5:2 Diet: Learn the Best Protocol Plus Tips for Success

October 12th, 2022

By Dr. Edward F. Group

Guest Writer for Wake Up World

A popular form of fasting, the 5:2 diet involves eating five days per week — ideally, in a healthy manner, and fasting for two. Don’t stress when you hear the word fast! You may not even experience hunger. But does the 5:2 Diet work? Yes, it does!

The 5:2 plan — sometimes called the fast diet — offers you the impressive, time-tested health benefits of fasting: sustained weight loss, lower blood pressure, better-balanced blood sugar, and a boost in heart and brain health. The 5:2 fasting diet also offers a lot of flexibility for the rest of your week.

Quick Tips to Start a 5:2 Diet

Try these tips for success:

• Plan your fasting days around your schedule. Choose days that are less mentally and emotionally demanding.
• If you’re aiming to make this a weight loss diet, keep your body moving! Most people can do light exercise on fasting days; just be aware of your limits.
• Focus on consuming a diet of whole, plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds when you are eating versus fasting.
• On fasting days, stay hydrated! Drink at least half your body weight in ounces daily. Keep up this habit on calorie days, too!
• Get more sleep and go to bed earlier. Take a nap if you feel tired.
• Get a free PDF portion of Dr. Group, DC’s The Power of Fasting book.

What Is the 5:2 Diet?

The 5:2 diet is a form of intermittent fasting: alternating between periods of fasting (going without food or drink) and periods of eating during the day.

The 5:2 part of the name comes from the fact that you eat as normal for five days and fast for two days each week. Which days you choose to fast is up to you.

On non-fasting days, you follow your normal eating routine and don’t worry about calories. On fasting days, you either abstain from food, severely restrict calories, or eat only during a set window of time.

What Can You Eat?

Although you can theoretically eat whatever you want on non-fasting days, it is healthier to eat well. The most important thing for any eating plan is consuming whole, plant-based foods, particularly raw and leafy green vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.

Healthy, plant-based foods also provide your body with a variety of nutrients. Not only are vegetables and plant-based proteins more nutritious but they also contain more fiber and are more satiating than foods such as cake and chips.

If you are doing the 5:2 diet for weight loss, specifically, I recommend exercising portion control to some degree on non-fasting days.

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