If you’ve tried intermittent fasting and gotten some positive results, then you can continue in your own style. However, here is a very popular and effective method to get similar or better results than what you expect from traditional fasting. This is called the 5:2 diet, which simply means that you eat normally 5 days a week, but restrict your food intake to a minimum of 2 days. The slight difference between the intermittent type and the 5:2 diet is that you do not completely restrict your food intake when you follow a 5:2 diet plan. Essentially you control your hunger essentially and in a controlled way.

Is the 5:2 diet different from intermittent fasting?

Yes, the idea behind the 5:2 diet is to help you restrict your caloric intake or balance your extra caloric intake on weekdays by reducing it to almost zero on the 2 days of fasting. Care should be taken not to binge or eat anything extra on normal days to make up for the calorie loss on fasting days. Since it will defeat the entire purpose of dieting or appetite control, it is advisable that you limit your weekend diet to your normal diet.

Why choose the 5:2 diet?

One of the most important features of this diet is that you do not need to restrict yourself on fasting days. You can eat up to 25% of your regular calories on fasting days. The average caloric intake of a woman per day is about 2,000, which means that women can consume up to 500 calories on fasting days. The average calorie intake of a man per day is approximately 2,400, so men should restrict their calorie intake to 600 on fasting days. Often this is not as difficult as going on a full fasting diet. You can eat 3 small meals spread throughout the day. As a smart dieter, you should choose satisfying, natural, and low-calorie foods like fruits and leafy vegetables.

Does the 5:2 diet push your body into starvation mode?

Not at all. In fact, this is also one of the reasons why many people have achieved their weight loss goals by following this diet. Typically, your body goes into starvation mode after 36 hours of reduced calorie intake, which is not the case with the 5:2 diet. However, the trick here is to avoid fasting for two consecutive days. You can decide your normal and fasting days according to your convenience. Those who fast two days in a row can push their metabolism into starvation mode, which should be avoided for the best result.

Benefits of the 5:2 diet

1. An easy and effective plan to lose fat

2. Improved metabolic health

3. It can go on for a long time

4. Reduces fasting insulin levels in many diabetics

5. An effective solution for those who find it difficult to restrict calories.

6. No additional or specific food is required.

7. You can follow it regularly without side effects.

What to eat and what to avoid to get the maximum possible health benefits from intermittent fasting, 5:2 or many other types of fasting can be customized to meet your nutritional and lifestyle needs. However, care should be taken not to exceed snack frequency calorie intake beyond recommended limits.