Last week, I suggested a do-it-yourself version of Dr Longo’s FMD diet, and offered sample recipes. I want to clarify that this version was not authorized by Dr Longo or his associates at USC. In fact, they have a large team with expertise in different aspects of health, nutrition and aging, and they have developed a specific package of prepared foods and micronutrients, intended to be administered under a doctor’s supervision.
The package will soon be available as a kit from L-Nutra Corp, marketed under the brand ProLon. This specific diet has been tested in a clinical trial, and the results reported in a research article last month.
I designed the recipes on a spreadsheet, and adjusted quantities to recreate the calorie content and the proportions of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, and oils) closely matching the FMD. But I know nothing about the actual ingredients in the Pro-Lon package, or the supplements they contain. The ingredients have not yet been announced, and my recipes haven’t been tested in a clinical trial.
I am enthusiastic about the FMD idea, and I am trying it myself this week. I certainly encourage you to do the same, and I believe that five days of light vegan meals with limited protein and a high proportion of fat is likely to be safe and healthy. This is my recommendation, and not endorsed by Dr Longo.
Link to list of recipes, created with data from USDA nutritional database, in cooperation with Enid Kassner.
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Good luck. Keep us posted. ^_^
Today I ate also something not authorized by Dr Longo or any other doctor. A big hamburger with lots of mayonnaise 🙁 Your post will get me back on track, will check the recipes 🙂
Hey Josh,
So I just finished reading the Longo FMD paper. My main interest in this diet is because I would like to improve my cognitive performance. Oddly, the study which was divided into mouse and human sections, examined cognitive changes in mice, but not in humans. I wonder why this is. I can’t imagine doing some limited cognitive testing would have been terribly challenging, on the contrary I imagine it is easier to test cognition in humans than in mice… So my question is, do you know of any studies that examine the effects of intermittent fasting on cognitive performance, as well as how long these effects last after fasting? Also do you have an email?
I’m finishing day 2 of a 5-day FMD program, in the version that I described based on vegetables and nuts. I can tell my cognitive performance is not as good as when I eat. It’s hard to concentrate, and I make mistakes I wouldn’t make if I weren’t hungry with low blood sugar.
Whether the simple memory tasks that are asked of mice are related to the tasks of creative problem-solving that what we call cognitive performance in humans is deep question.
I fast for 16 hours daily, skipping breakfast. Two years now. I’m a writer and start at 7:30am and have noticed no difference in cognitive performance in the mornings from before. Afternoons, it’s much the same as before, a decline with tiredness – I don’t write pm
But then it is the start of the day, and I’m bright and fresh. I was concerned there may be fall-off before I started.
Josh, thanks for the info. I am also trying to do this diet this week. It is difficult to keep my protein under the limit. So many things that provide carbs provide more than 4:1 protein too! Here is what I am eating today:
cal/fat/carb/protein
744/ 46/ 60/ 18 — 1 Avocado, 3x40cal Instant Miso, .5 Head Cabbage, 1T Oil, 3-8oz bag Radish, .5lb Celery
I travel, so I need to have very portable food. I find Miso Soups to be quite magical for this diet.
You can get hot water from any coffeeshop, and carry multiple days supply with you.
I am thinking about interspersing a weight loss fast between the rejuvenating fasts.
My guess is that decreasing the fats and increasing the proteins would lead to greater satiation. (at the moment I could like to chew the arm of this near by chair (grin… I am on day 2))
Do you have a diet you would recommend for weight loss fasting?
thanks for putting your info online!
–dan
The FMD is not intended for long term. Not enough protein. But intermittent fasting (or intermittent FMD) has benefits above and beyond long-term calorie restriction.
Fasting doesn’t work for me for weight loss, and the same is true for others, from what I hear. In fact, any diet that makes you feel deprived and relies on will power is unlikely to work. That is to say, it does not work for 95% of the population. [ref1, ref2]
So the advice I always give is to experiment until you find the diet that works for you. There is a reason that there are literally thousands of diet books out there. Keep experimenting and don’t give up.
