No one likes a diet where you starve, or at least feel like you’re starving yourself, and at the start of the 5:2 Diet, you may feel this way. But this is where planning meals is key: to ensure you eat enough on fasting days but stay under the 500-600 calorie limit.

We have a number of low-calorie recipes on this site for full meals, but what if you’re just in a snacking mood during the diet days? Well here are 5 ‘cheat’ foods that you can incorporate into your 5:2 diet days that can help your snack cravings.

With the help of these snacks, you can lose weight without starving…

5:2 Diet Cheat Foods

1. Celery and Salsa

This combo may seem strange, but give it a try! If you like the spice of salsa, it’s a great addition to celery. On its own, celery is an awesome snack food. With only 10 calories per stalk, this is a great food to help lose weight while eating. But if you need that extra little bit of taste, just add a tablespoon of salsa for each stalk and it adds only about 4 calories each stalk, making it a great snack with a bit of a kick.

2. Rice Cakes

These snacks get bad publicity, but can actually taste good. The plain ones are the best in terms of nutrition and lowest calories, but getting something like Quaker’s White Cheddar Rice Cakes, which do have a bit of flavor and only are around 45 calories per cake, can be just enough to stop a craving.

3. Pickles

Seriously. If you like pickles, they’re great for snacking on a low-calorie diet. At only 8 calories for a single medium (3-3/4″ long) pickle, you can grab a few, cut them into bite-sized portions and just keep a bowl near you. Beware, these are high in sodium, so be sure to drink lots of water!

4. Fruit

There are so many different types of fruit that are low-calorie, you can pick and choose your favorite. Fruits are also great as a healthy eating for weight loss snack because the sweetness can hit your sweet tooth cravings. Some highlights include raspberries at only 1 calorie per berry, 2 calories per grape (try freezing them for a new way to eat them!), and fresh peaches at about 35-45 calories per medium-sized fruit. There are countless varieties of fruit that you can eat and they all have great other nutritional perks as well!

5. Candy

When you have a craving, sometimes just giving in to a bite or two can settle your mind. But you have to know what you’re eating to make sure you keep within the boundaries. Take for example Tootsie Roll Midgees. These are the smaller, bite-sized Tootsie Rolls, and they are about 12 calories per candy. So if you need that sweet craving settled, try two of these for only 24 calories in your fasting day. Don’t go overboard, and make sure you keep track!

We all want to lose weight without starving. So what other snacks have you tried and are your favorites for your 5:2 diet days? Please share in the comments below…