Actually, it is not that bad. I always thought that fasting means stopping eating entirely, but with the diet I follow, when I fast, I still can have 500 calories a day, which is around 1/3 or 1/4 of my normal daily intake.

I’ve recently came across this form of diet, and I’ve decided to give it a go. One of my former colleagues, who I trust completely, recommended it to me, as he is one of those super intelligent people that I love spending time with. When he is interested in something, he makes sure he reads all the research that is done in that field, so his knowledge on that particular subject is enormous.

This diet has a number of health benefits to it. Apart from losing weight, there are improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol level, not forgetting the great results in insulin sensitivity.

For those of you who want to achieve weight loss, it is recommended that you fast for 2 days, then you can eat normally for 5 days. I will probably follow this plan for a month, then, after achieving my magic number in weight, I will reduce the fasting days to only 1 and keep on doing it for the rest of my life.

This diet is not like any others. It is rather easy to follow, and you can also pick the days that suit you the best. It obviously helps if you plan everything in advance. For example, try to avoid those days when you are invited to a party where you know your favourite meal is going to be served. Your mission is to complete this regime. Remember, just because you say no to that chocolate bar today, doesn’t mean that you can eat it tomorrow.

I’m not going to lie to you, I was a bit scared at the beginning, as I thought that it would be rather challenging to survive the day with only 500 calories, and I also thought I would feel hungry all the time. But in reality, I loved the fact that I had absolute power to conquer the feeling of hunger. Many times, we eat for the wrong reasons.

We comfort ourselves with food when we feel down or when we are bored.

We also happen to feel hungry when we are around food, which is almost always the case. The great thing is that you can control the hunger game.

The other false belief I had regarding this diet was that after the fasting day, I would want to eat up the whole fridge. Surprisingly, though, I didn’t overcompensate. What’s more, I may have eaten a bit less than usual the next day.

Ever since I’ve been following this diet, I’ve been feeling much better, more energised, and less tired.

For example today I had a nice coffee with some skimmed milk for breakfast, then a few hours later I ate a small portion of porridge with 40 g. of blueberries, and for dinner I prepared a vegetable soup. I still couldn’t believe how easy it was to get used to this new lifestyle. I treat the diet as a game.

The rule is to find a different low-calorie recipe each time. I already know that, for example, next time I will have some eggs for breakfast, and tuna salad for dinner. I know you are probably still wondering how on earth we are supposed to survive on just 500 calories a day. Don’t worry, it can be done. I’m not saying that these days are easy-peasy, but if we plan our day thoroughly with the help of shopping lists and meal plans, we can get through the day without craving for food. Some people like to have one big meal, while others need to eat more frequently. I personally prefer having two meals a day, starting with a breakfast that is between 100 and 200 calories and finishing with a nice dinner around 300-400 calories. You can try spinach omelette for breakfast and chicken stir-fry for dinner, and the next time you are fasting, go for a yoghurt with a small banana for breakfast and oven-baked smoked haddock with some roasted vegetables for dinner. It doesn’t sound that bad, does it? Be creative and enjoy the benefit of this new regimen.