This book presents a new approach to weight loss, which as the name suggests requires dieting on two days in a week and then eating normally for remaining five days. There is some description of the research behind this idea by the authors. Attractive features of the proposed diet plan are a fair degree of flexibility and no extraordinary rules on the other five days, which can make this more feasible, compared to some of the extreme diet programs in practice.
I noted two striking points in the book. Firstly, ‘eat normally for five’ could mean different things to different people. The authors seemed to suggest healthy Mediterranean diet on five days, which arguably would be helpful to reduce weight anyway, even if stuck to for seven days a week. Secondly, it was based on a research that did not have male participants and this was not explicit from the cover page. I wonder if inclusion of male participants would have affected the result of the research behind this diet plan?
Overall this book presents a new idea, which seems easy to follow. There is a lot of useful information, choices of recipes and practical tips. There is an associated website which may facilitate engagement with the plan. It has qualities, such as being easy to read with simple language, which can help it make its distinct place in a plethora of books in this category.
Rating: 9/10
Dr Amit Kumar is a GP in Kent
