8 Ways Fasting Will Change Your Life
Can what and when you eat determine how long you will live? How about how healthy your life will be? According to Dr. Valter Longo’s book, The Longevity Diet: Discover the New Science Behind Stem Cell Activation and Regeneration to Slow Aging, Fight Disease, and Optimize Weight, the answer is a resounding yes. Longo is the director of the Longevity Institute at USC in Los Angeles, and of the Program on Longevity and Cancer in Milan. He has spent the past 25 years researching aging, nutrition, and disease in cultures across the globe in search of a simple formula for healthy aging through nutrition. The ProLon fasting mimicking diet, or FMD, represents the culmination of his life’s work.
Fasting provides many clinically proven benefits, including promoting regenerative changes – such as stem cell rejuvenation, In addition, fasting positively affects a wide range of markers that contribute to aging. However, fasting remains challenging for most people. The ProLon is a 5-day plant-based diet plan. This plan ensures that you get properly nourished as it tricks your body into believing it is in a fasting state. You see, you don’t have to starve yourself for days on end to reap the benefits of fasting. Your body simply must think you are.
With the ProLon FMD, your body gets all the benefits of the stem cell-based rejuvenation of a 5-day fast. Plus, you get to eat what they call “real food.” And, no costly supplements are required. The pre-packaged soup mixes, bars, and energy drinks contain all of the necessary macro and micronutrients to fortify your fast.
However, because supplementation is increasingly necessary in our modern world, I dedicated an entire microsite medical-grade nutraceuticals. I routinely recommend supplementation with medical-grade products to my non-fasting patients. If you’re as confused as most of us about which vitamins matter most, you can learn more here.
The Fasting-mimicking Challenge – What to expect on Day One:
A few weeks ago, my team and I put the diet from the smart people at ProLon to the test. Some of us fared better than others but we stuck it out and completed the fast. I’ll be honest, the first day was a little rough for us all – primarily, because we didn’t know what to expect. Day 1 is critical though, as your body transitions into burning fat and the beginning of cellular optimization. Once you make it through the first day though, you begin to notice real change – in the way you feel, look, and even think. As with any diet, the ProLon is best when conducted under a doctor’s supervision.
8 Ways Fasting Will Change Your Life:
1. You will lose weight
The ProLon is the fastest way to lose fat – especially dangerous belly fat – while, at the same time, protecting lean body mass. Based on $38 million of funding and decades of research, the FMD is the only diet patented to eliminate dangerous visceral fat. The fat that accumulates around the abdominal organs, our visceral fat, is strongly correlated with scores of serious disease risks, including heart disease, cancer, and dementia. By Day 2 of the FMD, your body is switching to fat burning mode. And it’s not just any fat that’s going down; but, the bad kind around your midsection. Even people of normal weight can harbor harmful amounts of this hidden fat beneath the abdominal wall. Periodic fasting is the only proven diet to attack visceral fat.
2. Your energy will skyrocket
During periodic fasting, many people report feeling energized and on the top of their game – as was the case with me and my team. Because you are burning fat rather than the fuel reserves stored in your muscles, your muscles perform better and your energy levels soar. Remember, even though you may feel great during these five fasting days, you should not exercise. No matter how jazzed you feel. This energy surge is not limited to the fasting days: my team and I are all still performing at higher levels.
3. You will sleep like a baby
Lots of activities feel better on an empty stomach – sex, exercise, and sleep are the big ones. Because the FMD initiates stem cell regeneration, a higher percentage of your cells are performing in an optimal manner while you’re fasting; this translates into better sleep patterns. When your brain and body cells are performing at their best, you achieve more restorative sleep. Who doesn’t want that?
4. Your skin will look amazing
5. You will have better sex
Like sleep, sex is better on an empty stomach. Plus, once you lose that visceral fat around your midsection, you’ll be more confident in your naked skin. Your core will not only look better, it will also function better. No matter who’s on top, that extra core strength will intensify your performance. And that extra energy that I mentioned? It makes all the difference – in and out of the bedroom. Having more sex not only extends your longevity but has a multitude of mental and physical health benefits. You can learn more about them, here.
6. Your risk of disease will drop dramatically
Periodic fasting prevents a myriad of diseases. But, that’s not all. It initiates the improvement of chronic disease by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, controlling glucose, and decreasing rates of all kinds of cancer. Furthermore, fasting lowers markers of inflammation for overall wellness while preventing age-related muscle and bone loss. Periodic fasting even builds your resistance to Alzheimer’s. In my opinion, there is nothing better you can do to promote disease-free longevity than incorporating periodic fasting into your lifestyle.
7. You will have a clear head
Ever experienced brain fog after eating sugary starch foods? Fasting fixes this, too. While fasting, your mental performance is enhanced and you’ll notice greater focus and clarity. In addition, through the process of fasting, you develop a better understanding of your body and an ability to recognize both when you are truly hungry and when you reach fullness. Often, when we think we’re hungry, we’re actually thirsty – the ProLon is incredibly hydrating so you rarely get such mixed messages. Fasting puts you on the road to achieving that elusive mind-body connection – and, this time, you will stay on it.
8. You will live longer
You have probably heard lots about how stem cells can prolong your life. What you may not know, however, is that, as people age, stem cells lose their ability to regenerate. This age-related loss of stem cell function can be reversed by a 24-hour fast, according to a recent study by biologists from MIT. Because the ProLon enables a 5-day fast, you get 5 times the benefit. Meanwhile, the FMD activates stem cell-based renewal as well as the clean up of aging and damaged cells. These cellular processes hold amazing anti-aging benefits that extend your lifespan along with your quality of life.
How often should you do the diet?
The benefits last well after the 5 fasting days end. Stem cell-based rejuvenation continues for 2-3 days once you complete the ProLon FMD. Then you may gradually return to your regular healthy meal plan. How often you repeat the cycle depends on a few factors. These include your body weight, baseline markers and health measurements, and the evaluation and recommendations of your health care provider:
- High risk individuals: 3-12 times a year depending on condition
- Low risk or healthy individuals: 2-4 times a year
Here in my office, a smaller group of us just completed our second cycle of the ProLon. This time around, we found the fast more than doable. Our energy elevation and mental focus improvements were exponential during cycle 2. Plus, the additional weight loss delighted us all. As for unexpected benefits? A marked decrease in anxiety and simultaneous increase in our ability to handle the stressors of our fast-paced workplace.
Would I recommend the ProLon FMD to my patients?
I would and I do. Longevity science is the future – I want them to be there.