5:2 Intermittent Fasting Diet

Are you looking for effective ways to start the 5:2 Intermittent fasting diet plan but are unable to find the right steps to follow?

Intermittent fasting is among the best ways to lose those couple extra pounds on you effectively and efficiently. 

In fact, intermittent fasting and its benefits have been a buzzing topic in most weight loss communities after being widely accepted by celebrities, fitness gurus, and even internet influencers.

This simple dietary practice allows you to systematically distribute your eating and fasting patterns into equal intervals. 

While some intermittent fasting schedules like the 16/8, 14/10, or 20/4 intermittent fasting plan divide your eating and fasting practices into hour-based schedules, the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet plan divides your eating and fasting patterns into daily intervals. 

Intermittent fasting schedules can be pretty challenging for an average joe as most of these schedules restrict your eating habits around the clock, but the 5:2 Intermittent fasting diet plan only restricts your calories for two days a week. 

The 5:2 Intermittent fasting diet is more than just a diet plan that restricts your calorie intake, in fact, it is a major lifestyle choice due to a lack of basic structure. 

If you are looking for ways to start fasting based on the 5:2 Intermittent fasting plan, look no further. 

Here is your complete guide to the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting diet plan to help you achieve all your health-related goals.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Before jumping on to the tips and tricks to start your 5:2 intermittent fasting diet, it is best to learn about what intermittent fasting exactly is. 

For most beginners, intermittent fasting often seems similar to any other restrictive dietary practice that allows you to eliminate excess calories from your daily meals.

However, this fascinating dietary schedule or eating practice is simply a method of systematically distributing your fasting and eating patterns into separate intervals. 

According to some nutritionists, Intermittent fasting or IF is an efficient way of reducing access to body fat as the individual is promoted to consume only one meal per day in the span of a few weeks. 

Among the most common meal schedule of intermittent fasting is the 16/8 intermittent fasting plan which involves fasting for 16 hours and eating on schedule for 8 hours.

Another common eating plan is  20/4 intermittent fasting including 20 hours of fasting and 4 hours of regular eating, and lastly, 14/06 which includes fasting for 14 hours and eating for 6 hours. 

Intermittent fasting works by prolonging the periods of fasting while keeping the meals during the eating window calorie-deficit. 

The body goes through myriad changes while fasting that contribute to one’s overall weight loss. 

When practicing a restrictive diet plan like Intermittent fasting, your body goes through a calorie deficit as you are not consuming enough calories throughout the day, hence the body goes through the ketosis process to convert fats, carbohydrates, and proteins into energy.

What are the benefits of the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Diet Plan?

The Intermittent Fasting Diet schedule often acts as a great transitional diet plan for those who gradually start their intermittent fasting journey. 

This intermittent fasting diet plan is comparatively easier than other restrictive diet plans that may leave most people feeling more fatigued than healthy. 

If you are interested in starting the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting diet but are apprehensive about its effects on your health, we’ve got you covered. 

Here are some benefits of the 5:2 Intermittent fasting diet plan that facilitate more benefits to health than just weight loss:

• Easier transitional alternative for people who are intermittent fasting beginners 
  
• Helps Reduce the Fat Mass by 7.7% without making you lose your muscle mass
  
• Reduces the levels of triglycerides in the bloodstream by 20%
  
• Helps reduce the overall body weight by up to 11 pounds
  
• Increases the size of LDL (low-density lipoproteins)
  
• Reduces the levels of leptin by 40%
  
• Reduces inflammation in the body by decreasing the levels of C-reactive proteins
  
• May prevent mental degenerative diseases like Alzhimer’s Disease
  
• Reduces the risk of coronary artery disease
  
• Improves brain function

How much weight can you lose on the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Diet?

The 5:2 Intermittent fasting diet, unlike other intermittent fasting plans, only promotes you to fast for two days a week, while allowing you to eat clean foods during the rest of the days. 

Since this simple intermittent fasting plan does not encompass any rigid fasting rules, most people often consider it to be ineffective. 

However, the 5:2 intermittent fasting plan may be more effective in facilitating weight loss than one may think. 

According to research, the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet plan allows you to lose about 4 to 7% of your abdominal fat and waist circumference. 

Based on other research, if you stick to the rigid diet plan of the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet plan, you may be able to lose about a pound within a week. 

It is also important to remember that factors like sleep cycle, genetics, hormonal imbalance, and stress contribute to the weight loss process and might set you behind.

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What are the drawbacks of the 5:2 Intermittent fasting diet?

Just like any other restrictive dietary practice the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet plan also comes with its setbacks and cons. 

Here are some side effects you may experience during the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet plan:

• Fatigue
  
• Headache 
  
• Nausea
  
• Uncontrollable hunger
  
• Bad breath
  
• Constipation 
  
• Dehydration
  
• Irritability
  
• Feeling faint

What can you eat during the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Diet Plan?

When it comes to the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Diet Plan, what you eat during the eating windows matters more than what you do not eat during your fasting windows. 

Eating foods that are low-calorie, low-carb, and low in terms of protein will help you accelerate the weight loss process. 

When practicing a restrictive diet plan like intermittent fasting it is best to indulge in foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to meet your health-related needs and requirements.

Learn more about the Best Foods to eat for Intermittent Fasting: https://www.thefoodcoachltd.com/best-foods-to-eat-for-intermittent-fasting/