However, the researchers found that the approach, which involves two days of heavily restricting calories and five days of sensible eating, was rated more highly by the obese people in the study because it was easy to follow.
The study involved 300 obese people in Tower Hamlets, an inner city area of high deprivation in London. The participants either followed the 5:2 regimen or a more conventional approach to losing weight that stressed eating more vegetables and whole-grain foods, cutting out foods high in sugar and fat, eating smaller portions and exercise.At six months, those using the 5:2 diet had lost, on average, 1.8 kilograms compared to 1.7 kilograms on the standard diet advice.
Participants were positive about the different weight loss approaches, but those on the 5:2 diet were more likely to recommend it to others and said they were more likely to continue with the approach.