Top treatment
PLENISH 5: 2 DIET PROGRAMME
WHAT DOES IT PROMISE?
The 5: 2 plan has revolutionised the diet industry and is now one of the most popular weight loss methods in the UK.
Based on the principle of intermittent fasting , it involves reducing your calorie intake two days a week ( to 500 calories for women and 600 calories for men) and eating normally for the other five days.
Now leading British juice company Plenish has created an innovative approach to the 5: 2 plan where you drink juice on your fasting days.
It means there is no calorie counting as you simply drink the juices provided and eat healthily for the remaining fi ve days.
As well as giving your fruit and veg intake a massive boost you should lose weight steadily.
WHAT’S INVOLVED?
After placing an order the juices are delivered to your house on ice, meaning they stay chilled until you put them in the fridge. Each weekly delivery contains 12 juices, which last for your two fasting days.
Each day you have five 250ml juices and one 250ml nut milk. They are numbered so you know which order to drink them . The juices include three green juices, one juice which contains cherry, beetroot and lime and a spicy water that contains chilli, lemon and coconut nectar.
You are advised to have your first juice at 8am and drink the others every two hours until bedtime.
For the rest of the week you are encouraged to eat healthily but you don’t have to count calories. The plan comes with recipes for your non- fasting days and tips on exercise and staying motivated.
THE VERDICT
When the 5: 2 diet first launched I tried it for a couple of weeks and while I lost weight I found the calorie counting tedious and was starving on my fasting days.
But I’ve been a fan of juicing for a couple of years so I was keen to try the Plenish plan as I thought this approach to the 5: 2 diet might suit me better.
It definitely makes the diet simpler – I drank the juices in the order that was suggested and drank lots of water and herbal tea in between.
Be warned: the juices are not especially sweet so if you’re accustomed to fruit juice then they might take a bit of getting used to.
However I thought they were delicious and it was great to know that each bottle contains half a kilo of fruit and veg.
I followed the plan for four weeks and lost 8lb, eating healthily for the other five days but not being particularly strict.
I was hungry on the fast days for the first two weeks, although having a juice every two hours did help as I felt I never had to go too long without anything.
But for the last two weeks I felt fi ne on my fast days and even began to look forward to them.
Overall I thought this was a great approach to 5: 2 that took all the hard work out of the diet. I would defi nitely do it again.