FASTING WITH FOOD IS POSSIBLE
There are many different options for fasting and the majority of them involve not eating. But, did you know there is a type of fast that allows you to eat food and still reap the longevity and health benefits of a fast completely void of food? This type of fast is called fasting mimicking.
ProLon is a 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Diet that was developed by Dr. Valter Longo, Ph.D. who is referred to as the grandfather of the science of fasting and was named by TIME among the Top 50 most influential people in health. He wrote an excellent book called The Longevity Diet which is a must-read for any fasting enthusiast.
I just finished my first 5-Day ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet and I have to say I loved it! If you have been following me for a while you know how much I love extended water fasting. It has been a part of my life since I saw Dr. Daniel Pompa speak at the Bulletproof conference years ago. What sparked my interest in fasting was when I learned about the amazing benefits fasting provides. There are so many! I shared 6 Benefits of Water Fasting in a previous post if you are interested in learning more!
The ProLon Fasting Mimicking diet is similar to water fasting but with food! ProLon has gone through clinical trials at the University of Southern California and has been patented. The 5-day meal plan is not just any meal plan. It has been scientifically researched to ensure precise quantities and combinations of micro and macronutrients that will provide nourishment but are not recognized by the body as food. This ensures you stay in a fasting state.
BENEFITS OF THE 5-DAY FASTING MIMICKING DIET
There are so many benefits to incorporating fasting into your life. The absolute most significant benefit for me is autophagy. Autophagy is a natural process in which the body clears out and replaces damaged cell parts with brand-new ones. You can think of it as your body taking out the garbage. This is by far the number one reason I have done and continue to do extended fasts a few times a year.
Another amazing benefit of extended fasting is the enhancement of clarity and performance. I feel sharp and can crank through work with more focus when I am fasting. You may think that prolonged fasting without eating or eating minimal food would cause you to become tired and sluggish. However, this is not the case. You may feel a bit more tired than usual at the beginning of a fast or if you are a fasting newbie. However, typically within a day or two as your body adapts you will more than likely find that cognitively you feel sharper and physically you are more energized.
Another benefit that many people who fast are hoping to achieve is weight loss. Weight loss does happen during extended fasting. ProLon has been tested to help people lose an average of 5.7 lbs targeted visceral fat (belly fat), and 1.6 inches of waist circumference while preserving lean body mass. Note: Benefits were seen in a clinical study of the 5-day ProLon cycle once a month for three consecutive months.
Regardless of whether you complete the 5-day fast once or multiple times, to keep most of the weight you have lost off after an extended fast you will need to ensure you continue down the path of supporting your body with a healthy lifestyle. I personally never recommend fasting solely for weight loss alone but instead focus on the amazing longevity benefits. And, if you incorporate fasting as part of your lifestyle, you are sure to achieve a healthy weight.
On the flip side, I do see a fast like ProLon as a helpful reset or kickstart to a healthy eating plan. When you do drop a bit of weight and feel confident, it helps to motivate you to keep the momentum moving. I also think that extended fasting really helps people to be more in touch with what and how much they are eating. Most people lose their cravings after an extended fast. This can be a huge asset at the start of a healthy eating plan or if you are working overall to lose weight.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING
I was very excited when my ProLon 5-Day Fast arrived. I opened it up almost immediately to take a look at what was inside as well as the overall directions. Before receiving my box in the mail I spent time looking at others’ reviews and experiences of the ProLon Fast. This helped me to wrap my head around what ProLon was all about before it arrived.
Once it arrived I schedule it on my calendar! I made sure I avoided any social events that might make the fast more difficult or even derail me. Whenever I commit to a fast, I rarely have problems sticking to it. However, why torture yourself by attending a cocktail party or dinner out with friends? It is better to do an extended fast when you know you have a full 5 days to commit.
I am a designer at heart and if you know my history I worked for more than 20 years in product design and development. Presentation is critical, but so are usability and function. ProLon could not be presented in a more simplistic, easy-to-understand way.
Inside the cover, you will find a big box that slides out, and within are 5 small boxes. Each box is labeled by day (1, 2, 3, 4, + 5). Every day, you remove the small box with the number associated with the fast day, and you will find everything you need for that day inside. In addition, you have a handy laminated schedule that tells you exactly what to eat at each meal. And, the coolest part is you don’t have to eat everything in the exact order shown on the schedule. You can mix things up to your liking. Just be sure to only mix things inside the box for the specific day you are on. You can’t for example eat something from box 5 on day 1.
Overall I was impressed with how easy it is to know you are doing everything right. You have everything you need to complete the 5-day fast and guarantee success!
LET’S GO!
