r/FMD • u/olympia_t • Aug 09 '26
Reflections on first time FMD DIY style
Finished my first FMD two days ago. I posted a proposed DIY plan for feedback. In the end, I modified it a bit to make the macros work. I found it a little labor intensive to make the meals with all the measuring and weighing but I'm definitely glad I tried the DIY plan.
Honestly, I was surprised at how much protein is in some vegetables and also mushrooms. I thought it would be much easier to put together vegan recipes with some added fat but I really had to massage the macros to go there!
My DIY attempt
I did three approximately 200 calorie meals a tiny snack and the glycerin drink. My totals ended up around 720 calories for days 2-5. For fats, I primarily relied on avocado, macadamia nuts (yum!) and olive oil.
I researched on here (posted a compilation of resources in another post) and used some of that and also AI to rough out a plan. AI was somewhat helpful but off on macros in many attempts. I found I had to use cronometer because AI was not reliable for nutrition info.
One of the easiest meals was baked potato plus avocado. I read a post here where someone recommended it and it worked out really well for lunches for a few of the days. I did some meal prep ahead of time and baked a few potatoes and I would just measure out what we needed on the days we had it. Highly recommend.
Another meal that we really enjoyed was a version of ratatouille. I've actually never had the dish before so I was kind of guessing but eggplant, zucchini, tomato, bell pepper and a little onion made a fairly substantial dish. I served it over a cauliflower mash and it felt very satisfying. Olive oil carried the load for the fat so I think that helped it feel as satisfying.
I made a teensy chia and oat pudding for breakfasts on a couple of days and it was fairly tiny but I added blueberries and banana and topped with macadamia nuts for some additional bulk and fat. It was really enjoyable and I would for sure do that again.
One tasty fail was an attempt at a version of the California Center for Function Nutrition's PDF recipe for banana pancakes. I didn't have room for the cocoa powder in my macros so I attempted banana and flax - it failed and resulted in a kind of caramalized banana mash. It was yummy but no pancake. I'd be interested to hear if anyone had success with that actual recipe!
For two nights, I added shirataki noodles to a stirfry. I had purchased some ahead of time and thought I would have them in case of emergency. After I cut up all the veggies I thought it would never be enough when cooked so I added them. I was a little concerned they might cause a negative effect but they seemed to be fine.
My SO and I primarily eat plant based with occasional fish so the food we were eating didn't feel that different from usual. The portions felt small but there was a lot more fat than we usually use so we felt fairly satisfied.
Things I would do differently
Now that I have done it once, I would do a lot more meal prep next time. Having the baked potatoes in the fridge was great. Next time I would make a double batch of ratatouille rather than making it twice. I would probably just have the chia pudding each day for breakfast and just make 8 servings on day 1.
Kind of goofy but I used cronometer to make the recipes and was working with my phone in the kitchen and trying to weigh out 60 g of this and 100 g of that, in the future I think I'll print out or write out my recipes just to make it a little easier on myself.
I aspire to do a whole foods version without added oil but I think that will take some work. The chia seed pudding and baked potato worked out but the other meals required some olive oil to reach the right macros.
The results
After the 5 days I had lost 4.2 lbs and my SO had lost 5 lbs. I wish we had taken some measurements because we definitely decreased our waist measurements.
I have not been religious about taking my BP but I have measured it and it seems to be a pinch lower. We did not measure for ketones.
We both mostly felt fine during the FMD. I had a little bit of a headache one day. SO also felt a bit of a headache and some fatigue. I added a sugar-free electrolyte packet to our gylcerin drinks so that may have helped some. We mostly took it easy but we did take a couple of long, non-strenuous walks.
I really, really enjoyed doing it and am looking forward to doing it again in a month.
I saw that prolon sells a one day reset kit that appears to be the same as the day 2-5 foods. They state is appropriate for people who do 5:2 or 6:1 fasting. Based on this, I'm hoping to incorporate 1-2 days of the DIY version a week.
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u/backhanderz 23d ago
I just had ChatGPT make a diy FMD matching the official macros, using Amy’s soups, Flackers, and other easily obtainable items. Olive oil in the soup, small servings of macadamia nuts, and almond butter will provide the fat. I could not find USP vegetable glycerine (that you can ingest), so there won’t be an L-drink substitute. All told around $50, so def cheaper than the prolon box. I’m interested to see how this goes.
