Will do an AMA soon. DIY FMD, taking it extremely seriously. Will publish data as soon as possible, including bloodwork. Already seeing amazing results.

If anyone (especially a diabetic - but truly, anybody) has question, ask away. My question is: Who has been tracking their bloodwork, including insulin levels, blood glucose levels, and other biomarkers for multiple cycles? Saw one or two people in the past but can't find them on here now.

Hi

I'm on day 3 of the prolon 5 day fast. My order arrived with a box of the prolon shakes and it said in the booklet I could have one everyday. Is that right?

I had one the first 2 days but just want to make sure it's allowed and if not have I ruined the fast?

I have a friend whose mother has stage III breast cancer and is currently undergoing chemo. I have discussed the benefits of FMD + chemo with my friend but she says the doctor is concerned about weight loss during chemo. I know Longo is well aware of this concern and that part of the logic of developing the FMD and Prolon was to reassure doctors that a standardized, safe protocol could be "prescribed."

That said, one still needs to make the case to a doctor that FMD + chemo is likely advantageous. Has anyone has come across a good document laying out the evidence for FMD + chemo that a patient could bring to a meeting with her oncologist? (Obviously there are scientific papers but I'm imagining something that summarizes the latest evidence and includes citations to the scientific literature.)

Just opened my 5 day box to go through it and planned to start tomorrow. FYI: first time. The plan card shows algal oil x2 on day 1 morning and x1 on day 5 morning but I can find nothing labelled algal oil in the day boxes or main box. Am I missing something? Note: the packets of NR-1 tablets were loose in the main box, rather than in the day boxes and the tape holding one side of the main box looked like it had been peeled off and then put back, almost as if the supplements had been forgotten and then added at last minute before shipping but still missed the oils. Everything else looks right by the plan card. Am I missing something or are they likely missing and I need to contact their support? Annoying, as it really worked for me to start tomorrow. I’m guessing the oils are a key part of it? Thanks in advance

Edit: I’ve just noticed the legal/ingredient label for the algal oil has been taped over and covered on the outside of the box. Does this mean it’s not actually required or part of the plan? All the details on the instructions and plan card include it though…?

Edit2: I called Prolon support and basically: “We’re having issues importing the algal oil into Canada at the moment so, if we don’t have enough already in stock and with long enough shelf life, we are just removing them from the boxes. It’s not an essential part of the program and you can just follow the rest of it without the oil.” They really should include a note to explain the absence but there you have it, in case anyone else in Canada has the same question…

Searching for DIY FMD options, I came across this thoughtful PDF with "Homemade Recipes for the Fasting Mimicking Diet" by the California Center for Functional Medicine. It doesn't appear anyone has posted the URL before so I thought I'd both share it and ask if anyone has thoughts and or comments on the recipes? I will probably do my second FMD in the coming week and will report back if I use any of these recipes.

Homemade Recipes for the Fasting Mimicking Diet: https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/5714482/assets/Resources/fasting-mimicking-diet.pdf

For context, I'm doing FMD for long term health and fitness (rather than a current illness) and so am less concerned with precisely duplicating the Prolon offering and more focused on good options in terms of taste, low glycemic load, satiety and sustaining ketosis at ~30% of normal caloric intake.

Okay… i know this is only my first round but am completely convinced everyone is lying and this is all fake 😭 (partly kidding)

My husband is struggling pretty hard, even almost feels like his fibromyalgia has been triggered (hasn’t been since he had covid two years ago)

My headaches and stomachaches are the worst. Also the after taste from the soups is gnarly. When does it get better??

Just had the soup for lunch and feeling really full? So far, so good!? Will I hit a wall??

Any tips & tricks welcome please :)

I will note I did the terrible Medifast (now Optavia) diet for several years… so the food taste in the 5 day kit is wildly better than the 5&1 meals I’ve had in the past!

I'm just beginning day 4 of my 2nd round and feeling so lousy. Round 2 is supposed to be easier but that hasn't been my experience at all. My stomach feels bad, I think the mint teas trigger my acid reflux so I'm suffering with that. I couldn't drink the L-drink yesterday because it kept giving me waves of nausea. When I take the vitamin supplement I keep tasting its contents when I burp, which also makes me nauseous. I am weak and shaky and I have constant headaches. My muscles all ache today and I just feel awful. I am doing in-service training and it's not easy fitting this program around work, school and 2 kids.

