How do you cope with feeding the others in your family on fast days?

[mintchocchick]

I am thinking of doing the 5:2 and so is my DH.

My main worry is how I would cope having to see my kids eating their usual peanut butter on toast after school and then having to cook them a normal meal for tea. I usually cook them a proper meal from scratch and I often do this from 5-6pm while they're in the kitchen doing homework/chatting then we all eat together at 6. Surely this would be a nightmare if I was fasting. I'm not sure I'd cope twice a week.

Also do people swap the days round? I imagine you look in your diary the week before and plan the best days for fasting I.e busy days at work and days with no social plans for evening?

I usually manage at least one fast day a week with as few people around as possible during the day, but I always cook supper.

I choose fish dishes such as cod in parma ham, that I can have with a mountain of veg, and the others have with veg, potatoes and hollandaise!

I also do prawn stir fries ( or is it stir frys??).

There's a good link to a recipe here:www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1681/ Its less than 300 cals.

I have to admit, I find the holidays very very testing esp as DS is 15 and needs to eat hourly. I try and be out of the kitchen or pref. the house as much as possible, too.

Hope that helps

Doesn't have to be a nightmare- lean protein( fish, prawns, scallops,chicken, eggs) and veg are really easy to make a sub 300 cal meal of. Add potatoes or garlic bread or rice for the non fasters. It's only 2 days a week. Or try the zero noodles for fasters, with real pasta for orhers, and a tomato based sauce. Or explore some hairy dieters recipes - very family friendly.
Do you usually join the children in their peanut butter on toast?
I change my fast days all the time, depending on other commitments.

Great ideas, thanks a lot.

I used to join them in peanut butter on toast every day after school for years - that might explain my need for 5:2 now! Also used to be on a thick wedge of homemade white bread that my DH baked 3 times a week! Homemade bread is a killer.

I can see this working though from what you've both said.

You can have homemade bread 5 times a week!

Are there any nights when you're NOT all eating together? I usually pick fast days as those when Dh and his son are doing their own thing ( which often involves going to KFC, an eating establishment which fails to excite me in the least)

I have had no problems when I was doing the 5:2.

In fact - I quite like being so strict :)

And it's only two days per week - keep that in mind when they are all tucking into their PB on toast :)

One day a week I cook the DCs "kid food" (fish fingers and such like) while we have something spicy that they don't like. On the other fast day we all have the same, but they will have more or something added in (like rice or pasta).

I either make a low cal meal and add extra carbs or more protein for OH and DD or they make their own meals on fast days. We quite like a lot of the recipes from the Hairy Dieters cookbook, all under 500 cals, so they get bigger portions and pudding. It's really not that hard once you get into it. I've just made up my DD's packed lunch for school and I'm fasting today, doesn't bother me one bit anymore.

Thanks all.

A few people mention the Hairy Bikers book so maybe ill get that for ideas.

Frenchfancy - I do a 'kids tea' once or twice a week but specifically want to avoid those for fast days as DH and I use them to have a meal just for us, and we really enjoy the chance to chat and indulge in a lamb Rojan josh or something like that - so I'd prefer to save those nights for non-fast days.

I can't quite believe that I could really have white bread 5 days a week! I'd worry that I was going to undo all the good work of the fast days and get into some strange mini-yo yo diet scenario! I imagined you'd have to be quite good, low on simple carbs say on you non fast days?

It depends. I avoid simple carbs anyway, whether I'm 5:2ing or not. By which I mean, I have them now and again, but not every day, and that's to do with my stomach's reaction to them rather than any weight loss.

There's very little in the way of "you must eat this" or "don't eat that" on the 5:2 approach - but be prepared to experiment a little with what is actually working for you.

I tend to avoid simple carbs anyway, but yes there isn't much in the way of forbidden food, I think that's why people can stick to it. I would say don't go mad on non fast days and eat up all the calories you saved from fast days. I don't calorie count on my non fast days but have become more aware of what I'm eating and generally have smaller portions than I used to simply because I get fuller, quicker.

Like others, I give the kids food they like but I dont. Oh makes his own dinner. Maybe I'm mean

Instead of the lamb rogan josh, try something like the aubergine and chick pea curry (see recipe thread) you really won't feel deprived.

You really can eat white bread for 5 days a week if you want. I really do eat normally. I love pasta, and bread. I have cheesecake in the fridge for tonight. My portion sizes are smaller than they used to be, as I simply don't like the feeling of being stuffed. I say no to food that isn't really tasty too, which I never used to. Now I only put things in my mouth that taste good. (so generally don't eat a lot of white bread as I prefer our homemade mixed seed sourdough)

My kids love it when it's my fast days. One of DS2's favourite meals is Shepherd's Pie and I don't really like it. It's now very firmly back on the family menu again, along with Toad in the Hole, lamb and curry. I can't stand any of those but apparently I cook them really well.