Personally, I eat a low-carb, high-fiber vegetarian diet. I eat fruit freely but avoid bread, grains, potatoes and pasta. I fast one day a week, Wed night to Fri morning. This works for me, but you have to find out what works for you.
Here is my weight loss page, and here is my Aging Advice page, including diet and other suggestions.
Thanks Josh. I am on Day 4… how is your week going?
Yes, I understand there is not enough protein in this diet (or enough calories) for long term adoption. There are intermittent fasting diets that are designed for weight loss… I don’t know how well they work. But the 5:2 diet and several diets that argue for getting calories in a narrow daily window are both essentially fasting style diets.
I notice that (1) it is hard for me to loose weight, but not so hard to maintain weight. (2) once I am denying myself enough food that I am hungry, denying myself more food does not seem to make me much more hungry. this has cause me to consider whether some form of IF would be a logical strategy for me. not sure which if any strategy would be good for weight loss w. less effort.
but this weeks diet is focused on shifting blood markers — and frankly just to see if I *could* fast for 5 days.
I am curious, did you test blood markers before this fast? I did not, and now I am regretting that!
–dan
I did not have blood tests before or after my fast. Next month, I plan to do the program again, but I don’t think I’ll look for blood tests. Does anyone know if the test for naive T cells is something you can routinely order from a lab?
Hey Josh, just in case you still wondered on this one flow cytometry is the go to method for specific cell counts within peripheral blood immune cells and is in widespread use, though is specialised, common eg to monitor HIV/AIDS patients CD4 counts in disease progression.
I did test my bloods before and during 5 day water fast, before 12mmol down to 3.9mmol at end of fast, lowest for 9years! Of trying diff things, never had medication or told Dr my problems, just believe it is possible to sort it 🙂
Thanks for the blog. I found a great site to let you meal plan for the FMD. You do have to create an account and set up a profile though (free). See http://www.eatracker.ca/my_profile/my_dashboard.aspx
I’m ignoring everything but the meal planning section. You create a meal, e.g. “FMD breakfast” and start adding foods. Add this to your breakfast and you can see the nutritional breakdown of the entire meal at the top of the chart for your meals. Add on for lunch, snack, dinner, etc. This way you can keep a running total of the day to figure the right meals for you to meet the FMD levels.
Now, I have done the blood tests and I am not very satisfied.
I have been doing the periodic fasting since december 2014. Initially I did 3 day long water fasts every two weeks then in March I switched to one fast a month, Day1 1000 kcal, Day 2-4 < 200 kcal (essentially cucumber, tomato and avocado).
I have lost weight, feel and look much better and younger.
I am 40, male. 79kg as of now (down from 84).
Unfortunatelly I havent made bloodworks before the start of the fasting cycles, but I have several blood results going back to 10 years.
Have to add that right before the blood test was done, I cycled about 10 km in the summer heat slightly uphill with an empty stomach.
At the time of blood test I was 2.5 half week into refeeding, that included a 10 day summer holiday with binge eating. I picked up more than usually and was resting all the time.
So the results are not so good.
My total cholesterol and LDL shoot up. It used to be 5.2-5.5, now it is 6.6
My blood count worsened, especially the erythrocytes.
I used to have RBC 4.9, now 4.55 (reference is 4.5, but that is for female)
hematocrit 44-45, now 39.8 (below reference 40%)
mean corpuscular volume down 87 from 89-90.
I am trying to convince myself that it was because of the holiday and the cycling (heat and exercise can pump up plasma volume causing sports anemia). but thats wishful thinking.
Now I have re read the June Longo article about FMD and I have found that he did not published anything about serum cholesterol (neither mice nor human) and nothing about human blood count. These are routine procedures and I am sure they performed them, why havent they published it? I think the reviewers made an enormous mistake here.