Would it be bad to throw in the towel and use my remaining boxes as 1-day reset fasts 2-4 times per month? What's the science on this regarding autophagy and health benefits? Prolon sell 1 day boxes, so there is presumably some science behind it, but I haven't found anything as solid as that backing up the 5 day fast. It would fit so much better with my life though.

I'm just exhausted and feeling sick and wondering why I'm putting myself through this. Any input from seasoned FMDers would be great.

I've done nine rounds of Prolon over the past six years or so and it felt good (though it was hard!). Last year I started taking tirzepatide (brand names: Zepbound/Mounjaro) to treat my chronic obesity and metabolic disorder. It's been an absolute life-changer and now I'm in a healthy weight range. Now that my weight is stable, I'd like to do three rounds of Prolon for the cellular benefits, but I've been unable to find any recommendations or insight about doing Prolon while on this medication. I understand no one can give me medical advice--I asked my doctor about it and she knew nothing about Prolon, so I had to educate her--but I'd love to hear personal stories if any of you have done Prolon while on a glp-1/gip medication. Thanks.

I did three a year and then some. After the first one or two boxes, the soups became unbearable. I love FMD and actually want to do it monthly. It wasn't about the cost of Prolon, the food just tastes terrible afer the first 1 or 2 times. I love the tomato and mushroom soup and think really those are the only two they should include. I will keep doing FMD, but will do it with real food. This is what I came up with after a few days of tweaking with AI. Hope it helps others.

https://preview.redd.it/r65ye20abtbe1.png?width=729&format=png&auto=webp&s=77adab1408048cc79249e39ebdec0603e180a2c1

Most research seems to be on the effect of 3 rounds of fmd. However we're advised that if we're relatively healthy then we could do one round quarterly or 6 monthly.
I was just wondering if any of the papers show the benefit of one cycle? Other than a few people sharing their personal experiences such as quantified Bob, I haven't come across it.

Thanks

What are best practices post FMD (past the transition day) regarding protein intake, diet, exercise, and such to maximize the results of the refeeding stage/stem cell production. I’m looking at day 7-day 14. Thanks in advance!

This is my first Prolon fast I made it to day 3 but definitely questioning if I will make it to the end. I hate the taste of the soups. I tried the first couple days but could never get past maybe 5 spoonfuls. They have a weird aftertaste and texture. I also don’t eat olives. I tried one the first day and I nearly gagged.

I haven’t been out of my house since the first day and now I have to be out my house the next couple days. I’m questioning if I will have enough energy to leave my house. I am dragging and at the same time feeling dizzy. I broke down and had some seaweed this evening. I know it’s not in the box but I needed something. I wasn’t hungry the first couple days now when I watch shows and people are eating- I salivate. Not sure I’m cracked up for this fast.

Hey All,

So I didn't find much content about the Next gen so I thought I would write my experience!

This is my day 6, I started over christmas as we weren't doing much this year. As I sit with the glucose running through my veins again I thought I would note my experiences.

For those that dont know, next gen seems to be a new product (although I haven't done prolon in about a year).

My background- I'm a fairly healthy and active mid 30s male. I've been doing FMD both DIY and Prolon since late 2016. Roughly twice a year, except these past 2 years where I only did it once. I'm pretty much vegan, but do drink kefir and I wont say no to a rare treat which contains milk!

This is the link to it, not sure which countries its available in: https://prolon.co.uk/products/prolon-next-gen

In summary, Prolon say: "ORGANIC version of the Fasting Mimicking Diet. With ProLon NEXT GEN, characterized by limited sourcing and the use of organic ingredients from Italian farms, each soup offers an authentic taste and aroma. Made with advanced technology that preserves macro and micronutrients, our soups enhance the organoleptic qualities of the starting ingredients, retaining their genuine flavor and nutritional properties".

So first up, the pack

Same tried and tested box, snazzed up a little. They've done away with the bottle and they also now provide a booklet. It does contain some information which the older packs didn't (like what happens everyday), but I think I did prefer the older layout. It had info on the benefits, who can and can't do it, the nutritional info and the routine in a more easier to read layout in my opinion. I remember in the very early versions they used to give tips which aren't there, but maybe they were on the QR code which I didnt bother scanning. Still not a big deal though.

The food

Morning bar and coco crisp bar

The morning bar and the coco crisp bar seem smaller which was saddening because they were my favourite parts! I feel like the morning bar size difference may have made me feel hungrier in the mid morning more quickly, although every fast is different so maybe it was just how my body responded this particular time.

