Martin Clunes' diet plan that helped him lose three stone in three months

Star of ITV’s Doc Martin, Martin Clunes has opened up about his impressive weight loss after losing three stone in just three months – and it doesn’t involve cutting out any particular food groups

Actor Martin Clunes, who is best known for his role in Doc Martin, has shocked fans with his dramatic weight loss after losing three-stone in the span of three months. The 63-year-old has revealed his secret to success is the ‘5:2 diet’, which he praised in a candid chat with the Mail online.

The star openly discussed his previous struggles with weight gain, saying: “I was fat – and while I was getting heavy, I had tired knees and stuff,” before sharing his dieting revelation, “so I thought I’d try that diet and the weight came off.”

The 5:2 diet, also known as The Fast Diet, was created by the late TV doctor Michael Mosley, the Mirror reports.

The diet involves eating normally for five days and completely reducing your intake for two, often referred to as ‘fasting’ days.

Healthline experts have described the routine, saying: “You can choose whichever two days of the week you prefer, as long as there is at least one non-fasting day in between them.”

On fasting days women who are participating in the diet stick to 500 calories while men eat 600 calories. The expert continues: “one common way of planning the week is to fast on Mondays and Thursdays, with two or three small meals, then eat normally for the rest of the week.”

However, Martin did not stop there.

He adapted the diet further including, what he calls 6:1 fasting days, while still noting the considerable health benefits, especially regarding cholesterol.

These types of fasting diets are favoured by celebs like Benedict Cumberbatch, known for the BBC sensation Sherlock, and Hollywood actor Jennifer Aniston.

Martin confessed in a candid chat in 2017, that the diet was “easy” and “seems to keep the weight” off of him.

Although the diet is not only popular among the rich and famous, even residents of the globe’s mysterious ‘Blue Zones’ – areas which are renowned for their long-living locals, such as Okinawa in Japan and Sardinia in Italy – practice calorie cutting diets.

They follow what is known as the ‘80% trick’ only eating a modest meal later in the day and intentionally stopping when they’re around 80% full, marking the ‘80% trick’.