Recap
This blog is a follow up to the one posted on January 30th.
bioageuk.com/the-female-fasting-debate-what-you-need-to-know/
I’m not the biggest fan of women fasting for weight loss especially once they hit midlife. I believe it’s crucial to prioritise fuelling our bodies properly, especially when exercising. Fasting around training times can be counterproductive, leading to decreased energy levels, impaired recovery, increased stress (cortisol) and a negative effect on our health and longevity.
I do support Time Restricted Eating (TRE) if you begin with a 12-hour eating window (which to be honest should be called ‘normal eating’) and gradually reduce it to 8-10 hours if your lifestyle allows. But I would not recommend eating in a time window of less than 8 hours for women, especially active women, again, never around training.
So fasting is not something I’ve ever personally considered because my focus is on being active, building strength and fuelling my body.
However, as part of my ongoing research into longevity and reducing biological age, I came across the studies looking at fasting for longevity. They suggest that fasting can activate cellular repair processes, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce inflammation, all of which contribute to a longer and healthier lifespan.
The approach that really caught my attention is called the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD). This approach involves a specific eating plan that “tricks” your body into thinking it’s fasting, even though you’re consuming a small number of calories.
Dr. Valter Longo and his team at the University of Southern California have done some groundbreaking research on this. They’ve found that the FMD can promote cellular regeneration and repair, boost stem cell production, reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, support weight loss and metabolic health, and even improve cognitive function and protect against age-related diseases. You can delve deeper into their research on the National Institutes of Health website (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10879164).
How Does FMD Work?
It’s a 5-day program with a specific macronutrient breakdown.
Day one involves consuming around 1100 calories (11% protein, 46% fat, and 43% carbohydrates).
Then, from days two through five, calorie intake drops to about 725 per day (9% protein, 44% fat, and 47% carbohydrates).
This approach provides enough nutrients for your body to function while still triggering the benefits of fasting, like cellular rejuvenation and metabolic changes.
The 5-day duration is key for a few reasons. It’s long enough to reap the benefits, short enough to stick to, and it minimises the risks associated with longer fasts, such as nutrient deficiencies and muscle loss.
What Can You Eat On FMD?
Only plants! No meat, no fish, no dairy and no grains.
Think healthy fats like olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds. Plant-based protein is also important, so include things like legumes, lentils, and beans.
Enjoy a variety of fruits (especially berries, apples, and oranges) and don’t forget your veggies – leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, tomatoes, carrots, and peppers. The more the merrier – eat the rainbow.
Herbal teas like chamomile, peppermint, and hibiscus are great and staying hydrated is crucial, so aim for at least two litres of water a day.
There are modifications of the FMD online that include small amounts of certain grains, like brown rice, quinoa and oats but these are not part of the original protocol.
For the most accurate and effective FMD experience, it’s best to adhere to the established protocols, which typically limit or exclude grains.
How Often Should You Do The FMD?
The typical recommendation is five consecutive days a month for three months. After that, you can reassess. If you’ve achieved your goals, you might stop or adjust.
For long-term longevity or managing a specific condition, you might do it several times a year or even more frequently, depending on your needs and your lifestyle.
Personally I think taking a week off training every 8-12 weeks and doing it to coincide with that is a great approach.
The Potential Benefits Of FMD Are Quite Compelling
We’re talking potential weight loss, improved metabolic health (blood pressure, glucose levels, insulin sensitivity), reduced inflammation, lowered risk factors for age-related diseases, cellular rejuvenation, and even improved cognitive function.
Of course, like any dietary change, there are potential risks. You might experience hunger and discomfort due to the calorie restriction. Some people report fatigue and weakness. It’s also important to be mindful of disordered eating patterns, especially if you have a history of eating disorders. It’s not something to be taken lightly and not something that should be extended past 5 days or done when training. And if you have any medical conditions, especially diabetes, it’s essential to consult with your doctor before trying the FMD.
It’s important to remember that everyone’s experience is different, so it’s always best to consult with a healthcare professional before making any significant dietary changes.
My FMD Trial
So I was honestly expecting to hate every minute and give up after a day or two. However, I was surprised to find it much easier than that.
The most important thing is that you don’t train in or out of the gym during FMD. You need to schedule it when you need a break from training (we all do periodically). Also consider your work and activities you need to do during the fast. You need a quiet 5 days. I’m lucky in that I work from home, I did it Monday to Friday when my kids were at school and my only activity was walking the dog – which I did easily, around 15,000 steps each day.
The first day was pretty easy, I think all the calories I consumed the weekend before kept me going! Days 2 to 5 were much stricter but surprisingly the only side effects I felt was a slight headache on day 2.
By day 3, I was in the zone! Loving fuelling my body with all those plants, my energy was good and my focus and mindset were amazing.
By day 5 I was pretty bored and dreaming of what I’d eat the next day but my body and gut health felt so much better after a week of nothing but whole plant based foods – no meat, fish, nothing processed at all just lots of good fats and wholesome goodness.
Whilst I didn’t do this for weight loss, I did lose 2.3kg in the 5 days and 1.6% body fat. As for my biological age, I’m retesting at the end of April and plan to redo the FMD twice more before then as advised for maximum results, so I’ll let you know how I get on.
An Outline Of What I Ate
Breakfast
- Around 100g berries or other lower sugar fruit like kiwi.
- Whilst caffeine is a no no, most reviews say you can allow yourself one black coffee each morning – so I jumped at the chance as I adore my coffee.
- I stopped taking collagen the week I did it because if it’s protein content but I did still take my omega 3 oil, magnesium and Ashwagandha and of course creatine to help preserve muscle mess (but I halved the dose as recommended online).
Lunch
- Lots of rainbow coloured salad items in a large bowl with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice or balsamic (as long as it doesn’t have added sugar) – rocket, spinach leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, radishes, sugar snaps etc.
- I also made a guacamole and hummus to snack on in small portions with carrot sticks or celery.
Dinner
- I kept it simple and made a vegetable broth each night with different varieties of veggies
FMD The BioAge Guide
To strictly follow FMD, there are very expensive food kits (like Prolon) that you can buy online which provide everything you need for the 5 days. But in order for BioAge UK to support and implement this for our clients, we want to make it easy to do at home.
This is why I’m creating an FMD eBook. This will be available to all our BioAge clients who are interested in implementing FMD into their lifestyle with our support.
It will have a step by step guide to make it easy for you, recipes, meal plans, tips and tricks. Everything you need to build this successfully into your lifestyle to help you feel healthier, for longer.
FMD is just one of the many strategies we use in our coaching to ensure our clients are the healthiest, leanest, strongest women we know.
Whether they use the option of our biological age testing or not, we help them feel vibrant, confident, and in control. Living a life where they slip into their favourite clothes, radiate energy, and are truly happy with the person staring back at them in the mirror.
If you’d like a free consultation with me, click the link below.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult your doctor before starting any new dietary or lifestyle changes.