Welcome to 31 Days of Resolutions! Turning the calendar to a new year has NEVER felt better. Oola is here to celebrate with inspiration and motivation for each day of January. Check out the rest of our resolutions here.
Eating healthier, exercising more, and losing weight are three of the most common New Year’s resolutions. Thanks to impossible-to-follow fad diets and unrealistic workout regimens, they’re also the easiest to break.
Intermittent fasting offers an easier way to jumpstart your health goals by restricting not what you eat, but when you eat. Pairing intermittent fasting with thoughtful meal planning and prep allows you to reap the many health benefits of IF without feeling hangry 100% of the time.
The most common form of intermittent fasting is the 16/8 regimen or Leangains protocol. In this IF method, 16 hours of the day are considered a “fasting period,” the other eight, the “eating period.” This eight-hour window can be moved around depending on what works best for your schedule.
For extra help with accountability, keeping track of your progress, and meal plan inspiration, download the DoFasting app. DoFasting is a virtual IF assistant that creates customized meal plans catered to your specific weight loss and health goals and dietary restrictions. Take the free quiz and get 75% off the DoFasting app.
We’ve gathered some of our favorite intermittent fasting meal plans that are as easy to follow as they are to eat, all of which are based on the Mediterranean diet.
If you are interested in following the Mediterranean, Keto, Paleo, or any other diet—you will find many great recipes in the DoFasting app.
Meal Plan #1: Monday
Fasting Period: 8am-1pm: Water, black coffee, or herbal tea
1pm-2pm: Chopped Greek Chickpea Salad
This amazingly delicious and easy-to-make salad is full of nutrient-rich tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, olives, and chickpeas. Creamy feta and a light lemon dressing add just the right amount of flavor to this colorful salad.
4pm-5pm: Healthier Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups
For your mid-afternoon munchies, try a healthier version of a childhood favorite: homemade fruit roll-ups (emphasis on the fruit).
6pm-7pm: Easy Air-Fryer Salmon
A healthy dinner that takes less than 20 minutes to make? Yes, please. Add a side or two of leafy greens like spinach, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts to send you to your next fasting period on the right foot.
7pm-8pm: 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate
Because the best part of dinner is always dessert. 70-80% cacao dark chocolate is rich in iron, fiber, and magnesium and has been shown to benefit your health by lowering blood pressure and relieving stress.
Meal Plan #2: Tuesday
Fasting Period: 8am-1pm: Flavored seltzer water, steeped chai tea, or Americano
1pm-2pm: Lunchtime Mediterranean Mezze Platter
This particular recipe makes enough to feed four, but you can replicate your own Meditteranean-inspired snack plate by breaking your fast by munching on grapes, cherry tomatoes, pita bread with hummus, and nuts.
4pm-5pm: Classic Acai Bowl
If you’re feeling peckish before dinner, try whipping up a classic acai bowl. Pureed superfood acai berries are blended with milk, banana, and honey, then topped with sliced fruit, granola, or peanut butter.
6pm-7pm: Linguine with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce
We’re firm believers that a diet without pasta is no type of diet to follow. Luckily, this linguine with creamy mushroom sauce only tastes like it’s full of calories—one half-cup serving weighs in at 500 calories and is filling enough to ward off any late-night snack attacks.
7pm-8pm: SkinnyPop Popcorn
A proper Netflix binge requires popcorn, and SkinnyPop offers low-calorie options that taste better than the original. Plus, all seven flavors of this tasty snack are under 60 calories per serving.
Meal Plan #3: Wednesday
Fasting Period: 8am-1pm: Unsweetened iced tea, espresso, or water
1pm-2pm: Fruit Greek Yogurt Parfait
A sweet and satisfying way to break your fast if ever there was one, these nutritious Greek yogurt parfaits can be made ahead for an effortless first meal of the day.
4pm-5pm: Balsamic Bruschetta with Toasted French Bread
Aromatic basil, juicy plum tomatoes, garlic, and balsamic vinegar make this irresistible snack as healthy as it is delicious. We highly recommend pairing the bruschetta with toasted French bread or baked pita chips.
6pm-7pm: One Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta
As if the big and bold flavors of this cajun chicken pasta recipe weren’t enough, it also only requires one pot. Delicious food with half the dishes to clean? We’ll take it.
