Mimi Spencer's fabulous 5:2 fast beach diet: Lose up to 12lb in 6 weeks!
There are many good reasons to start the Fast Diet. You may be inspired by your sister or your best friend, your dad or your doctor. You may have decided you want to cut your risk of age-related disease. You may want to reduce your cholesterol, boost your brain, improve your mood, lower your blood pressure, lengthen your life. Or you may just want to look good in a swimsuit. I say ‘just’, but looking good and (more importantly) feeling good about your body is no mere vanity project.
It can have a real emotional impact on a life. I’m reminded of one Fast Dieter who told me that, after years of fruitless yo-yo dieting, six months of 5:2 had given her enough body confidence to go to the local baths and swim with her young daughter for the first time ever. That’s not vanity, it’s the glorious stuff of life.
Not long ago, a magazine survey found that women think about their bodies every 15 minutes (which is, apparently, more than men think about sex). There are times of the year, of course, when we put ourselves under greater scrutiny still. On the beach, in summer, in our shorts and bikinis, we think about the shape we’re in more often – a constant background hum, the helicopter moaning overhead. Men may not bang on about it quite as much, but they tend to be just as aware as T-shirt weather creeps up to ambush those hibernating pecs and paunches.
So now is the time to act. The beach beckons and this is your call to arms. The most challenging weeks of the year may be looming on the sun-kissed horizon, but that’s no reason to bury your head in the sand or collapse into a kaftan for cover. We have a plan. It is called the Fast Beach Diet. Think of it as ‘5:2, the Next Generation’. It promises to shake things up, with a wealth of new tips and tricks to help you break the plateau, make the leap and reboot your 5:2 for summer. In the words of the late, great Janis Joplin, we’re gonna ‘try, just a little bit harder’. But first, let’s recap on the original Fast Diet (the book I co-wrote with Dr Michael Mosley) – what it is and how it works.
The beach beckons and this is your call to arms
What is the Fast Diet?
It may be radical, but the Fast Diet is also wonderfully economical with its rules. All you really need to know is that:
- You eat normally for five days a week and then, for the other two days, you consume a quarter of your normal calorie intake – around 500 calories for women, 600 calories for men. So it is not total, continual ‘fasting’, but a modified version, Intermittent Fasting, IF for short.
- Our experience is that non-consecutive Fast Days work best, though you can do them back to back if you prefer.
- Most people divide their calorie allowance between breakfast and an evening meal, aiming for a lengthy Fasting Window between meals. But you can skip breakfast and have a more substantial evening meal if it better suits your day.
Why 5:2?
In the beginning, Michael tried several different fasting regimes; the one he settled on as the most realistic and sustainable was five days off, two days on, which meant that the majority of the time was spent free from calorie-counting.
On this regime, in 12 weeks, Michael lost more than 20lb of body fat and his blood glucose fell to a healthy level. I lost 22lb and returned to my pre-motherhood body weight (and, more importantly, shape).
That was only a little over 18 months ago. We’re still learning about the true long-term benefits of IF, and we don’t, as yet, have a comprehensive account of potential pitfalls, particularly why some people flourish on 5:2 and others may find it harder. It may be that there is no ‘one size fits all’. But what we do know is that thousands of people have followed the Fast Diet, lost weight, gained health and found it surprisingly sustainable, effective and life-affirming.
So why the Fast Beach Diet?
The Fast Diet’s unique selling point seems to be its high level of compliance: we do it and we stick with it because most of the time, we’re not thinking about dieting at all. But some fasters want to boost the process at certain times of year. You may be one of those for whom the 5:2 has not proved the magic bullet you hoped for. Others among you may want to nudge yourself off a plateau and budge any reluctant pounds that are hanging on in there despite your adherence to 5:2.
I’ve written the Fast Beach Diet to be used as a primer for the summer holidays; the idea is to start the six-week regime in May, June or July, in good time for takeoff (that’s clothes, not planes). The longer, brighter days and fresher produce of late spring and early summer make it an ideal time to embark or improve upon a weight-loss programme. And, as we’ve already established, there’s nothing like an approaching bikini – or T-shirt – to make you think twice about that piece of pie.
