The three day a week diet: is this the best way to lose weight (and keep it off)?
Intermittent fasting has become so normal it’s almost expected that people eschew breakfast these days. From social media wellness influencers, to celebrities and renowned British health experts like Tim Spector and the late Michael Mosley, intermittent fasting is often touted as the holy grail of diets. But there’s a new way of doing it, which is easier to follow and thus more likely to be sustainable over the long term, fans of the method say. Here’s what you need to know.
The benefits of intermittent fasting
The main principle of intermittent fasting is to give the digestive system – often overworked by round-the-clock snacking and large meals a much-needed break. This is when the magic happens – without a continual stream of insulin, it’s thought that the body can activate restorative cellular repair, which can help to regulate weight loss, blood sugar levels, improve energy and even enhance sleep. There is emerging research demonstrating that intermittent fasting can be effective for diabetes sufferers and evidence suggesting that it may help to extend lifespan.
The appeal of the diet lies in the fact that, as long as you’re sensible you can still enjoy your favourite foods during non-fasting days
There are lots of different ways to fast and there isn’t really any solid evidence that one style is better than the other. Some people choose to sidestep breakfast and delay their first meal of the day until the afternoon, others stick to one meal per day, whilst some swear by a weekly 24-hour fast where only water, tea and coffee are allowed. But the latest intermittent fasting trend that’s been making waves is the 4:3 diet – a three-day-a-week diet that even science bods are musing over. For anyone who’s tried every diet out there, on the surface the 4:3 can seem like a welcome answer to traditional low calorie diets – you get to eat what you want for four days and then refine your strategy to restrict calories for the remaining three, rather than every day.
The noise around the 4:3 diet is all thanks to a relatively compelling study that was recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine Journal which compared two different calorie counting strategies. Scientists tracked two groups of overweight individuals that each followed a different diet for twelve months. One group stuck to the 4:3 fasting plan, which involved four days of regular eating and three days of restricted calorie intake, whilst the other group cut back on calories every day. Both groups were encouraged to exercise and had access to behavioural coaching. At the end of the 12 month trial, the participants on the fasting plan lost an average of 7.6 percent of their body weight, compared with 5 per cent in the group that restricted calories daily. The fasting group also demonstrated healthier blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels.
Can you really eat ‘normally’ for four days a week and still lose weight?
Pexels
How is the 4:3 fast different?
The 4:3 diet is different to time-restricted eating plans where you fast for a specific period, and instead focuses on eating freely for four days of the week, (with an emphasis on healthy eating), whilst streamlining calorie intake to 500kcal the remaining non-consecutive three days. During the restricted calorie days, you can choose how you lay out your food intake. Some people prefer to have one 400kcal meal and one 100kcal snack whilst others find it easier to stick to two or three light meals based around protein for it’s satiety benefits, along with drinking lots of water and herbal teas to keep hydration levels up.
The appeal of the diet lies in the fact that, as long as you’re sensible you can still enjoy your favourite foods during non-fasting days, and advocates say they don’t have to miss out on the fun. If you’ve got a holiday on the horizon or a jam-packed summer schedule then the diet offers flexibility, which could make it easier to stick to. On the downside, drastically cutting calories on fasting days could trigger a distorted relationship with food, and may even result in nutritional deficiencies over time. For some, scaling back calories can encourage overeating on unhealthy foods during non-fasting days.
If you want to give fasting a go, a more implementable method is to leave a longer than usual period between dinner and breakfast. If you finish your last meal by 7pm and delay breakfast to 11am you will automatically have fasted for 16 hours without having to fixate too much on time or calories. The 4:3 might work short term, but making sure you eat a whole food diet that’s packed with colourful plant varieties, lean protein, healthy fats and wholegrains whilst reducing sugary foods and factoring in a few fitness sessions per week is probably a more effective (and healthier) strategy to shift the pounds – and keep them off.
What a day on the 4:3 diet looks like
You could divide the 500 calorie allocation into two light meals and one snack or opt for one main meal and one snack depending on your personal preference. Here’s how a typical day might look.
Meal 1
Spinach and tomato omelette
Snack
Small pot of low fat plain Greek yoghurt
Meal 2
Small chicken breast with salad
OR
Meal 1
Lentil stuffed peppers topped with melted cheese and salad
Snack
1 small apple with peanut butter
No Byline Policy
Editorial Guidelines
Corrections Policy
Source