Soups

The soups were MUCH better. I used to hate the minestrone and minestrone and quinoa soups, but i did not find any of the soups that bad this time. They come in liquid form so you just heat them up by emptying them straight into a pot.

The improvement in soups was big for me.

The Olives

these seemed drier and less tastier this time around. But they did their job I suppose

The Teas

Pretty much the same as previous

The kale crackers

These came in a bag instead of a tray. This meant they were more prone to getting crushed. However if its better for the environment and means less plastic waste then its fine. Taste was similiar to previous ones i've had, although I want to say maybe they a little more bland?

The experience

Every fast is different and I've been doing more aerobic base training, so my body is going to metabolise fats differently this time compared to previously.

Day 1:

I usually go through day 1 and feel like I havent really fasted at all. I often continue with my normal working schedule. However this time, I felt pretty tired and a bit weak by the afternoon. I was better by early evening and went for a long walk to help me get into ketosis on the subsequent days. My sleep was pretty good on this day

Day 2-5

Normally I would break down the days as I would usually find day 2 and 3 harder and 4 and 5 pretty easy. However this time the days were more or less similiar.

I would usually wake up feeling pretty good, having slept well most nights. However by around mid morning ( I would have breakfast at around 9 am), I would feel a bit tired and a mild hunger would set in. The hunger was mild and gnawing in the background, but the tiredness would come and go in waves. Usually after the evening soup (around 6.30pm) I would feel great and full of energy. Not sure what was going on there really. Day 4 night it was actually difficult to fall asleep.

I do think I reached ketosis on these days because I had a deep sleep, good mental clarity to get through random admin, I had a feeling of being thirsty pretty much everyday and I did also have the funny taste/breath at times. Unfortunately my glucose and ketone strips had expired so I wasnt able to track these, but something for next time. I didnt bother tracking my weight or waistline this time.

I do suffer from eczema and I have found previously it would flare up during the fast and then become much better a day or 2 after. This time I didn't experience that much of a flare up, but mild redness.

I was tempted to extend the fast to 7 days, but multiple sources from the prolon forum and here have advised against it.

I think from here on I'll try and follow Prof. Longo's technique of 2 meals a day.

I think thats everything. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment below if you have any queries.

I've been wanting to try the FMD for years, now I finally did! I'm so proud of myself and happy that I've done it.

I consulted some posts in this sub for inspiration and want to give back with my own ideas and experiences.

Based on other reports, I decided to buy everything beforehand, prepare soups on day 1 for all breakfasts and dinners, and a relatively simple salad with olives and avocado for lunch each day. I added in about an ounce of nuts. Regarding liquids, I drank about 1L of water with glycerin, and 2-4 cups of tea.

I prepared the mushroom and the butternut with quinoa soups according to these recipes: https://empoweredbeyondweightloss.com/soup-recipes-for-the-fasting-mimicking-diet/

I didn't like the mushroom soup, but I don't like mushrooms in general. The butternut quinoa one was great though.

For lunch, I made a salad with around 250 kcal. Most days 50g of Rucola (raw) and 50g of Spinach (steamed), plus 200g of cucumber, around 50-60g of Avocado, 10 black olives and 150-250g of steamed Cauliflower (better for the diet) or Broccoli (better for my tastebuds). This ended up being a huge amount that I could only serve in 2 different bowls, and it took me 2-5 hours every day to finsh the entire salad. I didn't enjoy the Rucula as I don't like it, but it happens to be sold in convenient 50g bags. On the last day I replaced the greens with red cabbage and that was much better, both for my tastebuds and my stomach.

I'm around 160 pounds so I could eat a little more according to the guidelines. I aimed for less than the upper limit to account for measuring imprecisions.

As I menstruate, I spent a lot of time investigating the best moment during a cycle to do fasting, and found that it appears to be during ovulation, so in the middle. I always expected it to be at the end, but well, I happened to be ovulating around day 1/2 of the fast so perfect timing. I'll report back on whether the length of my cycle was impacted at all in a few weeks.

As for supplementation, I took a little more than the original plan.

So I took an omega 3 capsule for breakfast, and a multivitamin and mineral for lunch, every day, and around 8-16ml of Glycerin with about 1L of water throughougt the day.

In addition, I took a Vitex supplement for lunch and dinner, that I need to take regularly for PMS. I don't think that would have any impact on the fast.

