I recently completed my first Prolon 5 day Fasting Mimicking Diet Plan and am already planning on when to do my next! I am so happy with the results that I want to share them with you.
Read on for my story!
Why Did I Want to Fast?
I have been hearing about the benefits of “water fasting” for years but had not yet forayed into that arena. I had some concerns even though I was quite aware of the fabulous ways that water fasting can support my goals to feel better not older! I decided it was time to give it a try in the healthiest way possible. My initial goals were to :
- improve my liver health by emptying my liver of her excess stored energy/glucose to reduce my chances of “fatty liver” from all my younger years of choosing dessert over the main meal
- stimulate fat burning on a more intense level than I was already doing via time restricted eating
- encourage my immune system to clear out damaged cells to reduce my risk of developing cancer which took my father years ago
- keep every little bit of my muscle mass I have created
- keep all of my beneficial microbes in my digestive system for optimal brain health
Based on my goals, I chose to partake of the awesome science behind Prolon’s 5 Day Fasting Mimicking Diet Plan.
What does Fasting Mean?
Fasting means not eating right? Wrong! It simply means to go without. The fasting concept can apply to all sort of things! You can fast from social media, food, work, alcohol, protein, sex, dopamine enhancing activities, and the list goes on.
“Water Fasting” or “Liquid Fasting” involves not eating anything solid or anything that has enough carbs, fat, or protein to kick you out of a fasting state. The idea is that your body really has to dial in on the functions that are most important for long term survival. Anything not helpful is trashed. When you are interested in feeling better not older and avoiding the chronic lifestyle diseases that kill (cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and cognitive decline) – a 5 day water fast is a terrific tool.
The problem is that many people are not interested in or not able to go without food for 5 days. Luckily, science has come to our rescue with the concept of Fasting Mimicking.
What is Fasting Mimicking?
One of the downsides of water fasting is that you lose but do not control what you lose. When wellness is your focus, you want to control what you lose. So you want to get enough fiber during your fast to keep your the beneficial members of your gut microbiome happy. You want to get enough of the right nutrient signals to maintain you muscle mass. You do not want to be Hangry (Hungry and Angry because of it) – or at least no one around you wants you to be Hangy.
Fasting Mimicking means that you do get to have foods which are specially designed to have the right macro amounts (carbs, fats, and proteins) to keep your cells metabolically in a state of fasting (not feeding). You do get the right types and amounts of fiber so that your gut microbiome can sustain itself during your fast. You need to get sufficient vitamins and minerals throughout your fast in order to be able to do all the wonderful magic healing stuff that you are aiming for. This is a lot of bits and pieces to put togethe fo yourself. Thank you Prolon scientists for doing this for us!
What’s in the Fasting Mimicking Food Box?
So what did I get to eat? Yes I wondered that too before I got my box. As someone who is accustomed to getting fresh veges and fruits from her local farms, getting meat in bulk from her local farms, and making almost all of her food from scratch, I got a wee bit nervous when I opened my box to see my food for the next 5 days.
I can do this. It is an experiment! Each box has different nutrient goals for each day based on what your body is doing during that pat of your fast. So what’s inside the day 1 box?
Day 1 of Fasting Mimicking Food
Ta da! It is Sunday and I am ready to get started. Here is what I ate on day 1 with the most calories of the 5 days.
- Breakfast ~ a fasting bar, herbal tea, omega-3 supplement
- Lunch ~ soup, olive oil, almond/kale crackers, vitamin/mineral supplement capsule, and olives
- Afternoon Snack ~ fasting shake and herbal tea
- Dinner ~ soup, olive oil, and a little chocolate crispy treat
How did I feel? Amazing. High in energy. My mind was excited to do more, think more, and make things happen. I took an after dark, in the cold walk. Will you feel like this? No guarantee of course. You might still feel hungry, and have some trouble flipping that metabolic switch into fat burning. Let’s work on your metabolic flexibility first if you are worried about feeling bad…
Day 2 of Fasting Mimicking Food
Hello Monday. My sleep last night was amazing. This morning I used the Metabolic Bike and practiced Vitality Flow Yoga with no decrease in capabilities. After my eating for the day was over, I took an outdoor 30 min walk. Day 2 has a bit less food. Here is what I ate on day 2.
