Diet 2 Days a Week, Lose Weight, + Lower Blood Pressure, Risk of Heart Disease

This is the time of year when many of us step on the scales, cringe, and resolve to lose some extra pounds. That’s what my hubs and I used to do. But not any more!

For the last year we’ve been following the 2 day a week diet plan, also known as the 5-2 diet, or fast diet. On our diet days we’ve been using the recipes that my co-author, Ruth Glick, and I created for our enthusiastically received (5-star Amazon-rated) cookbook, The 2 Day a Week Diet Cookbook.  Containing 250 pages, 50 color photos (see samples below), 75 well-tested recipes, plus loads of helpful tips, menus, and gluten-free options, our book is available in both Kindle and softcover formats here.
To get a preview of all the recipes, check out the quick YouTube video here.

Chili, 2 Day a Week Diet Cookbook

Yes, as the title suggests, the book features low-calorie recipes to
use while dieting only two days a week! On the two diet days, you limit calories to 500 (men get 600), but the rest of the week you just eat your normal fare–really! Not only is this plan easier to stay with than traditional everyday regimes, but, surprisingly,  research has shown that it also results in more weight loss. (Which the hubs and I have definitely found to be true.) Ongoing research has also revealed that the plan, which was created by a noted British physician, has other important health benefits, including reducing blood pressure, heart disease, and many other ailments. 

 I first began following the diet when Ruth said it was really working well for her, and asked me to co-author a book of recipes to fit the plan. She’d had trouble finding ones that were tasty and easy, partly because most of the books were British and not geared to American tastes or hectic lifestyles. So, since she and I had created many healthful, low-calorie recipes for major publications such as Rodale and Eating Well in the past, we began creating our own much more satisfying collection of dishes, which I also photographed for the book.)

French Toast, 2 Day a Week Diet Cookbook

My husband got interested in trying the diet after I’d lost a couple of pounds on it. This might not sound very impressive–except that I’d been trying,
unsuccessfully, to shed those same stubborn pounds for almost 10 years! (I’ve kept them off, too!)

He started using our recipes and following the plan thirteen months ago and is thrilled with the results. First, he’s lost 18 pounds! Even better, when
his cardiologist checked his vital signs and blood markers at his last
visit, she pronounced them the best they’ve been in the five years she’s been treating him! In fact, his blood pressure, fasting glucose,
cholesterol, and triglycerides were so much lower than before, she said she planned
to look into our book herself. The hubs says he intends to keep going and shed at least another 10 to 15 pounds.

In case you wonder, yes, Ruth and her husband have both lost around 20 pounds using The 2 Day a Week Diet Cookbook. They say it’s easier than an other diet they have ever tried, and they’ve tried quite a few. My sister has also shed over 20 pounds following the plan, though admits that she doesn’t find sticking to the 500 calorie limit on diet days easy!

Spinach-Mushroom-Pasta Soup

Because homemade soups can be not only healthful and calorie-wise, but very satisfying, we’ve included a nice variety of them in The 2 Day a Week Diet Cookbook.  This one, a simple Italian-inspired spinach-mushroom-pasta combo, admittedly looks a bit plain, but it is quite fragrant and flavorful. It is easy and also versatile: Substitute instant brown rice for the pasta for a gluten-free version.

Spinach-Mushroom-Pasta Soup

This soup is
good made with either vegetable or chicken broth, so can fit well into a
vegetarian meal. While fresh basil delivers the best results, the dried herb
will do if necessary.

Tip: To streamline
recipe preparations, buy sliced fresh mushrooms and washed, ready-to-use
bags of fresh spinach leaves.

Makes 4 120-calorie servings, about 1 1/4
cups each.

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely
chopped

6 cups canned vegetable broth or
fat-free,
reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup 1-inch pieces regular or
multigrain vermicelli, spaghetti, or other thin pasta (or substitute 1/4 cup instant brown rice for gluten-free dish0

3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves or 2
tsp dried basil leaves

1 Tbsp chopped chives or green onions

4 cups (lightly packed) coarsely chopped fresh
spinach leaves

2 Tbsp shredded or grated Parmesan
cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to
taste

1. In a 4-quart saucepan or similar-size soup
pot, combine oil and mushrooms. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6
to 7 minutes or until mushrooms are nicely browned.

2. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute
longer. Stir in broth, pasta, and basil, and bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust
heat so mixture boils gently, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 4
to 7 minutes or until pasta is almost tender. (Multigrain pasta or instant brown rice will take considerably longer than regular pasta.)

3. Stir in spinach and cook, uncovered, until
just tender, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Taste and add salt and pepper, if desired. Serve
immediately, garnished with Parmesan and fresh basil sprigs, if available. Or
refrigerate for later use.

Soup will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days
and frozen for up to 3 weeks.

For a preview of all the dishes in the book, look at the YouTube video here. For another delish and easy lo-cal soup recipe, plus more info on The 2 Day a Week Diet Cookbook go here.