First thing in the morning, I had a cup of green tea with a scoop of modified citrus pectin. This helps with detoxification and should support the fast. On most days I also took some zeolith powder between breakfast and lunch, another agent supporting detoxification. These are especially useful during diets as they speed up the excretion of anything that the body "dissolves" due to the calorie restriction.

I've had negative experiences with vegan diets in the past (intolerable headaches, rendering me unable to even stand up after some weeks), and even on a normal diet require significant amounts of Carnitine, so I took a pill with 500mc of Acetyl L-Carnitine with breakfast. Carnitine is built with methionine and lysine, two essential amino acids very scarce in the FMD, so I was reasonably scared of feeling ill.

As multivitamin/mineral pills usually have low calcium and magnesium, as was my diet, I took a little more of those minerals.

I also saw some evidence that in the past, the Prolon package included extra methionine and cysteine in their supplement. So aside from L-Carnitine which I took each day, I also took a supplement with N-Acetyl-Cysteine on days 2 and 5. Coincidally, the days I felt my best. This might have had an impact on my results.

Last but not least, I took a melatonin pill on days 1 and 5. Melatonin requires tryptophan, which is also very low in this diet. So this might have made a difference.

I didn't have any supplement with omega 6, so I ate some walnuts every day as a snack between lunch and dinner (I had the macadamia nuts and almonds with lunch and dinner, respectively).

Day 1: 1073 kcal (8% protein, 47% carbs, 45% fat)
I felt a bit lightheaded and weak, but alright. Could work out almost normally.

Day 2: 760 kcal (9/45/45)
I felt great. My best and favorite day on the diet. Yoga was perfect.

Day 3: 752 (9/44/47)
I did not feel good. Some light headache, general sensation of weakness, some dizzyness, hunger. I did some yoga but it was much harder than usual, easily out of breath, muscles aching with minimal effort.

Day 4: 768 kcal (9/45/46)
Not good, but better than day 3. Did more yoga than on day 3 but again, had to take some breaks and I broke a sweat for just getting into down dog.

Day 5: 760 kcal (7/49/44)
I felt quite well. Yoga was still challenging though.

Curiously, except for day 3, hunger wasn't an issue. I also didn't feel like eating anything else, except for bread sometimes.

My stomach, bowels etc were very happy, except with the volume of the salad during the first days. Extending the eating time to several hours helped with that, as did exchanging the rucola/spinach combo for red cabbage (lower volume). No issues with digestion or anything like that though.

Weight loss has been approximately 1 pound per day.

Today, on day 6 or transition day, I am totally fine. Struggled to finish my 400 kcal breakfast (fruit & nuts), so I don't think I'll eat more than 1200 kcal today. I could have continued on the FMD for another couple of days I think, but I'm also looking forward to feeling strong again so it was a good idea to finish as planned.

In the past, after reading dokter Valter Longo's book on longevity, I did several times FMD to loose weight but mainly for the other health benefits it provides.

Nowadays I dont need nor want to loose weight, since my weight is stable and healthy as it is. (I had Gastric Bypass Surgery almost 2 years ago, and have stable weight for at least a year now).

I do have a severe chronic illness (ME/cfs) and I want to do FMD again 3 or 4 times a year for the health benefits that it offers. Unfortunately I cannot find any information about FMD for people who have had weight loss surgery.

Does anyone know if there is any information about this and where I can find it? Others here who underwent GBS or another WLS and doing FMD? What is your expierence?

PS Before surgery I was eating almost 95% plant based, post-op I became vegetarian again, adding diary products daily to my diet and eggs 2 times a week approximately.

Due to ME/cfs I have a very limited energy problem, and I might not be able to reply to all comments (if any).

Thank you ❤️

I liked the structure but hated the soups

If I ask this in the ulcerative colitis Reddit group, they will rip my post apart. No one wants to talk about alternative medicine in that group. I would love to hear success stories! Or experience in general!

I was about to start a 5-day FMD today (Prolon) and I realized my kit expired in April. If it were canned beans or something, I'd care less, but Prolon has vitamins and micronutrient pills (algae oil, eg) and obviously you're fasted and these are more critical times..Prolon's disclaimer is "use within 3-5 months of purchase"; what's the consensus here? Still worth it or recycle for snacks? :) Thanks for reading!

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since I've been on this group because I had a baby. I am finally starting to feel more like myself and thinking about using Prolon to try and lose some baby weight. Has anyone done this safely with good results? Was it very hard while also taking care of baby?

