All good things come in fives. At least when it comes to Harley Pasternak, the personal trainer of the biggest Hollywood stars. His 5-Factor Diet aims to shed pounds and improve health. We explain what nutrition is all about and what advantages you can benefit from.
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What is the 5 Factor Diet?
The inventor of the diet seems to have a soft spot for numbers. Harely Pasternak is all about the number five and the products that come from it. The diet follows a really simple plan:
- Duration: 5 weeks
- Meals: 5 per day
- Dishes: maximum 5 ingredients
- Food: 5 groups of ingredients
- Meal preparation time: 5 minutes maximum
- Training: 5 days a week, 25 minutes a day
The Los Angeles-based personal trainer has gotten some of Hollywood’s most illustrious celebs in shape with his five-week diet and exercise regimen. His clientele includes Halle Berry, Lady Gaga, Kate Beckinsale and also the dinosaur whisperer Jeff Goldblum. Although the diet is tied to a tight set of rules, since everything revolves around the number five, even newcomers can quickly become familiar with the diet. The special thing about the 5-factor diet: there are no forbidden foods and there is even a cheat day on which you can cheat and ignore the rules of the nutrition plan.
Eating five meals a day isn’t about stuffing your stomach. In addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, two smaller snack units are allowed. The aim is to eat as specifically as possible throughout the day in order to stay full at all times. After 7 p.m. there is nothing at all! The main items on the menu are:
- low-fat proteins (e.g. poultry)
- Low glycemic index carbohydrates (eg, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta)
- lots of fiber
- healthy fats
In general, you should avoid alcohol and sugar. However, since there is the cheat day mentioned as part of the 5-factor diet, you can also drink a glass or two of wine once a week. But don’t over-excite the cheat day so as not to ruin training and diet successes. Those who follow the rules of the diet can benefit from many health benefits after five weeks.
The benefits of the 5 factor diet
you lose weight
Probably unsurprisingly, the 5-Factor Diet makes you lose weight. Through a healthy diet with high-fiber vegetables and whole grain products, you consume around 1,300 calories per day on average. In connection with the short daily sports units, the fat burning in your body is stimulated. Unwelcome love handles melt away. If you want to reduce your weight in a healthy way and establish a more active lifestyle, you can get an initial spark with the five-week change in diet and training.
Your blood sugar level stabilizes
By cutting out sugar and focusing on foods with a low glycemic index, your blood sugar levels stay on level. Sugar and short-chain carbohydrates from white bread, washed white rice or wheat pasta cause blood sugar levels to rise quickly and fall again just as quickly. The result of such wild blood sugar rallies are food cravings that encourage obesity. By stabilizing blood sugar and insulin levels in your blood, you not only stay full longer, but also reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Your skin will become clearer
Sugar has a significant impact on the appearance of your skin . Sugary foods trigger insulin release in the body. The hormone insulin, in turn, stimulates the production of sebum in the skin. The sebaceous glands work harder, your pores sometimes clog faster, causing inflammation and redness to appear in the skin. Sugar also has pro-inflammatory effects. Your body fights such small internal inflammations by increasing the release of special enzymes, which, however, also break down collagen and elastin. The firmness and tautness of your skin suffers as a result.
Better eating habits
The biggest obstacles to healthy weight loss are food cravings and irregular food intake. Those who starve during the day tend to fill their stomachs in the evening. Food cravings also throw a spanner in the works when trying to lose weight. During the 5-factor diet, you eat three regular meals and two smaller meals a day. This allows you to practice healthy and regular eating habits while dieting. Regularity is great for your digestion, your blood sugar levels stay low too, you feel fuller and more balanced throughout the day. Even if you no longer actively follow the diet, you will benefit from the regular eating habits you have learned.