For comparison, you might be interested in the findings of Luigi Fontana at WashU StLouis who has studied metabolic benefits in humans who have been on long-term CR.
Link
Now I have bought a kit that can measure serum cholesterol from fingertip blood and I am double checking on the results.
As I said my serum total cholesterol used to be 5.2-5.5 uM (200-210 mg/dl) in the past 10 years, After doing the Longo diet for half a year, my blood test showed a marked increase to 6.6uM (254 mg/dl). The test was done on refeeding day 17.
As far as I know standard medical wisdom holds serum cholesterol does not vary much. Now came the surprise.
I measured my blood cholesterol several times a day from refeeding day 6. And the results are astonishing – my serum cholesterol varies like crazy within the day from 148 mg/dl to 264 md/dl.
Actually I found an article from 1960 that there exists people with such varying total cholesterol
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/22/2/247.full.pdf
I was actually easily able to reproduce my high reading at the clinic. In the morning my fasting cholesterol was 190, then I jogged half an hour without eating and it shot up to 260! After breakfast it went down to 235. Next day it started from 185, then after breakfast it went up to 235.
Seems like both fasting and exercise raises fasting cholesterol for me. (or even just stress, or other daily activity).
Anyway the takeaway is that this is just another riddle that the medical community does not pay much attention to. Why do I have such varying cholesterol and why other (most?) people dont? Maybe this could teach us some lessons someday.
As for the Longo diest my cholesterol readings are probably inconclusive. I have to repeat conditions similar to when my previous blood tests were done. I have to be fasting and not exercising but commuting and measure my cholesterol several times.
re: The importance of diet and the gut microbiome…
I established a forum thread about 2 months ago to discuss the complex and biologically intimate relationship between NF-kB Activation and Telomerase Expression. IMO, there’s no getting around it…
http://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/79109-moderated-nf-kb-telomere-length-telomerase-and-healthy-longevity/
Plenty of study references at that forum thread for each of the bullet points below…
— It’s statistically improbable that the existing science around the NF-kB and Telomerase relationship can be falsified.
— During aging, there is a (metaphorical) Leak of Vagal Tone, i.e., an increase in NF-kB Activation/Expression and reductions in Heart Rate Variability and Telomere Length. These processes are linked…
— A significant explanation of the Leak has to do with Uremic Toxin creation in the Gut that gets into the Blood Circulation. These Uremic Toxins increase NF-kB and are associated with Chronic Kidney Disease, that disorder having been found to be a kind of model of accelerated aging.
— The Blood Factors found in a few couple Heterochronic Parabiosis studies (TGF-b1, ccl11, B2M) turn out, either to be Uremic Toxins themselves (e.g., B2M) or can be inhibited via NF-kB Inhibition.
— This is good news… Because, it turns out, we know something about these Uremic Toxins and how to inhibit them (e.g., via a better diet (e.g., the Mediterranean diet and via AST-120, an activated charcoal formulation).
Thank you so much for publishing the recipes. I have wanted to try this. Naive question, what is the word on things like coffee while fasting?
I think there is caffeine in Longo’s program, but I haven’t confirmed that. All in moderation.
Thanks… And one more question. Any reason an FMD meal couldn’t be based around steel cut oats? Any suggestions for one?
From the FDA web site, the ratio of carbohydrate to protein in steel cut oats (same as oatmeal) is 4. In the FMD, the ratio is 5. This underscores that FMD is a very low protein diet. You would need another starch or sugar source, maybe a few raisins or apple pieces in your oatmeal. In addition, you would have to add something that is pure oil without any protein–butter would taste good in your oatmeal, but it’s not vegan.
Thank you for those parameters, I really appreciate it. Sounds quite doable.
Does the FMD research show to what extent something like a 1 to 4 vs. 1 to 5 ratio of protein to carb will affect results? I imagine that would have been studied in animal experiments. I have to get used to this way of thinking. Would you say it is correct that adherence to the protocol must be very precise, in that if one veers from the regimen beyond a narrow threshold, during the 5 days, the benefits will be largely lost?
