There is a tendency that more and more people follow diet plans, such as Intermittent Fasting, Keto routine, or 500 calorie meal plan. These types of diets offer people many health opportunities, from losing weight to boosting immunity and digestive system function. However, to succeed in these healthy eating diets, you must follow detailed diet plans. Today, we’re gonna give you a special guidebook on how to have an effective 500 calorie meal plan.
What is the 500 calorie diet plan?
The 500 calorie diet is one of the most intensive low-calorie diets. This type of diet uses liquid supplements, meal replacement shakes, and protein bars instead of normal food for a while.
This extreme 500 calorie day meal will encourage your body to use the reserve fuel source, such as fat. Those will assist you in losing weight easier. Following a 500 calorie meal plan is also giving yourself a 5:2 intermittent fasting, which helps you meet 20% to 25% of your energy needs a day.
How does the 5:2 diet work?
How the 5:2 diet with 500 calorie meal plan works is very simple. When following this diet plan, you will have 2 days a week to eat no more than 500 calories a day, the remaining 5 days, you can eat normally. Many successful experts with the 5:2 diet recommend losing 1.5lb a week. However, if you have a need to lose weight faster, you can lose more.
When you follow this diet, you only need to do an extreme 500 calorie a day diet for two days. In the following weeks, you can continue to follow the plan to reach your desired weight. If you want to maintain a better weight, you can continue a different diet, for example, there will be a 500 calorie meal a week.
On normal eating days, you can be more comfortable in taking in calories and choosing foods. However, in order to lose weight more effectively, you also need to have some caveats and limitations. You should set a calorie goal on a normal day of about 2000 calories, eat lots of green vegetables and limit bad foods.
Eating 500 calories a day for two days will help stabilize insulin levels and reduce hunger. Your cravings for the rest of your days will also be markedly reduced.
The mechanism of action of the 5:2 diet is also further explored when experimentally proving that every week doing this diet, we often lose 3000 excess calories. In two days of doing a 500 calorie a day diet, our body will reduce insulin secretion and have a calorie deficit. From there, the excess fat stored in the body is also burned to become an energy source to replace the missing calories. So you can effectively lose weight by reducing insulin and burning excess fat.
Is the 5:2 diet healthy?
Unlike spontaneous diets, the 5:2 diet with 2 days of 500 calories menu has been scientifically studied. Many people who love this diet plan say that this diet can help you lose weight, increase your life expectancy and protect you from some dangerous diseases.
However, fasting for two days still has risks and discomforts for your body. You may often experience headaches, lack of energy, dizziness, trouble sleeping, and even nausea. Therefore, you need to prepare psychologically and take safety measures to face these things.
Some analyzes suggest that the 5:2 diet can help you prevent type 2 diabetes, but it is not suitable for people with the disease. If you have a history of diabetes, then this diet may not be right for you.
Other laboratory studies suggest additional benefits of this diet. They think that doing a 500-calorie diet for 2 days helps improve a number of conditions such as blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol.
Clinical Nutritionist Mike Wakeman shared, “However, the most dramatic effects are seen in overweight individuals, and what contribution the actual weight loss makes to the overall effect is difficult to determine. So, yes, most studies identify it is safe and effective, but how much better it is than any other diet to improve important health parameters is difficult to ascertain.”
Is the 5:2 diet effective for weight loss?
Most people follow the 5:2 diet for weight loss. And the fact that this diet plan also works very well for weight loss, with some participants following it exactly. Also, some people turn to the 5:2 diet just to eat healthier and stay in shape.
Clinical nutritionist Mike Wakeman shares that the 5:2 diet can help you lose weight. However, its effect is no different from other calorie-restricted diets for weight loss. It is possible that depending on each person with different calorie needs, the weight loss effect achieved is also different.
Any weight loss diet method requires followers to follow regulations and detailed plans strictly. You also have to eat healthily and stay away from bad foods to optimize the effectiveness of weight loss.