I know I can't do it while I'm bf but thinking of starting once I wean. Would love to hear any success stories.

Also, asking because I saw the Black Friday Sale has started.

The code FREDDIE15 still works but doesn't seem to work anymore in conjunction with a sale.

I've been using the older (pre-expanded-variety) FMD for quite a while, and I am considering trying the expanded-variety FMD, largely because the addition of extra virgin olive oil seems useful. Can anybody tell me how much EVOO is in the expanded-variety FMD - per day, or for the whole five days?

hello everybody, I’m not new to the FMD but I have a doubt on two foods:

• green apple. should it be excluded? too much sugar?
• pumpkin (not the seeds but the pumpkin itself). is it too much sugary?

thank you!

First of four scheduled ProLon fasts. For reset purposes. The food wasn't awful. I did not like the spearmint teas. However, I normally eat a healthful diet. Plus supplement with lots of Vit C and quercetin. Before I was through the fifth day, I developed a sudden onset cold. Out of nowhere. I haven't been ill in over five years. Seriously, not even a sniffle. I have been laid out for five days. Fever, chills and a cough that has left me feeling like I have broken ribs. The question: Has anyone else had a complete immune vacate?

My boyfriend and I are considering doing the prolon 5 day fast, however I’m a little concerned that I’ll faint or something. I’m 5’7 and weigh 110 lbs. I work out 4-5 times a week, but I’m hesitant to work out while I’m doing the fast because of this. Has anyone else who is underweight tried this and what was your experience like?

I am currently doing prolons 5 day FMD and I also wear a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) which I wear for weight loss, not for diabetes or any other condition. I am on day 2 and every time I have had the powdered soups I am experiencing a big blood glucose spike (equivalent to what I would get after eating something sugary). This was very unexpected given this diet is supposed to put you into ketogenesis. Does anyone have any insight to why this would happen and does the company purposefully do this for some reason? Since I want this program to be effective as possible I am considering switching out the soup or just skipping it all together. Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Okay just here to report that yesterday was day 3 for me and it was the first day I felt crazy. Not with hunger, but just absolutely loopy - I kept reading a sentence in my book that didn’t make sense, and it was because I was reading “away” when the word was “okay” if that shows you what I mean by LOOPY!

But - I am feeling incredible day 4! I feel light again, more comfortable in my clothes already, refreshed and honestly just exactly what I was hoping I would get out of this program.

I just wanted to continue the string of hope others have created here that is truly inspiring and what made me push through.

My results started to alarm me, so I’ve started to add a few (100 or so) calories back into my diet:

This morning (48h since starting): 0.5 mmol/L This evening (end of day 3): 6.0 mmol/L

I’m really pleased to see that I got into ketosis, even though I’m still eating 800-1,000 calories per day (ProLon plus some additional vegetables of my own).

When I’ve checked after a 24h water fast I don’t have any ketones. So, this is new to me.

That said 6 mmol is a lot and way above any “mild-ketosis” amount (internet says 1-3 mmol). So, I will keep adding vegetables to each meal to try to keep myself in the mild zone.

Have any of you used similar strips to track your level of ketosis?

Started the ProLon 5-Day box and wanted to ask people here if they’ve ever either:

• Winged it a bit…adding broccoli or other vegetables to the meal plan? The ProLon website says not to do this, but I work out for 60-90 minutes daily and burn many more calories than the average adult, and am already low BMI

Or

• Simply created their own?

I eat really healthy all the time, and so it’s been strange to suddenly have to eat highly processed food with so little fiber compared to how I normally eat. Within one day I had acid reflux, headaches, etc.

I watched this video by Dr Sten Ekberg (https://youtu.be/wvzB2DHNSsQ?si=xfJT1SRaaQeFsor0) and he laid out the framework: half the calories, low carb, low protein.

His suggested meals: soups, salads, stir fried veg all sound healthy and tasty.

For me, I could keep the vegetables and healthy fats and salads from my daily diet, and just skip meat, dairy and legumes for 5 days and I think I’d match the framework described about directly. I know my stomach would greatly prefer such natural ingredients instead of highly processed foods.

Keen to hear what people have done here? Thanks

Edit: I went and read the About section for the subreddit. Sorry, should have done that first. OMG, thank you. It makes me so much happier to see that framework and know that I can indeed do this regularly, but with my own choice of ingredients - just within the calorie and macro framework laid out. Thank you