The ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) Review

Why I Chose to Try ProLon FMD

I first heard about Dr. Valter Longo, the creator of the ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD), in the 2012 BBC documentary Eat, Fast, Live Longer but brushed his “Fasting Mimicking” plan off…it sounded interesting but too good to be true.

In early 2019, I was working with Dr. Perlman, an Integrative/Functional Medicine doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Florida, helping him set up his Integrative & Functional Medicine Clinic. As we were talking about his vision for the clinic, I mentioned that I’ve been doing semi-annual fasts since 2015. He said he was interested in implementing a fasting program for some of his chemo patients. He said Dr. Valter Longo’s research showed that fasting can help reduce the negative side effects for chemo patients. He went as far as speaking with Dr. Longo directly.

This re-sparked my interest in Dr. Longo. If Dr. Perlman found legitimacy to it, there was definitely something to it.

I then read Dr. Longo’s book The Longevity Diet, and his Five Pillars of longevity really resonated with me. In the book, he outlines his Fasting Mimicking Diet, wherein you consume very low amounts of calories for five days as a way to experience the benefits of prolonged fasting without abstaining from food altogether.

After several years of suffering through 5-day water-only fasts, in June 2019 I decided to try the FMD and it was a complete game-changer for me. You can read about my first fasting experience and why I choose to do the ProLon FMD in this article.

Price : $249 for a 5-day meal kit

About ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet Meal Kits

ProLon is a 5-day meal kit that come in five small boxes (one for each day) that include plant-based energy bars, soups, a variety of snacks, drinks, and supplements, all studied and carefully designed to nourish your body and support healthy levels of metabolic markers, cellular rejuvenation, and healthy aging.

The ProLon FMD mitigates the burden and danger of water-only fasting by providing a tasty, convenient and safe dietary program that does not require ongoing lifestyle changes, such as long-term dieting.

ProLon stimulates:

• The body’s protective and stress resistant mode
• Autophagy for the clean-up of old and damaged cells
• The body’s natural process of cellular clean-up and cell renewal

While most people can safely practice time-restricted eating, periodic fasting may be more appropriate to do under the guidance of a physician. As a safer alternative, Dr. Valter Longo has pioneered an approach that may recapitulate many of the same effects of prolonged fasting with a hyper-low calorie, low protein, higher fat diet stretched out over a longer interval of five days – a diet called the Fasting-Mimicking Diet. Fasting-mimicking recapitulates humans’ ancient patterns of exposure and response to famine and feast, providing a means of cellular renewal and disease protection.

— Dr. Rhonda Patrick, Found My Fitness

Interesting Fact

ProLon’s olives require armed guards during harvesting and transportation (they are the most delicious olives I’ve ever eaten).

The Science

ProLon is the first and only clinically tested, doctor recommended fasting meal program. Over $36 million and 20 years of extensive studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and conducted at the Longevity Institute and Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute of the University of Southern California resulted in the development of the first FMD (ProLon).

You can read more about the different fasting options and how ProLon differs in this pdf.

Self-Experiment

What I measured:

Stats

• 131 hrs of fasting
• Lost 8.6 lbs
• Muscle: +1.0%
• Fat: -2.5%

Takeaways

• Easiest fast I’ve done since 2015; minimal hunger, great mood and energy the entire time
• I didn’t need as much sleep as normal; significantly more deep sleep than normal; naturally woke around 5am
• On day 5, I was blown away. I took my morning diagnostics and the results were the highest they’ve ever been. Sleep score, deep sleep %, readiness score – all high (see last 3 pics). My deep sleep has been higher than normal all week.

What I Like About It

• Compliance is much easier than water-only fasting.
• Rigorously studied with over $36 million and 20 years of research.
• Much easier and more enjoyable than water-only fasting.
• Easier psychologically than water-only – something to look forward to when meal time rolls around.
• Sleep was significantly better than water-only fasting.
• Muscle preservation has been validated by clinical trials.
• Very convenient; no guessing, researching or weighing/measuring or thinking of any kind.
• Stress-free (just add water).
• You get dessert (cocoa crisp)!

What I Don’t Like About It

• Some people may feel eating a low amount of calories can be a “tease” and will make them hungrier than when they just drink water. I did not feel this.
• It requires a financial investment.

What My Wife Thought (She Did It Too)

• She thought it was pretty easy, no energy dips or extreme hunger.
• It was super simple to follow.
• It was easy to do if you’re a busy parent and also have a full time job.
• The food tasted much better than it looked.
• She did feel bloated sometimes which I believe may be due to the inulin in the soup.

Conclusions

I’ve done both ProLon and water-only extended fasts, and I personally feel ProLon is much easier and much more enjoyable (I’m an affiliate for ProLon so I do earn a commission if you purchase through my link but it’s because I’m passionate about the product and really believe in it). My personal opinion is to consider ProLon if:

• You’re looking to preserve lean muscle and don’t want to strength train during the fast (ProLon is specifically formulated to preserve lean body mass).
• You’re an athlete wanting the benefits of fasting but looking to maintain muscle mass.
• You’re female since the female body is more sensitive to caloric restriction than male physiology.
• You’ve struggled with extended fasts in the past but still want the benefits of extended fasting.

If you’re fasting for mental fortitude, gut rest or spiritual reasons, water-only may be a better option.

You can consider water-only fasting or a DIY ProLon FMD but keep in mind they have not been tested to the same rigor as ProLon’s clinical trials, along with the potential health risks and safety issues that they present. There is also no guarantee of results like the results shown in ProLon’s clinical trials.

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Additional Resources

• My First Fasting Experience (and How You Can Reduce the Suffering for Yours) article
• How to Fast Without Starving or Losing Muscle – Valter Longo’s ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD)
• Fasting Expert Interview with Dr. James Kelley: ProLon for Athletes and High Performers
• My Step-by-Step Guide to Start a Fasting Lifestyle

Try ProLon

To get the best price on the ProLon 5-Day Meal Kits and a free gift, go here https://troydelaney.com/prolon.

You’ll also get:

• My 10 Tips for Completing an Extended Fast download
• Optional complimentary coaching session with a ProLon dietitian or nurse practitioner
• Free shipping

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Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase. Oftentimes, I’ve worked out a discount for you. Please understand that I have experience with all of these products, and I only recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.