Other scientific research evidence also shows that fasting according to the body’s natural rhythm combined with a healthy lifestyle will help you lose weight effectively.
Who can follow the 500 calorie meal plan?
It is advised that people who have more than 30 BMI (obesity grades I to III) can follow a 500 calorie-a-day meals plan with the guidance of a doctor or nutritionist.
What and when can I eat on the 5:2 diet?
Except for the two days, you have to follow a 500 calorie day meal plan, and you can eat a varied menu the rest of the week. This diet is very flexible, and it doesn’t require you to follow any diet. You can also choose your favorite food on fasting days, but it should not exceed 500 calories in a day.
Only eating 500 calories a day will appear a lot difficult. It requires you to have a strong will to do it because these two days will cut most of your calories. However, it is completely easy to overcome if you have a clear eating plan combined with nutritious foods.
Researchers from the University of Alabama have shown that the timing of meals can influence the benefits of intermittent fasting. Accordingly, meals are taken within the first 8 hours of the day or spread over 12 hours. Specifically, you will eat meals between 7 a.m, and 3 p.m. or between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Don’t have any late meals.
Although the results are not very obvious, if you schedule your meals earlier in the day and lengthen the nighttime, it will be beneficial for the metabolism. It helps you lose weight more effectively if you start eating earlier. Through the two-time study, the 8-hour group had better results.
During the two-day fast of 500 calories a day, you can flex the menu according to your preferences. However, if you know how to choose the right foods, this fasting process will become simpler and more effective. You may also feel less hungry and less irritable. Eat nutrient-dense but low-calorie foods like:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Lean
- Fish
- Egg
- Soup
With the prescribed 500 calories, you can divide into meals according to your liking. You can split it into one, two or three meals a day. However, to reduce the feeling of being constantly hungry, you can eat less and more often during the day.
Although you can tackle 500 calories with a comfort meal, the rest of the day will pass in difficulty. Based on our dietary experience, you can skip breakfast and eat two small meals at noon and in the evening. You can also split it up into several meals and all of them are small meals. It all depends on your living habits and adaptability and preferences.
Nutritionists recommend that during the 5:2 diet, you should follow a plant-based diet. Getting more energy from healthy foods will help you lose weight effectively and improve your overall health. You can add fat, but it should be healthy fats like olive oil.
You should limit your use of junk foods, grains, and refined sugars. They make you gain weight quickly and harm your health. You should also not eat at night, especially on non-fasting days. Although they are healthy meals, all efforts will be a sponge if you eat them at night.
Sports activities are also highly recommended. Keep your body active throughout the day to promote a more efficient burning of calories and body fat.
In addition, you can add some multivitamins to balance nutrients in your body. Dieting can cause your body to lack some substances, so you should replenish if necessary.
Who should not follow the 500 calorie diet meal plan?
Doctors and nutritionists usually discourage people suffering from medical issues to have a VLCD. Patients who have listed medical issues such as diabetes mellitus, gout, gallstones, heart diseases, or kidney problems are not allowed to follow any low-calorie diets, especially 500 calorie diets.
What to eat on a 500 calorie diet?
If you’ve decided to follow a 500 calorie meal plan, here are some light and easy-to-make 500 calorie deficit diet plans for you to follow for the whole week without missing any important nutrients.
Monday
Breakfast: Corned Beef Hash Cakes
Ingredients:
- 3/8 tsp Vegetable oil
- 1/8 small Onions
- 1/4 cup Mashed potatoes
- 1/8 dash Salt
- 1/8 dash Pepper
- 1 oz Cured beef, corned beef
Instructions on preparing and making:
- Step 1: Heat the oil in a large pan with medium heat then fry some onion until it is gold and brown.
- Step 2: Transfer to another bowl, then mix those fried onions with mashed potatoes and corned beef. Remember to season the mixture with salt and pepper.
- Step 3: Form the made mixture into 8 patties and fry them with medium-high heat until they have nice brown on both sides.
