Dieter’s Dream or a Glorified Eating Disorder? The truths about the 5:2 diet.
In today’s world, women – and men – of all ages and sizes are looking for that secret trick to losing weight and keeping healthy. After the Atkins, the GM Motors, the Cabbage Soup and even the Baby food diet, it’s about time there was a way to lose weight and still eat our favourite treats. Drum roll please…. *in true X Factor Voice-Over style* introducing… THE 5:2 DIET, more professionally known as ‘intermittent fasting’, or ‘alternate-day fasting’. It boasts that you can eat whatever you like on your feast days, providing you only consume 500 calories on your fast days!
The diet is based on the age-old theory that the human body isn’t built for mass consumption. Fasting, particularly intermittent fasting, has been around for centuries. Nutritionists even argue that our bodies are built to go hungry! In cave-man eras, the human body would go days without food, and then extravagantly feast after a successful hunt – this ritual is what the 5:2 diet is attempting to repeat. It is trying to stamp out the idea of quick diet fads, and become a new way of life for those who undertake it, boasting incredible results.
As the plan suggests, you can eat ‘normally’ for 5 days of the week. For a woman, that’s 2,000 calories and men, 2,500 – then on the ‘fast’ days, which are not to be consecutive, the calories are restricted to 500 for women and 600 for men. This contagious craze is sweeping the country and bragging not only weight-loss, but also multiple health benefits.
Brought to our attention in 2012 by BBC2’s Eat, Fast & Live Longer, TV Doctor and journalist Michael Mosley showed the audience a 6 week trial of the diet phenomenon. He lost 14lbs (1 stone) and his body fat decreased dramatically by almost 10%. However, as the programme explained, it is not just the aesthetic benefits of the diet which impress the public. His cholesterol improved, blood sugars stabilised, and all over health enhanced.
But surely, with every benefit there is a risk? And similarly to every diet craze there are a few cases where things can go too far. Nutritionists who have studied the ‘5:2 diet’ in relation to body image and nutritional benefits have suggested that intermittent fasting has been known to trigger and onset eating disorders in certain individuals, in particular those with turbulent relationships with food, body image and self esteem.
Guardian journalist, Sian Lawson, has commented that the diet is “essentially encouraging self abuse”.
Yet, fasting itself isn’t the problem. Any diet can cause or trigger an eating disorder. Any advert, billboard, celebrity or model can too! It’s about doing what feels right for your body.
The perk, or in marketing terms, the USP of the 5:2 diet is undoubtedly the ease of it. There are no rules, no good or bad foods, just the restriction of calories on those TWO days. The fast days may be difficult at first, and you may be hungry, but knowing that tomorrow you can eat what you like (within reason, of course!) makes it a whole lot easier! And why? Because us 21st century folk have no will power! But fasting for only one day is do-able!
All in all, the 5:2 diet craze may be one of reasonable debate, but it does boast quite dramatic results. So if you’re after a long-term fix to feel slimmer, healthier and drop those pounds, why not give it a try! For more information grab yourself one of the books or search online for 5:2 diet recipes.