That said, the principles of the turbo-driven 5:2 diet are applicable at almost any time of the year. You might like to use its additional hints and ideas if you are preparing to get married, if you have a big event coming up, if you’re starting a new phase in your life, if you’re ready to lose some baby weight, or if you’ve had a particularly sedentary and stodgy couple of months.
You may, of course, be coming to the Fast Beach Diet cold, without having read or acted upon the original book. The new book is an adjunct. Think of it as a boot camp for the 5:2. It is a condensed, modified programme of greater intensity with the aim of helping you achieve a reasonable target weight in a six-week period.
Note now that on the Fast Beach Diet, you will be encouraged to step it up – to get a tad tougher, a bit bolder with your Fast Diet. But this extra commitment is intended to be short-lived. Just a bit more effort. For just six weeks!
The longer, brighter days and fresher produce of late spring and early summer make it an ideal time to embark or improve upon a weight-loss programme
Why six weeks?
In truth, the six-week figure is fairly arbitrary. I have used my own experience and a 25-year career in the fashion and body-shape business, together with what I have learnt from many other dieters, to come up with a reasonable period during which I believe the average individual – someone with a little willpower and plenty of good intentions – can commit to and concentrate on a more intense 5:2 regime. It hinges on attention span and compliance; six weeks should be enough time to see measurable results without boredom setting in. It’s also, by happy coincidence, about the length of time we usually give ourselves to prepare mentally and physically for our summer holidays…the six-week sprint to the pool.
You may choose to extend the Fast Beach Diet, perhaps to two months. But be clear: it is only meant to be a short-term option; afterwards, you should return to the classic Fast Diet rules, without undue concern for calories on a non-Fast Day. Remember: it is this flexible and sociable foundation that lends the Fast Diet its psychological advantage.
If you’re not keen on a ‘fast-fix’ message, if you treasure the absolute simplicity of the original Fast Diet – well, I empathise and understand. Just stick with your original 5:2 Fast Diet. Fast Beach is aimed at people who want a short-term booster plan to get them from A (the sofa) to B (the beach) by undertaking a reasonable but more vigorous protocol. It’s not designed to be a ‘forever plan’ like the 5:2. It’s the Fast Diet, just a bit faster. So, are you in?
When should you start?
If you do not have an underlying medical condition, and if you are not an individual for whom fasting is proscribed (see Safety Fast on page 58), then there really is no time like the present!
Six weeks to the big reveal!
Getting started: weigh in
Before the off, you really need to understand what shape you’re in. It’s time for a reality check; shrug off the winter layers and see what lies beneath. While noting the aphorism that ‘good health is not about weight; weight is an indicator of good health’, it is worth knowing your current weight, monitoring your progress, and having a target in mind. Ideally, use a scale that measures body-fat percentage as well as weight, since what you want to see is body-fat levels fall.
Be realistic
Precipitous weight loss is not advised, so be sensible and choose a target that seems reasonable. (If you are significantly heavier than your target weight, see your doctor before embarking on the Fast Beach Diet). Make a plan and write it down. I suggest weighing yourself twice a week, first thing in the morning, preferably the day after a fast. A special planner is included in my book to plot your progress.
Or you might like to use a tracker - try the Fast Beach Diet app (launched today), or visit thefastdiet.co.uk. Remember, everyone is different. There will almost certainly be fluctuations in your weight. Some weeks, you may achieve impressive weight loss. Others, you may grind to a halt. If you have not been on the Fast Diet already, you may find that in the early weeks your weight drops quite quickly (some of this will be water). What you’re looking for is a downward trajectory, with an average weight loss of about 2lb (or around a kilo) a week; but don’t get hung up on numbers.
As you get used to the diet, your body should acclimatise to periods of fasting
Which days to choose?
It really doesn’t matter. It’s your life, and you’ll know which Fast Days will suit you best. Monday is an obvious choice for many, perhaps because it is more manageable, psychologically and practically, to gear yourself up at the beginning of a new week, particularly if it follows a sociable weekend. For that reason, fasters might choose to avoid Saturdays and Sundays, when family lunches, dinner dates and parties make calorie-cutting a bore. Thursday would then make a sensible second Fast Day. But be flexible; don’t force yourself to fast when it feels wrong. If you’re particularly stressed or tired on a day that you have designated a fast, try again another day. Adapt. Do, however, aim for a pattern. That way, over the six-week period, your fasts will become familiar, a low-key habit you accept and embrace.