Related: 10 Simple 500 Calorie Breakfast Ideas
Lunch: Mexican Chickpea salad
Ingredients:
- 1/4 large whole Tomatoes
- 1/16 cup, sliced Onions
- 1/2 tsp Olive oil
- 3/4 tsp Lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp of ground Cumin
Instruction on preparing and making:
- Step 1: Prepare the sauce
Whisk oil, ground cumin, lemon juice, chili powder, salt in a small bowl.
- Step 2: Making the salad
Add other ingredients (tomatoes, onions, avocado, and cilantro) to a plate. Pour the sauce that we made before on it and toss until all combined.
Dinner: Cottage Cheese and Honeydew Melons
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of cottage cheese
- a half of cup of balls Melon
Instructions on preparing and making:
Mix the cheese with melon balls and serve. You can refrigerate for an hour before serving.
Total calories of the day: 499.7
Tuesday
Breakfast: Dairy products and fruits
Ingredients:
- a glass of milk / a glass of yogurt
- an apple
Lunch: Simple chicken salad
Ingredients:
- Green salad: 1/2 cup of broccoli, 1 cup of any type of veggies that you like
- 1/2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp of Balsamic vinegar
- 80-100 grams of boiled chicken breast
Instruction on preparing and making:
- Step 1: Preparing the sauce
Whisk olive oil and Balsamic vinegar in a bowl.
- Step 2: Making the salad
Add boiled chicken breast and all the veggies on a plate. Pour the sauce on it and mix them until all combined.
Dinner: Quinoa with veggies
Ingredients:
- ½ cup quinoa
- ½ cup chopped broccoli
- ½ cup chopped red peppers
Instructions on preparing and making the meal:
- Step 1: Cook the quinoa in water until it looks like brown rice.
- Step 2: Steam/ boil the broccoli and peppers until they can be served. Then, mix the quinoa with all the veggies. You can add some soy sauce for flavor.
Total calories for a day: 517
Wednesday
Breakfast:
Three slices of non-fat Swiss cheese
1 cup of raspberries
Lunch: Egg scrambled with toast
Ingredients:
- 3 egg whites
- 1 slice of whole-wheat toast
Instructions on making:
- Scramble the egg whites with some salt and pepper
- Serve with a slice of heated crunchy toast.
Dinner: Tofu and broccoli, mushroom
Ingredients:
- ¼ block of firm tofu
- 1 and ½ cups of steamed broccoli and mushroom
Instructions:
- Step 1: Gently boil the tofu with herbs and spices in 1 to 1.5 minutes.
- Step 2: Serve the hot tofu with steamed broccoli and mushroom.
Total calories for a day: 521
Thursday
Breakfast: Scramble eggs with cheese
Ingredients:
- 3 egg whites
- 1 slice of non-fat Swiss cheese
- ½ cup of chopped green peppers
Instructions:
- Step 1: Scramble 3 egg whites with a slice of Swiss cheese. Remember to add some flavor like salt and pepper
- Step 2: Serve with green peppers. Eat when it’s hot
Lunch: Chicken and avocado sandwiches
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces of lean grilled chicken breast
- ¼ cup of avocado
- Lettuce leaves
Instructions on making meal:
- Step 1: Mix 3 ounces of chicken breast with ¼ cup of avocado
- Step 2: Wrap the mixture in two lettuce leaves.
Dinner: Broiled London broil steak and steamed cauliflower
Ingredients and instructions on making the meal:
- Step 1: Broil 3 ounces London broil steak and steam 1 cup of cauliflower
- Step 2: Serve while it’s hot
Total calories for a day: 529
Friday
Breakfast: Sweet plums and yogurt
- 100g of low-fat yogurt
- 2 plums
- 1 tsp of honey
- Mix all the ingredients and enjoy
Lunch: Ryvita and tuna slices
- 2 slices of Ryvita cracker bread
- Tuna mayo
- Pepper
- Put the tuna mayo which was mixed with pepper on 2 slices of bread and serve.
