What is the Fasting Mimicking Diet | Fasting Mimicking Diet Benefits | Why DIY the Fasting Mimicking Diet | 5-Day Meal Plan | Weight Loss Testimonials
Imagine you could have the benefits of fasting without completely avoiding food. Sounds too good to be true, right? Now, there is a new fasting method that promises exactly that and delivers results. It’s called the Fasting Mimicking Diet and it’s gaining popularity for good reasons. We will cover the Fasting Mimicking Diet Plan (DIY) and show the weight loss you can expect.
The problem that many people have with traditional fasting is that it can be very difficult to follow. Whether you try fasting for weight loss or other health benefits, it’s challenging to stick with it to see the full range of benefits.
This is where Dr. Valter Longo, a professor at the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California saw a need for a more accessible and realistic diet plan which also provided the health benefits of fasting. He created the Fasting Mimicking Diet which is a diet with calorie restriction and a specific balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fats.
While Dr. Longo now sells a version of the Fasting Mimicking Diet, called the Prolon Diet, there are ways to practice the Fasting Mimicking Diet yourself at home. This article is for those that may not want to purchase the prepared foods under the Prolon Diet but still want to try a DIY version to see the same results!
You’ve come to the right place because in this article we will discuss the ins and outs of the Fasting Mimicking Diet, the health benefits of the Fasting Mimicking Diet, how to DIY the diet at home, and a 5-day meal plan to help you get started. Finally, we will take a look at real people who experienced weight loss results after following the Fasting Mimicking Diet plan. As well as decreased belly fat, better blood sugar levels, and reduction of chronic diseases.
What is the Fasting Mimicking Diet?
The Fasting Mimicking Diet (or FMD diet) is a type of diet where limited calorie intake and a specific combination of macronutrients from plant-based foods mimics many of the effects that fasting has on the body.
Fasting simply means calorie restriction or reducing calorie intake for a specific period of time. Different variations of fasting have been developed over the years and a specific type of fasting called Intermittent Fasting has increasingly gained popularity more recently.
Many people try Intermittent Fasting for weight loss as well as other health benefits such as fat loss, improvement in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Intermittent Fasting is popular because it is more of a schedule of when to eat versus a diet that tells you what to eat.
While there are many different types of Intermittent Fasting, some of the more popular schedules include the 16/8, alternate day fasting, and 20/4
To learn more about Intermittent Fasting as well as its many benefits, check out this complete guide to Intermittent Fasting.
So how does the Fasting Mimicking Diet differ from traditional forms of fasting like Intermittent Fasting? Simply put, most fasting methods put the body into a fasting state due to a complete restriction of calories.
With the Fast Mimicking Diet, the body isn’t in a complete fasting state because you are still consuming a reduced amount of calories. However between the reduced calorie intake and the low-carb, low protein, and higher fat content of the meals, certain cellular pathways are activated that imitate a fasting state.
This means that certain growth pathways, like insulin-like growth factor, are not activated due to the specific range of fat, protein and carbohydrates. Typically, a complete fasting state or complete ketosis is not achieved while on the Fasting Mimicking Diet, even though some ketone bodies may be produced due to the low-calorie nature of the diet.
Here is the breakdown of calories and essential nutrients for each day of the fast:
Day 1: 1090 kcals and 34% carbohydrates, 56% fat, 10% protein
Days 2-5: 725 kcals and 27% carbohydrates, 44% fat, 9% protein
With decades of research in longevity at the University of Southern California, Dr. Valter Longo is credited with the creation of the Fasting Mimicking Diet. He first published his book, The Longevity Diet, in 2018 which highlights the FMD diet as a way to “lose weight, fight disease, and live a longer, healthier life”.
In addition to his book, he authored several clinical trials to support his claims. Since that time, Dr. Longo has partnered with a nutrition technology company, L-Nutra, to create prepackaged meal kits that comply with the Fasting Mimicking Diet.
It is marketed as the Prolon Fasting Mimicking Diet plan and includes 5 plant-based meals that fit the criteria of the FMD diet. The meal kits contain portioned amounts of meals and snacks that are low-carb, low protein, and moderately high fat. The Prolon Diet includes foods like bars, supplements, crackers, olives, and soups as part of the prepackaged meal kits.
Read here to learn more about the Prolon Diet and Prolon Fasting Mimicking Diet.
The normal range to complete the FMD diet is typically 5 consecutive days and then the individual returns to a normal eating pattern for a period of 25 days. It is recommended to continue this cycle two more times within a 3 month period to see the best results.
What are the benefits of the Fasting Mimicking Diet?
As mentioned above, the FMD diet has some pretty impressive health benefits and also has animal studies and clinical trials to support these claims. Even though weight loss is the main goal for many when starting this diet plan, those with lean body mass can still benefit from the FMD diet.
Let’s take a look at some potential benefits of the Fasting Mimicking Diet.
- Weight Loss. A reduction in body weight is a primary reason why many try the Fasting Mimicking Diet in the first place. It provides a reasonable way to lose weight quickly without starving while also providing essential nutrients.