When to eat
Go with a timetable that suits you. Some fasters appreciate the convenience and simplicity of a single 500 to 600 calorie evening meal, allowing them to ignore food entirely for most of the day; some people say they actually feel hungrier during the day if they have breakfast. Having just one meal, as late in the day as possible, will clearly intensify the fast – allowing your body a longer period in which to be in a fasted state. Others prefer to eat breakfast and then avoid food for a Fasting Window of around 12 hours until supper.
Since it is the fasting state that is so beneficial to us, eating lots of small meals is likely to significantly reduce the benefits, particularly if you graze on carbohydrates. Mark Mattson at the National Institute on Aging agrees that eating the 500 or 600 calories at one meal is better than eating several smaller meals over the course of the day. It is, however, only ‘better’ if you actually do it. Compliance is critical, so experiment a bit and opt for a pattern that works for you. Remember that over time, as you get used to the diet, your body should acclimatise to periods of fasting, so keep your personal pattern flexible and adjust to a more lengthy Fasting Window when you feel able. Stay alert and tweak the regime to suit your needs.
What to eat
It does matter what you eat on a Fast Day. Aim to have food that makes you feel satisfied, but stays firmly within the 500 to 600 calorie allowance – the best options to achieve this are foods that contain lean protein, and foods with a low glycaemic index. So, stick to the Fast Day mantra: ‘Mostly plants and protein’. The Fast Diet does not recommend boycotting carbs entirely, nor does it suggest living permanently on a high-protein diet. We certainly don’t advise eating protein to the exclusion of all else on a Fast Day, but you do require an adequate quantity, for muscle health, cell maintenance, endocrinal regulation and immunity. Protein is satiating too, so it’s a valuable part of your calorie quota. We recommend that you boost the protein content of your diet on Fast Days, so that it makes up a greater proportion of your diet on just those days. The best advice is to stick to recommended governmental guidelines, which allow for a quite generous 50g per day.
Go for ‘good protein’ – steamed white fish, eggs, prawns, tofu and plant protein from nuts, seeds and pulses (which are also full of fibre and act as bulking agents on a hungry day). When it comes to veg, bring in the Double Vs – plenty of Volume, plenty of Variety.
Fast Day tips
Stay hydrated Drink plenty of water. Get into the habit of drinking a glass of water before and after Fast Day meals. And drink water when you feel hungry too (it stops you mistaking thirst for hunger). Supplement your water intake with herbal tea, black coffee, miso soup – but not juice, which can rack up the sugars.
Axe the snacks All calories count on a Fast Day, and your objective is to achieve as long a Fasting Window as possible. Having a complete moratorium on snacking actually makes the process easier to handle: if ‘no means no’, then you avoid questions or calorie calculations. No nibbles, no quibbles. But if you absolutely must snack, make it a good one: have berries, an apple, a carrot.
Keep your perspective Going to 510 calories (or 615 for a man) won’t hurt – it won’t obliterate a fast. But while there’s no particular ‘magic’ to 500 or 600 calories, do try to stick broadly to these numbers; you need clear parameters to make the strategy effective in the medium term. And stay positive if you plateau in any given week; weight loss is your bonus, not your sole objective.
Getting started: weigh in
Before the off, you really need to understand what shape you’re in. It’s time for a reality check; shrug off the winter layers and see what lies beneath. While noting the aphorism that ‘good health is not about weight; weight is an indicator of good health’, it is worth knowing your current weight, monitoring your progress, and having a target in mind. Ideally, use a scale that measures body-fat percentage as well as weight, since what you want to see is body-fat levels fall.