Dinner: Snack
Miso soup
Total calories: 430
Saturday
Breakfast: Boiled egg and asparagus
Ingredients and instructions:
- 1 egg
- 5 pieces of asparagus
- Salt and pepper
- Serve the egg with asparagus.
Lunch: Snack
A cup of frozen grape smoothie. Using grapes and water, ice only.
Dinner: Turkey burgers with corn on the cob
Ingredients:
- 100 turkey mince
- 1 small egg
- Spring onion, garlic, and chill
- 1 corn on the cob
Instructions:
- Step 1: Bake turkey mince beaten with egg, spring onion, garlic and chili
- Step 2: Serve with corn on the cob
Total calories: 478
Sunday
Breakfast:
A packet of Belvita Breakfast Biscuits
Lunch: Roasted vegetables with Balsamic glaze
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of your favorite veggies
- ½ cup of butternut squash
- ½ red pepper
- 1 tbsp of Balsamic vinegar
Instructions:
- Step 1: Heat the pan with olive oil then add all the veggies until it is translucent.
- Step 2: Pour the Balsamic vinegar on it and enjoy.
Dinner: Snack
Harley’s sugar-free jelly pot
What can I drink on the 5:2 diet?
In addition to paying attention to the 500-calorie day meal plan in the 5:2 diet, you should also pay attention to what drinks you can use. You can drink as much water as you like, especially on fasting days you can drink as much water as possible. Drinking a lot of water helps your body stay hydrated, curb hunger and support effective weight loss.
Some other interesting drinks like herbal tea, black tea or black coffee can all be used. Diet drinks are also used as refreshing drinks instead of water. You can enrich your drink list with natural drinks like pure fruit juices.
However, when you want to use milky drinks, you need to be careful, especially on meal plan days for 500 calories a day. The dairy ingredient in the drink may increase your calorie intake without doing much to prolong your feeling of fullness.
Can you exercise on a 5:2 diet?
Yes, you can exercise on the 5:2 diet. You should even do it regularly. Exercise not only helps you lose weight effectively, it also helps you have a better body and health. Although in two days using the very low calorie diet menu 500 it will be very difficult for you to exercise, if you exercise at a moderate level, it will bring very good results.
Exercise improves physical fitness, and for some people, it also reduces hunger. Many studies show that fasting does not negatively affect moderate physical activity. You should listen to your body and know if it can handle the stress of the exercise. The right exercises will help your body burn excess fat and calories in the body at a fast rate.
You can learn some exercises suitable for your ability and need to lose weight. However, high-intensity interval training (hiit) is not a bad choice. This exercise has been shown to work wonders for some people.
Things to Consider While Applying the 500 Calorie Diet Plan
During two days of fasting and following a 500 calorie diet meal plan, you need to consider a few points to keep in mind. Having a clear plan and paying attention to a few key points will help you stay safe and lose weight more effectively. Here are a few key points to keep in mind:
- You should consult your doctor or nutritionist before joining this diet plan. Make sure your body is perfectly fit to do this diet.
- You can experience vitamin and mineral deficiencies for two days on a 500-calorie diet meal plan. Therefore, you can add multivitamins to avoid health problems.
- It is necessary to have a clear eating plan during the two days of fasting to avoid adverse health effects due to lack of energy.
- Do not follow the 500 calorie diet meal plan with children, the elderly, or malnourished people or have underlying medical conditions.
In addition, this diet plan also creates health risks if you follow it for a long time. A long-term calorie deficit will slow down your metabolism. The calorie burning process is no longer effective and you cannot lose weight. Leaving the body hungry for too long also causes gallstones which are harmful to health. Therefore, you must make sure that your doctor has approved this diet that you follow.
