So I’ve done the 5:2 before, a couple of years ago. I managed to lose almost 2st, so I was really chuffed with the results. I’ve put the weight back on since then and am keen to get back on the wagon.

This time, I’ve put a twist on it.

One thing I struggled with last time was walking into the kitchen on my fast days, hungry, at around 6pm and not knowing what to eat. When I didn’t plan my meals meticulously, I wound up throwing a bunch of ingredients together in a mad, starved rush. Long story short, those were the days I failed.

But finding the time to plan was always tricky and when you’re fasting you can’t be bothered to faff around cooking for ages, or to go shopping for extra ingredients. You need everything there, right in front of you, ready to cook and QUICK.

Well recently I came across Simply Cook. For those of you who don’t know what it is, it’s a service that sends you the spices and stocks for meals you can choose via their app. They’re healthy, honestly bloody delicious, and they only take 20-30mins to cook. All you have to do when your box arrives is buy the remaining 5 or 6 ingredients for the recipe.

Why do I love it?

They’ve made fast days so easy. 2 days a week I save my 500 calories until dinner time, and cook one of my simply cook meals. The other day I had Iranian Strew (500cals) and the fast day before that I had Shakshouka. All the meals are delicious and you can choose ones that are under 500cals via the app.

It has made my fast days so much easier. I just have to make it until 6pm and then I can have a big meal without ruining my fast.

The simply cook boxes come with full recipes, calories and shopping list.

I’m only on my second week of the 5:2 but so far, so good. I love combining Simply Cook and 5:2 because it feels like something I can really stick to.

I’ll let you know how I get on!