The Fast Diet: Does It Work?
There’s a new diet craze hitting U.S. called The Fast Diet, also known as the 5:2 Diet. This eating regimen involves eating whatever you want for five days of the week, and then severely restricting your caloric intake the other two. Men are suggested to eat 600 calories during these “fast” days, women only 500. Created by medical TV journalist Michael Mosley and journalist Mimi Spencer, this diet became a popular in the United Kingdom after Mosley tried the routine and lost 18 pounds and lowered his blood sugar and cholesterol.
Supporters love the flexibility and simplicity of the diet. While suffering through a fast day may be difficult, there is always the promise of eating normally again the next day to help you power through. The diet is also said to mimic how prehistoric man would have fed-gorging himself when food was plentiful, only to use the stored food later when it became more scarce.
However, critics claim that there isn’t much science behind this theory, or any reason why this 5:2 ratio would result in more weight loss than any other diet. Losing weight is simple: restricting caloric intake will decrease fat reserves in the body. But there is also no reason this diet would be particularly detrimental to anyone’s health. Fasting is an accepted practice in dieting, as well as a part of many cultural and religious rituals. So see if the 5:2 diet is right for you!