In May of this year, I was invited to an event to learn about ProLon, a Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) which uses a specially designed food programme to keep the body in a fasting state.
At WY, we’re keen to investigate anything which can enhance our life spans and age us more healthily – it’s how we’ve come to adopt such rejuvenating treatments as our signature HydraFacial and remodelling Profhilo. Since ProLon has been shown to promote a number of health benefits related to fasting, I was eager to try out this FMD myself and see if it’s something we’d like to introduce at WY.
What is ProLon?
ProLon™ was developed and clinically tested by a team led by Dr Valter Longo at the University of Southern California’s Longevity Institute, a research centre which combines multidisciplinary ageing approaches to enhance the human health span, the healthy part of life. Based on their research, Dr Longo and his team created a meal programme comprised of nutritious, plant-based ingredients that you eat for five days.
The FMD has been incredibly formulated so that during this time, even though you’re eating, your body is able to stay in fasting mode. Studies have shown that fasting can have a positive effect on a number of health-related issues such as promoting normal cholesterol, inflammation and fasting glucose levels.
Taking the FMD for a Spin
Last Friday I began trialling the five-day FMD. Initially I thought I’d be writing about each day individually, as ‘crash’ diets like juicing or the aloe vera C9 cleanse often cause highs and lows that vary from day to day. However, whilst ProLon™ may be calorie restricted, it is not a crash diet – and you don’t experience the side effects of one (or, at least, I didn’t).
Everything you need for the full five days arrives in one box. Inside, there are five boxes numbered 1-5 (one for each day) and a water bottle with some supplements. The instructions are clear and concise; all you really need to remember is that you can only consume what is in your designated box for the day. I would suggest following their meal plan, as it covers the day nicely. It’s also important to note that the boxes contain different foodstuffs, so you must take them in the right order and you cannot swap anything out into another day.
Essentially, the diet is made up of bars, soups, olives, kale crackers and a chocolate crisp bar (plus herbal fruit teas, supplements and a special drink). You won’t have each of these items every day – the foods you eat depend upon where you are on the plan, and some days you have more than others. If you’re anything like me, you’ll take a look in each box and wonder if the contents are really going to get you through the day, but I assure you – they will. Plus, you’re allowed one tea or coffee each day, and each of the soups and bars are unexpectedly tasty (the nut bar was my favourite, the olives were my least).
The WY Verdict
Five days later and I’m six pounds lighter. I feel bright, clean and awake. During the course of the FMD, I did experience some tummy rumbles, but it wasn’t anything crazy. This was by far the easiest ‘diet’ I’ve ever done. Surprisingly, there were no headaches and no irritability, which is normally a given for this kind of thing. The biggest surprise of all was that I slept beautifully each night and was remarkably alert during the day. The five days flew past – to be honest, I was slightly disappointed when it came to an end.
Research suggests is that if you complete the ProLon FMD for 3 months in a row (that’s fasting for five days, eating normally for the rest of the month and repeating another two times), your biological age will be reduced by three years. To me, this is amazing. I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t want to turn back the clock with some internal rejuvenation. Having felt the benefits of my FMD experience last week, I will definitely be continuing ProLon during the next two months.
WY is so much more than just a skin or facial clinic – we care about your comprehensive health, and take every measure to help you look and feel your best (including trying out the latest research-based treatments ourselves!). For more information on my experience with ProLon, please feel free to get in touch by emailing me at anna@waterhouseyoung.com.