ProLon Fast Day 1
The first thing I want to say is WOW this is so much easier than water fasting. At least this is how I feel on Day 1. Water fasting gets easier the more you do it but for me, the first day is usually the most difficult. Mostly because you are not that invested in the fast. It can be tempting to want to quit early. Once you get through Day 1 you sort of get over the hump and by Day 3 it is smooth sailing.
I don’t typically eat breakfast. My first meal on a normal day is not until after noon. So, I was surprised this morning when I just could not wait to have breakfast. I think it was the excitement of what was in the small packages and what it would taste like! I finished breakfast around 8:30 am. I have to say. I have read some reviews about how the ProLon food does not taste great but honestly, I thought all the food from Day 1 was really delicious.
The one thing I won’t be partaking in daily is the optional cup of black coffee. I love to have a glass of iced coffee with 1 Tbsp pasture raised cream in the morning. While on the ProLon fast if you can’t live without your coffee they allow you to have one 8oz cup of black coffee a day. In their FAQ they explain that this is because coffee can interfere with the beneficial effects of the fast. I am more of a purist when it comes to fasting and I don’t want to possibly alter the overall effects. I mean if you are going to do this fast why not do it exactly as it is recommended to get the most out of it? So, I am saying goodbye to my coffee this week. It won’t be easy but it’s good to do hard things once in a while. Oh, and I should mention you can have as much herbal tea as you want. This helps to keep things exciting.
The only con I experienced on day one was some stomach upset. When I saw inulin as an ingredient in the L-Bar I had a feeling I may have issues. Inulin is a prebiotic fiber extracted from chicory root. It is a very healthy fiber but it can cause bloating and tummy troubles in susceptible people. And, I am. I have never been successful in consuming inulin or chicory root fiber. Even though it bothers my stomach it is tolerable. Hoping Day 2 won’t be as terrible given you only get one L-Bar instead of two.
ProLon Fast Day 2
I woke up feeling hungry but this is pretty normal for me when I water fast too. Hunger signals tend to go away once I get through Day 3. I ate my dinner around 5 pm the night before but today I decided I wanted to try to stick to my normal fasting routine in the morning. Now that I know what is in the packages I can be more patient than yesterday.
You get a bit less food on Day 2 and the addition of the L-Drink which is a glycerol-spiked hibiscus tea that you continuously sip throughout the day from Day 2 until Day 5. This drink is critical starting on Day 2 because your body has started gluconeogenesis. This means the body begins to create energy not from carbohydrates but from other sources such as fats. The glycerin in the L-Drink provides the body with an alternative energy source to use instead of lean body mass. In simple terms, this drink helps to protect your lean body mass while keeping you in a fasting state. This is a cool feature of the ProLon fast. You can drink it in plain water but they include hibiscus tea to make the experience a bit more fun!
Overall on this day, I kept my eating window a bit tighter like I am used to. I did not feel hungry at all besides the morning leading up to breakfast. There was less food today but it still felt satiating and enough. Again this is so much easier than water fasting!
ProLon Fast Day 3
Yeah! It’s Day 3! A lot of people say Day 3 is the toughest day, but for me, when I do an extended fast it is more difficult earlier in the week. I sort of love the 3rd day because once it is over you only have two left!
I slept amazingly last night and only woke up once. With a lot of energy. If it was not 2 am I probably could have gotten up and done a Peloton ride. I fell back to sleep pretty quickly and didn’t wake up until my alarm went off.
One thing fasting does for me is it allows me to re-evaluate the things I have been doing day to day that are not serving me or my goals. My son has soccer most evenings which means late dinners. I don’t like eating late but sometimes there is no other option. I realize my sleep has not been as sound lately and I attribute that to more frequent late meals. With this fast, I have been trying to have my last meal around 4 or 5 pm which is allowing for very restorative deep sleep. This is something I will continue to do most days of the week once my fast is over. In addition to amazing sleep, I am feeling overall pretty awesome! I have energy and mental clarity. Two amazing side effects of fasting.
ProLon Fast Day 4
It’s hard to believe it’s Day 4 already. I had another peaceful night On the night of Day 3, I had both (lunch + dinner) of the soups for dinner. I had a busy day and was not at home so grabbed the L-Bar and crackers to eat on the go. I was pretty hungry by the time I got home around 5 pm. What I am noticing with the ProLon fast is I feel like I am hungry way more than on a water fast. I assume because I am eating something, even though it is small my body is doing what it knows to do which is the brain picking up messages from my stomach that the food I ate is digested and it’s time to eat again. I sort of feel like the small amounts of food being eaten are keeping that cycle alive. Besides a growling stomach here and there my energy is good and I feel sharp. I have found it easier than normal to concentrate on tasks and I don’t feel as distracted.
