I swear I dont have an eating disorderits just how you do things on this diet I tried.
The following day, I was back to my regular 2000-ish calories and feeling fine.
On the 5:2 diet, you fast for two days a weeksay.
You eat 25 percent of your usual calories on those days.
The other days, you eat normally.
The diet has been wildly popular in the UK for years, starting with a2012 BBC documentary.
When I first heard about it, Ialmostliked the idea.
Id previously done a form of intermittent fasting that basically amounts toskipping breakfastand delaying lunch.
Why would somebody do this?
Thats true here too.
The first day I tried fasting, I was ravenous by the end of the day.
I had a pang of jealousy but then thought Hey, I can make that tomorrow.
How many diets let you say that on the first day?
Does it work?
Men and women had equal luck on the diet.
The other health benefits, besides weight loss, are not as easy to pin down.
Weve long known thatmice live longer when theyre underfed.
For example, fasting should help your body learn to manage blood sugar better.
If you overeat, your cells can become resistant to insulin, eventually leading totype II diabetes.
Unfortunately, wedont have enough evidence to say if thats actually what happens.
What is a fasting day like?
I wake up thinking about breakfast.
The craving usually subsides.
If it doesnt, Ill go for a snack of veggies, since they arenearly calorie-free.
Trader Joes sells a microwave-steamable bag of fresh green beans.
I split it into a morning and evening snack.
Either way, Im usually fine until 2pm.
If Im having trouble concentrating at work, then I know its time to have some real food.
(The Fast Diethas plenty of recipes, though, if you prefer this approach.)
More often than not, I choose a Clif bar: around 250 calories, depending on the flavor.
I find it about as satisfying as you might expect a 250-calorie meal to be.
I dont get ravenous until evening, and thats the hardest part for me.
In fact, its easiest to just stay out of the kitchen and keep your mind off food.
Can you exercise while youre fasting?
In short, yes you might.
I just scheduled my workouts and my fast days so they didnt coincide.
It was not terrible.
I was shocked: it was afternoon and I hadnt had anything besides Diet Coke and seltzer all day.
I ran at my usual speed, and even ran longer than I had originally planned.
(Bad judgment induced by hunger?
I wont rule it out.)
Some people say they havemoreenergy when theyexercise on an empty stomach.
Maybe it was a fluke.
What do you eat when youre not fasting?
When its not a fast day, youre supposed to eat normally.
But theres no guarantee youll end up pigging out.
They citethis study, which also noted that people feel less hungry on fast days by the second week.
(Again, this research is on alternate-day fasting rather than the 5:2 diet).
I find that, mentally, I cant usea diet tracker like LoseIton my non-fasting days.
I never feel ready for another fast day, because I always felt a little starved.
So I ditched the tracker, and easily got back into the 5:2 rhythm.
MyFitnessPalcan do different calorie goals for each day, if you pay for a premium subscription.
prefer to go without a tracker and let the calories fall where they may.
Should I try it?
This definitely isnt the diet for everyone.
Youre not missing out on much.
This scheme is so easy Ive found myself doing it by accident.
Have a big, late lunch, say around 2pm, and then skip dinner.
Im not ready to give the diet full credit, but so far Im happy with it.
as well as how you handle hunger and willpower.
Its definitely doable, and even though its trendy, its refreshingly free of pseudoscientific claims.
This story was originally published on 3/29/17 and was updated on 10/2/19 to provide more thorough and current information.