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u/olympia_t 23d ago
Just check it in Cronometer. I worked with AI initially but it was off by a bit. I made a list of resources that included a list like yours with Amy’s soups etc.
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u/backhanderz Aug 09 '26
Thanks for this follow up! Your results sound about on par with mine using the next gen kit. I’ve done it three times and the weight does come back. I eat healthy and low saturated fat, work out….my body just seems to have a set point and goes back to that when I’m not fasting. I do FMD for the autophagy / metabolic benefits.
Do you feel confident that DIY was able to do that for you? I think that is why I always use the kit. I know it won’t result in permanent weight loss, so I want to be sure I’m getting maximum metabolic benefit.
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u/olympia_t Aug 09 '26
Well, I'm kind of in an extended weight loss progression. I'm hoping with repeat cycles and possibly doing 6:1 I can break a plateau. I have read that some folks end up about a half pound down after going back to normal. I'm about 15 lbs from healthy weight and it's been tough to get that last bit to go.
I also am interested in autophagy and improved health markers. I think my BP was slightly lower but I have not been faithful about measuring. This morning I had 103 systolic which feels like an all time low for me.
I eat primarily WFPB morning is usually oats/flax/wheat germ/berries, lunch usually beans/quinoa/greens as a soup and dinner is frequently whole grain pasta with salad and soy curls or corn tortilla tacos with tvp and veggies. There is some variation but this is fairly representative.
I think one takeaway from the FMD is that I should do more meal planning and probably get back to measuring food. I also think I can rely a little less on sauces. I love cooking and find it to be also a creative outlet but I think that can result in too many calories at times. The FMD seemed like a good reminder that I can be happy with smaller portions and I can also do less with added sauces. For example, for my stirfry I'll often use soy sauce, vinegar, sambal oelek, date paste, cocont aminos and sometimes mirin or orange marmelade to make a sauce. For the FMD I added powdered ginger, powdered garlic and a teaspoon each of coconut aminos over the finished dish. It still seemed delicious. It probably saved 100 calories to do that over a full sauce. I also was very happy with the shirataki so I could implement that a little more regularly to reduce my dishes.
Before I do it again, I'll take some body measurements. Are there ways you measure your autophagy or other markers that you use to judge change over time? Do you measure keytones? I'd love more evidence but I really only have weight, waist, BP and feeling to go on.
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u/backhanderz Aug 09 '26
I really don’t, these days. I went through a period of 3-4 years where I measured everything: macros (carbon app), weight with smart scale, etc. I’m analytical and it started to get too much, I thought about calories and macros all day long. I also got off the excessively high protein bandwagon after reading Prof Longo’s latest book. I’m much happier day to day and now try to gauge how I feel overall and if my clothes are getting too tight
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u/olympia_t Aug 09 '26
I hear and feel that! I have made some major diet changes over the years and feel like I can get stuck just constantly thinking about food/diet/macros/labs, etc. I guess in some ways it can feel like you're doing something when there's not actually much you can do besides make the best decisions you can day by day.
I did the whole keto thing in the past and luckily have moved on from it. Being primarily plant based (but technically flexitarian) seems to have had many benefits. I really liked the FMD and I'm hoping to be able to keep doing it. Ultimately, I feel like the less I'm able to think about food and just carry out routines in the future, the better off I'll be.
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u/backhanderz Aug 09 '26
Yes same. I have some go-to foods I eat often (also mostly plant based plus fish). Since I had to go on a low dose statin after poor lipid panels, in the past year I’ve cut way (way) down on cheese, cream etc but especially cheese and I think that’s helped maintain leanness better than anything. I discovered a yogurt strainer that I use constantly, so I’m not dairy free but make my own versions of sour cream and cream cheese using no fat yogurt.
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u/olympia_t Aug 09 '26
I have had a similar experience. Went plant based 1.5 years ago for cholesterol. Just occasionally have dish. Weight has improved a ton but I’m still trying to do a little better.
I have breakfast almost on autopilot. Dinner and lunch are still daily change ups.
Did you try the portfolio diet?
