THE LOWDOWN
It’s very simple: for five days a week you don’t calorie count, then for two days a week you cut down your calories to 800 a day. Your Fast Days can be consecutive or you may prefer to split them – whatever works for you. You will get much more benefit out of intermittent fasting if you switch to a low carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet both on the days when you are fasting and when you are not. That means more olive oil and nuts, as well as plenty of eggs, full-fat yoghurt, oily fish and vegetables. Make sure you fill up on protein and veg on your fasting days. Protein is very satiating and you can eat a lot of vegetables for very few calories.
ON YOUR 800 CAL FAST DAYS
Follow the Mediterranean principles outlined below, restricting your Fast Day calories to 800, whether by using the recipes in this week’s pullout or taking them as inspiration to create your own. For some people this will mean just having two meals a day; for others, it could be three smaller ones.
THE MEDITERRANEAN WAY
Cut right down on sugar, sugary treats, drinks and desserts. That includes most breakfast cereals, which are usually full of sugar, as well as most commercial smoothies.
Minimise or avoid starchy carbs – meaning the white stuff: bread, pasta, potatoes and white rice.
Switch instead to whole grains including bulgur (cracked wheat), whole rye, wholegrain barley, wild rice and buckwheat. Brown rice is OK. Legumes such as lentils, kidney beans and chickpeas are healthy and filling, too.
Focus on high-quality protein, including oily fish, prawns, chicken, turkey, pork, beef and eggs (and vegetable sources including soya, edamame beans, Quorn and hummus). Limit processed meats such as bacon and salami to no more than a couple of times a week.
Eat more healthy fats and oils. As well as oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel), include more olive oil on salads and vegetables. Use olive, rapeseed or coconut oil for cooking.
Use butter for spreading and seasoning and avoid margarine. Full-fat yoghurt is good and cheese in moderation is fine.
Eat plenty of different-coloured veg, ensuring a wide variety from dark leafy greens to purple beetroot and bright red and yellow peppers. Add flavourings such as lemon, butter, garlic and chilli. A splash of olive oil on your veg improves the absorption of vitamins.
Avoid too many sweet fruits. Berries, apples and pears are fine, but limit tropical fruits such as mango, melon and pineapple. Go easy on the bananas.
Drink plenty of fluid. If you don’t drink enough fluids then you may well develop headaches and constipation when fasting. How much is ‘enough’? The magic figure that is often quoted is 2 litres or 8 cups a day. Tea and coffee count towards this.
Watch the alcohol. A large (175ml) glass of red wine contains about 120 calories. No need to give up entirely, but a couple of days a week without is good for your health as well as your waist.