Prawn Salad

Another "fasting" day ... didn't have enough calories left for coleslaw (a hefty 145 calories per tablespoon!), but this prawn salad was super delicious just with a drizzle of balsamic glaze (30 cals). At only 170 calories, it was a tasty, nutritious and surprisingly filling meal ... very nice! I also had a large bowl of fruit salad at lunchtime and a low-cal chocolate drink this afternoon.

Having completed a whole week of ADF now, I weighed myself this morning and found I had lost 7lb ... pretty impressive, I think! Admittedly, I had put on 3lb the week before (having visited Plymouth for a few days for my step-daughter's wedding), but to have got rid of that AND another 4lb on top was most encouraging. Even if I was only doing this for weight loss alone, I would be happy enough to keep going after that result ... but it's about so much more than just weight loss, and I'm already feeling less tired and more alert, so I will definitely keep going!

Starting ADF

Having seen the BBC Horizon documentary, "Eat, Fast and Live Longer" and watching a couple of friends enjoy the process, I decided to have a go at Alternate Day Fasting (or ADF). It's not just a weight loss programme, it's (allegedly) a way to prolong life expectancy, give more energy, lower the risk of certain cancers and other age-related illnesses and be generally much better for overall health and energy levels. One friend in particular has found the increase in her energy levels to be quite noticeable.

Not really fasting in the true sense of the word, the ADF plan allows for an intake of up to 500 calories (700 for men) on alternate days, then whatever you wish to eat on the others. On my first "fasting" day, I consumed a few pieces of fruit around midday, a bowl of salad late afternoon and some steamed vegetables in the evening. I also had a cup of low-calorie soup and a drop of skimmed milk in a coffee around bedtime. I found it easy and hardly had any hunger pangs.

Today was my second "fasting" day and I decided to make my few calories as delicious as they could be! My first meal of the day was this gorgeous bowlful of fruit salad, which amounted to less than 200 calories; I didn't eat it until 1.30pm, as I wasn't particularly hungry until then.

Then, this evening, I cooked a huge wok-ful of stir-fried vegetables, in a little olive oil and flavoured with black pepper and a few shakes of soya sauce. My husband had a pork chop and a few baby new potatoes with his, but I just had a big bowlful of veg at a little under 300 calories (would have been much less without 120 calories worth of olive oil).

(Sorry about the steam - but it was very tasty and filling!) At the moment, I'm finding this "diet" very easy to maintain and most enjoyable; if, on a "fasting" day, I suddenly feel like I simply must have a cream cake, or cheese on toast, or a bar of chocolate ... I just think, "Ok, I'll have that tomorrow"! Chances are, I probably won't, but at least I know I can if I wan't to, so there's no feeling of deprivation like there is with most conventional diets. And I do already feel healthier!

Jen's Wedding Cake

The bottom layer was a delicious chocolate sponge, with chocolate ganache butter cream; the middle layer was a zingy lemon sponge, with lemon curd butter cream; the top layer was a moist, light and fresh-tasting fruit cake (quite different to the usual heavy, dark fruit cake), covered with marzipan. The whole lot was covered with ready-to-roll icing (two layers marbled with purple/pink/white icing) and decorated with sugar-paste flowers and rice paper butterflies. The recipe was from the BBC Good Food website and can be found here.