The Fast Diet or the 5:2 Plan is the diet craze currently sweeping the UK. Now I'm not one for diets, in fact I don't actually need to lose weight, but Hubs and I have decided to give it a go for a few weeks before our Easter holiday. Hubs has put on a few pounds since leaving the gym in October and I want to support his efforts to shift this weight.
The main rules are that you eat very restricted calories (500 for women, 600 for men) split between two meals for two non-consecutive days a week. You eat nothing in between these two meals but on the other days you eat normally and can enjoy treats such as wine and desserts.
The health benefits linked to this diet are a reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Intermittent fasting has been proven to extend lifespan in animals and when fasting your body switches from fat storing mode to fat burning mode. Also as you fast your body uses its energy to repair itself. For me these health benefits are all good reasons to give intermittent fasting a go. Its not a diet that's going to take over my life and lead to food obsession and an unhealthy relationship with food. This diet is more a way of life and diet obsession can't take over as tomorrow is always a normal eating day. I think cutting back on snacking is sensible because if you snack regularly you're never really hungry at mealtimes. It's good to feel real hunger once in a while.
Today's fasting menu
Breakfast: 1 poached egg on toast
Dinner: Mexican pizza - passata, red onion, mushrooms, and a few slices of mozzarella on a tortilla, baked in hot oven for ten minutes and served with a little (undressed) side salad.
We haven't bought the book to support this diet but we are using a pull-out section from a magazine to guide us through and give us ideas for recipes. So far, so good - tonight's pizza was delicious and I didn't feel deprived as I had a whole one to myself. I'm generally more of a little and often eater so this way of eating does seem strange to me at the moment.
Just no looking at any food blogs until tomorrow and I can't wait for a biscuit with my morning coffee.
No lunch??
ReplyDeleteYes,the idea is to give your digestive system a break so you don't eat for about 10-12 hours in between breakfast and dinner.
DeleteWow that sounds interesting, but really hard to do. I usually don't eat from about 8p.m. (sometimes earlier) till 9:30a.m., so sticking to that fast would mean having breakfast earlier or having dinner later in addition to skipping all meals and snacks in between. I think that wouldn't be easy at all.
ReplyDeleteEdit: just researched (very lightly) on the subject and it seems there is not just one opinion on when you should eat.
This website was... how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something that helped me.
ReplyDeleteKudos!
Here is my site; hair loss
I'm doing intermittent fasting for Lent...skipping breakfast and having my first meal of the day at 11:00 a.m. and dinner around 6:00 p.m. It's tough because I'm a morning person and am at work by 7:00 a.m., but it's also been good on many levels...including starting to lose weight and noticing fewer digestion problems. Hope it works for you too!
ReplyDeleteThis is very like my normal eating pattern, every 3 days or so I cut out meat and carbs, if I do not I feel heavy and sluggish.On those days I eat fresh fruit and salads. I add yogurt sometimes but usually have a glass of skimmed milk.
ReplyDeleteHow many calories are in your pizza?
ReplyDeletewish i didnt have to diet lol
x
358 and very tasty xo
DeleteI have been doing this too, and like it very much. It's actually not as hard as it seems, and I love waking up the next day knowing it's not a "fast" day.
ReplyDeleteGillian x
Been on the Fast Diet for a few weeks and it works. Gets easier to miss breakfast and I'm finding I don't eat breakfast most days. The book gives the science behind the diet, some tips and of course the eating plan. Sounds like you are doing well without the book but your local library may have a copy. Good luck with your "diet".
ReplyDelete