Everyone has heard of cutting calories. Most people baulk at the idea!
And maybe you are right. At least to begin with! No way could I have jumped in the deep end and tried to diet, counting calories, from the first day! But there
is another answer! The 5:2 diet. The 5:2 diet is excellent! And I will tell you why. Below is also some handy links to tell you more about the 5:2 and the new revised
version.
Instead of cutting calories every day seven days a week until you just can't muster the willpower to keep at it, the 5:2 only asks you to have the motivation
and will power TWO DAYS A WEEK. Thats right! Just two days and the other 5 days you can eat WHATEVER YOU WANT! Or at least upto the amount you normally eat from your current
day to day.
How does this work?
It is purported that to lose just 1lb of weight you need to cut 3500 calories. Now you can do this by cutting 500 calories a day EVERY DAY (minimum! for that 1lb loss). But that
can seem quite a lot to throw yourself in the deep end with. The 5:2 cuts the same amount of calories but over TWO days. So yes, they are a tough two days! But it is a lot easier to
gather your will power for a mere 24 hours (most of that time you will be sleeping) and then have the next day to look forward to, knowing its back to normal!
So imagine you currently eat 3000 calories a day. That is 21000 calories a week. But for two days you can only have 500 calories! Yes thats right! Only 500! -600 for men. So for
the two days you would normally consume 3000 calories you have just cut 2500 out! Thats 5000 calories over two days!
What if you eat 2500 calories a day? Or 2300? Lets look at the numbers in a handy table!
The 5:2 is much more than just cutting calories. It retrains your body and mind and gives you the perfect base to move on to either regular calorie counting or portion control. Or if you like the 5:2 and it fits in with your lifestyle, well you can just keep at it! Think of it as a tool in your weight-loss and weight-maintenance tool-bag! Even when you are at the weight you want to be you can use this fasting technique to quickly lose short-term weight gained from holidays and events that put on a few extra pounds!
Below are some handy links about the 5:2 diet.