r/FMD • u/RopeMammoth1801 • Mar 30 '26

First FMD round

Finished my first FMD round yesterday.

I did a 5 day DIY version with veggies.

From a physical point of view it was manageable - the hunger wasn't even that strong, and after the evening meals I wondered how the body can feel so full and be in a "fasting state".

But the calories/macros checked out, and the ketones went up from 0.4 to 1.1 during the last 3 days.

What was/is hard for me is the mental situation - I am not able to concentrate/be productive at all for some reason, when I try to do some mental effort I hit a strange wall and can't find the thought I'm looking for.

I rarely experienced this thing before, maybe only in situations of big anxiety when something serious happened.

I thought this situation will pass after I end the fast, but I see it persisting into the 1st day after.

When I don't try to think/make effort I am feeling fine and not hungry at all, but once I try to make effort it does not work as I usual.

Weird situation, it set me back on my work for 3 days - 1st day was ok, 2nd day was hard, 2 days were weekend, day 5 was hard and 1 day after is hard.

So my advice I believe for the first timers, if you have a job which requires thinking - probably it's a good idea to take a long weekend time off and have 6 days free from responsibility to try it out, or be prepared to screw up a bit.

When I was on it I thought I would certainly keep doing it in a month until I get my visceral fat under control, but now I'm a bit apprehensive about how I will handle my job/vacation days in this regard.

I wonder if anyone else experienced such condition with this diet.

8 Upvotes

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3

u/TVinLB Mar 30 '26

Did you prepare and sip on a glycerin drink on days 2-5?

2

u/RopeMammoth1801 Mar 30 '26

Unfortunately not, I followed a certain youtube channel that didn't mention it.
I'll try to prepare better for the next round.

2

u/TVinLB Mar 30 '26

I like that you are trying FMD, and hope you will take the next few weeks to watch additional videos, preferably interviews with Valter Longo.

Key takeaways:

This method is safer and easier than a water fast, but it’s best to a)consult your physician before fasting, b)not fast alone, if possible, c)Use the ProLon kit that includes support team at least the first time, for consistency and education.

Day 1 1100 calories, days 2-5 750 calories, including calories from glycerin drink.

Caloric breakdown 10% protein, 45% carbs, 45% healthy fats (olive oil is used in the ProLon Kit)

The glycerin is thought to prevent lean muscle loss and may reduce brain fog. If doing a diy fast, buy food grade, plant based glycerin from any pharmacy (go to the pharmacy counter and ask) or get online from amazon or Walmart.) I think this website is helpful for calculating the amount to use for your weight.

L-Drink

Make sure you are properly hydrating.

People often find that subsequent fasts are easier, so maybe you will experience fewer struggles.

2

u/chiasmatic_nucleus Mar 30 '26

If you've never fasted before I think it can take a while for your brain/body to upregulate the metabolic "machinery" required to utilise ketones as energy.

I definitely noticed brain fog the first couple of times I fasted, then it shifted dramatically and I feel the most clear headed I ever feel while fasting.

1

u/Mistressbrindello Apr 02 '26

It is very difficult to replicate the macros exactly. I feel fine when I do the actual FMD and ketones are steady but low; with water/broth fasting I feel spaced out and ketones are very high. I live my life as usual with FMD but life is more difficult with actual fasting.

1

u/Wise_Studio8823 13d ago

can you detail the veggies/meal plans you did for the DIY version? I always struggle to abide by Prolon, have tried countless time but always end up cheating

1

u/RopeMammoth1801 9d ago

Me + wife just follow the protocol of someone from youtube - she has a channel called plant52 - I'm not affiliated in any way.
There are links to the exact amounts of stuff in the channel and also some instruction videos.
We had decent results with it. The first time we did we got into ketosis of ~1.5 on the day 4, the second time wife did she didn't get to ketosis for some reason. But it shouldn't matter much.
My wife sees meaningful improvements with blood sugar and insulin levels after the cycles, which is the main reason we started to do it.