The 5.2 diet is just part of the equation to better health. While the fasting diet helps a great deal by reducing calorie intake on two days of a typical week, what makes the work much more worthwhile is to add exercise to your entire week.

It can be as simple as moderate walking for fifteen minutes a day three days a week. You’ll feel better and once you increase the distance you walk and the number of days a week you do it, you’ll see even more improvements.

If you are keen to get into some exercise to boost your weight-loss results, we have done some reviews of some of the best equipment to use to help you on your journey. So make sure that you check out these posts:

• Best Exercise Ball Options
• Full Body Kettlebell Workout To Burn More Calories
• What To Look For In A Good Exercise Mat
• Which Is The Best Treadmill For Home Use?

Measuring Your Weight-loss Progress

Once you are clear to begin the 5.2 diet, be prepared to change your life forever which will create a new, healthier you.

When you use the 5.2 diet one of the best measuring tools to monitor progress is your BMI.

BMI stands for Body Mass Index and it is a formula that uses your height and weight to determine your amount of body fat. This system is best used for men and women 20 years of age or older.

There are basic weight categories used on a BMI chart. They range from Underweight (a BMI of below 18.5) to Obese (BMI of 30.0 and over). A Healthy BMI range is from 18.5 to 24.9 with 24.9 to 29.9 considered as Overweight.

The BMI measurement has its limitations, but if you are simply using it to measure your progress (eg. from week-to-week, or month-to-month comparisons), it can work well.

To find out what your BMI is, use this handy online BMI Calculator.

Additional Ways To Track Your Progress

Other ways to measure how you are doing with your intermittent fasting program include a scale and a tape measure. A scale measures your overall weight but does not take into account changes in body mass. This is why scales are not the only tool used to track weight loss programs.

Another very effective way to determine whether or not you are making progress with your fasting diet is to simply use a tape measure. A tape measure will give you a more accurate measurement in showing inches lost in areas such as the midsection and chest or thighs.

In additional to a tape measure, the way your clothes fit will be another indicator of changes happening with your body mass. Having to tighten your belt is a very good sign that should be celebrated.

When clothes fit looser and you have more energy you will begin feeling better about yourself. It is one of the hidden benefits of becoming healthy. When you feel good about yourself you will gain confidence and increase your self-esteem.

One of the many failures of starvation style diets is that when they fail, they usually fail miserably. Weight gain sometimes follows weight-loss on these programs and that is a blow to self-esteem.

Eating Healthy With The 5:2 Fasting Diet

The 5.2 diet will teach you that eating healthy does not mean starving yourself of good food. In fact, the 5.2 diet is very different in that it introduces you to simple, healthy meals that can be made at home easily. They are also meals that contain few calories but are tasty, filling and nutritious.

With easy, healthy meals for your 5:2 intermittent fasting days, you will likely add them to your non-fasting days as well. As you become more aware of what you eat and your habits around food, this spurs you on to eat more healthily in general and to get out and get more active.

A fasting diet like this is not designed to fail – it is designed to produce results and be successful.

One More Thing To Remember

A doctor should be consulted prior to starting any kind of intermittent diet program. This is to make sure you don’t have a pre-existing condition that may produce complications.

Once you are clear to begin the 5.2 diet, be prepared to change your life forever which will create a new, healthier you.

If you need some extra help with turning your life around and starting your health and weight-loss journey, we have even more support, tips, and advice available… click here to get access to our free fasting diet plan guide.