A couple of Mumsnetters have asked me about doing Prolon...

[loveyouradvice]

so I've typed up my tips for a first timer from doing 8 rounds in case they're helpful to any one... Here goes - quite long!

A few Prolon tips for a first-timer

I’ve now done it 8 times, and they’ve all be relatively easy apart from the first, when I made a few rookie mistakes.

Suggest you:

• Sign up to the Fastination facebook group which is full of Prolon-ers and great advice
• Consider watching the daily videos from Audrey Zona, Link here
• Chose which 5 days to do your fast, so that you’ve not got too much on and aren’t doing intense exercise from Day 2 on, and ideally don’t have a demanding Day 6

Know that:

• They recommend ONLY having what is “in the box” apart from these if you need them:
• I cup of coffee, 1 tsp of salt a day, painkillers
• 1 tsp of one of a handful of herbs and spices such as cumin or paprika
• Prescribed medicines – but not vitamins, supplements etc
• If you feel a bit headachey, having .5 tsp of salt with water when you get up helps
• They are clear you can eat what you want when you want from the box:
• They suggest meals and what you eat when, but it’s only a suggestion
• I’ve found it best to just have 4-6 “meals” spread through the day, so break the bars up into little bitesize bits, have a few olives now and then, and often mix both soups together in one pot (some are much more flavourful than others)
• They are keen you throw away excess FMD drink: I’ve kept my unopened bottles so that then I can do a DIY version: it’s the only thing that’s not easily replicable
• Soup preparation: they’re much nicer if you give them time to get rid of the “packet” taste: I simmer them for around 15 minutes before eating, whisking with a handwhisk, leaving my pot on the stove to come back to, others leave to soak overnight
• FMD drink – do add hibiscus tea if you prefer the flavour

Prepare well so that you’re not caught out:

• They suggest using these 5 days as a nurturing time, doing less than normal, enabling your body to take full advantage of autophagy which starts towards the end of Day 3
• It’s normal to not feel very well on a couple of the days, and then have wonderful clarity and energy towards the end
• Exercise: nb you may be quite tired on days 3 and 4
• Its easy to do on day 1 when you have a fair number of calories
• They suggest NOT doing lots of exercise as it may interfere with autophagy and prevent your fast being as effective: they recommend just gentle exercise like walking and yoga, and definitely not building up a sweat
• Eating and drinking to prepare:
• They recommend fairly clean eating in the days leading up to your fast, and give detailed recommendations
• I started my first one the day after a large Sunday lunch with friends, with rich food, pudding and wine.... I felt really awful on days 2 and 3, like I had flu
• What I now do, which seems to work:
• No meat for 2-3 days before, just fish and poultry
• No sugar for 3 days before, except 85% chocolate, apples and berries
• No dairy for last 2 days, apart from a small amount of kefir
• No alcohol for several days before

Unexpected side effects

• Your skin will probably become beautifully soft & blooming,
• You may sleep less well
• You may get headaches, fluey feelings and other surprising symptoms: all normal
• I had a body rash develop and excess phlegm

Yup, ridiculously long so hope it helps someone!!

Thank you so much @loveyouradvice. Really interesting I am really surprised by the tip to have small mini meals but can see how that would really help with when you are mind hungry.

Thanks @loveyouradvicefor this. I have been reading about the FMD. Does anybody have sample plans if you were doing a DIY version. And assuming that the 5 is necessary for full benefit but has anybody done this for less and still found benefit.

@Clearingaspace mini meals work for me - but others like to start late and have fewer but more substantial meals

@fastingaway I haven't done a DIY version yet... there is lots on the internet about it, but the simplest is the one Valter Longo proposes in his book - essentially just a certain weight of veggies each day, and of nuts. Possibly olive oil and olives too - can't remember but intending to try it one day. And yes the 5 days is necessary for the full benefit - he says autophagy really only starts late on Day 3 (timing varies depending on individual) so then gives you 2 days and 3 nights of autophagy. I'm sure though that less days helps in other ways - especially if one's focus is weight loss!

Thank you @loveyouradvice. I will check out his book. Even Dr Fung recently has been talking about the merits of fasting mimicking and when he has done 5 day fasts he has recently been including vegetables. Prolon is quite expensive hence looking at other ways to do this. And I’ve never done a fast beyond 48 hours so would want to be able to stick to it without any social commitments.

Yes he gives a very simple DIY version in his book!

Great advice by the OP. Another Valter Longo fan here.
One way to do the 5 day FMD if you are short on funds is to buy one kit for one week and do it the "proper" way, one time. The kit comes with some leaflets you can keep etc, listing menus for the various days and obviously you can see what's in the box, the size of portions etc.
Once you have done it once, the proper way, you can reasonably easily replicate with a bit of thought and planning.

So for example in the Prolon kit there are packets of green olives with about 7 or 8 small olives in. You can just get a jar of green olives from the supermarket and take 7 out. Same for most of the other items. Planet Organic sells kale crackers. You can get some soup in a tin that meets the requirements. And so on.
But obviously you have to want to be bothered to do all this. There is a level at which it's just easier to buy the kit and stick to it!
I think Prolon's pricing is aimed at tech bros. That said, since Ozempic and the other drugs came out, if you were to do FMD say one week per month, the Prolon price compares well to these. The difference is that Ozempic is a drug whereas your typical MNer would probably look at the kit and say "I'm paying how much for some cup a soups and a few green olives?"