Can you give up cheat meals at the weekend? British Chancellor Rishi Sunak is doing just that, quelling his hunger with a nut or two. In an interview on January 30, he said he fasted for 36 hours from 5pm Sunday to 5am Tuesday and subsisted on only “water, tea, and zero-calorie drinks” to lose weight. . In a podcast last year, he talked about skipping breakfast to keep the time between meals 12 to 14 hours apart. In contrast, this seems to be a more rigorous form of intermittent fasting.
“This is what we call the 5:2 diet, where you eat normally five days a week and limit your calorie intake to 300 to 500 calories the other two days. That minimal amount of energy is obtained from the low-calorie drinks and fluids you consume during this period. When faced with such a calorie deficit, your body begins to destroy stored fat tissue to replenish energy, resulting in weight loss. ,” explains Ritika Samadar, Regional Director, Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Max Healthcare.
This means your body has time to detox itself, rest and recover. “This healing phase gives insulin a break and improves its sensitivity and efficiency. Therefore, this routine may help improve the condition of those who are overweight and in the prediabetic stage. Additionally, the heart It also reduces inflammation, which can trigger vascular and intestinal problems,” she added.
Sunak's routine, popularly known as the Monk Fast, has multiple benefits, according to Dr Priyanka Rohatgi, chief nutritionist at Apollo Hospitals. “Combining this regimen with resistance training promotes weight loss, especially fat loss, while preserving lean body mass. Autophagy, a natural process that removes damaged cells and promotes the regeneration of healthy cells. “This protects you from heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. It also helps regulate cholesterol levels,” she says.
Studies have already shown that the 5:2 diet is as effective as the alternate-day diet in promoting weight loss in people who are overweight or obese. However, your results will depend on how well you adhere to your calorie management, meal plan, and the amount of weight you have to lose. “You should not overeat on days when you are not fasting. Sunak has a sweet tooth and says he also likes pastries. You should not binge eat or drink after fasting,” says Samadar.
Extended periods without food, such as 24-, 36-, 48-, or 72-hour fasting periods, are not necessarily healthy and can be dangerous. “If you go too long without eating, your body can start storing more fat in response to starvation. Intermittent fasting can have some unpleasant side effects. They include: , which may include fatigue, insomnia, irritability, difficulty concentrating, nausea, constipation, and headaches. Most side effects disappear within a month,” says Dr. Rohatgi.
Both feel that such extreme therapies are not sustainable, but can provide an initial push to get off the weight cliff. “After that, it's important to modify your diet, do moderate-intensity exercise, and get seven to eight hours of sleep,” warns Dr. Rohatgi. Samadar argues that such diets should never be attempted by young people under the age of 25 or pregnant women, who have higher caloric requirements. “People with comorbidities or on medication should not do the same,” she added.