Be realistic
Precipitous weight loss is not advised, so be sensible and choose a target that seems reasonable. (If you are significantly heavier than your target weight, see your doctor before embarking on the Fast Beach Diet). Make a plan and write it down. I suggest weighing yourself twice a week, first thing in the morning, preferably the day after a fast. A special planner is included in my book to plot your progress. Or you might like to use a tracker – try the Fast Beach Diet app (launched today), or visit thefastdiet.co.uk. Remember, everyone is different. There will almost certainly be fluctuations in your weight. Some weeks, you may achieve impressive weight loss. Others, you may grind to a halt. If you have not been on the Fast Diet already, you may find that in the early weeks your weight drops quite quickly (some of this will be water). What you’re looking for is a downward trajectory, with an average weight loss of about 2lb (or around a kilo) a week; but don’t get hung up on numbers.
Which days to choose?
It really doesn’t matter. It’s your life, and you’ll know which Fast Days will suit you best. Monday is an obvious choice for many, perhaps because it is more manageable, psychologically and practically, to gear yourself up at the beginning of a new week, particularly if it follows a sociable weekend. For that reason, fasters might choose to avoid Saturdays and Sundays, when family lunches, dinner dates and parties make calorie-cutting a bore. Thursday would then make a sensible second Fast Day. But be flexible; don’t force yourself to fast when it feels wrong. If you’re particularly stressed or tired on a day that you have designated a fast, try again another day. Adapt. Do, however, aim for a pattern. That way, over the six-week period, your fasts will become familiar, a low-key habit you accept and embrace.
Fasters might choose to avoid Saturdays and Sundays, when family lunches, dinner dates and parties make calorie-cutting a bore
When to eat
Go with a timetable that suits you. Some fasters appreciate the convenience and simplicity of a single 500 to 600 calorie evening meal, allowing them to ignore food entirely for most of the day; some people say they actually feel hungrier during the day if they have breakfast. Having just one meal, as late in the day as possible, will clearly intensify the fast – allowing your body a longer period in which to be in a fasted state. Others prefer to eat breakfast and then avoid food for a Fasting Window of around 12 hours until supper.
Since it is the fasting state that is so beneficial to us, eating lots of small meals is likely to significantly reduce the benefits, particularly if you graze on carbohydrates. Mark Mattson at the National Institute on Aging agrees that eating the 500 or 600 calories at one meal is better than eating several smaller meals over the course of the day. It is, however, only ‘better’ if you actually do it. Compliance is critical, so experiment a bit and opt for a pattern that works for you. Remember that over time, as you get used to the diet, your body should acclimatise to periods of fasting, so keep your personal pattern flexible and adjust to a more lengthy Fasting Window when you feel able. Stay alert and tweak the regime to suit your needs.
What to eat
It does matter what you eat on a Fast Day. Aim to have food that makes you feel satisfied, but stays firmly within the 500 to 600 calorie allowance – the best options to achieve this are foods that contain lean protein, and foods with a low glycaemic index. So, stick to the Fast Day mantra: ‘Mostly plants and protein’. The Fast Diet does not recommend boycotting carbs entirely, nor does it suggest living permanently on a high-protein diet. We certainly don’t advise eating protein to the exclusion of all else on a Fast Day, but you do require an adequate quantity, for muscle health, cell maintenance, endocrinal regulation and immunity. Protein is satiating too, so it’s a valuable part of your calorie quota. We recommend that you boost the protein content of your diet on Fast Days, so that it makes up a greater proportion of your diet on just those days. The best advice is to stick to recommended governmental guidelines, which allow for a quite generous 50g per day.
Go for ‘good protein’ – steamed white fish, eggs, prawns, tofu and plant protein from nuts, seeds and pulses (which are also full of fibre and act as bulking agents on a hungry day). When it comes to veg, bring in the Double Vs – plenty of Volume, plenty of Variety.
Introducing the Fast Diet Max
We know that one of the keys to the success of the 5:2 Fast Diet is compliance – we do it gladly because the commitment is only occasional and always leavened by the prospect of a day of normal eating tomorrow. The Fast Beach Diet takes a slightly different tack. Think of it as a jump-start. A reboot. It’s the turbo-drive button that takes you off cruise control. The idea is to commit to a six-week modified programme – a souped-up strategy for summer, knowing that you can soon return to the familiar territory of the classic 5:2. You may choose to include most of the suggestions here, or just a handful of them. If you want a shorthand checklist of all the Fast Beach Diet hints, tips and techniques, you’ll find one at the end of the six-week diet planner included in my book. First, it’s time to rev up your Fast Days.
