ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet Review — What's All This Buzz About....

Have you wondered about whether you should try fasting? There is a lot of information available lately about different types of fasting protocols and maybe you have thought about learning more about this trend. You may have heard the term “intermittent fasting”. There are many versions of this but it basically means time restricted eating as well as calorie restricted eating. If you eat your first meal at 8am and your last meal at 6pm, then your eating window was 10 hours and your fasting window was 14 hours. If you want longer hours of fasting, then you decrease your eating window to a shorter time period, like 6 hours for example. Then you would have an 18 hour fast. You get the idea. There are many versions of this type of fast. One great resource for more information on this is a book by Jason Fung, MD called “The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day and Extended Fasting”.

Today I am writing about a type of fast called a “Fasting Mimicking Diet” (FMD) and the product called ProLon. www.prolonfmd.com This is a prepackaged 5 day plan that has extensive research behind it and was developed by Professor Valter Longo, PhD from the Longevity Institute of the University of Southern California. From the ProLon website: “ProLon is a 5-day dietary program that nourishes your body while promoting regenerative and rejuvenating changes, including supporting healthy levels of a wide range of physiologic markers that contribute to aging, such as cholesterol, inflammation and fasting glucose.”

The benefits of this kind of fast are that it is easier to tolerate than a pure water fast. Research has shown that it helps your body enter a stress resistant mode. It helps trigger autophagy, which means the body’s method of cleaning up old and damaged cells and supports cellular renewal. There has also been research showing the benefit of FMD in cancer patients who are on chemotherapy by protecting healthy cells while allowing the chemo to target cancer cells.

I have done this particular fast 4 times in the last 1-2 years. I am currently on day 5 of my most recent experience. When you order ProLon, it arrives in a box (see photo) with an empty water bottle, instructions and 5 boxes that are labeled for each day. Everything you need for 5 days is included in the box. The instructions are super clear. The ingredients of each food item are very clean-primarily plant based, no additives, preservatives or chemicals. Everything tastes good, so even though you are “fasting” and your calories are restricted, you do not feel totally deprived. I do not usually feel hungry during the 5 days, but the evenings seem to be the most difficult for me. When I decide to do a ProLon fast, I am committed to not cheat at all, because I want to get the full effect of the program.

Each breakfast includes a nut based bar that is tasty and satisfying. Tea is also part of breakfast and the kit includes both spearmint and spearmint lemon each day. Lunch is a dry packaged soup that is mixed with water and cooked on the stove. Some days lunch includes kale crackers and or olives. Most afternoons the snack is just tea, and some days includes olives. Dinner is another package of soup and on some days includes a choco crisp bar. The soup flavors are Minestrone, tomato, quinoa mix, mushroom, and vegetable soup. On day 2-5 there is also what is called the L-drink which is a concentrate containing vegetable glycerine that you add to your 32oz water bottle(included in kit), and then flavor with the hibiscus tea that is also included.

What I like about the ProLon fast: I usually lose several pounds in the course of 5 days. This time of year I am dealing with post holiday weight gain, so it was good timing for ProLon. I notice that it resets my appetite and diminishes cravings for a while after I finish the program. My metabolism feels like it has been reset too. I haven’t done pre and post labs in order to document other changes, but I always lose weight.

What is hard about ProLon: I have to find 5 days when I don’t have trips, or events or dinner plans or anything else that might derail my 5 days. I have to be committed to not cheating at all. Since I don’t get terribly hungry, this hasn’t been a problem. I have to make myself drink 2 bottles of water/hibiscus tea for a total of 64 oz for the day. And I do tend to get constipated when I am eating less and not on my routine magnesium. So I add my magnesium to the program when needed. I also get more frequent headaches during the FMD that may be part of the detoxing effect or due to the lectins that are in the different food items. It is gluten free, but not lectin free.

I am not an affiliate of this product and therefore have no financial interest in this company. It costs $249 per box and sometimes there is a discount if you subscribe to the program and have the box shipped more than once. I signed up for two shipments per year and paid less because of that.

So, there you go! If you have questions, feel free to ask.

Resources:

www.prolonfmd.com website for ProLon information and purchase
“The Longevity Diet: Discover the New Science Behind Stem Cell Activation and Regeneration to Slow Aging, Fight Disease, and Optimize Weight” by Valter Longo, PhD