- Breakfast ~ a fasting bar and herbal tea
- All day Long – you mix up this energy drink based on you body weight and sip it all day long
- Lunch ~ soup, olive oil, vitamin/mineral supplement capsule, and olives
- Afternoon Snack ~ olives and herbal tea
- Dinner ~ soup, olive oil, and a little chocolate crispy treat
How did I feel? I missed chocolate. I enjoy nibbling on chocolate in the afternoons when I am home. I had to consciously not go get it. I had so much more time available to do what I valued because I was not making food. But I like making food…
Day 3 of Fasting Mimicking Food
Hello Tuesday. My sleep was even more awesome in terms of deep sleep and REM sleep times and heart rate variability. My Oura ring was very happy. Day 3 has even less! I still felt good enough to enjoy a 10 min jump on my mini-trampoline in the evening. Here is what I ate on day 3.
- Breakfast ~ a fasting bar and herbal tea
- All day Long – you mix up this energy drink based on you body weight and sip it all day long
- Lunch ~ soup, olive oil, almond/kale crackers, and a vitamin/mineral supplement capsule
- Afternoon Snack ~ just herbal tea – no food!
- Dinner ~ soup, olive oil, and more herbal tea
How did I feel? Great! Not hungry as the food felt quite satisfying but it did feel like I was slightly missing something. I was conscious about sitting and enjoying my meals with no distractions, but my mouth was missing textures and tastes.
Day 4 of Fasting Mimicking Food
Hello Wednesday. I enjoyed another fabulous night of sleep. Tonight I rode the Metabolic Bike, practiced Vitality Flow yoga and took my evening walk outside. Day 4 has a bit more food. Here is what I ate on day 4.
- Breakfast ~ a fasting bar and herbal tea
- All day Long – you mix up this energy drink based on you body weight and sip it all day long
- Lunch ~ soup, olive oil, vitamin/mineral supplement capsule, and olives
- Afternoon Snack ~ olives and herbal tea
- Dinner ~ soup, olive oil, and a little chocolate crispy treat
How did I feel? I am looking forward to the experience of eating my normal foods again but appreciative of the energy, clarity of mental thought, and the extra time to make things happen in my business.
Day 5 of Fasting Mimicking Food
Hello Thursday and my last day. I felt really energized during Whole Body Vitality. My evening walk was delightful. Day 5 is rather like day 4. Here is what I ate on day 5.
- Breakfast ~ a fasting bar and herbal tea
- All day Long – you mix up this energy drink based on you body weight and sip it all day long
- Lunch ~ soup, olive oil, vitamin/mineral supplement capsule, and almond/kale crackers
- Afternoon Snack ~ just herbal tea
- Dinner ~ soup, olive oil, and herbal tea
How did I feel? Pretty damn good. Very glad that I did this. I am looking forward to chocolate still. I am also looking forward to finding a new balance to my eating that I did not know I needed.
What About Supplements and Bioidentical Hormones?
Supplements are meant to fill in the nutritional gaps that are missing from your diet. Supplemental bioidentical hormones for a perimenopausal or menopausal woman are crucial messengers and bring instructions to the cells for how to be healthy.
So what did I do about supplements while I was eating the fasting mimicking foods? Day 1 I took my normal supplements because I thought I should. Day 2 I thought “maybe I should see if I feel worse without them” so I skipped them. Day 3-5 I didn’t even think about taking them. Since then I have reduced what I take and only take them when I think about them.
Bioidentical hormones continued as normal because I know how crucial hormones are for initiating biological processed within the body. Cells take their instructions from hormones and I wanted those healing instructions!
When to Do a 5 Day Fast
When wellness is on the forefront of your mind, there are lots of potential good times to set aside for you 5 day fast. My suggestions are:
- January! Ride that New Year’s Renewal vibe – order yours in December as a gift to yourself
- Your Birthday – focus on refreshing your body to honor one more trip around the Sun
- Spring – a great season to detox – just as the plants!
- After a period of over indulgence that lasted “too long”
- Anytime you feel like you need a big boost to feel better not older
Ready to try the Fasting Mimicking Diet from Prolon? Go for it!