Tighten up on Fast Days
On the six-week Fast Beach Diet, aim to step up the programme by experimenting with extensions to the original plan. These are suggestions not imperatives – so read, absorb and, if it feels right, have a go.
Try going to 4:3
One clear way to accelerate your Fast Diet is to add a third Fast Day each week for six weeks. In practice, this amounts to Alternate Day Fasting (ADF), and is the IF method that has been most extensively investigated by researchers. To inspire you on your way, consider that on ADF, the weight lost is almost entirely fat. So by all means give ADF or 4:3 a go. If it appeals, try it for six weeks only, always ensuring that you are meeting your nutritional needs over the course of a week – so, plenty of plants, adequate protein, occasional dairy, some good fats. There’s plenty of motivation and support on our website, thefastdiet.co.uk.
Extend your Fasting Window
In the classic Fast Diet, we recommend breakfast, perhaps at 7am, then supper around 12 hours later. It’s what works for me, and for many women who need a little sustenance to get the day going. This gives us 12 hours without food. However, as we know, plenty of successful Fast Dieters prefer to ignore breakfast entirely; these people – and I’ve found them to be mostly men – are effectively fasting for longer: from supper the previous night to supper on a Fast Day. On this regime, the Fasting Window can be as long as 24 hours. This is something you may decide to try during the Fast Beach Diet. Perhaps give it a go for one of your weekly Fast Days. Remember, this is Fast Diet Plus, and it may not be to everyone’s taste or benefit. Keep an open mind, stay strong, but always shut down a fast if it feels overwhelming.
Be fast-idious about your calorie quota
While 5:2 demands that you ‘comply’ for only two days a week, it is still something of a challenge to apply yourself, to measure and count on those days. It is, as one 5:2 adherent says, ‘a bit of a chore. And we humans are very good at avoiding chores.’ For the next six weeks, don’t guestimate, don’t cheat, don’t avoid the chore. Be particular. On Fast Days, renew your vows and be resolute about those calorie quotas. Apps such as MyFitnessPal will help you discover the calorie count of any given food.
Toughen up on non-Fast Days
The general thrust of the Fast Diet is that you shouldn’t dwell upon calorie-counting on the five days a week when you’re not fasting. But now, on the six-week Fast Beach Diet, we’re going to toughen up on the non-Fast Days. For a short, contained period, it’s time to really eat well. This will require some behavioural change, both subtle and direct. Again, you may choose to implement all the suggestions here, and the many others in the book, or hand-pick those that best suit you. The idea here is to make some short-term sacrifices to get yourself beach-ready for summer.
SHIFT YOUR NON-FAST DAY EATING For six weeks only, you’ll need to watch what you eat on non-Fast Days as well as Fast Days and exert a degree of dietary restraint; the good news is that even modest changes in the way that you eat and the way that you think can really make a difference. On a non-Fast Day, aim to eat healthily, moderately and with awareness. Pick and mix from the suggestions below, remembering to keep it fairly simple and not so restrictive as to impact harshly upon your everyday life. This is not meant to be a punishment, and you shouldn’t become a martyr to the cause. Here’s how to accomplish the shift, realistically, positively and wisely. For the next six weeks aim to:
As the days lengthen and the weather improves, it's easier - in fact, it's obvious - to shift to fewer carbs and fats, more salads and fresh veg
BE DRINK AWARE and cut out alcohol I’ve put this first as it is the most effective way I know to kickstart the Fast Diet. I’m not expecting you to give up alcohol for ever, just for six short weeks. Can’t reject? Then at least aim to reduce your alcohol intake during the six-week Fast Beach Diet.
Beware, too, the ‘health halo’ of smoothies and juices: stay away. Drop the pop – no, sorry, not even a Diet Coke. And try, just for these six weeks, to drink your coffee black and sugarless. If you still despise it after several attempts, have just a dash of milk to take the edge off.