ProLon Fast Day 5
Day 5 was a breeze! It was the last day and while I was ready to have a cup of coffee with pasture-raised cream the next morning the last day was pretty easy. I slept soundly again and felt energized the next day.
ReFeed Day 6
My re-feeding day was on Saturday. I was excited about coffee but instead of my normal coffee, I had a cup of organic instant decaf with a bit of pasture-raised cream. Before drinking that I had a cup of beef bone broth. I sipped on bone broth most of the day and then for dinner I made homemade tomato soup which was delish! I took it pretty easy on my digestion the first day back.
The following day I pretty much ate my standard diet. I did not have any issues with any of the foods I reintroduced. The re-feed is just as significant as the fast itself. People often make the mistake of eating everything in sight. However, you want to slowly introduce small amounts of easy-to-digest foods on the day after the fast has ended.
10 TIPS + LEARNINGS
Here are 10 Tips + Learnings that I picked up while doing the ProLon 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Diet that may be helpful if you give this plan a try!
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Before any fast, I always set an intention. When I fast, I ask myself WHY am I doing it and what am I trying to accomplish. For me, it is always the longevity benefits. This is why I fast! I also love the feeling of doing something challenging. Not necessarily at the moment but once you finish you will look back and be so proud of what you accomplished. Another intention I have is to continue to push myself and grow by doing things I think will challenge me both physically and mentally.
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Follow the soup directions correctly. You will find that some of the soups have microwave instructions and some have stovetop instructions. The microwavable soup options are finished very quickly while the ones that require a stovetop require a bit over 15 minutes to prepare. I took a shortcut with a few of the soups that were supposed to be made on the stovetop. While they still tasted OK they were not very satisfying. Kind of like flavored water. On Day 3 (yes it took that long) I made the stovetop soup per the instructions and it was a game changer. It thickened up and was delicious. So, don’t take any shortcuts with the soup. It is worth the 15-minute wait!
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Split your crackers up. On days when you have crackers consider eating a few with both lunch and dinner. You could do the same with the L-Bar Coco Crisp. Cut it in half and have half for lunch and half for dinner.
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Change the order of the food you are eating to keep things interesting. Per ProLon’s instructions, you can only eat the food in the box provided each day but the order of the food you consume is up to you. So, you could have soup for breakfast and the L-Bar for lunch if you wanted to. This can help with the boring factor and keep things a bit more interesting.
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Consider eating in a specific eating window. If you already fast every day consider sticking to your normal fasting schedule and eating your meals closer together. This allows you to resist the urge to eat your next meal right away. I will say this though. Listen to your body. If your tummy is growling when you wake up and you feel like you need to eat then do so. There was a day or two that I ate breakfast much earlier than I normally do.
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Drink lots of high-quality water and herbal teas! You can have caffeine-free herbal teas on this program and as many as you like. The hibiscus tea included in this program was my favorite. I am not a huge fan of mint teas but the hibiscus tea was delish. The next time I do this program I will for sure get plain organic hibiscus tea so that I can sip on it the majority of most days. It is just so flavorful and enjoyable that it makes you feel like you are enjoying something special. You can also add more concentrated hibiscus tea to a glass of sparkling water and put it in a champagne glass if you are craving a fancy drink.
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Schedule your fast for when you know you don’t have any social events. For some, it is not a bother to socialize when you cannot eat or drink, but for most, it can be difficult. So don’t torture yourself unnecessarily.
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Inform your family and friends that you are doing an extended fast. You can ask them to support and cheer you on to complete the fast.
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Listen to your body! During a fast, your body is working hard on healing and regeneration. If you are feeling tired take a brief nap and make sure you get to bed at a decent time. If you can, take time during the 5 days for a bit of TLC.
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Cheer yourself on! Find gratitude in the opportunity to fast for a longer period of time. Honor yourself for doing something challenging and amazing for your body.
READY TO GIVE IT A TRY
If you are ready to take the plunge you can learn more about The 5-Day ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet on ProLon’s website.
If you are not quite ready to take a 5-day plunge ProLon also offers a 1-Day Reset Fast which is a great option for someone who wants to try the ProLon fast but is not ready for a full 5-days. The ProLon ReSet is the only scientifically backed 1-day nutrition kit that puts your body in a fasting state. The 1-Day fast is a great way to get your feet wet and gain a better understanding of what to expect from a longer fast.
NOTE: This review is reflective of my opinion and personal experience. I received the ProLon 5-day fast as a gift from L-Nutra. The decision to share my experience in a blog post was my own.
In Love, Health + Gratitude,
Katie
*All of the information included on this site is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. The information on this site is not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, and cure a disease or medical condition. By reading this website you acknowledge responsibility for your own medical decisions.