Category: Motivational

My brother gave me a great book for Christmas.

I’ve been reading about the benefits of periodic 5-day cycles of an FMD, Fasting-Mimicking-Diet, low in calories, protein, sugar but high in unsaturated fats.

In a clinical trial FASTING-MIMICKING DIET AND MARKERS/RISK FACTORS FOR AGING, DIABETES, CANCER, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE 5-day cycles in human subjects were found to produce positive health results including reduction of visceral fat, with no serious adverse effects reported by healthy individuals.

• FMD’s rejuvenate the immune system and reduces cancer incidence in C57BL/6 mice
• FMD’s promote hippocampal neurogenesis and improves cognitive performance and metabolism in mice
• FMD’s cause beneficial changes in risk factors of age-related diseases in humans

Excellent FMD audio podcast available here with cardiologist Joel Kahn.

At Quantified Bob’s blog I found this:

Fasting Mimicking Diet Nutrient Guidelines:

• Low protein and low carbohydrate, with no or minimal animal-derived products
• High macronutrient content (30-50% of recommended daily intake of vitamins minerals, and essential fatty acids, with 50% of them coming from natural sources)
• Proteins from plant-based sources
• Carbohydrates ideally from complex carbohydrate plant sources
• Fats primarily from “healthy” oils (coconut oil, olive oil) and nuts (almonds, walnuts)
• Less than 30g of sugars on day 1, and less than 20g of sugars on days 2-5

At DrAxe.com I found an FMD list:

Foods to Eat:

• nuts
• olives
• veggie soups
• broth
• rice cakes
• nut bars
• tea
• raw veggies/fruit

Foods to Limit:

• animals (don’t eat your pets!)
• starchy plant carbs (miss them!)
• coffee (no more than 1 cup/day)

Prohibited Foods:

• Alcohol

At foreverfreefrom.com you can click on “Google Sheets FMD Do-It-yourself file” and click on “Food” on top of page to see a spreadsheet listing a 5-day menu.

Lazy? You can go with a boxed version of this 5-day program, Prolon FMD, meticulously measured and developed by the USC research group.

And here is a nice list of homemade FMD recipes. The blogger, Josh Mittledorf, recommends

• 3 of these meals on day 1
• 2 per day for days 2 thru 5

Here is Mittledorf’s review of the 5-day program.

Another sample menu is available here.

Okay, well you know I’m not going to add a bunch of processed fats (oil) to my diet, but I’m going to try a loose adaptation of FMD by essentially

• reducing portion sizes
• slightly increasing avocados/nuts
• eliminating most processed carbs

for 5 consecutive days. Research suggests that adhering to a 5-day FMD 3 or 4 times per year is sufficient to produce positive health results.

Dr. Longo’s research reportedly used treadmills to avoid loss of muscle tissue during 5-day FMD’s. I will continue my daily weight lifting (with slightly reduced weights), and do a light jog for at least 30 minutes per day on my mini-trampoline.

I’m very nonchalant about this, I’m not going to take measurements, I’m not going to do medical tests, I’m just going to play with it for the next 5 days. And when/if I get hungry before it ends – I’ll eat! Join me? As always, if you’re under the care of physicians check with them first. 👍

UPDATE AFTER DAY 1:

EXERCISE:
* Standing desk 4 hrs
* Mini-trampoline jog 30 min

WATER:
(3) × (25.4) = 76.2 oz

EATS:
FASTING-MIMICKING-DIET: Day 1 of 5
* green tea w/ lemon
* sliced apple
* soup (veggie broth with half a small potato, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, chicory, lemon, little Ethiopian seasoning)
* more of same soup w/ half an XL-avocado on side

… SUN HAS SET …

Comments:

I’ve only completed day 1, and a lot of the hunger is psychological at this point. I’m keeping busy with math stuff, reading, jogging on my mini-trampoline while watching the Science channel on TV! I’m drinking massive amounts of water, some tea and veggie broth, so I’m peeing all the time. I think knowing that it’s only going to last 5-days will make it bearable. I’ll update here after day 2.

UPDATE AFTER DAY 2:

EXERCISE:
* Lift rockbottom
* Standing desk 7 hrs
* Mini-trampoline jog 30 min

WATER:
(3) × (25.4) = 76.2 oz

EATS:
FASTING-MIMICKING-DIET: Day 2 of 5
* rolled oats, water, fresh blueberries, sliced XL-almonds
* African stew (whole wheat couscous, sweet potato, chickpeas, tomatoes, XL-peanut butter, lots of veggies)
* small green salad (w/ broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, chicory & rice vinegar)

… SUN HAS SET …

* soup (veggie broth w/ broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, chicory, lemon, pico de gallo and an XL-avocado on side)
* two XL-almonds in shell

Comments:

I wasn’t very happy with day 2. I had to work hard to discipline myself not to fantasize about food. I developed a slight headache. Not sure if its physical or psychological, but I read on Mittledorf’s review (linked above) that headaches are not uncommon for day 2. It probably doesn’t help to be around the lovely scent of various off-limit foods while my family lives life as usual. My energy level is not bad. I lifted lower-body at the gym and only decreased the weights slightly. The mini-trampoline jog/bounce is fun, a pleasant distraction from my standing desk math work. I’m doing 10 minute rounds whenever I need a change in scenery. I am grateful to have found Mittledorf’s recipes (linked above). I’ll be trying some of those on day 3.

