One of the fastest growing diet trend is challenging the idea of continuous diet. Often called as the "5:2 Diet" it's a unique diet technique believed to give more than just weight loss.
5:2 Diet Explained
According to BBC Good Food, the 5:2 diet only asks for two days of diet while others are considered a free day. Anyone can eat anything for five days but two days of the week should focus on the diet. The diet days cannot be consecutive.
But even though you only go on a diet for days every week, the requirement is pretty challenging. While you consume regular calories for five days, the calorie intake for the diet days is only up to 600 - which means the calorie intake is only 25% of the regular days. This is practically starving yourself on diet days.
So extreme diet twice a week could lead to weight loss. But how does it work?
According to Telegraph, starving triggers your body to react. It will not only eat up the deposits (fats and calories) in your body since it will also release the SIRT1 gene. This gene is known to limit storage of fats which means it is activated to combat excessive food intake.
More than Just Weight Loss
Speaking of genes, SIRT1 doesn't just block fat deposits in your body. When activated, the gene could also repair the body cells and prevent it from further destruction - this is perceived as the body's reaction to starving. With this diet, you don't just lose weight since you also prevent your body from getting old.
While it offers impressive benefits, pulling off a 5:2 diet could be a big challenge. Starving yourself twice a week could push you to eat more on non-diet days. 600 calories don't offer much and starvation could lead to unintended consequences especially for active individuals.
The 5:2 diet is an intriguing diet practice but challenging because of the starvation requirement. Seek a doctor's advice before considering this diet to ensure a healthy response to the challenge.