N=1 Hack of the Fasting Mimicking Diet

(Barbara) #1

I didn’t have luck with water only fasting since I developed awful sciatica-like pain on day 2 each time I tried.

I considered buying the Prolon FMD products but the price & carbs were too high and I didn’t like the foods. By looking at the patent for the FMD, one can apply the percentages of the macros and calories, make a minor adjustment and make a personalized keto version: keep the protein levels the same, move the excess carbs into fats and find foods you like that conform to those parameters.

Having done so, I am completing my 5th FMD following the keto-adjusted protocol. For 5 consecutive months I’ve done 5 day FMDs followed by 25 days of “refeeding”. I test ketones and glucose before my evening “meal” during the 5 days and have gotten Glucose Ketone Index values of below 1.0 during each 5 day fast. The GKI values have ranged from .53 to 3.8 . Usually the highest values are Day 1 to Day 2, then it drops to 2 or below.

Wish I could report some kind of amazing results other than the GKI. I just hope it’s doing me some good and trust the body to know what to do. I’m going to keep up the 5 day FMD, 25 day refeeding indefinitely. If I observe some results or have some awesome labs to report, I will.

I hope this helps somebody. If you have any insights for me, do share.

(bulkbiker) #2

So what are you actually eating? I’m presuming its not very much?

#3

You didn’t ask about this ^ but in case you want to try water fasting again: this kind of pain can be caffeine withdrawal.

(Doug) #4

Good - I’m interested to see what you think in the future.

Totally agree on “doing it yourself” for the ‘FMD.’ Prolon’s prices are laughable.

(Robert C) #5

Hi @bbRVA - just wondering what are you doing this for?
Weight loss, autophagy, weight maintenance, type 2 diabetes avoidance…

(Barbara) #6

Several reasons…keto by itself took care of my obesity, lowered my visceral fat & reversed my pre-T2 diabetes.
My primary reasons wanted to do FMD are autophagy, cancer prevention & Altzheimer’s prevention & I wish it would fight autoimmune.
I was fortunate to have a Stage Zero Cancer detected and surgically removed without the need for radiation or chemo. However, since my body knew how to grow cancer once, I’d rather not give it encouragement to do it again. There has been some dementia in my family and I am hoping to avoid knee replacement surgery (my obesity wore down the cartilage).
I have only been Keto for 14 months and I’m in mid-life. I have many years of the Standard American Diet to atone for and I’m hoping I’m not too late to the party to reverse or at least slow down the metabolic diseases I have/had.
I don’t know how long you need to keep GKI at low levels to do the most good. I do know by the 5th day of “FMD”, I’m ready to stop :wink:

(Robert C) #7

When you did your water fast (and developed pain) were you taking water mixed with some or all of pink salt, potassium, baking soda and epsom salt (with a little cayenne pepper for flavor)? I think you should try anything you can to fast without any nutrients coming in if you are doing this for cancer prevention.

At IDM, they recommend bone broth and other “helpers” (HWC in coffee) to encourage compliance for fasting - but recommend nothing for patients battling cancer.

Autophagy is nutrient sensing (and especially protein sensing) and seems to get shut down as soon as any calories come in (according to Dr. Fung).

If I were you, I would be playing with electrolytes and trying exercise and mobilization to avoid the pain in order to make the fasting really count (i.e. by doing fasting without food - just electrolytes).

(KCKO, KCFO) #8

I have reread and reread interviews and watched and rewatched the videos about FMD. To me, I still only see reduced calories, especially since it is heavy on carbs.

I’m going to follow along with your experiment, to see if you get needed results. Good luck.

(Barbara) #9

Thanks Rob. Yes I took salts during my 3 water fasting attempts. I also need to take medicines with food twice a day which meant I had to skip the meds to water fast which increased my pain.

The FMD was designed to help cancer patients undergoing radiation and/or chemo to maximize the benefits of the treatment and to minimize the side effects and to have the benefits of water/salt fasting while allowing a small amount of nutrients. It is basically a hack of water fasting. I’m hacking the hack! I’m not the first to do this.

(Barbara) #10

It seems the key in the FMD is the reduced amount of protein and they have found the minimal level that allows autophagy to proceed.
I have no idea how anyone KNOWS if it is actually working unless they are going through cancer treatments.
How do we know fasting works for anything other than weight loss?
I wish there were lab tests we could do before and after but so far, the only testing I know of is glucose and ketones and the GKI.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #11

How does FMD differ from regular keto? I have hear the ketogenic diet itself described as “fasting without the hunger.”

(mole person) #12

@PaulL It’s very low calorie/very low protein to minimize both insulin and mtor. Calories are in the 500 calories per day range spread out over a few tiny meals. To be done correctly the number of calories should scale to your body weight.

Doctor Longo has noted biomarkers behaving in a similar way to those under fasted conditions but, as far as I can tell, these are very short term results. Really I’m not yet convinced whether it is as good as there are simply no longer term studies to recommend it’s efficacy.

(Barbara) #13

The FMD as designed as a short term 5 day therapeutic diet to permit the benefits of water fasting for people who can’t or don’t want to water fast. Evidence points to the possibilities receiving chemo and/or radiation while in a fasted state seems to enhance the effectiveness of both and may decrease the side effects. It wasn’t designed to be a weight loss diet, hunger reduction, etc like keto is. It is supposed to encourage autophagy even through “food” is consumed. The calorie level in the patent is about 1100 calories day one and about 750 for the remaining 4 days for most people.
I like to think I have some autophagy going on that I wouldn’t have. But who knows?

(mole person) #14

This is where the problem lies for me. If I recall correctly there is a formula based on body weight for how many calories one should get on days one through five. The results of applying that formula to different body sizes results in a huge variance. I did the calculation for myself once and I think it was 500ish calories on day one and 350 on the latter days. Yet the FMD boxes send the same calories to everyone, right? I mean, 1,100 calories is what I eat most days. It’s not even calorie restriction.

(KCKO, KCFO) #15

EXACTLY. I see it the same way. And I would rather fast and not worry about calories. One of the best things about keto WOE is you aren’t always calculating the &#%#^^#%# calories.

(Barbara) #16

I went with hacking the calories in the Prolon plan for exactly the same reasons. I did see a chart from the patent that shows the same calorie/macro breakouts and there was an upper variation for people at higher weights. There was no amount lower than the 1100/750.
I did see some bloggers who computed based on body weight.

(Barbara) #17

You are absolutely right. Why calculate macros and calories if you can water fast??? Zero and Zero is easy enough to count! Be glad if you can do it.

But, if you can’t water fast long enough to do much good because of side effects or the need to take medicines two or more times a day with food, keto hacking the FMD can be a way to get there.

(mole person) #18

Right. And this makes very little sense for smaller people. 1100 calories is my average consumption and four days at 750 while slightly restrictive isn’t even close to fasting. I ate that amount three of the last 10 days just by eating as much food as I felt like having.

The real problem for me is that it makes the whole thing a bit suspect. They shouldn’t be selling this product as “fasting mimicking” indiscriminately to anyone when it cannot be one size fits all.

(Barbara) #19

The original intended target was people receiving cancer treatment with some evidence fasting seems to make the treatment more effective and also provides some protection to the body to minimize side effects. I hope it helps them.