Have you been eating enough protein and fats in the morning after a fast? That could help you. If I eat grain carbs after a fast, I also get ravenous by mid morning. If I eat protein bread or eggs (as an example) I stay fuller for longer.

I'm not a fan of protein shakes. I just don't like the taste and prefer 'real' food. But it's an option, if you like them.

A protein bread is a low carb / high protein bread. They are often based on almonds, seeds, eggs and quark. I can buy protein bread at different stores and bakeries. At the moment I also make my own. Here is the recipe. I play around with the different seeds. The linseeds are key though to keeping the bread together.

Protein bread is higher in protein, higher in healthy fats due to the seeds and almonds and lower in carbs. Because of the seeds and almonds it is higher cal than white bread. I like it and usually slice my loaf, freeze it and toast it as needed.

Almond and Seed Bread (750g)

6 large Eggs (separate yolks and egg whites)
250g low fat quark (I used Skyr, Icelandic milk product with high protein / low fat)
1 tsp salt (I will reduce this next time, too salty for me)
70g ground almonds
30g sesame seeds
50g linseed cut
5g whole linseeds ( I replaced these with 15g chia seeds + 15g hemp seeds)
30g Oat bran
20g wheat flour
15g baking powder
1 tsp coconut- or olive oil (to grease pan)
Preheat oven to 340 °F
Grease a 9-10inch long bread pan
Mix egg yolks and quark with a hand mixer until smooth
Mix all dry ingredients and then add them to the egg yolk/quark. Mix well and let it sit for 10min.
Beat egg whites until very stiff. Fold into the rest of the mixture.
Bake for 70-80min. Let it cool in the pan for 10min before removing it.

100g baked bread contain (my version)
260 cals / 17g Protein / 18g Fat / 7g Carbohydrate / 6g Fiber / 1g Sugar

I've made it twice. The second time around, I didn't separate the eggs. Works just as well, but the bread isn't quite as high and fluffy.

Another nice breakfast I like are banana / egg pancakes
2 eggs
1 banana (100g w/o peel)
5g chia seeds (optional)
cinnamon
blend and cook like traditional pancakes
Today I added some steamed apple slices, 5g butter and 10g maple syrup.

Total cal 440 /17g Protein / 18g Fat / 51g Carbohydrate

karen_fitzgibbon wrote: »

I'm still sticking to my 1200, I keep forgetting to change it to my tdee instead which if I remember correctly is around about 1500 but that's a massive scary number

I think that if you stick closer to your tdee, you will feel loads better. Maybe just give it a try for a week and see what happens. Also remember to eat a bit extra for any exercise you do. 1500 may seem like a lot, but just remember all the calories you are saving on fast days. Keep it up, your doing great!

*cals

Yay! Protein is our friend!! ;-) Your carb cravings will possibly get smaller after a while.