I never thought I'd write a diet book...or four recipe books.... or a guide to being happier and healthier! And yet, now I've done all four.
The 5:2 Diet Book - originally published in November 2012 - has gone onto be published in more than 20 different languages - while The Ultimate 5:2 Recipe Book, which came out in Spring 2013, includes dozens of delicious menu ideas, plus the stories of some of the most successful dieters who have helped spread the word about this lifestyle. 5:2 Your Life, combines a six-week eating plan, with a complete guide to applying this easy, flexible approach to everything that matters in your life - from family, relationships and friends, to work, fitness and living your dreams. In 2015, I published 5:2 Good Food Kitchen, with more mouth-watering ideas for Fast and non-fasting days, and more amazing stories. That was followed by 5:2 Veggie & Vegan in 2017 and The Dirty Diet - Ditch the guilt, love your food in 2018!
From yoyo dieter to diet author... the most unlikely transformation of my life
In some ways I am a diet expert. I've tried - and failed at - more than my share of miracle weight loss cures over the years. But earlier this year I accepted that I lacked he willpower to keep the weight off, even though I knew it was putting me at increased risk of cancer and Type II diabetes, both of which have blighted my family...
And then I discovered 5:2 dieting - sticking to a strict diet for two days a week, and being free to eat the foods I love the rest of the time. I watched the BBC's Horizon programme in August 2012, where presenter Michael Mosley tried out different approaches to fasting. The one that really appealed to me was the intermittent version he tried after speaking to researcher Krista Varady in Chicago. It seemed too good to be true, promising not just weight loss but also reduced risk of the diseases that scared me most, and even positive effects on the brain.
What does an author do when she can’t find the book she wants to buy? Writes it herself…
I looked for a book about the approach, but all I could find seemed to be written by body builders, or Paleo dieters, who follow a stone age style regime involving a lot of meat - as a long-term vegetarian, that didn't seem relevant.
Despite my doubts, I decided I had nothing to lose except my muffin top and followed my instincts. Within days, I sensed it would work for me. After six months, I'd lost 28 pounds - two stone - and was a healthy weight. But, much more significantly, it transformed my attitude to food and hunger, and now - eight years later - I am still 31lbs lighter than when I started.
A passion, a community and six books…
I wanted to spread the word - so The 5:2 Diet Book was born...When I started the diet, I had dozens of questions - about the incredible science behind the diet, about how much to eat on 'Fasting' days, and whether it was really true that I could eat whatever foods I liked on my Feasting Days.
It was pretty time-consuming trying to find out the truth - I went online to read original research studies, and also set up a Facebook group with a few friends I knew were doing the same thing. That same group encouraged me to put the findings - and their own tips, recipes and approaches to what people started calling 5:2 (or 5/2, 5-2 or five-two) - into a book. And that's how The 5:2 Diet Book came about! Oh, and that group that began with six members, now has over 60,000... (you can join in the fun here).
By 2018, I’d also created The 5:2 Diet Podcast (catch up with the episodes here) and written three recipe books building on my own attitude to food and cooking, plus 5:2 Your Life and The Dirty Diet: ditch the guilt, love your food. I’d appeared on TV and radio shows all over the world and spoken to thousands of people who had found fasting could help them stay a healthy weight and overcome issues with eating that, like mine, had lasted many, many years.
I also contributed to Making Peace with Depression with my talented author friend Sarah Rayner - again, using my own experiences to suggest strategies and comforting words that can help people suffering with low mood. (PS: those are my hands on the cover, too!)
2020 and beyond
Well, I’ve gone back to my first love - writing fiction. I’ve loved the 5:2 community and writing the health books - especially all the cooking and recipe writing. But I’ve joked that I have probably said all there is to say about cauliflower rice and so rather than recycle the same content, I am now back as thriller writer Kate Helm and - from 2021 - novelist Eva Carter, writing epic stories for people who love shows like 24 Hours in A&E and Grey’s Anatomy.
Never say never…
Does that mean I’ll never write about health issues again? After all the exciting twists and turns my literary life has taken, I’d never say never… but for now I am enjoying the storytelling side of my life again. And I do still contribute posts and videos via Facebook and on my YouTube channel: for example, I recorded this to help people with fasting during the Covid19 Lockdown.
Find out what Kate does next…
I am passionate about helping people through my writing - and I love to share new ideas, both non-fiction and fiction. When you join my free club, you can download all these short e-books, or have them sent to your e-reading device instantly. You can take your pick. You’ll also be eligible for all my competitions and get news of events, recommendations and updates.
