What is the 5:2 Diet?
The 5:2 Diet is an intermittent fasting plan that involves ‘feasting’ for five days a week and fasting for the other two.
How to do the 5:2 Diet
On the ‘feast’ days, you can eat conventional meals, for a total of up to 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,500 calories a day for men. Discover recipe inspiration here.
On fast days, you’ll consume up to 3 OPTIFAST products alongside 1 low calorie, low carbohydrate meal prepared with minimal processed foods, for a total calorie intake of 800-1000 per day. For example, you could have an OPTIFAST shake for breakfast, a conventional, low-calorie meal for lunch, and an OPTIFAST Soup for dinner.
Shop The 5:2 4 Week PlanWhat is the Alternate Day Diet?
Alternate Day Fasting is where you alternate between one day of fasting and one day of ‘feasting’.
How to do Alternate Day Fasting
On the ‘feast’ days, you can eat conventional meals (up to a total of 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,500 calories a day for men).
On the fasting days, you’ll consume up to 3 OPTIFAST products alongside 1 low-calorie, low carbohydrate meal prepared with minimal processed foods, for a total of 1,200 calories per day for women and 1,500 calories per day for men. For example, you could have an OPTIFAST shake for breakfast, a conventional, low calorie meal for lunch, and an OPTIFAST Soup for dinner.
Shop The Alternate Day 3 Week PlanWhat is the 16:8 Diet?
The 16:8 Diet is a time restricted fasting (TRF) plan that involves eating all your food for the day within an 8-hour window and fasting for the remaining 16 hours each day.
How to do the 16:8 Diet
During the 8-hour eating period, you’ll consume up to 3 OPTIFAST products alongside 1 low-calorie, low carbohydrate meals prepared with minimal processed foods, for a total of up to 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,500 calories a day for men. For example, between 10:00 am – 6:00 pm you could have an OPTIFAST shake for breakfast, a conventional, low-calorie meal for lunch, and an OPTIFAST Soup for dinner. Discover recipe inspiration here.
Shop The 16:8 4 Week PlanLearn more about Intermittent Fasting
The 16:8 method of intermittent fasting is sometimes also referred to as 18:6 fasting or time-restricted fasting. With this type of intermittent fasting, your food intake will be restricted to an eight-hour window, followed by a total fast for 16 or 18 hours.
This method of intermittent fasting can be a good option for helping to maintain your weight after completing a weight loss programme.
What you can eat during intermittent fasting depends on the specific diet plan you’re following. For example, the Eat Stop
Eat diet plan allows you to continue eating the same foods that you usually do, whereas the 16:8 and 5:2 diet plans encourage you to reduce your daily calorie intake, focusing on lean protein and non-starchy fruit and veg. You might also choose to support your intermittent fasting plan with OPTIFAST meal replacement products
Everyone has different goals, which means everyone’s results will be different. You may find that you notice a difference in the way that you feel within the first week of changing your eating habits, but some people may not notice a change until they see a new number on the scales. Speak to a healthcare professional if you want support setting a realistic weight loss goal tailored to your individual needs.
Intermittent fasting can be a long-term healthy lifestyle change; some people like to continue with intermittent fasting after achieving their weight loss goals to help them to maintain their weight. Everyone’s goals are different, so you may just want to try intermittent fasting for a shorter period, before trying another diet plan, such as Partial Meal Replacement.
Always seek medical advice before undertaking a major change in your diet or lifestyle, particularly if you take medication or have a medical condition.