I haven’t seen the research that went into this diet. The diet as-is has been validated in people, but to what extent have slightly different diets been tried, and to what extent is this combination found preferable? We don’t know. The data have not been made public.
Since this is Valter’s program and I have a lot of faith in him, I have stuck very close to the 9-47-44 formula in the recipes I published.
In case it’s of interest, this page has nutrition information for steel cut oats: http://www.livestrong.com/article/349995-steel-cut-oats-nutritional-facts/
They say 1/4 cut is 150 to 170 calories and provides 27 to 29 grams of carb, 5 to 7 grams of protein and 3 grams of fat. So, taking the averages and doubling to 1/2 cup one gets:
320 calories, 56g carb, 12g protein, 6g fat
Consistent with your suggestion to add a smidgen of carb and a good amount of fat. I guess the added fat would raise the calories over 360, so have to figure out portion.
A meal can absolutely center around steel cut oats. A recipe is now up on the website using rolled oats, but substituting steel cut oats is fine. Just be sure that the coconut “milk” is the low calorie variety (about 60 calories per cup) – not the much richer coconut “cream.”
It seems to me that the FMD diet proposed by Longo has many similarities with the restricted ketogenic diet proposed by Thomas Seyfried and others, don’t you think so?
The diets shown all consist of foods extremely hard to find and most unlikely to be found in the cupboards and refrigerators of America. And hard to store without them deteriorating. Therefore those diets are EXTREMELY unpractical to be of any benefit to most Americans. Either more common food substitutes should be found or almost nobody will go on those diets.
The recipes shown are for people who like fresh fruits and vegetables, as I do. They’re not as convenient as prepared food. For people who want convenience, get ProLon from L-Nutra.
– Josh
I’ve been meaning to post something and perhaps a reply to this post is an appropriate place to do it. A couple of weeks ago I tried the recipes so generously posted in this blog for 5 days and I could not be more pleased with the results. The ingredients were readily available— cauliflower, onions, garlic, ginger, potatoes, cabbage, avocados, tomatoes, eggplant, tofu, various nuts, spices and oils, the recipes were easy to prepare, delicious and quite filling, considering the low calorie content, and by the end of the 5 days I was down seven pounds, which settled to being down 5 a week later. To the poster of the message to which I am replying, I would respectfully add that when I purchase fresh ingredients such as vegetables and fruits in order to prepare healthy meals, I don’t expect them to have a long shelf life. Further, the recipes posted here are mere suggestions which match what is publicly known about the FMD ratios of protein, fat and carbohydrate. Alternative recipes utilizing other ingredients which might be more readily available to some can easily be crafted. Again, I offer only appreciation in return for what has been so generously posted on this blog.
Thank you SO much for putting these up. I have been interested in this diet not for weight loss, but because of the effect it seems to have on mast cells, as I have a disorder involving these. But it has been very difficult to find information about the diet itself, or to figure out how to implement the diet, and I could not tolerate the pre-packaged diet at all. Too many allergies.
Your list of recipes is really making my life SO much easier. Sincerely, thank you!
Thank you for posting this. I have done my own version of Longo’s FMD diet twice already using Self Nutrition Data. I decided to use your version this time and I’m thrilled with the recipes … they are interesting and delicious. So far I have made the carrot soup, the aloo gobi and the eggplant, potatoes and tofu. I have a concern about the carrot soup though … when I calculated the calories following the recipe exactly, I get 678 calories/portion, about double the calories for the other two dishes. I suspect that the quantity of coconut milk is incorrect, but even with 2.5 oz of coconut milk (less than half), I still get 430 calories and 60% of them from fat versus the goal of 44%. I used half the coconut milk in my version, but it still doesn’t come close to the goal of about 360 calories with 44% fat, 47% carbs and 9% protein. I was wondering if you could take a look at it and double check the recipe?