BE LESS REFINED For the next six weeks, focus on low glycaemic index (GI) carbs which are slow-burning, (jumbo oats, brown basmati rice, stoneground wholemeal bread) rather than fast-burning (cake, crumpets, white bread). This is your best bet to bypass the sugar cycle, the familiar crave, consume, crash spiral that we’re keen to avoid on the Fast Beach Diet.
CUT BACK ON TREATS I know, the Fast Diet doesn’t preach. But on Fast Beach Diet, it’s time for tough love. Treats go back in their box. Remember, it’s only for six weeks (did I mention that?)
PACKAGING? PACK IT IN One super-simple way to facilitate healthy eating is to gravitate towards foods with very little packaging. The ratio of plastic to foodstuff is generally a pretty good indication of its nutritional value.
BAN THE NO-NOS The list is no surprise. Packaged desserts, sweet fizzy drinks, commercial cereals, fast food, and foods high in both fat and sugar (what I call the 50:50s) should all be out of bounds for the next month and a half.
THINK SUMMER, EAT SUMMER Another way to sharpen up your eating habits at this time of year is simply, consciously, to embrace the season. As the days lengthen and the weather improves, it’s easier – in fact, it’s obvious – to shift to fewer carbs and fats, more salads and fresh veg. Roll out the barbecue. Explore the Mediterranean way of eating, or try Japanese food – both dietary traditions have low obesity rates.
LOVE YOUR VEG You want simple? Here’s simple. Fill your plate with veg at the expense of meat and carbs – a 75:25 ratio would be ideal. This relatively small change can make a huge difference to your calorie and nutrient intake over the course of the six weeks. Perhaps institute a meat-free day each week. Or go further and stay meat-free all week, with meat reserved for a weekend treat. Think Veg First. Give plants a starring role on your plate, not a bit part. Cook them as you would meat – roast, griddle, bake – to give them that central function.
Cultivate mindfulness around food
You’ll have already absorbed that 5:2 is a limited but effective discipline; what it requires is a change of behaviour. A change of mind. Part of its intention (and one of the prime reasons for its success) is that it encourages you to be observant, ‘mindful’, around food – certainly on your two Fast Days. On the Fast Beach Diet, you need to be that much more aware, for that much more of the time. Mindfulness is a fashionable concept these days, but it is rooted in age-old wisdom that can, and should, affect your relationship with everything in your world, including calories. In addition, it’s important to get a handle on habit, on temptation and on cravings – the trio of trips that can upend you on the fast track to weight loss and good health. The key is to live consciously. The Fast Beach Diet encourages you to explore this approach. It can help you slow down, stop eating on autopilot and guard against portion distortion.
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Act fast and buy the book: The Fast Beach Diet by Mimi Spencer with a foreword by Dr Michael Mosley is published by Short Books, price £7.99. Based on the original Fast Diet, this modified approach will give your 5:2 lifestyle a summertime turbo boost.
The Fast Beach Diet includes a clear six-week diet plan (with planner) to encourage fat loss of up to 2lb a week; new tips and tricks to get you through your Fast Days; plateau-busting ideas to jumpstart the 5:2; a brilliant new exercise programme to maximise your fitness and fat loss; 25 new calorie-counted summer recipes, plus plenty of healthy, speedy cooking ideas for busy days, and extra motivational support to get you beach-fit for summer.
You can order a copy of The Fast Beach Diet from the YOU Bookshop for £6.99, with free p&p, by calling 0844 472 4157 or clicking here.
SAFETY FAST!
If you are in reasonable health, short fasts (which will always, don’t forget, include the Fast Diet’s calorie allowance) should be fine. If you are on medication of any description, please see your doctor first. There are certain groups for whom fasting is not advised. Type 1 diabetics are included in this list, along with anyone suffering from an eating disorder. If you are already extremely lean, do not fast. Children should never fast, so this is a plan for over-18s only. Pregnant women should eat according to government guidelines and not limit their daily calorie intake. Similarly, if you have an underlying medical condition, visit your GP, as you would before embarking on any weight-loss regime. Anyone who has doubts about their fitness level or general health should have a medical.