- Improves cholesterol levels. Cholesterol and LDL levels both improved in participants during Dr. Longo’s study.
- Promotes Autophagy. Autophagy is the repair process that the body uses to repair damaged tissues through cell regeneration. Animal studies show that the FMD diet does promote this type of cell regeneration.
- Reset gut bacteria. Since the FMD diet is a form of severe calorie restriction as well as the consumption of plant-based foods, it allows the gut bacteria to reset by reducing inflammation.
- Prevent Autoimmune Diseases. Some studies suggest that diets such as the Fasting Mimicking Diet play a role in the destruction of autoimmune cells as well as enhancing the effectiveness of certain autoimmune and cancer treatments.
- Lowers Blood Pressure. Blood pressure levels were shown to improve for those that followed the FMD diet which also improved cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Why DIY the Fasting Mimicking Diet?
While the Prolon Fasting Mimicking Diet offers the convenience of pre portioned meals and snacks, it can be costly especially for those who repeat this cycle over the course of three months. Additionally, some concerns have been made over the processed nature of the meals and snacks found in the Prolon Diet.
If you are used to eating primarily whole, unprocessed foods, then you may be hesitant to jump into a diet plan that relies heavily on processed foods. This is a primary reason why many people choose a do-it-yourself approach to the FMD diet. A DIY approach gives the benefits of the Fasting Mimicking Diet, while also eating real, whole foods.
It’s important to remember a few tips before starting an at-home version of a Fasting Mimicking Diet Plan:
- It’s always a good idea to check with your healthcare provider before starting any new diet or fast.
- Make sure to stay properly hydrated throughout the fast with plenty of water and even herbal teas
- Plan out your meals and snacks in advance to make sure you have the right foods on hand. Have a good selection of healthy fats, lean protein, and fruits and vegetables in your meal plan to ensure you get all of the essential nutrients during your FMD fast.
5-Day Meal Plan
Now that you are ready to start your Fasting Mimicking Diet Plan, let’s take a look at what a sample 5-day meal plan might look like.
Note: Since these meals and snacks will be made at home, calorie amounts and serving sizes may vary. It’s important to track calories according to each day’s allotted calorie amount. Apps such as MyFitness Pal can be helpful when tracking calories. Let’s start with the first day below. Base your Calorie count on your daily caloric needs.
Day 1
- Breakfast: Avocado toast (with whole grain, low calorie bread) + omega-3 supplement
- Snack: 1 cup blueberries
- Lunch: Salad with mixed greens, quinoa, and avocado (use lemon juice/olive oil for dressing)
- Snack: 10 olives
- Dinner: Vegetable stir-fry (with broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, brown rice, olive oil, olives)
Day 2
- Breakfast: Smoothie (spinach, avocado, banana, unsweetened oat milk) + omega-3 supplement
- Snack: 10 macadamia nuts
- Lunch: Salad with mixed greens, quinoa, and avocado (use lemon juice/olive oil for dressing)
- Snack: ½ cup cantaloupe
- Dinner: Split pea soup + whole grain, seeded crackers
Day 3
- Breakfast: Chia seed pudding (use unsweetened coconut milk) + omega-3 supplement
- Snack: 1 cup blueberries
- Lunch: Vegetable Stir-Fry
- Snack: 10 olives
- Dinner: Salad with mixed greens, quinoa, and avocado (use lemon juice/olive oil for dressing)
Day 4
- Breakfast: Smoothie
- Snack: 10 macadamia nuts
- Lunch: Salad with mixed greens, brown rice, and avocado (use lemon juice/olive oil for dressing)
- Snack: baby carrots
- Dinner: Butternut squash soup + whole grain seeded crackers
Day 5
- Breakfast: Chia seed pudding
- Snack: 1 cup blueberries
- Lunch: Butternut squash soup
- Snack: 10 olives
- Dinner: Vegetable stir-fry
Weight Loss Testimonials
Here are some thoughts from those who have tried the Fasting Mimicking Diet Plan on their own and their results:
John: “Overall I found the fasting mimicking diet easier to do than pure water fasting. It was nice to still cook meals and I looked forward to eating something every day instead of knowing that the next meal is days away. My gut felt better and better throughout the week which is great because that was my overall goal for this specific fast. Looking forward to see how it’ll feel in the coming days.”
Jordan: “I have done the Fast Mimicking Diet 4 times… used the Prolon pack twice and then did it myself by eating a combination of avocados, nut bars and soups. Typically I consume 900 calories on Day 1 and then 600 – 700 calories on days 2,3,4,5. and obtain ~75% of my calories from Fat, 10% from protein and 15% from carbs. I prefer the FMD instead of a water fast , as I do not want to lose muscle mass and this approach is easier than a 3 day water fast.”
In summary, the Fasting Mimicking Diet is a combination of one of the low-calorie diets as well as a low protein, higher fat diet. With these two key components, the FMD diet imitates many of the benefits that come with traditional fasting, including weight loss.
While a prepackaged meal kit is available, many have found success in doing a DIY Fasting Mimicking Diet plan. We have given a sample meal plan along with some tips to help you succeed if you choose to try the FMD diet.
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