I’ve never been able to maintain my weight or more importantly my size by sticking to a diet.

About a couple of years ago, I stumbled upon a programme on telly which has made a significant impact on my lifestyle.

If anyone reading this post isn’t familiar with the 5:2 diet, visit the Fast Diet site which explains the health benefits of fasting two out of 5 days of the week.

So here’s the thing, I resent the notion of giving up indulgent treats such as cake or chocolate or a really great fry-up. Missing out on Peking Duck as part of a Chinese feast or a fully loaded Sunday roast, is my idea of hell, so I hated dieting and gave up easily when the smell of something lovely was being cooked by my husband for the rest of the family. I could never resist.

So re-training myself to fast for 2 days each week so that I could eat normally on the other 5 days (as long as they’re not consecutive days) seemed achievable, so I gave it a try and haven’t looked back.

On a fast day, I eat a couple of rice crackers with coffee and a glass of water with lemon juice for breakfast – just so that there’s a routine for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

At lunch, it’s usually a bowl of salad leaves, some cucumber, tomatoes, maybe some radishes or a carrot that’s been cut into thin ribbons,with a slice of chicken or ham torn or shredded into the salad. If I am home, a few leaves from the fresh basil on my kitchen window sill will get added to the salad to make it more fragrant with a dressing of just balsamic vinegar.

Dinner might be a bowl of soup, this can either be tinned soup or home made that I’ve watered down, along with some rice crackers or a light broth and a few noodles.

As long as the total amount comes to 500 calories. I keep things simple on fasting days when my brain and stomach is too hungry to work on cooking something complicated.

I’ve figured out that rice or corn crackers are about 30 calories each, a bowl of salad is around 50-100 calories depending on the sliced meat I’ve added (A boiled egg is about 90 calories) or noodles (I use half of a serving of dried noodles and cook with chicken stock, Miso or some soy sauce). Anything goes as long as the total is about 500 or less. Dinner might just be a banana for instance.

It works for me because it’s simple to remember to stick to a schedule of 2 days of fasting in a week, usually a Monday and Friday.

Yesterday, however, I had a big meeting to attend and I didn’t want to think about an empty stomach.

So today, I’m fasting and whilst my kids are indulging in their hot chocolates. I tell myself it’s only a day. Tomorrow I can feast.

So simple and effective. I’ve lost about three-quarters of a stone and kept it off.

Previously, I’ve lost weight then piled it back on when I’ve stopped dieting and feeling guilty when I’ve fallen off the wagon.

If I miss the 2 days fasting in a week, I don’t feel the guilt, I’ll simply restart the routine the following week.

This works because there are times when I want to be indulgent with food full-on, such as when we’re on holiday or at Christmas or Chinese New Year.

Just to be clear, fasting for consecutive days, for long periods of time is not healthy and It goes entirely against the approach and principles of the 5:2. The aim is to eat a healthy balanced diet with normal portion sizes on the 5 days when not fasting.

This approach is quite the opposite of being on a diet, and has become part of my lifestyle. When I think of it in this way, I don’t feel as if I’ve given up on all the pleasures that food has to offer.

Do let me know if any of you are using the 5:2 and maintaining a healthy and balanced approach to food. I’d love to know if you have any tips to share.