The Skinny
Average Weight Loss: 1-2 pounds per week.
Type of Diet: Calorie Restriction, Intermittent Fasting
This diet may be unsafe for certain individuals.*
About the Diet
The 5:2 diet is a plan the involves intermittent fasting (IF). If you have any issues with blood sugar, or a lifestyle or occupation that requires daily energy from food, this is probably not the best plan for you. If you are pregnant or nursing, this is not a good plan to consider.*
On two, non-consecutive days each week you will severely restrict your calories, on the other five days you eat normally. As is the case with many diets, dramatically reducing caloric intake can cause headaches, fatigue, mood swings, and mental confusion — and problems with low blood sugar for some people. On fasting days men are only permitted to eat up to 600 calories, and women can only eat 500 calories. That’s not a lot of food.
Proponents of the 5:2 say that fasting for only two days a week may be easier for dieters to comply with than daily calorie restriction. The problem is that the entire diet relies on your ability to adhere to the fasting requirements and if you don’t — you blow the entire week.
This diet became popular in the UK in 2012, and is still has a strong, loyal following, but this diet, also coined the “fast diet” is extreme, so please consult your doctor before you try this diet as fasting — even partial fasting — may be unsafe for certain individuals. For example, fasting and rapid weight loss can cause or exacerbate gallstones:
- Rapid weight loss. As the body metabolizes fat during rapid weight loss, it causes the liver to secrete extra cholesterol into bile, which can cause gallstones.
- Fasting. Fasting decreases gallbladder movement, which causes the bile to become over-concentrated with cholesterol.
Sponsored Ad
More Information About This Diet
The Negative Press
- The 5:2 Diet: ‘My children force-fed me to stop my mood swings’
- Does the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet work? (5:2 Diet Questions Answered and Myths Debunked)
The Postive Press
- Fasting facts: is the 5:2 diet too good to be true?
- US News Health Report: 5:2 Diet Rating 2.5 stars out of 5, but offers some positives to consider.
* Health Concerns
The 5:2 Fast Diet website states the following should not do this diet:
- People who are underweight or have an eating disorder
- Children (under 18 years old)
- Type 1 diabetics and diabetics taking medication for their diabetes (other than Metformin)
- Pregnant women or breast feeding mothers
- People recovering from surgery
- Those who are frail or have a significant underlying medical condition should speak to their doctor first, as they would before embarking on any weight-loss regime.
- Those who are not sure about whether it may affect their prescribed medications should to speak to their doctor first.
- People feeling unwell or have a fever
- Those taking Warfarin should consult their doctor first as it may increase their INR.
** Provided for information only. This is not an ad but an excerpt from Amazon.com so you can read more about this book. **
The 5:2 Fast Diet for Beginners: The Complete Book for Intermittent Fasting with Easy Recipes and Weight Loss Plans
By Rockridge Press
The Fast Diet is a proven way to lose weight easily.
Also known as “Intermittent Fasting,” the revolutionary Fast Diet allows you to lose weight by eating reduced-calorie meals just two days out of the week. On a fast diet, you can eat the foods that you want five days out of the week, and follow an easy fasting regime for two days, and you’ll lose weight quicker than ever before. The Fast Diet is as simple as that!
With The 5 2 Fast Diet for Beginners you’ll begin to see results right away, with easy weight loss and increased energy.
