What is the 5/2 diet? The 5/2 diet is an intermittent fasting diet that has a calorie intake of 500 to 600 calories about twice a week. The 5/2 diet is also known as the fast diet which was popularized by a British Journalist named Michael Mosley.
What is the 5/2 diet? iStock-photo credit: Olena Koliesnik
So, on this diet about 5 days a week you have 5 routine eating days. And the other two days you are restricted to 500 to 600 calories a day. The two days that could be a struggle for most folks are those highly restricted fasting days of 500 to 600 calories a day. Most people will find it difficult to only consume 500 to 600 calories a day, which is very extreme.
Eating normal doesn’t mean eating lots of fast food because if you do that 5 days a week you will have a challenging time losing weight. Eating normal means not fasting but still eating in a moderate and healthy way. There have been studies that have shown that intermittent fasting can significantly reduce insulin levels and improve insulin sensitivity.
A 2011 study showed there was no significant weight loss difference from the regular calorie restriction to the 5/2 diet. The most important thing that people need to understand is that intermittent fasting will cause more weight loss if total calories are matched.
Here are examples of foods you can eat on fasting days that won’t be more than 500 to 600 calories daily.
- Vegetables
- Yogurt
- Lean chicken, turkey, or fish
- Soups
- Eggs
- Low calorie soups
- Black coffee
- Water
- Tea
People that should avoid doing the 5/2 diet or any type of intermittent fasting is:
- Women with fertility issues
- Pregnant women
- People that have a history of eating disorders
There have been women that have reported in losing their menstrual cycle when they started this intermittent fasting diet. And then when they started doing regular dieting it came right back.
The Bottom Line is the 5/2 diet is an intermittent fasting diet that has you normally eat 5 days a week and then eat 500 to 600 calories a day two days a week.
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References
- Heilbronn LK, Civitarese AE, Bogacka I, Smith SR, Hulver M, Ravussin E. Glucose tolerance and skeletal muscle gene expression in response to alternate day fasting. Obes Res. 2005 Mar;13(3):574-81. doi: 10.1038/oby.2005.61. PMID: 15833943.
- Flood JE, Rolls BJ. Soup preloads in a variety of forms reduce meal energy intake. Appetite. 2007 Nov;49(3):626-34. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2007.04.002. Epub 2007 Apr 14. PMID: 17574705; PMCID: PMC2128765.
- Bhutani S, Klempel MC, Kroeger CM, Trepanowski JF, Varady KA. Alternate day fasting and endurance exercise combine to reduce body weight and favorably alter plasma lipids in obese humans. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013 Jul;21(7):1370-9. doi: 10.1002/oby.20353. Epub 2013 May 29. PMID: 23408502.
