Intermittent Fasting Meal Prep: Planning Meals for 16/8 or 5:2 Diets
Intermittent fasting (IF) has gained a lot of popularity for its simplicity and potential health benefits. Instead of focusing on what you eat, IF is mostly about when you eat. Two of the most common IF methods are 16/8 (daily time-restricted feeding) and 5:2 (weekly calorie restriction). In 16/8, you fast for 16 hours each day and eat all your meals within an 8-hour window. In 5:2, you eat normally 5 days of the week and consume a very low number of calories on the other 2 days (around 500 calories for women or 600 for men).
If you're trying one of these schedules, proper meal prep can be a game-changer. Planning ahead ensures you have nutritious meals ready for your eating windows or your low-calorie days, making it much easier to stick to the plan. Let's break down strategies for each approach – 16/8 and 5:2 – and how to meal prep effectively so you stay energized and satisfied.
Meal Prep for the 16/8 Fasting Schedule
What is 16/8? It's a daily fasting method where you pick an 8-hour window to eat (say 12pm to 8pm), and you fast for the remaining 16 hours (usually overnight and skipping breakfast). Many people find the 16/8 method manageable and easy to integrate into daily life, because you're essentially just not eating after dinner until lunch the next day.
Why meal prep helps: When you're fasting for 16 hours, you tend to get pretty hungry by the time your eating window opens. If you don’t have food ready to go, it's easy to grab whatever is convenient (which might not be healthy) or to overeat. By prepping your meals, you can ensure that when the clock strikes noon (or whenever your break-fast time is), you have a balanced meal on hand instead of reaching for junk. Also, since you eat fewer meals in 16/8 (often 2 or 3 meals a day), it's important those meals be nutrient-dense to keep you full and nourished.
How to plan your meals: Most 16/8 followers eat 2 larger meals and 1 snack during the 8-hour window (though some do 3 smaller meals). For example, you might eat lunch at 12pm, a snack at 3pm, and dinner at 7pm, then start fasting until the next day. Here are meal prep tips to make 16/8 easier:
Plan Filling, Balanced Meals: Each meal should have a good mix of protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbs. This helps with satiety. Since you're only eating twice (plus maybe a snack), each meal needs to count. For lunch, you could prep something like grilled chicken or tofu with quinoa and roasted veggies (protein + complex carbs + fiber). For dinner, maybe salmon with sweet potato and a big salad with olive oil dressing. Having these ready means you won't be tempted to devour something unhealthy out of sheer hunger.
Prep Break-Fast Foods: The meal you eat to break your fast (often lunch) might cause a big spike in blood sugar if you go for refined carbs on an empty stomach. Instead, plan a meal that's gentle on your system: for example, a veggie omelet with avocado, or Greek yogurt with nuts and berries. These give you nutrients and won't upset your stomach after a long fast. If you love breakfast foods, you can meal prep an egg frittata or overnight oats to eat at noon.
Healthy Snacks to Bridge the Window: You might find you want a snack during the 8 hours. Good options are things like a handful of nuts, carrot sticks with hummus, or apple slices with peanut butter. Prep these in advance (e.g., portion out nuts into little bags, cut up veggies). That way, if you get peckish at 3 or 4pm, you have something ready that fits your plan.
Stay Hydrated (During Fasting too): While fasting, you can and should drink plenty of water. Some people also have black coffee or herbal tea, which is fine (zero calories). During your eating window, continue to drink water regularly. Sometimes after the fast you might eat quickly; drinking water before and with your meal can help you pace yourself and improve digestion.
Don't Binge at the Start: It's tempting to want a huge feast when the fast ends. Meal prepping can prevent the "eyes bigger than stomach" issue. Stick to your pre-portioned meal. Eat it slowly, and you'll likely find that you feel full and satisfied. After fasting, your stomach might actually have shrunk a bit, so overeating can make you uncomfortable. Trust the portions you prepared.
