EATING ON THE 5:2 DIET

As someone who writes a blog all about food, i have to be quite careful with what i eat.

I'd love to be one of those people that can consume whatever they like and stay slim - but sadly - I just have to look at a piece of cake & i put on weight

I'm all about eating in moderation so the 5:2 diet is like a godsend to me 

I'm not here to enforce or endorse any type of diet on people, i'm just sharing what works for me

I'm sure lots of you are familiar with the concept of the 5:2 diet, or the fast diet as it can be known, but essentially you are allowed to eat relatively normally for 5 days a week then for two days a week you are restricted to 500 calories (approx. 1/4 of our daily allowance).

I know what you're probably thinking - "you must be starving on those days" - but in reality if you're sensible, 500 calories can actually stretch quite far, which is what I wanted to show in this post.

The key on your 500 calorie days is to fill up on low calorie but nutritious foods like vegetables and a protein source.
I find it easiest to skip a meal (for me it's breakfast) and then spread my calories between lunch and dinner - or I will have a can of tinned tomatoes (84 cals) for lunch if I want to save up my calories for something more substantial in the evening. Below is a look at the kind of things I'll have on a 'fast' day:

*calories have been worked out by weighing ingredients according to nutritional values on pack and using MyFitnessPal.

Salmon with Brown Rice, Spinach and Tomatoes - 447 calories
Salmon - 236 calories
Uncle Ben's Brown Rice - 161 calories
Spinach 50g - 15 calories

Sundried Toms 30g - 35 calories

Seabass with asparagus and green beans - 140 calories
Seabass - 107 calories
Asparagus - 21 calories
Green Beans - 12 calories

Summer salad with poached egg - 138 calories
Poached Egg - 71 calories
Spinach - 11 calories
Red Onion - 21 calories
Cherry Tomato - 12 calories
Beetroot - 15 calories
Cucumber -8 calories

Hopefully this has highlighted that you are still able to eat well and healthily while following the 5:2 diet. I really enjoy following this style of eating and find it fits in with my lifestyle and allows me to enjoy food without feeling guilty. Do any of you following a specific style of eating? I'd love to hear in the comments below. If you've got any questions about 5:2 feel free to leave them & I'll come back to you!

If you liked this post, you may like: Guilt Free Pancakes Recipe or Guilt Free Pudding