calories)
1 single-serve package Cream of Wheat, cooked with water
2 tablespoons skim milk
1 tablespoon dried apricot, chopped
Lunch
*Herbed Carrot Salad (132 calories)
1 serving Herbed Carrot Salad
½ cup fresh blackberries
Dinner
Spaghetti and tomato sauce (240 calories)
1 cup multigrain spaghetti, cooked
½ cup low-calorie prepared tomato sauce
Daily total
497 calories
Note: If following a plan of 600 calories per day, add 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese to dinner and 1 small Bosc pear as a snack (98 calories).
DAY 7
Breakfast
*Ham Frittata (168 calories)
1 serving Ham Frittata
½ whole wheat English muffin
Lunch
Vegetable miso soup (60 calories)
3 cups water
2 tablespoons miso paste
6 snow peas, julienned
¼ red bell pepper, julienned
3 bok choy, chopped
½ green onion, sliced thinly
Dinner
Grilled steak with mushrooms and onion (265 calories)
3 ounces lean steak (grilled), seasoned
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup sliced mushrooms
½ small sweet onion, sliced
½ teaspoon minced garlic
Olive oil cooking spray
1 cup diced butternut squash, steamed or blanched
Daily total
493 calories
Note: If following a plan of 600 calories per day, add ½ English muffin to breakfast (70 calories).
DAY 8
Breakfast
Scrambled egg whites with vegetables (77 calories)
3 egg whites
2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped red onion, chopped
1 large lettuce leaf
Lunch
Grapefruit
½ red grapefruit with low-calorie sweetener (40 calories)
Dinner
*Steak and Vegetable Pie (383 calories)
1 serving Steak and Vegetable Pie
Daily total
500 calories
Note: If following a plan of 600 calories per day, add ½ small low-calorie bagel with 1 tablespoon fat-free cream cheese (100 calories).