The 5:2 Bikini Diet: Over 140 Delicious Recipes That Will Help You Lose Weight, Fast! Includes Weekly Exercise Plan and Calorie Counter. Jacqueline Whitehart

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      You should end up with the number of calories you need to eat on your fasting days. If you are like me, it will be slightly lower than 500 calories, but you might find you have a bonus of a few extra calories instead!

      Don’t forget, if you lose a lot of weight, but find it slackens off after a while, you might need to re-calculate your calorie intake, as these formulas depend on your weight.

      There is also one more thing that is worth considering: there are about 3,500 calories in 1lb of stored body fat. That means you need to reduce your calorie intake by 3,500 to lose 1lb in weight. That might sound like quite a lot, but if you think of it in terms of the restricted calorie days, a woman has a calorie deficit of (2,000–500) = 1,500 per day on a fast day, so will reduce her calorie intake by 3,000 over a standard 5:2 week. For a man this figure is increased to a 3,800 calorie reduction. This means that without doing anything else, a woman will lose just under 1lb a week on the 5:2 diet; a man, just over 1lb.

      Taking into account the level of exercise and healthy eating on non-fast days, then we are looking at an even greater weight loss. This is simple maths and doesn’t take into consideration the effects that the 5:2 diet has on the body, which research is showing is more effective than standard diets.

      Now you know the basics it’s time to get started and think about your first fast day.

      Are you fit and well and ready to lose some weight?

      The first thing to think about is what days would be most suitable for a fast. Remember, you need two days a week with at least one rest day in between. You can have a set routine and pick the same days every week or pick and choose. The diet is extremely flexible and is designed to fit in around you and not the other way round.

      What days do you normally fast?

       ‘Tuesdays and Thursdays. My husband is out so I don’t have to worry about catering for anyone else on those days.’

       Peggy

      Monday is a common day to start as most people want to enjoy their food at the weekend and are ready to start the new week with good resolutions.

       ‘I like to fast on a Monday, to get rid of that weekend bloat, and on a Thursday, in preparation for the weekend bloat!’

       Jodie

      Take a look at your schedule for the week and rule out any days where you have social engagements, especially involving food.

       ‘My fast days are variable, depending on what I am doing that week. It changes from week to week.’

       Christina

      Look at this as the greatest asset of the diet. Imagine going out for dinner with friends, not worrying about what you eat and even having a dessert and wine, and all the time losing weight.

      Do the planning, do the fast days and then for five days a week, don’t diet. Especially when you are first starting out, your diet days should be the least social days on your calendar. They are also likely to be busy days or work days, as you want to be distracted from food and away from the kitchen as much as possible. The only restriction on your fast days is that you must have a rest day between fasts.

      Your first fast day will probably be the hardest as your body needs time to adjust to the new regime. So make sure you pick your days wisely when you start out. For the first two weeks you need to give careful consideration to when you fast as there is a possibility that you will feel lightheaded, grumpy and perhaps get a headache as well as feel properly hungry. Don’t worry or be alarmed. There are plenty of tips here to deal with all these things. After the first two weeks of fast days, you will see it getting considerably easier. Focus on the fact that it’s only one day.

      Setting targets

      Before you start you need to take your starting weight. Don’t think about it too much – everyone’s starting weight is high, otherwise you wouldn’t be thinking about your diet. Think positively. Think how good you will feel when you start losing weight.

      Starting weight:__________ st __________ lb

      A few tips about weighing yourself

      Don’t worry about only weighing yourself once a week. You should weigh yourself when you like, just try not to do it every day as your weight can go up as well as down. We only care about the downward trend.

      Ladies, be aware that your bodily cycle will have an impact on your weight. You may put on weight the week before your period and may also find fasting harder during this time. Try and stick with it and make allowances for your cycle if you find you haven’t lost as much weight as you would like.

      I would recommend weighing yourself the morning after your second fast day of the week. If you fast on Mondays and Wednesdays, then Thursday morning before breakfast or a drink and after you have been to the toilet is when you will be at your lightest. If you can, use this as your weekly weigh-in to see if you have lost weight and hit your target.

      How much weight should you aim to lose?

      This will depend entirely on your starting weight and fitness. If you have got more to lose, you will lose weight faster and can set a higher target. If you are quite close to your target weight and already reasonably fit, you won’t be quite as quick but you will still lose weight.

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