UPDATE AFTER DAY 3:

EXERCISE:
* Lift lunch sisters
* Standing desk 8 hrs
* Mini-trampoline jog 60 min (done in 10 min intervals interspersed throughout the day)

WATER:
(3) × (25.4) = 76.2 oz

EATS:
FASTING-MIMICKING-DIET: Day 3 of 5
* green tea
* 1 rice cake w/ ground XL-almond (butter)
* stir fry (red peppers, green peppers, onion, broccoli slaw, kale, ginger, garlic, 1/4 package rice noodles) sauteed in low salt veggie broth, low salt soy sauce, rice vinegar, few drops of XL-sweet teriyaki sauce
* raw radishes & half an XL-avocado on side
* one mini energy nugget (dates, sesame & sunflower seeds, soy powder (GMO-FREE), cocoa powder, almonds, cocoa XL-butter, evaporated cane juice, chocolate liquor, soy lecithin emulsifier, vanilla)
* rolled oats, water, shaved XL-almonds & blueberries

… SUN HAS SET …

Comments:

I feel great today after day 3! No headaches, lots of energy. I feel that my food was satisfying. I ate it slower, and enjoyed it much more. I was able to lift upper-body at the gym with only a small decrease in weight… not because I was tired, I was just conserving energy. I completed oodles of paperwork at my standing desk, and did 6 rounds of 10-minute jogs on the mini-trampoline. Deep in my mind I suspect the joy I was feeling today was in knowing that I’ve passed the halfway mark. Only two more days to go. Now I am sure I will finish this thing! Bring it on…

UPDATE AFTER DAY 4:

EXERCISE:
* Micro-needle face & back of hands
* Facial cream massage w/ negative ion / red light photo / deep vibration therapy
* jog on mini-trampoline 30 min

WATER:
(3) × (25.4) = 76.2 oz

EATS:
FASTING-MIMICKING-DIET: Day 4 of 5
* 1 rice cake w/ ground XL-almond (butter)
* fresh blueberries
* green tea
* one mini energy nugget
* soy curl stir-fry (Butler’s soy curls, onion, garlic, ginger, broccoli slaw, shredded brussel sprouts, coconut, spices) served over wild rice/lentil mix

… SUN HAS SET …

* leftover stir-fry and rice combined
* raw radishes

Comments:

I felt a little guilty yesterday on day 4 simply because the food was so delicious! I don’t think it was calorically dense, soy curls only provided 100 calories for lunch and 100 for supper, and approximately the same for each bed of rice/lentils. I’m not really counting that closely, but soy curls and rice prepared the way I did were stick-to-your-ribs great! The guilt might also have been due to the fact that I ate after sunset. That’s easy to do since days are so short in winter. Although I went to sleep with an unusually full belly, my fingers are not bloated this morning. (That’s how I gauge whether I ate too late, ate too much salt or gassy food.) But I’m not hungry this 5th morning of my FMD. I think I’ll just have some green tea and wait until lunch time to eat my new favorite quick breakfast – almond butter on rice cake with fresh blueberries. By the way, I grind my own almond butter in my market’s bulk food section… so there’s no added ANYTHING! Okay, here we go with the last day of the fast! 👍👍👍

UPDATE AFTER DAY 5:

EXERCISE:
* Rest

WATER:
(3) × (25.4) = 76.2 oz

EATS:
FASTING-MIMICKING-DIET: Day 5 of 5
* green tea w/ lemon
* 2 rice cakes w/ ground XL-almond (butter)
* fresh blueberries
* 2 bowls of veggie tortilla soup (w/ water, low sodium vegetable broth, low sodium pico de gallo, drained red beans, fresh chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, vegan soup flavoring, shredded brussel sprouts, broccoli slaw, chopped kale) serve with baked corn tortilla strips & XL-avocado

… SUN HAS SET …

Comments:

Okay, five days done… I feel like Wonder Woman! Looking back I can see it wasn’t much different than my regular Project Waistline program. It was much more disciplined though! The main thing was I had no bread, no sugar and I adhered to strictly restricted portions. Doesn’t that say something positive about Project Waistline? If we’re already fundamentally doing the FMD we should be in pretty good shape! Some people suggest that you do the 5-day fast once a month. Others insist that every 3 or 4 months is sufficient. I think it’s an excellent psychological tune-up. After completing it I am encouraged to be more conscious of the details in my regular daily diet. As I exited the gym this morning I told a woman who was leaving at the same time, “This is the best part of my workout!” She wholeheartedly agreed. Just finishing something as challenging as a workout, or a five-day FMD, is a significant victory. My last bit of advice:

• Sip on lemon water/green tea
• Have fun, make it a game
• Distract yourself, get a hobby
• Constantly remind yourself it’s only 5 days
• Celebrate your victory when it’s done!