Karen:
I’m delighted that you enjoy the recipes. I added a note about coconut milk to the recipe and will do so elsewhere on the recipe page. Here’s what I said:
There are myriad commercial products all labeled “coconut milk.” Many of them are much closer to what I’d consider coconut “cream” – they are very high in calories and fat (although quite delicious and can be used in small quantity in FMD recipes). However, all the recipes on the aging advice page are based on the Trader Joe’s brand of unsweetened coconut milk, sold in shelf-stable quart containers. This product contains only 45 calories per cup – yet yields a creamy, flavorful result in recipes. (It also is used in many of the coconut curry recipes.) Other brands are available. Just check the label; some have 60 calories (or more) per cup.
Hi Enid,
Thank you very much for doing the recipes. Where it says peanut oil, is it ok to substitute olive oil or coconut oil?
Can you recommend a scale to measure the oz’s?
I am going to use just a few of these and repeat them to keep the ingredient list and preparation to a minimum.
Might you have a recipe for a miso, veggie soup that would fit the FMD requirements?
thank you!
Anne
I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes. Yes – it’s fine to substitute the oil of your choice in any recipe. I selected oils for each recipe that met my personal taste preferences.
I have taken up your challenge to create a miso-vegetable soup recipe and it will be posted soon. In order to include the vegetables, I could not get the protein percentage below 11% – but I think it’s close enough. If you wanted to get a little closer to the FMD percentages, you could use all turnips, in lieu of the bok choy and mushrooms, which would bring the protein down to about 10%.
The most accurate kitchen scales are digital and can be found online – often in the $15 price range. I imagine large stores such as Target have them in stock. Even my local neighborhood hardware store sells one for under $20.
Thanks, Enid. That explains the discrepency. Are you talking about the Trader Joe’s Coconut Milk Beverage that is sold in the refrigerator case with Almond and Soy Milk? I live in Canada and don’t have a Trader Joe’s close by. I’ve been trying to find the item that you mentioned on the Internet (photo of package and nutritional info) so I can match it with something here – but I’ve only found regular coconut milk which has 140 calories for 1/3 cup and a 50 calorie/cup beverage (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xJ5DoIw1ptw/UdnLs8DRZMI/AAAAAAAAAPM/uu9TFlMCofE/s1600/IMG_2281.JPG). Can you take a look and let me know if this is what you used? I made the rice noodle, bok choy, red pepper and cauliflower dish yesterday. I thought it was fantastic. I love all your recipes. That was the fourth one I made and they’ve all been wonderful.
Karen – thanks again for your comments. I have generally been using a shelf-stable coconut milk from TJ’s. I had mis-remembered the calorie count. I looked again at the label and it has 60 calories per cup (5 g fat; 1g carb; 0g protein). I think any product you can find that approximates these parameters should be fine. There are other brands that are widely available. For example, Silk and SO Delicious make coconut beverages. Checking their labels, they both have an unsweetened version at 45 calories per cup with 4g of fat. You could adjust the recipe by adding another 2 ounces, if you can’t find one with 60 calories per cup.
Small, cheap digital scale
http://www.staples.com/Insten-COTHDIGSCLE1-2-lbs-Digital-Pocket-Scale-Black/product_971691
One meal, consisting of 159 grams avocado, 13 grams oats, 16 grams greens superfood, add up to 362.5 calories, of which 56% from fat, 34% from carbs, 10% from protein, all in the ranges of 44-56%, 34-47% and 9-10% of the FMD study limits. Two meals like these a day are 725 calories.
Hi Christopher,
Thank you for this suggestion. I was looking for something simpler such as this (and I love avocadoes).
Are the 13 grams of oats after cooked? or 13 grams pre-cooked?