Adjust Meal Timing to Your Lifestyle: You don't have to do 12-8pm exactly. If you prefer an earlier schedule (say 10am-6pm or 9am-5pm), go for it. Meal prep according to when you'll eat. For instance, if you work early and want a meal at 10am, you might break your fast with a prepped chia pudding or breakfast burrito. If you prefer a late dinner at 8pm, make sure you've got that ready to just heat and eat.
Example 16/8 Day (12pm–8pm window): - 12:00 PM (Lunch) – Meal-prepped grilled chicken Buddha bowl: grilled chicken thighs, brown rice, roasted broccoli, and carrots, with a tahini sauce. (Around 500-600 calories, balanced macros). - 3:30 PM (Snack) – Small container of mixed nuts and raisins (pre-portioned 1/4 cup) and a couple of clementines. - 7:00 PM (Dinner) – Pre-made turkey chili with beans and veggies (reheat one serving) topped with a spoon of Greek yogurt, plus a side salad.
Notice in this schedule, all the food was ready to go: the chicken bowl and chili were batch-cooked, the salad ingredients washed and chopped, the snacks portioned. During the fasting period (8pm to noon next day), only water, black coffee, or tea were consumed.
Meal Prep for the 5:2 Fasting Schedule
What is 5:2? It's an intermittent fasting plan where you eat normally 5 days of the week, and on the other 2 days you severely restrict calories (about a quarter of your normal intake, roughly 500 calories for women and 600 for men). Importantly, those two fasting days are non-consecutive (for example, you might choose Monday and Thursday as your low-cal days). On 5:2, because you aren't eating much at all on the fasting days, meal prep is crucial to help you stick to those tiny portions and to ensure even those few calories are nutritious.
Meal prep for fasting days (500-600 cal): Think of your fasting-day food as medicinal almost – you want the most benefit for the least calories. - Plan exactly what you'll eat on those days and prep it ahead of time. There's no room for spontaneity here because any extra unplanned snack can throw you over 500 calories. - Popular strategy is to have two small meals of around 250 calories each on the fasting days (for example, a late breakfast and a dinner). Some people do a single 500-calorie meal in the middle of the day. Do what feels best for you. - Focus on very low-calorie but filling foods: broth-based vegetable soups, salads with lots of greens, lean protein like white fish or egg whites, and fibrous veggies like cauliflower, zucchini, or shirataki noodles. Essentially, foods that are high-volume, high-fiber, or high-protein and extremely low in calories. - Soup is your friend: A big bowl of veggie soup might only be 100 calories if done right. You can eat it slowly and feel warm and somewhat full. Consider prepping a pot of cabbage soup or miso soup loaded with vegetables and portioning it out for your fasting days. - Plan for protein: It's easy to miss protein on a fast day. Include maybe a small serving of chicken breast or some cottage cheese or Greek yogurt (if you're not vegan). For example, one fasting day meal could be 3 oz of poached fish (like cod) with a huge pile of steamed broccoli – roughly 150-200 calories total. Another could be an egg white omelette with spinach (very low cal) and maybe a few berries on the side. - Beverages: Coffee or tea (no cream or sugar) can help blunt appetite on fast days. Sparkling water can also make your stomach feel a bit more filled. Many fasters sip herbal tea throughout the day as a ritual instead of snacking. - Pre-log or label your calories: Write down or label the calorie counts of what you've prepped so you don't accidentally go over. For instance, have a container that says "Lunch – 250 cal" and "Dinner – 250 cal." That is your allotment and you stick to it.
Meal prep for regular days: The five "normal eating" days are actually where some people trip up. It's crucial not to view them as cheat days. You should eat roughly the same amount you normally would if you weren't fasting. Meal prep can help ensure your regular days are filled with healthy, moderate meals so you don't negate the deficit from the fasting days. - Continue prepping balanced breakfasts, lunches, dinners for your workweek or family schedule. The difference is, on these days you're likely eating 3 meals and maybe a snack, totaling whatever your maintenance or slight deficit calories are (maybe 1800-2000 for weight loss for many people). - By having your normal-day meals ready, you reduce the temptation to overindulge because "tomorrow I'm fasting." Try to keep your intake consistent and reasonable. IF works best when those 5 days are nutritious and not overly high-calorie. - So, you might meal prep a veggie frittata or oatmeal for breakfasts, chicken salad or grain bowls for lunches, stir-fries or pastas for dinners – just like a standard healthy meal plan.
