If you’ve tried intermittent fasting and got some positive results, you can continue with your own style. However, here is a very popular and effective method to obtain similar or better results than what you expect from traditional fasting. This is called a 5: 2 diet, which simply means that you eat normally 5 days a week, but restrict your food intake to a minimum for 2 days. The slight difference between the intermittent type and the 5: 2 diet is that you don’t completely restrict your food intake when on a 5: 2 diet plan. Basically, you control your hunger in a systematic and 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 calorie intake or balance your extra calorie intake during the week by reducing it to almost zero on the 2 days of fasting. Care must be taken not to gorge on food or eat anything extra on normal days to compensate for the calorie loss on fasting days. As it will defeat the entire purpose of diet or appetite control, it is advisable that you limit your daily diet to your normal diet.

Why choose the 5: 2 diet?

One of the most important characteristics of this diet is that it is not necessary to restrict the days of fasting. You can consume up to 25% of your usual calories on fasting days. The average calorie intake of a woman per day is about 2000, which means that women can consume up to 500 calories on fasting days. A man’s average daily calorie intake is about 2400, so men should restrict their calorie intake to 600 on fasting days. This is often not as difficult as following a complete 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, such as 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 that 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. The trick here, however, is to avoid fasting for two consecutive days. You can decide your normal and fasting days according to your convenience. Those who fast for two days in a row can put their metabolism into starvation mode, which should be avoided for the best result.

Benefits of the 5: 2 diet

1. An easy and effective fat loss plan

2. Improved metabolic health

3. Can be continued 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 foods are required

7. You can follow it regularly without any side effects.

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