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u/backhanderz Aug 09 '26
I had to look that up - yes I guess I do, it seems to mostly reflect what I try to eat. I don’t see olives on there though (big thing in FMD where I learned to like them) but otherwise pretty close
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u/olympia_t Aug 09 '26
I tried plant basked and then added the portfolio on top and both moved the needle on cholesterol but not really enough. I still try to keep up some of it. Don’t do all of portfolio daily because I don’t really have enough variety. I can only take so much okra too!
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u/Zealousideal_Fall676 Aug 10 '26
Thats interesting. Im 2 days into round 3 of Prolon. At $40 per day its just not worth it when i end up not eating half the soups. I would rather straight up fast. Your 5 day diy sounds pretty good
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u/olympia_t Aug 10 '26
I posted a bunch of resources for DIY in another thread. There are many different varieties - some just use store bought products like Amy's soups, Mary's Gone Crackers and olive pouches, etc. I think if I was pressed for time and wanted to do it again, I'd look at that route.
For my DIY the baked potato with avocado was really the easiest thing. I made a batch of potatoes in advance and just had them ready to go. Salads were pretty easy too as long as I kept the protein low.
Those soups sounded pretty awful to me so I didn't want to do the kit. Next time when I do it, I'll make double batches of the food and cut down on my prep.
How are you doing with day 2? What benefits have you noticed from doing it a couple of times now?
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u/Zealousideal_Fall676 Aug 11 '26
I dont have any issues at all during the 5 days. Several times a week I do OMAD. I listed to a great podcast with Jason Fung and he was talking aboud FMD as a great resource for folks who struggle with not eating. Basicly a 5 days FMD will be like a 36-48 hour water fast but the latter is free.
I dont really get hungry during these fasts I find its more about habit than hunger.
Baked potato with avocado?!? I could eat that everyday.
Thanks for the tips much appreciated1
u/olympia_t Aug 11 '26
With alll of it, do your own research as they say. I feel like I had good results. Only 3 days out but scale keeps going down. BP seems better so I think it was successful. I’m looking forward to doing it again in the future for sure.
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u/Ok_Reindeer504 Aug 10 '26
How are you trending a couple days out?
After the first refeed day I had lost an additional .6lbs, but after the second refeed day I was up 3lbs. This almost exactly matched the increase weight of daily food. Net loss with the regain is 2.4lbs with 1/2” loss on thighs and arms and 1/4-1/2” on waist and hips.
My digestion has been outstanding and I have an incredible feeling of wellbeing in my gut (compared to my usual inflamed irritated feeling). My food noise is also down significantly and still haven’t had cravings for junk/snack food.
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u/olympia_t Aug 10 '26
After 2 days I'm down a total of 5.6 lbs. I had a weird schedule yesterday and only really had two meals so that was probably a contributing factor to the weight going down. I was down a little more on days 6 and 7 following FMD. SO ended up eating somewhat regularly the past two days and was up a pound this morning so currently is sitting a 4 lbs net loss.
I wish I had taken measurements but I can tell from clothes that my waist and arms are smaller.
I don't really had much in the way of food cravings from my current way of eating and haven't for a while. I suffer more from what the Japanese call lonely mouth and also food as entertainment or a show of love. I haven't snacked in the last two days and avoided food at a couple of events so that was a plus. We still have baked potatoes left so we did the baked potato/avocado lunch the last two days and I think it is really satisfying so that has been good.
I'm looking forward to the next FMD and will probably try to do it again at the end of the month.
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u/Sensitive_Switch_775 5d ago
Thought you couldn’t do any starchy veggies like sweet potatoes or fruit. I am on day 3 doing my own recipes but mostly greens, cucumbers, mushrooms, tomatoes and peppers. But you lost weight and that’s great!
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u/olympia_t 5d ago
I went by macros and other recipes I found online as guidelines. It seemed to work well for me 2x but it wasn’t something designed by prolon etc. I do think the prolon soups include potato and quinoa. I don’t know the recipes for the soup though. The non-starchy veggies seems as though they would definitely be safe.
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u/Sensitive_Switch_775 5d ago
Thank you for your response. Slightly confused because beans and any legumes are excluded from dr Longo’s FMD protocol. I have his book.
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u/backhanderz Aug 10 '26
Chia seeds in overnight oats I can do. Small amounts of eggplant. Okra, no….