Jacqueline Whitehart - The Complete 2-Day Fasting Diet - Delicious; Easy To Make; 140 New Low-Calorie Recipes From The Bestselling Author Of The 5:2 Bikini Diet

To all my dear family and friends who have joined me

on my incredible dieting adventure.

Cover

Title Page

Dedication To all my dear family and friends who have joined me on my incredible dieting adventure.

Introduction

Getting started

SPRING

Menu plans for Spring diet days

Spring recipes

SUMMER

Menu plans for Summer diet days

Summer recipes

AUTUMN

Menu plans for Autumn diet days

Autumn recipes

WINTER

Menu plans for Winter diet days

Winter recipes

Snacks and cheats

Calorie counter

Picture Section

References

List of Searchable Terms

Copyright

About the Publisher

The 2-Day Diet, otherwise known as the ‘5:2 Diet’ or ‘intermittent fasting’, is taking the world by storm. Anyone can follow its simple premise that you only diet two days a week and eat healthily the rest of the time. These delicious and simple recipes are tailored to suit your lifestyle throughout the year. Cutting your calories for only two days a week couldn’t be easier.

When I got back from holiday in August 2012 I knew it was time to lose some weight. A holiday diet of fish and chips and ice cream had left me feeling stodgy and jiggly in all the wrong places. I’d tried many diets before and never stuck to them. But as soon as I heard about the 2-Day Diet I just knew it was for me. Diet only two days a week – what’s not to like? I can honestly say that I have never looked back.

With the 2-Day Diet I reached my target weight within six months and I now maintain my weight by dieting just one day a week. I have noticed other changes too. My body shape and with it my body confidence has changed. I’m not pencil thin but I’m happy and comfortable in my skin. I have got bags of energy – a definite plus when I’m chasing after my three children. Finally, the 2-Day Diet has re-invigorated my love of food and cooking. By awakening real hunger on diet days, I taste and savour every delicious mouthful of my food. On my normal days, I don’t worry about food yet I eat healthily, cooking proper easy meals for myself and my family.

The recipes here are tailored to how real people eat throughout the year. In the winter, I want hot food all the time: casseroles and soups are the order of the day. Yet in summer the food I eat is totally different: I want salads and grilled meats.

Like everyone I know, I am obsessed with the weather in the UK. The sunshine (or lack of it) is forever intertwined with how I feel and what I eat.

This cookbook is about embracing the changing seasons and enjoying your food whatever the weather. The recipes are all low calorie and suitable for diet days, yet are designed to be enjoyed on any day of the week.

I hope you enjoy cooking and eating my recipes as much as I enjoyed creating them.

Find more of my recipes on my blog at www.52recipes.co.uk

Or get in touch via twitter @52DietRecipesor my Facebook page. I’m looking forward to hearing your success stories!

Yours,

Jacqueline Whitehart, October 2013

Getting started

The jump-start – your low-calorie days

Everyday eating for your five healthy days

The fasting phenomenon

Today, tomorrow, fovever

What to do if...

The 2-Day Diet is a diet you can stick to. People everywhere are finding that this great new diet has life-changing results. You only diet two days a week. This means that on five days a week you don’t need to worry or think about food all the time. What other diet allows you puddings and nights out and still gives you amazing results? I love it and I think you will too.

On two non-consecutive days a week, follow a calorie-restricted diet. That’s the jump-start. It means:

• 500 calories for women

• 600 calories for men

On the other five days, eat three healthy balanced meals a day.

By markedly trimming down your calories two days a week (you are eating one-quarter of the standard amount on those two days) you can expect 0.5–0.9kg (1–2lb) a week weight loss. When you have less food on those two days, you really recognise hunger signals. We are so used to eating whenever we feel like it. We are never quite hungry when we eat, and never quite full when we stop. These two lower calorie days help you establish those signals for life.

Your two restricted calorie days are lean protein and veggie based, for adequate nutrition, and so you don’t have to worry about getting enough protein for your body’s needs.

The most amazing difference between the 2-Day Diet and other diets is that when you drastically reduce your calories on the two diet days you are burning off body fat instead of muscle.

The strict two days help you learn to recognise biological hunger and fullness. As you are eating less food you will be actively hungry for your next meal. You will learn to savour every mouthful.

You will appreciate the extra guilt-free calories on your healthy days. Appreciating and enjoying your food gives you a huge boost and is the heart of the 2-Day Diet.

The 2-Day Diet is not a quick fix. The aim is to establish good long-term eating habits. The two diet days are a jump-start for weight loss, but it is not a miracle diet. The diet days boost your weight loss by 0.9–1.4kg (2–3lb) a week at the start of the diet, reducing to about 0.5kg (1lb) a week subsequently. The real change comes through eating healthily on your other five days. Eating three healthy meals a day and cutting out the junk food will enable you to maintain the weight loss from the diet days. You should feel better in yourself and full of energy.

The simplicity of the 2-Day Diet is extremely compelling and it is so easy to get started. As you progress with the diet, you will find that the key to long-term success is how you manage your diet days. If you don’t eat the right food, then you feel starving and unable to cope: this makes you far more likely to cheat or give up. I remember on my first day, I had a large glass of orange juice at breakfast time. This ‘wasted’ 100 or so calories which I was in desperate need of by dinner time. By eating the right food and not eating ‘empty calories’ you can eat enough to keep going throughout the day. This is the core of this cookbook. You can find the right food to eat for every day and it is always tasty and filling. If your diet day is pain-free then you can stick with the diet, change your lifestyle and ultimately your figure.

A little bit of planning will help your first few diet days fly by. Follow these steps to ease you through your first two days: