My 5:2 fat loss diet EXPERIEMENT.

The 5:2 diet was made popular in celeb circles in Hollywood and something I have been asked about numerous times this year, so I thought I would complete the nutrition plan over the next 5 weeks and blog about it for you all to see.

No bullshit, I will just tell you how it is… If it doesn’t work, I will tell you – no sugar coat!

In a nutshell, the 5:2 diet is pretty much intermittent fasting something I have toyed with and blogged about for years.

The 5:2 diet has a kind of cool sounding name but, I can tell you this right now there is no magic fat loss trick. It still and always will come down to the calorie deficit when fat loss is the goal.

So let’s get down to it…

The 5:2 plan consists of two super low calorie days and 5 days slightly higher than normal. I will explain in more depth a little later.

Yes, I still track all my food when following this nutrition plan to ensure you’re sticking to the calories/ macros required.

Two days per week, not consecutively and on non- training days I consume 800 cals and on the other five days I consume 3,100 cals. These numbers are individualised for me and probably won’t work for you, these numbers place me in a calorie deficit essential for fat loss. Again this may not suit you they maybe too high or two low dependent on many things like muscle mass, daily energy expenditure, body fat % etc.

The science behind fasting is building a better response to insulin sensitivity which is very important for fat loss.

Personally, I enjoy fasting. I feel like it gives my digestive system time to rest and at times whilst fasting I feel very switched on and mentally clear.

In saying that, gee whiz – day 1 of the 800 calorie fast was not easy by any means and will take some serious getting used to. 800 cals is around a quarter of the calories I usually consume on a daily basis, not surprising it’s hard but hey sometimes you just got to suck it up. Being in a calorie deficit isn’t always easy and you have to expect hunger at some point.

What did I eat during my fasting days?

Meal 1: 250g of Chicken breast seasoned with herbs and spices with a big green salad sprinkled with balsamic vinegar and a whey protein shake.

Meal 2: 200g of lean Pork mince with green vegetables and a whey protein shake.

These two meals had me bang on 800 cals and let me tell you, I was STARVINGGGGGGG!!!

I found the second day much easier and felt as though my body adapted quite quickly to the massive deficit of calories.

During my 5 normal days: I found it very easy to stick to the 3100 cals. This allows flexibility within my nutrition plan – of course I aim to eat 90% “healthy foods”, but if I feel like something extra I can then make adjustments to fit it into my calorie requirement. For example, I love eating Acai bowls – so guess what; I don’t go without I just make room for them when I can.

I also consumed 5 Litres of water broken down into 2.5 litres of sparkling water which gives me a sense of fullness, 1.25 litres of normal water and 1.25 litres of Musashi essential amino acids to ensure I don’t lose too much muscle on fasting days. First thing in the morning and during meals I had black coffee a of two for the day.
Training:

Not much changes in regards to training, I spend majority of my time working on my strength with two very short conditioning sessions per week.

Body measurement’s from Day 1:
92kg body weight
14% body fat

On day 6, I weighed in again @ 91.6kg and weighed, I will also get a dexa scan on March 15.

Stay tuned for more to come on the 5:2 Diet and it’s results.