Which green superfood are you basing these calculations on? Amazing Greens?
thanks again,
I’ve just finished day 5 and have a few thoughts for next time. I’ll alternate more between soups, salads, curries. I cooked butternut squash recipes too often and what tasted fantastic the first time was hard to eat by the fourth time! I finished the day with the apple-cucumber salad and it was a perfect finish. Fresh and filling. I can’t thank you enough for providing the recipes.
Hi folks,
I think I have found a very simple hack. I used eatracker.ca for calculations.
FMD for days 2-5 asks for 725 calories/day: 9% protein/65 calories/16 gm; 44% fat/319 calories/35.44 gm; and 47% carbs/ 340 calories/ 85 gm.
So 1/2 portion: 8gm protein, 17.5gm fat, and 42 gram carb = 1 pouch Quaker Oats Instant oatmeal maple syrup& brown sugar + 2 tblsp of almond butter. Yummy too!
I’m on day 4 of ProLon, so forgive me if my calculations are off.
I’m in day 4 of my second FMD (I did one at the end of December). I’m doing it with 2 people from work and it’s been really helpful to share the food prep. Interesting that will power is not a factor – I’m not that hungry, it’s only 5 days and when I need a boost I just go online and read the myriad of articles on the health benefits of FMD.
I wonder if there’s a typo in the Apple-almond salad? It calls for 8oz of lettuce & a whole bag of ready-to-eat lettuce is only 5oz. Also the Miso soup calls for 1 oz of wakami. Maybe ours was lighter, but this looked like an overwhelming amount.
All of us agree that the recipes are really great; lots of flavor and very satisfying.
I think it’s right.
Eating a large quantity of greens is a good way to give the feeling of a full meal with very few calories.
Starting my 3rd FMD (I’m doing it once a month). Curious to know if anyone has tried the packaged versions? I’ve got a few friends who are overwhelmed by the recipes (challenged by the ingredients as well as the prep) and would like to point them to viable alternatives.
Hi Josh,
I’m on day two of the FMD using your recipes. I was surprised at how large the dishes are! Thanks for putting this list together. Do you still have the nutrition facts data from when you put them together? I’m curious to find out the calorie content and nutrient ratios of each dish.
Thanks,
Justin
Justin –
The source for all nutritional values is the USDA nutrition web site. The spreadsheet that Enid and I used to create dishes with the right nutrional value is here. A reader kindly contributed a metric version here.
– Josh
This spreadsheet is fantastic.
Wish I’d seen it sooner . . . I spent way too much time creating something similar but nowhere near as good. BTW – I’m about to start my 4th FMD (one a month this year). It will be useful to use this spreadsheet to vary up some recipes. (Thanks!)
Thanks Josh! This is very helpful. One question – why are the extended values multiplied by 28, then divided by 100? I was trying to figure out the calorie/nutrient count on a dish and this threw me for a loop.
The numbers are taken from the USDA database based on 100 grams. there are 28 grams in an ounce, so that’s where the conversion factor 28/100 comes in.
How often is it recommended to do this?
Don’t we wish we knew! The research is quite limited, and what we know is only the short-term effects. Furthermore, the optimal schedule certainly depends on your individual metabolism and your situation. The best we can do is to share our experiences as we create a testing ground for FMD science.
My plan is to do it every 2-3 months. I think a good rule of thumb is to do it whenever a major religion is fasting. So around lent, ramadan, etc. These are good reminders that its time to give the digestion a break and live with less for a time, while reflecting on the different reasons for traditional fasting.
Hi. Thank you SO much for the recipes! I have a question about the Lao Crispy Rice (which looks amazing and can’t wait to try!). How many “meals” is one recipe worth? I’m not a nutritionist but 1 c uncooked rice plus the tofu and peanuts and cooking oil seems like a lot of food and calories for this eating plan. Or maybe I’m misreading this recipe? Thanks!
