What is The Fast Diet?

The Fast Diet is a low-calorie plan that aims to help followers lose weight – specifically fat – and reduce their risk of a host of chronic diseases by severely limiting calories two days a week. The plan – created by Michael Mosley, a journalist trained as a doctor at the Royal Free Hospital in London, and Mimi Spencer, a journalist and author – mirrors a pattern of eating often referred to as the 5:2 diet: you eat normally for five days of the week and cut your calories to about 25% of normal intake on two nonconsecutive days of the week. Men consume just 600 calories on their two weekly fast days, while women are limited to 500 calories. Those calories should be spent wisely on high-protein foods, such as skinless chicken, nuts and legumes, as well as fruits and veggies with low glycemic loads like strawberries and carrots.

On the other five days of the week, there’s no calorie cap, and no food is off-limits. This freedom isn’t permission to binge and make up for your two fast days, but it does mean you shouldn’t feel guilty about eating a slice of cake. U.S. News experts evaluate the Fast Diet poorly in all rankings, mostly due to its tough-to-follow nature and health risks in some populations.

Pros & Cons

How does The Fast Diet work?

Choose two days each week – make sure they’re not in a row – to fast. Then, plan to savor your calories on those days by following these tips:

• Aim for 50 grams of healthy protein from sources like steamed white fish, skinless chicken, tofu, nuts, seeds, legumes and eggs.
• Round out your meal, meals or snacks with low-calorie, fiber-rich and nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables.
• Plan when you consume your calories based on what’s most appealing and sustainable to you – whether that’s a single 500- or 600-calorie meal or several hundred-calorie snacks.

For more guidance, look to “The Fast Diet” book, which was most recently updated in 2015 and includes the authors’ experiences with the plan.

Link to The Fast Diet  website: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/