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Total calories | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | 1 glass of milk 1 apple | Green salad prepared with a teaspoon of oil 80-100 grams of boiled chicken breast | Boiled vegetables (to be prepared without using oil) 1 cucumber or tomato | 491 |
| Day 2 | 1 small-size banana A slice of ricotta cheese | 1 bowl of milk mushroom soup Small tuna | Omelet with 2 egg whites with mushroom and spinach (2 eggs, 6 mushrooms, ½ bowl of spinach) | 500 |
| Day 3 | 2 hard boiled egg 1 toasted wheat bread | 2 handfuls of boiled broccoli (you can mix it with 1 clove of garlic and 2 tsp yogurt) | Fried zucchini (fry with a little olive oil) 1 slice of feta cheese 1 tomato | 504 |
| Day 4 | 2 hard boiled egg 1 tomato | 80-100 grams of grilled or fried lean beef Lettuce, 4 cherry tomatoes and small-size cucumber | 5 tablespoons of boiled vegetables 1 bowl of yogurt | 555 |
| Day 5 | 1 glass of yogurt 1 apple | Green salad prepared with a teaspoon of oil 80-100 grams of boiled chicken breast | Boiled vegetables (to be prepared without using oil) 1 cucumber or tomato | 491 |
The best 5:2 diet cookbooks
The 5:2 diet is very popular and there are many ideas and cookbooks geared toward this diet. They are like a treasure trove of recipes, experiences, and even tips to make your diet process easier and more effective. Therefore, 5:2 diet cookbooks are always sought after by lovers of this diet. In this article, we will introduce you to the best 5:2 diet cookbooks.
The fast diet recipe book: 150 delicious, calorie-controlled meals to make your fasting days easy
If you don’t know what to eat in two days of a 500 calories a day meal plan, Mimi Spencer will give you the best suggestions through this book. In the book, there are a total of 150 recipes rated 5 stars. These special recipes are rich in nutrients yet low in calories. You can eat more healthy foods and still keep the right calorie intake with this book.
The skinny 5:2 diet meals for one: single-serving fast day recipes & snacks under 100, 200 & 300 calories
Lovers of the 5:2 diet plan can’t miss this cookbook. The amazing and exciting recipes in this will make your menu richer and more nutritious. This book is also particularly effective in controlling your snacking. You can find lots of healthy and low-calorie snacks here.
The simple 5 ingredients skinny slow cooker recipe book
If you love slow cooker dishes, then this book is essential for you. Each recipe is designed to be simple with 5 different ingredients but gives a very special taste. Each recipe is carefully adjusted and calorie-measured. You just need to follow the formula and calculate the calories for the day to stick to the plan.
Veggie and vegan
Vegetarians often find it difficult to follow the 5:2 diet, but that’s not the case. With veggie and vegan, you can enrich the menu of vegetarian dishes.
For those who love plant-based recipes, this is a treasure trove. All recipes are calorie controlled and food appropriate. They are rich in nutrients but have just the right amount of food.
The fast diet: lose weight, stay healthy, live longer
This is a classic, with quite a bit of research into the benefits of intermittent fasting. In the fully drafted edition, you will see the benefits of the diet more clearly.
Pinch of nom everyday light: 100 tasty, slimming recipes all under 400 calories
Most of your favorite dishes are here! Pinch of nom has a lot of recipes under 400 calories, and there are even fast food recipes. Of course, you can’t eat fast food often, but according to the recipes in this book, they are safer.
Ending
With those detailed 500 calories meal plan, we believe that it is easier for you to follow the 500 calorie-per-day diets at home without worrying about missing nutrients. Even though these plans are made for extreme weight loss, it is unnecessary for everyone, even you, to lose weight in a short period. Losing weight is a long-term process, and feel free to let it happen slowly. If this article is helpful for you, subscribe to our page Kerri Ann Jennings to get the latest notification of 500 calorie meal plans and other healthy diets.
References
- https://www.eatthismuch.com/diet-plan/500-calorie/
- https://www.getthegloss.com/article/10-days-of-meal-ideas-for-5-2-fasting-days
- https://www.dietsmealplan.com/meal-plan/500-calorie-meal-plan/
Don’t forget to find out more Diet plans and Recipes on Kerriannjennings.com
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