7pm-8 pm: Pistachio Halo Top Ice Cream
Halo Top is one of our favorite guilt-free ice cream brands, and with mouthwatering flavors like pistachio and lemon cake, it’s easy to understand why. Halo Top’s pistachio ice cream offers 19 grams of protein and only 280 calories per pint. Not serving. Pint.
Meal Plan #4: Thursday
Fasting Period: 8am-1pm: Black coffee, seltzer water, or cucumber lemon water
1pm-2pm: Roasted Chickpeas
When tossed in spices, a splash of olive oil, and roasted or air-fried, these tiny legumes transform into irresistibly crunchy snacks that rival any and all potato chip brands in both flavor and nutrition.
4pm-5pm: Classic Avocado Toast
Avocados are full of heart-healthy fats and vitamins. Pit and mash this light green superfood onto whole-grain bread like Dave’s Killer 21 Whole Grains and Seeds for a great-tasting snack that will stick to your stomach until dinner.
6pm-7pm: Easy Shrimp Tacos
Shrimp tacos are a great-tasting, healthier alternative to a trip through the Taco Bell drive-thru. Top the shrimp, cabbage, and avocado with creamy cilantro lime sauce for a dash of classic fresca flavor.
7pm-8pm: Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
At only 100 calories per serving, these easy-to-make strawberry oatmeal bars are bound to be your next go-to dessert. Old fashioned oats, strawberries, and ginger keep you feeling full and satisfied for longer, while the sweet vanilla glaze satisfies even the sweetest of sweet tooths.
Meal Plan #5: Friday
Fasting Period: 8am-1pm: Red Eye coffee, jasmine tea, or floral-infused water
1pm-2pm: Turmeric Tofu Scramble
Full of potatoes, mushrooms, shallots, spinach, and of course, firm tofu, this nutritious breakfast/lunch combo is the perfect way to kick off your eating period and keep you feeling full through the afternoon.
4pm-5pm: Sargento Balanced Breaks
Colorful platters of diced cheese, fruit, and nuts are great and all, but let’s be honest — who actually has the time to go through all that trouble for the sake of snacking? Sargento came up with the perfect solution: prepackaged Balanced Breaks featuring a wide variety of nuts, cheeses, dried fruits, and chocolate to suit all tastebuds.
6pm-7 pm: Lentil Sloppy Joes
Made with green or red lentils slow-cooked in a blend of spices, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato sauce, these sloppy joes put Manwich to shame on all accounts: flavor, nutrition, and originality.
7 pm-8 pm: Traditional Greek Baklava
This decadent dessert traditionally served in Meditteranean and Middle Eastern cuisine is made from wafer-thin phyllo dough, finely chopped nuts, spices, and drizzled with honey. Not only does it make you feel like royalty when you eat it, but baklava is also low-calorie, free from trans- and saturated fat, and full of nutrients thanks to its many layers of nuts and honey.
Sticking to Your Regimen for Long-Lasting Results
Long-lasting changes occur over long periods of time, so it’s important to go slow and allow your body to change and transform naturally. And remember, progress is not linear; just because you didn’t fast for a few days over the weekend doesn’t mean your hard work was for naught. Simply start the regimen again when the time is right for you and continue on your way.
Diets are not and will never be one-size-fits-all, so make sure to listen to your body and give yourself grace when needed. By combining a time-restricted diet, Meditteranean cuisine, and invaluable resources like DoFasting, you will be well on your way to achieving your fitness and health goals for the new year. Unlock over 5,000 more meal plan examples on the DoFasting app. In addition to healthy meal recommendations, this hand IF assistant also offers encouraging, motivational boosts and friendly reminders as well as simple workouts to incorporate into your daily routine.
Already have an eating plan you like? DoFasting, the revolutionary fasting assistant app, lets you choose from 20 different diets, including vegetarian, keto, and paleo. You can also choose which fasting method fits with your lifestyle, 12, 14, 16, 18, 24, and even 36-hour fasts. Plus, DoFasting’s new challenge mode gives you a daily fasting schedule as well as healthy nutrition, habit formation, and exercise advice. Start fasting today with DoFasting, your personal fasting assistant.
