The 2 Day Diet: 'It worked for us'

● How it works
● The science behind it
● What to eat

'I've lost 9lb and dropped a dress size in four weeks'

We were so intrigued by the results of the 2 Day Diet that we decided to put it to the test ourselves. Good Housekeeping’s picture editor, Giulia Carnera Secchi, had been trying to lose weight for a while, but decided she needed to do something different.

‘Although I had lost a stone and a half in 2011, it was hard going, so I jumped at the chance to try the diet. I loved the idea of dieting for two days a week, but was worried when I realised it was based on milk, which I don’t like and don’t drink. Fortunately, I do like yogurt and cheese, so I substituted these for most of the milk.

'I found it really easy to stick to it for two days – though I didn’t manage the same two days every week, so had to be organised to have the food I needed in the fridge. Eating a Mediterranean diet for the rest of the time was simple because that’s the way my family would normally eat. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel hungry – yogurts and cottage cheese are very filling.

'One of the problems with dieting when you have a family is cooking two lots of food, but I found that by being inventive with the recipes – and using lots of herbs and spices – I could produce vegetable soups and stews that were tasty enough for my children to eat. I just added potatoes or pasta and hunks of bread to their portions.

'So far I’ve lost 9lb, but I’m more delighted by the drop in dress size. I’m convinced my shape has changed and that I’ve lost weight around my middle – my real problem area. I’ve just bought myself a fitted size 14 dress and a pair of skinny jeans, and it’s really exciting. This is a diet that I will definitely stick with.’

‘I wasn’t hungrier on other days because I was more aware of what I was eating’

Serial dieter Sonia Ward, 41, has always struggled with her weight, but managed to lose almost four stone with the 2 Day Diet approach

‘I signed up for the diet study because of my family history of breast cancer. My mum was diagnosed and treated when she was only 34, but it recurred 10 years later and she’s still having treatment. I’d tried diets before, but I always struggled with weight loss.

When I signed up, I was the heaviest I have ever been – 14 stone 9lb – so I was really keen to try something different. To be accepted on to the trial, I had to agree to stick to the diet for a month and it really wasn’t a struggle. I found the milk very filling. I developed a routine and ate exactly the same things on all my milk days. I made my diet days my busiest days at work, so I hardly noticed I wasn’t eating much. I didn’t find I was hungrier on the other days – perhaps because I was more aware of what I was eating.

'In the first month alone I lost almost a stone and a couple of centimetres from my waist. Although the trial was for six months, I stayed on the diet for over a year and got down to 10stone 11lb, lost 28cm from my waist and 20cm from my hips, and reduced my cholesterol and glucose levels so I was healthier all round.’

Picture posed by model

Click on page 1 for details of the 2 Day Diet, and on page 2 for recipes for the 2 Day Diet

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