Bride to be - 5:2 diet

It doesn't really matter what "diet" you do - Atkins, Paleo, juicing, Protein World, 5:2... they all result in a calorie deficit which is the only way anyone can lose weight i.e. burning off more energy than you consume. I personally find the 5:2 plan (I avoid the word diet as it implies a temporary solution and you should/can use 5:2 for life!) is a great way to achieve a calorie deficit and lose weight whilst also reaping many other health benefits such as reducing blood sugar, blood pressure and sugar cravings. Only having to "plan" what I am going to eat 2 days a week and eating "normally" (this does not mean that you can eat whatever you want, binge on junk food etc.) the rest of the time very easy to fit into a busy life style.

The principal of the how weight loss is achieved using 5:2 is no different to any other calorie reduction plan, however, by eating 500 calories (I eat 600 by the way, it still works) 2 days a week, you achieve a deficit which over a period of time results in weight loss. Say, for example at your current weight you eat 2,000 calories a day on average and this allows you to maintain your current weight. To lose weight, you need to reduce the calorie intake (diet is approx. 75 – 80% the main factor with weight loss, whilst exercise has other added benefits) OR burn off extra calories in exercise to create a deficit. Note that 1 lb of fat = approx. 3,500 calories and therefore you need to aim to eat 500 less calories or burn off 500 more calories a day to lose 1 lbs. The recommendation to lose 1 – 2 lbs a week is therefore achievable and if it were any more than this, you’d not realistically be losing body fat but possibly water or worse, muscle (hence so many fake diets with ridiculous claims – not only untrue but dangerous). So to achieve your 1 – 2 lbs weight loss a week, a healthy goal would be to aim for a 500 calorie deficit a day. You could simply eat 1,500 every day. Or you could eat 1,800 and exercise to burn off the other 200. This approach is obvious and might be easy for some, but is not very sustainable longer term as what if you have a holiday / night out / bad day etc. etc etc. and overeat on one of the days? You feel rubbish about cheating but you need extra food and that cycle lasts a life time for some people. Not only this, but once you consistently start eating at a certain calorie level, your metabolism adjusts accordingly so before long, eating 1,500 won’t result in weight loss and you will be hungry and more frustrated.

On the 5:2 plan, you could simply eat 500 – 600 calories 2 days a week and eat 2,000 the rest of the time. To speed up weight loss even further, try eating 500 calories for 2 days, 2,000 only at weekends and 1,700 the rest of the time for example. The latter example would result in eating 10,100 calories over a week vs. 14,000 which you are currently eating over a week (at 2,000 a day). This approach would result a deficit of 3,000 calories and therefore, nearly a 1lbs of fat. Add exercise on top and you could easily achieve this and more, potentially hitting your 2lbs goal of fat loss per week. Your metabolism will not reset as you are not consistently eating at the same level, therefore your body does not go into starve mode. This makes it a manageable, sustainable plan which works and you can actually keep it up over time! Yes the fast days are a bit grim, you will feel hungry but it does work and quick too – you should see results after the first week.

Sorry if I’ve answered the question in too much detail or stated the obvious but I hope it helps 
Feel free to add me if you want to look at my food diary / history. x

I'm often annoyed by "Waaah!!! My wedding is coming up and I want to fit in my dress *in 2 months*!!" posts but you are at least making an effort so I'll offer some advice.

If you train harder in the gym and keep your nutrition in check then it should be very doable.

It is 23 weeks (give or take) until November while 2 stone is about 28 lbs so if you set a deficit of 1.5 lb per week and train hard then you can do it with time to spare.
If you aim for a 1.0 lb / week deficit and literally train your butt off (Ha!!) then you can still make it.

If you are not yet weight training (as @tinkerbellang83 said) then you should get in gear. No, it will not make you "bulky". It will be stressful at times and you will need the discipline to make good choices and hard sacrifices, but anyone on here can lose a pound a week if they actually do the work. If you aren't willing to do the work then don't expect the results you want.

I require the women I coach to read and follow this as a starting point:
Thinner Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Female Body

2 lbs a week is going to be tough. 1.0 or 1.5 lbs a week will be hard enough and should be sufficient.

I strongly recommend barbell training before cardio work, but if you are disciplined enough then your choices will probably work. You will not look as good (in my opinion at least), you will probably lose some lean muscle and you might accelerate osteoporosis but it might help you lose a little weight in the short term.

Barbell training builds muscle which burns more calories, strengthens bones and helps you keep the weight off.
Muscles are also sexier than flab, in my opinion, but that is between you and your betrothed.

It is in the book.