800 Calorie Diet
The 800 calorie diet is an intensive, 12-week, Med-Style low-carb diet. It is based on the findings of the UK-based DiRECT trial, which showed that a 12-week very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) was capable of bringing about not just substantial weight loss, but reversal of Type 2 diabetes, over a one-year period in a primary care setting.
12 months after beginning the diet, 24% of the VLCD (800 calorie diet) group, compared to 4% of the control group (who were given standard weight loss advice only) had lost 15kg or more. Likewise, 46% of the VLCD group achieved full remission of their diabetes 12 months after starting the diet, compared to 0% of the control group.
This 800 calorie diet approach is a challenge and requires determination, planning and focus. The benefits, however, are rapid in terms of weight loss and improvement in blood sugars. Aim for 10-20% weight loss and then switch to another track, or continue for up to twelve weeks, depending on your original weight.
The 5:2
5 days of the Med-Style Low Carb Diet, not calorie counting, with 2 days fasting following the 800 calorie diet. This approach combines the metabolic benefits of intermittent fasting with the blood sugar lowering of the Med-style low carb diet. This is more flexible and easier to fit with daily life than the 800 calorie diet, but is likely to take longer to reach your target weight and blood sugars.
Current research shows that giving our bodies a break from food, by intermittent fasting, can provide huge health benefits. These benefits extend beyond weight loss, and include prevention of disease – including cancer prevention – and increased life expectancy.
In a review of six human studies that compared intermittent fasting with continuous dieting, for example, Dr Michelle Harvie of Manchester University found that weight loss achieved through intermittent fasting resulted in greater conservation of muscle mass, a lower calorie intake across the whole week, and – remarkably – a fall in insulin resistance of 24%, compared to 4% for the continuous dieters.
The Med-Style Diet
A substantial body of evidence has established that eating a Mediterranean-Style Diet – centred on fresh vegetables, with an abundance of healthy fats and low in refined carbohydrate and sugar – can radically cut the risk of many adverse health outcomes, including several cancers as well as cardiovascular disease.
For those who find fasting too much of a challenge, then, or do not need to lose significant amounts of weight, the Med-Style Diet is the perfect choice. By following our weekly menu plans you will retrain your body to love healthy food, free yourself from sugar cravings, and – last but not least – learn to cook amazing meals from fresh ingredients.