5 Bite Diet Explained: How It Works and Why You Should Avoid It
The 5 Bite Diet is an extreme weight loss plan created by Dr. Alwin Lewis, a California-based physician. It gained attention following the release of his book Why Weight Around? and, like all of the other diet fads, promises rapid weight loss.
How It Works
The diet claims to mimic the effects of gastric bypass by restricting food to a fraction of normal intake. Here is the basic protocol:
Skip breakfast entirely (only black coffee or tea is allowed).
Lunch and dinner: Eat just 5 bites of food per meal (10 bites total per day).
Start with protein: Each meal should begin with a bite of protein (meat, fish, eggs, or beans).
Eat what you want: No food is off-limits, as long as only take 5 bites.
Non-caloric drinks are allowed: Water, black coffee, and unsweetened tea are permitted throughout the day.
Supposed Benefits
Rapid weight loss
Simplicity: No calorie counting or complicated meal prep
Portion control training
Why You Should Avoid the 5 Bite Diet
This extreme diet raises serious health concerns due to under-eating. Multiple studies confirm that consuming just 10 bites of food a day is nowhere near sufficient to support basic physiological needs.
Nutritionally inadequate: It’s nearly impossible to meet daily requirements for protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals on such a limited intake.
Promotes disordered eating: The restrictive structure can encourage obsessive or unhealthy behaviors around food.
Side effects: Fatigue, irritability, hair loss, and muscle loss are common outcomes of extreme caloric restriction.
Not sustainable: Most experts agree that this approach is unsafe and not viable for long-term health.
The 5 Bite Diet may promise fast results but at a serious cost. Severe food restriction can lead to metabolic slowdown, nutritional deficiencies, and disregulated hunger hormones. Quick fixes like this don’t create lasting change which leads to binging.
If you’re drawn to the simplicity of portion control but want an approach rooted in long-term health, 80Bites offers a better way. Our program helps retrain your appetite, reduce volume dependence, and restore natural hunger signals—without calorie counting or deprivation. It’s not about eating less for a few weeks. It’s about eating intelligently for life.
