What is the 5:2 diet?

2023-06-28 13:27:21

THE benefits of fasting have been recognized for years! Better, it would seem that the benefits of fasting are increased tenfold when calorie intake is drastically reduced every other day rather than a little every day if we are to believe the many scientific studies published on the subject and in particular the result of research from the University of Florida.

What is the 5:2 diet?

The régime 5 : 2 is a form of intermittent fasting, i.e. alternating periods of fasting and periods of normal eating. The main principles of régime 5-2 ?

We normally eat for 5 days of the week, allowing ourselves sweets and dining out.
The remaining 2 days we are careful and we only allow ourselves 500 calories per day for women and 600 calories for men, or ¼ of the recommended daily allowance.

These last two days of quasi-fasting (since you reduce your calorie intake by more than 75%) are the key to the 5:2 diet.

What are the benefits of 5:2 intermittent fasting?

Many studies tend to prove that a state of fasting would be beneficial to health, the chemical reactions generated would contribute to:

the prevention of diseases caused by age,
increase life expectancy,
promote fat loss,
reduce the risk of myocardial infarction,
reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

As for the disadvantages, fasting 5:2 is not exempt…

Some academic circles lament that the régime 5 : 2 is not strict enough to take advantage of the beneficial effects of a longer fast. According to them, periods of 18 to 36 hours of total fast would protect against pathologies of the Alzheimer type or against cancer. The problem? Total fasting, over an extended period of time, is at the opposite extreme of generally recommended eating habits, recognized as safe, healthy and reasonable. Conversely, by respecting a sufficiently reasonable ration, the 5: 2 diet is much less dangerous for health.
This type of diet is restrictive because you have to count calories and stick to it.
There is no mention of the need to practice physical activity, except that it is essential when trying to lose weight.

Is the 5-2 diet effective for weight loss?

The 5:2 diet allows you to lose weight because you generally ingest fewer calories than your body consumes. The other secret of this diet is its flexibility. It does not impose strict and daily caloric control on us: we eat less and less rich only two days a week… And we keep a normal social life. In addition, with 500 (or 600) calories a day, we manage to compose menus that satisfy us as long as we choose our food well.

What you need to know before starting a 5:2 diet

As it is about taking new eating habits, the 5:2 diet may seem difficult to follow at first and one may feel hungry for the 2 days when the intake is reduced. But the results are felt quickly and that, of course, is motivating. The idea is to find the right rhythm, it comes down to a few points:

Choose your two days. Choosing two fixed days, not those where you have lunch with your best friend, nor those where you have dinner with your mother, is easier to respect. They may or may not be consecutive. When the days are separated, the effort may be more acceptable than if the two days are consecutive.
Distribute the calories. You have to choose how to distribute the 500 calories over the day. For example, we consume 100 to 200 calories at breakfast, and 300 calories at dinner, which leaves the possibility of a 100-calorie snack during the day. But nothing prevents you from skipping breakfast and opting for a richer lunch.
Have a journal ! It’s better for keeping track of efforts and measuring progress!
On fasting days, we rid our environment of foods that would constitute a temptation and we think of well.hydrate because water reduces the feeling of hunger.

Some examples of calorie content to stick to your 5:2 diet

1 banana = 100 calories

½ slice of bread with barely a dessert spoon of butter = 100 calories

30g of wheat bran flakes in 125ml of skimmed milk and 80g of blueberries = 200 calories

To know. The 5:2 diet is to be avoided for pregnant women, trying to conceive or breastfeeding, people whose body mass index is less than 20, high-level athletes and those preparing for a marathon, people with diabetes, people with an eating disorder, people with irritable bowel syndrome.

To read.

What is the 5:2 diet?