When Dr Michael Mosley created a diet that included fasting back in 2012, it was considered radical. But soon, the medical journalist and British TV star revealed strong scientific research that backed up his ideas, and the diet started to resonate.
5:2 diet: a beginner’s guide
The name of this plan makes sense, because followers are asked to split the week according to that ratio. Five days of the week are called ‘feeding days’, when you can eat whatever you like. The remaining two days are ‘fasting days’, when you limit your intake to 500 calories for women, or 600 calories for men.
Which days should you fast?
The reason this diet appealed to so many people its flexibility. It doesn’t matter at all which days are ‘feeding days’ and which are ‘fasting days’, as long as you remember the 5:2 ratio and the fasting days are not consecutive.
Fasting days: when should you consume your calories?
Again, the plan is not rigid. You can consume all your calories in one sitting (eg. a large breakfast) or snack throughout the day. Take a look at some of our most popular 500-calorie meals, 250-calorie treats and 100-calorie snacks to see what a day of fasting might look like. Dr Mosley’s plan of course gives you lots of guidance into the kinds of meals and snacks you could be eating.
Feeding days: can you really eat anything?
The rules state that you can eat ‘whatever you like’, but ideally, you are still mindful on feeding days of following a healthy diet, as this will ensure the best results long-term. The average recommended daily intake is approximately 2,000 calories for women and 2,400 calories for men, varying with age and activity level.
Does the 5:2 diet work?
When Dr Mosley first released his book The Fast Diet, it quickly became an worldwide bestseller and was translated into over 40 languages. It was praised as extremely effective by doctors, celebrities, politicians and even Nobel Prize winners.
As well as helping you lose weight, it’s believed that the 5:2 diet can reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and levels of IGF-1, the growth factor that makes you age quicker.
Of course, as with any restrictive diet, Dr Mosley recommends that you should consult your GP before considering fasting and stresses that it is not suitable for people who suffer from diabetes or are pregnant.
The new 5:2 diet
In the six years since Dr Mosley created the 5:2 diet, he says “there’s been a lot of new scientific research into intermittent fasting and weight loss”. He says that this, combined with “a tremendous amount of useful feedback from people who’ve tried the 5:2” encouraged him to tweak it into a new plan altogether: the Fast 800 diet. This new version sees people either eating 800 calories per day for up to 12 weeks before transitioning to the 5:2 diet or easing in slowly, following a low-carb Mediterranean diet on feeding days. Find out more about the Fast 800 here.
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*This nutrition information does not constitute or replace professional medical or dietetic advice received by individuals.
