Prolon – The No Fast Fast – I’ve waited a while to write this, as it didn’t feel fair to do it just before Easter and the usual family feasting and chocolate indulgences. There has been a lot of talk of the benefits of fasting, and its benefits and I’ve tried the 5:2 diet with a degree of success in the past. So when I heard about Prolon, and its ability to mimic a fast, without depriving you of food, I thought I’d give it a try…
I’d been told that I shouldn’t have any alcohol – not a problem. But when I heard that coffee was also not recommended I floundered. However, I decided that it was worth the time and effort to do it properly, so I promised myself that I would eschew any alcohol or caffeine for the five days of my fast-mimicking diet.
So, what is the Prolon Fast Mimicking Diet? Well, it’s a patented, five-day programme, that precisely delivers all the benefits of fasting, but without depriving you of food. It includes meal replacements, herb teas and vitamin supplements to take you through your fasting journey. It promises to trigger the body’s cellular clean up and support longevity. It targets visceral fat while protecting precious lean muscle. It supports healthy metabolic markers and is like a condensed version of the Mediterranean diet for heart health and if used regularly, has the possibility of reversing your biological age by 2.5 years after three cycles, according to a recent scientific publication in Nature.
It was developed by Dr Valter Longo, Director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, who was recognised by TIME magazine as one of the top 50 most influential people in health. As the pioneering mind behind the Fasting Mimicking Diet, Dr. Longo was awarded the first-ever patent on a product for improving healthspan through cellular rejuvenation. His groundbreaking work revealed how cells sense nutrients, leading him to develop the FMD formulation. Through extensive mouse and human trials – 47 to be exact – he demonstrated the powerful benefits of this approach. These discoveries are the foundation of the Prolon product line, designed to bring the science of healthy aging.
The programme is low-calorie, gluten-free, and low-glycemic, recommended for periodic use three to six times per year. The programme includes prepackaged meals that you eat to a set plan. There’s a tasty nut bar for breakfast and then a vegetable soup for lunch and dinner, with fruit teas and supplements plus a couple of snacks like olives or crackers.
My Prolon kit arrived and it looked most impressive. Inside the box were five more boxes, each labelled by day. I’d blocked out a week in my diary – the only thing in my calendar was the AGM at our local sailing club and that should be okay as no meal is involved!
There are weekly group coaching with longevity dietitian’s that are free to join and very interactive. There is also a customer service team run by dietitian’s whom you can call with any queries. I found this very helpful.
Well, reader, I survived it, and to be honest, I rather enjoyed it. I had a problem not having my early morning mug of Earl Grey (switched to a herb tea) and I had to eschew my regular black coffee fix during the morning and after a couple of days I had moved to decaf coffee as the herb teas, while delicious, didn’t quite hit the spot.
The breakfast bars that were included for each day felt very indulgent and, in fact, rather naughty. But I quickly found that I wasn’t that hungry first thing in the morning, so I just ate a tiny bit and kept the rest for later.
The plan encourages you to drink plenty of water, which I did, and it kept me feeling quite full. The soups were all really tasty and, on some days, there was also a bag of olives and a sachet of truly delicious almond and kale crackers. I felt replete. By mid-afternoon I was feeling a tad peckish so had another herb tea and the rest of my breakfast bar. I tended to eat my dinner a little earlier than usual and went to bed earlier as I sometimes felt slightly peckish and wanted to resist the temptation of things to eat in the kitchen.
I’d been warned that I might experience some changes in my body and the first one I noticed was a lack of energy. One is encouraged to take some light exercise like stretching or walking and I felt very sluggish when out walking on routes that I regularly take without even thinking about it. By about day 4 I was feeling very cold – one night I had to get up and put on some socks as my feet felt so chilled.
The sailing club AGM was in fact a really unexpected challenge: for the first time in many years, someone had kindly set up a massive snack buffet at the back of the room. Nursing my bottle of filtered water, I carefully avoided even looking at it and shot off home as soon as possible afterwards.
Here’s what happens to your body on the programme:
Day one: Fasting state. Today, your body starts adapting to reduced calorie intake, depleting glucose stores (your primary energy source) and paving the way for fat-burning and cellular benefits.
Day two: Ketosis. For most, fat-burning is in full effect! By now, your glucose stores are depleted, and your body is fully transitioning to burning fat for energy, or ketosis.
Day three: Autophagy. By now, something incredible is happening—your body is transitioning to autophagy, the natural process that eliminates and recycles old, damaged cells.
Day four: Cellular rejuvenation. Your body is now in a heightened state of cellular rejuvenation, with autophagy in full swing, actively repairing and renewing cells. Fat burning is also at its peak.
Day five: Deep renewal and change. Your body has undergone a significant transformation: Autophagy recycled old cells to replace them with younger, high-functioning components. These cells now function as younger versions of themselves, supporting lasting benefits.
So, what’s my conclusion? Well, while I didn’t lose much weight – just a few pounds (to my disappointment!) But I did feel amazingly healthy and refreshed. People told me I looked really well and indeed I really felt well. I also didn’t really miss the alcohol, but I had planned my week so that the only socialising was meeting up with folk for a walk and a herb tea.
I plan to do it again soon, and I’ve realised that at around £150 it’s a hell of a lot better value than taking yourself to a health farm.If you’d like to try the Prolon Five Day Fast Mimicking Programme for yourself it’s available here
The Seasoned Gastronome