The 5:2 diet has become immensely popular in recent years. But what exactly is the 5:2 diet and how should you eat when you follow the method? Here you will find the complete guide to the 5:2 diet.
What is the 5:2 Diet?
The 5:2 diet is an intermittent fast where you eat as usual for five days a week and a maximum of 500-600 calories per day for two days a week.
The diet was founded by the British doctor and journalist Michael Mosley. A few years ago, Mosley made a TV documentary Eat, fast and live longer, where he set out on a journey to try to get answers to how fasting can extend life and have positive health effects. The result was the book The Fast Diet, which was released in 2013 and immediately became an international bestseller.
A doctor in Sweden who early supported the method was Kerstin Brismar, professor at the Karolinska Institutet. In December 2013, she began Sweden’s first scientific study on the 5:2 diet.
How does the 5:2 diet work?
The 5:2 diet, a type of intermittent fasting, is very easy to follow. For five days a week you eat as usual without counting calories, while for two days you eat a very limited amount of your daily calorie requirement. Women should eat about 500 calories per day while men can eat 600 calories per day.
You can choose which days are your fasting days. However, there must always be at least one “ordinary day” between the fasting days.
A common arrangement is to fast Monday and Thursday and eat as usual on the other days.
In order to lose weight, however, it is important to remember that eating “normally” does not mean that you can eat anything. You should be on a normal calorie intake to lose weight.
A normal caloric intake is around 2400 calories per day for men and 2000 calories per day for women, but this is of course controlled by factors such as starting weight, height and goals with the method.
Health benefits of intermittent fasting
Since the 5:2 diet is still relatively new, there aren’t that many scientific studies done specifically on this method.
However, there are several studies on how periodic fasting as a whole has positive effects on health.(2, 3)
A major benefit, at least for some, is that intermittent fasting is an easier method to follow than having to count calories every day of the week.(4, 5)
A study shows that the 5:2 diet is as effective as regular calorie restriction.(8)
Several studies have looked at the health benefits of another variant of the 5:2 method, the so-called 4:3 method where you alternate fasting and regular food according to the 4:3 principle.(9)
According to the studies, the 4:3 diet can, for example, help reduce problems such as asthma, cardiac arrhythmia, seasonal allergies and swelling associated with menopause. (10, 11)
A randomized clinical trial with both normal weight and overweight people showed great benefits for those who were part of the group that ate according to the 4:3 diet compared to those who ate normally. (12)
After 12 weeks, the fasting group had, among other things:
- Lost more than 5 kilos in weight
- Reduced fat mass by 3.5 kilos without losing muscle mass
- Reduced the levels of triglycerides in the blood by 20 percent.
- Lowered CRP, an important marker of inflammation in the body.
In summary, it can be concluded that the 5:2 diet can have several positive benefits for your health, such as weight loss.
Lose weight with the 5:2 diet
If you need to lose weight, the 5:2 method can be very effective if followed correctly.
This is mainly because the 5:2 method helps you reduce the total calorie intake. Therefore, it is important not to compensate for the reduced calorie intake during the fasting days by overeating on the other days.
Intermittent fasting does not make you lose more weight than regular calorie counting if the total number of calories you eat during the week is consistent. (13, 14)
But several studies have shown great potential for intermittent fasting as a weight loss method.
One study showed that intermittent fasting produced a weight loss of between 3-8% over a 3-24 week period.(15)
The same study showed that participants lost 4-7% of their abdominal fat.
Studies have also shown that intermittent fasting produces a smaller reduction in muscle mass than regular diets based on restriction of calorie intake.(15, 16)
The 5:2 diet has been shown to be even more effective if you combine the diet with exercise. For example with endurance training and strength training. (17)
What do you eat during fast?
How you eat or what you eat during the fasting days is completely individual. Some people prefer to start the day with a small breakfast, while others prefer to wait until later in the day to eat.
In general, it is usually said that there are two different methods:
- Eating three small meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Two slightly larger meals, usually lunch and dinner.
Since calorie intake is limited to 500 calories for women and 600 calories for men, it is important to think carefully before deciding what to eat.
Try to focus on a nutritious diet high in fiber and protein. Food that fills you up without being high in calories.
Soups are a good alternative on fasting days. Studies have shown that soups make you feel fuller than other foods with the same amount of calories.(18, 19)
Here are some examples of food that is suitable during the fasting days:
- Cauliflower rice
- Large portions of vegetables
- Soups, for example tomato soup, miso soup or vegetable soup
- coffee, tea and mineral water
Curious about how many calories the food contains? Here you will find calorie charts for vegetables, drinks, meat and poultry, fish and shellfish.
What do you do if you get hungry or feel bad?
During the first few days of the 5:2 diet, it is not unusual for you to feel very hungry. It is also common to feel a little weaker and slower than usual. But these feelings will disappear faster than you think, especially if you keep yourself busy with work or other matters. Most people feel that it gets easier after the first few days of fasting have passed.
If you’re not used to restricting your calorie intake, it might be a smart idea to have some vegetables or something else to snack on for the first few days if you start to feel weak, faint, or sick.
If you continue to feel weak after the first few days of fasting, you should contact your doctor to see if it is appropriate for you to continue the diet.
Intermittent fasting is not suitable for everyone and it is important that you listen to your body’s signals.
When you should avoid the 5:2 diet
- Pregnant women
- Breastfeeding
- Epileptics
- People who do not need to lose weight for medical reasons (eg underweight)
- Diabetics who take SU preparations (sulphonylureas) or insulin
- People who have had any form of eating disorder
Intermittent fasting has also been shown to be less beneficial for some women than it is for men. (20, 21)
Some women have experienced that their periods have missed during intermittent fasting. However, these women got their periods back when they stopped the diet. Women should therefore be extra careful when starting any form of intermittent fasting and discontinue immediately if they experience any unwanted effects.
What you can expect from the 5:2 diet
In conclusion, we can state that the 5:2 diet has proven to be an effective method for weight loss. It’s a diet that is easier for many to relate to and can bring a number of benefits to your health, including reduction of abdominal obesity and maintenance of muscle mass.
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