I have one day to go on the 5 day FMD. I have entered Enid’s great recipes that I am using in another diet application to keep a check on myself and the daily percentages and calories are pretty close to Longo’s rules, so yes, the recipes are for 1 serve.
But, as in another comment, I have found that the quantities are, for me, very large. I actually struggle to finish some of the meals – perhaps I should reduce the serving size? And I don’t have much difficulty in eating just two meals a day. My main objective is to get the health benefits (although my scales show that I have lost weight) and I am wondering, if I don’t feel particularly hungry, is it likely to be working? It seems from some of what I have read that you need the threat to the body of starvation to induce changes and one might expect that hunger would need be evident?
I have been playing around with the recipe spreadsheet to try to reduce the bulk of food but then it is very hard to keep the percentages correct, particularly the (vegetarian) protein. So I very much appreciate the work done by Enid in creating these recipes.
Hi Margaret,
I recently completed the 5-day fmd. Though the meals are large, keep in mind that they are very low-calorie. two of these per day works out to roughly 700 calories. I’m not sure what the effect would be of reducing your caloric intake much more than that, but I’d be cautious about it.
I approached the FMD as a time of rest for my mind and body. I took time off work and made sure my obligations were taken care of in advance. This allowed me to really take my time preparing the meals and eating them. Since they are so large, it helps to really take your time finishing them rather than eating them at a normal pace.
at the end of the FMD, i felt that taking the time to really experience the food as a fast was an important part of the process. I was able to really notice the differences in how I felt after eating the FMD meals as compared to the pace and diet i normally eat at, and this helped inform more permanent dietary changes that have been very beneficial.
If you don’t feel hungry, it doesn’t mean that it’s not working. Fasting takes place in the body whether the brain is sending hunger signals or not. The absence of macronutrients predictably sets off a set of excretory reactions in the body, which is what we are after here. That same absence of macronutrients may or may not induce the physical sensation of hunger, but your digestive system is still doing it’s work with the fast.
Many people report not being hungry at all after the first few days of a fast, even to the point of not wanting to eat the small meals they’ve planned. I find that while i’m not actually hungry after a day or so, i fantasize quite vividly about the foods I’d like to eat. So there is more than one way to experience hunger – through the physical grumbling of the stomach or through the mind willing you into action.
just as an example of the above – it usually took me about 45 minutes to an hour to eat the apple-almond salad.
Thank you for your recipes. Can I add dried herbs and spices to add flavour without upsetting the balance?
Leaf spices in the quantities we usually eat them have negligible calorie content and won’t upset the FMD. Miso soup is not calorie-free, and it’s heavy on protein, which means it must be calculated into the formula.
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4849?fgcd=&manu=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=35&offset=&sort=&qlookup=miso
Another question about Miso soup (216gm sachet). I saw a mention of it somewhere, can I drink this?
Thank you very much for the recipes, they are really tasty and satisfying. I did the 5 days with my husband and felt fantastic at the end of it. We did get coffee withdrawl headaches. Based on this experience I will be incorporating a lot more vegan meals into our diet. I need to use the metric conversion chart (which has a couple of errors in the weight conversion) and refer back to the recipe page. I would like to print it out for convenience and to write notes on, is it possible to download and print? I have not been able to do this.
Hi Cathy,
I selected and copied all the recipes from the screen, pasted into a document, removed the pictures, edited and tidied up the document so that then I was able to print it. Much the easiest way to use the recipes.
I thought that coffee was okay during the fast. (?)
I’m doing this for the 4th time – about every other month. A shortcut that’s working for me is to double-up the recipes so I do t have to cook as much. It’s also more satisfying to alternate one of the (huge) salads with a hot meal. Re coffee: I didn’t see anything about not drinking coffee. Did I miss somethings?
Hi Josh,
I see people doing FMD generally avoid physical training. What is your take on this subject? Anybody else with experience on this?
Nik-
This is a matter of personal choice. I find I can exercise while on FMD, and it feels fine, but maybe not the most intensive or the longest endurance.
