I completed the Prolon longevity fasting-mimicking diet yesterday. Below is a quick summary of my experience:
Pros:
-I lost one pound each day for a total of 5 pounds.
-It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.
-It was convenient – all my meals were ready.
-I saved time – no standing in line for a salad at lunch. I could just stay at my desk and power through work.
-I slept well.
-My big toe, which had been inflamed since an injury a year ago, no longer hurts.
-The food wasn’t bad (as far as packaged, dehydrated meals go).
-No exercise allowed.
Cons:
-I got very hungry at exactly 12:30pm and 5:30pm each day. After I ate my meal I felt fine, but I’m not used to getting very hungry like that.
-My head was foggy and I had trouble focusing for the first two days. By day 3, my brain was back to normal.
-My balance was slightly off for a few days. Nothing huge, but I noticed.
-I had to avoid dinner parties (I did attend a cocktail party and drank water).
-No lattes – you can only have one black cup of coffee a day.
-According to my scale, I lost muscle along with fat.
-No exercise allowed.
I would recommend doing this if you are looking to ‘reset’ yourself in some way – weight, inflammation, etc. It does seem to work. My doctor will tell me in a few days if it had any impact on the markers she tracks by blood tests.
If you choose to do this (or a version of it), my advice is to make sure you do it during a period where you can coast at work for a few days, there are no big celebrations, and you can get to sleep early each day. You want to sleep early so that you don’t feel hungry later in the evening.