THE 5:2 DIET

Is fasting the secret to easy slimming?

- FAYEM SMITH, ALI HORSFALL

The 5:2 diet is an eating trend that’s really stuck around. Created more than a decade ago by weight-loss expert Dr Michael Mosley and food journalist Mimi Spencer, it’s one of the most popular forms of intermittent fasting. The reason? When it comes to losing weight, often the hardest part is giving up the foods you enjoy but, unlike other popular diets, this one has no restriction on what foods you can and can’t eat – just how many you can have.

Followers fast for two days of the week. ‘Initially, they were advised to eat a very reduced number of calories, 500 for women and 600 for men, on fasting days,’ says Rob Hobson, head of nutrition at Healthspan. ‘The diet has since been revised to restrict energy intake to 800 calories on fasting days, while sticking to a healthy low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean diet for the rest of the week.’

The change was something that Dr Mosley himself made, following research. ‘It appears that 800 is a “magic” number when it comes to weight loss, based on studies that show that people find it easier to follow, but they still get the same weight-loss advantages,’ he said, referring to a study by Alicante General University Hospital, among others.