Back in May I posted about a new diet that I had started called the Fast Diet, better known as 5:2. I meant to do a follow up post sooner but I actually forgot, so I apologise for that.
A quick recap of the diet- eat what you want for 5 days a week, then for 2 days a week you fast on 500 calories, 600 for men, eating as healthily as possible on the fasting days. I continued with this diet for around 8 weeks or so and here a my thoughts and results.
So initially after the 4lb weight loss in week one, things started to slow down, which I expected. After a diet day, I would lose 2/3 lbs, then gain a pound on a normal day etc etc and after a week it would even itself out and I lost 2lbs per week on average in the beginning. After around 6 weeks, I had lost a total of 8 lbs, which I was pretty happy with, but I just couldn't seem to get past that mark. For some reason my body just said "no, that's it, you're not losing anymore". I thought that because I had been doing it for a while that my body got to used to it and the drastic withdrawal of calories was no longer having the same 'shock effect' on my body. As a friend of mine had a break from it and then went back on the diet and lost more weight, I thought the same might work for me, but it didn't. I believe that everybody has a certain weight that their body gravitates to naturally, however I don't feel like I'm at that point yet, so I'm trying to hard to push past this 8lb point!
I said in my previous post that I aimed to plan my meals for the week in advance, so that I would have different choices and make things a bit more interesting- I failed in that area. To be honest, as boring as it was, it was just easier to stick with what I knew to save time and hassle. Soup was my best friend a lot of the time as it involves no preparation whatsoever. The picture below is just an example of some of the foods I would have on a fast day.
A typical day would be:
- Breakfast- Lemon Ginger and Mango Tea (Asda) (any tea is fine as long as its calorie free)
- Morning snack- A piece of fruit or a cereal type bar
- Lunch- 3 Ryvita's with Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese (I ended up switching to Aldi's version of Ryvita's as they're much cheaper and taste the same)
- Dinner- Either a chicken breast with Cous Cous or a two egg omelette with a few chorizo slices or something low calorie, just not cheese :(
So after I couldn't get pasted the 8lb mark, I let the diet slip. I was still continuing to exercise throughout the process, but after I stopped the diet, I started to add weight training to my fitness regime as its the best way to tone up, as well and turning that fat into muscle. I have gained a few pounds back since coming off it, however I do believe that some of it is now muscle because I have noticed that my body is a lot more toned and defined then it was before.
In terms giving me adding health benefits such a reducing my risk of getting certain diseases, I can't comment as I never knew my risks before, but if you're someone who is keen on finding that stuff out, it would be good to know how the diet has effected that. As a short term diet, I think this can definitely be for everyone if you have willpower on those days, and its great if you just want that quick weight loss before a holiday or wedding for example. It did give me the boost I needed to start losing weight and I definitely want to continue losing more, however as we all know, the key to long term weight loss is regular exercise and a healthy balanced diet. In The Fast Diet book, one of the authors said she always has one fast day a week because it is second nature to her, but for me I can't see myself doing this for the rest of my life, even if its just for one day, because lets face it, life gets in the way.
My relationship with food is something I'm always trying to change, but to be honest I love food so much, that I don't think it ever will. I enjoy going out for meals and finding new places to eat and that doesn't always mean it has to be unhealthy. Food brings me joy and I've realised that that's ok, I just need to moderate what I have. Although I know all of these things and what the best way to loose weight is, I can't say that I won't try another diet again because the chances are I will, and every now and again I do want to do the fast diet, as maybe an even longer break will be even better for me in terms of weight loss, who knows! Wish me luck in my next weight loss adventure, whatever that will be!
xoxo