Exercise is so important to my sense of wellbeing that I am loathe to give it up.
– Josh
Would a small amount of Sweetleaf stevia (the powder/packets) be acceptable in tea or on oatmeal?
My myelin sheath is damaged, hence, lots of neuropathic pain in both hands and feet.
I started my own-very different version of – FMD:
1- Chicken broth
2- Tuna fish or cooked egg
3- Bean soup
4- one cup of coffee (100 cal cream / sugar combo)
Calories are the same. Proteins are 1.5 to 2 times.
Fats are mostly optional but if calories allow, some organic seed-mix butter.
Plus mushrooms and pineapple and veggies
Result: I just finished day 2.
Cons: I feel a bit weak. I developed sinus infection so I’m taking antibiotics.
Pros: Neuropathy is almost nonexistent, except on one toe. Maybe just pinched nerves.
Conclusion: I’ll do it again as close as I can, to the original version
I”m doing my 4th FMD cycle this year – intended to do it once a month, but . . . I checked into the recipes to confirm an ingredient and notice that a lot (11) of recipes are missing. Was there anything wrong with the recipes (re adherence to the FMD percentages?)
I’m beginning Day 3 of the ProLon FMD. Kit cost $250. If you buy three kits, the cost is $700.
So far I have experienced no real side effects except for some foot cramps this morning. The meal plan is stupidly simple to follow, and I’ve had no fatigue or hunger.
I don’t know why people wouldn’t opt for the meal plan. It makes your life super easy and has been designed by some of the smartest scientists and nutrionists around. Fasting is meant to be hard to begin with, don’t make it harder by trying to save a few shekels.
You can’t buy it outside of USA so not a matter of the cost in all cases.
It is expensive; though as Josh says, the money side of medical breakthroughs is baked-in to the research, so it has its place. As of a few days ago, the price is $299 per box (or if you order 3 or more it’s $250/box). They now sell it to you if you are appropriate (answer a series of questions to ascertain whether the diet should be administered more formally by a physician).
Yes, it will be easier to follow it if your finances allow it.
I tred the FMD from the diet planner last year and a couple of the days I was not actually spot on with the variables of fat, carbs or protein.
I am trying it now because the period between Christmas day and New Year are 5 ideal days to try it. The first 3 days I just kept my food intake to around 720 calories because I had planned to try it for a couple of days only. I then realised if I can do it for 2 days without difficulty maybe I should try longer. I am on day 4 and adhering more or less to the diet plans you printed. I will add I never eat dairy anyway and the only animal protein I eat is from wild Salmon every 2 days but during the FMD I only eat from vegetable sources
I believe personally the main thing is to keep protein low and the ratio between fat and carbs are not so important. I cannot believe 46/46 carb fat ratio is going to change everything that much or something similar
Is there a way to replicate the Fasting Mimicking Diet with convenience items bought at the grocery store? I want to replicate the ProLon diet with grab-and-go foods. Has anyone been able to do this?
i successfully did an fmd with fresh groceries bought at the store but there is no way youd be able to do it with convenience foods since they are engineered to make you hungry again soon afyer eating them.
great site. Thanks for the recipes…just finished my second day….going well so far.
I bought valter longos book but was very disappointed when I saw in the middle of book that it isnt designed for anyone over 70.I am 71 and work out 7 days a week 3 weights 4 cardio (all workouts are 1 hour.I feel great and am a little bit afraid to try this drastic change .
thanks Bob [email protected]
In general, people our age (I’m much like you) have to worry more about wasting muscle mass, and low protein doesn’t work so well. But perhaps we can push the age back a few years, especially if we take creatine to keep up a catabolic metabolism.
I want to try FMD after the Christmas season (early January) – a bit of a detox after the holiday season. However, I don’t cook and my wife is unwilling to support me in this activity. What are the easiest recipes to make, preferably ones I can throw together at work (microwave access only)?