Example 5:2 Week: - Fasting Day (Tuesday): - Brunch (~11 AM): 2 scrambled eggs (mostly whites, one yolk) with a big handful of spinach and tomatoes (cooked without excess oil), plus 1/2 grapefruit. ~200 calories. - Dinner (~7 PM): Zucchini noodle "pasta" with 1/2 cup marinara and 3 turkey meatballs (made with extra lean turkey), side of steamed cauliflower. ~300 calories. - Lots of water, green tea, and a diet soda in the afternoon to curb cravings. Total ~500 cal. - Regular Day (Wednesday): - Breakfast: Overnight oats (prep 3 jars on Sunday) with banana and peanut butter (~350 cal). - Lunch: Prepped quinoa salad with chicken, feta, and veggies (~500 cal). - Snack: Apple and string cheese (~150 cal). - Dinner: Baked salmon (from batch cooked on Sunday) with roasted sweet potato and asparagus (~500 cal). - Total ~1500-1600 calories (for example, if that's your usual weight loss intake).
By prepping the fasting day meals ahead (maybe on Sunday and again on Wednesday for the Thursday fast), you don't have to think on those low-cal days – you just grab your little meal, heat it, and that's it. It removes the mental effort when willpower is already being tested.
General Tips for IF Meal Prep Success
Keep Nutrient-Density High: With both 16/8 and 5:2, you are not eating all day long, so each meal is an important opportunity to nourish your body. Focus on whole foods – lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats – to get vitamins and minerals. This will help you feel better and perform better in daily activities or workouts.
Listen to Your Body: Intermittent fasting isn't for everyone. If you feel weak or dizzy during fasts, you might need to adjust (either eat a bit more, or choose a different schedule). Meal prep gives you control, but also pay attention if your plan needs tweaking. For instance, some people doing 16/8 find they actually prefer 14/10 (a 10-hour eating window) – and that's okay too.
Stay Consistent on Normal Days: Especially for 5:2 – remember that fasting two days a week isn't a license to binge on the others. Try to maintain a balanced intake throughout the week. Meal prepping your "feast" days as well helps keep you honest and on track.
Plan Fasting Days on Lower-Activity Days: If you can, schedule your 500-calorie days on days you don't have intense workouts or major physical tasks. Meal prep accordingly (maybe plan those as more soup/salad days). On higher activity days, you can eat normally or if doing 16/8, break your fast a bit earlier to fuel your workout – just adjust the schedule occasionally if needed.
Batch Cook and Freeze: If you find a certain low-cal soup or a particular high-protein meal that you love for your IF plan, make a big batch and freeze portions. For example, a vegetable soup or turkey chili can be frozen in individual servings for weeks to come. This way you always have compliant meals available.
Use Meal Prep to Prevent "Hangry" Decisions: The toughest moments in fasting plans are when hunger hits hard. By having your meal ready (or knowing exactly what and when you'll eat next), you can reassure yourself and avoid impulsively grabbing a donut or bag of chips. It's much easier to tough out the last hour of a fast when you can smell the delicious soup you just need to heat up, or you know your favorite chicken curry is waiting in the fridge for dinner.
Intermittent fasting, whether 16/8 or 5:2, can simplify your eating schedule – and with good meal prep, it doesn't have to be a struggle. You'll spend less time each day worrying about food because your plan is set. Instead, you can enjoy the flexibility (no calorie counting on fasting days for 5:2, and fewer meals to plan each day for 16/8) and potential benefits like weight management or improved focus.
By prepping smart, you're setting yourself up for IF success: nourishing meals when you need them and no temptations when you don't. Happy fasting and feasting, and remember – consistency and planning are key to seeing results with intermittent fasting.