Doctor Tried A Fasting Mimicking Diet For 2 Months: Here's What Happened

November 1, 2023

Losing weight is one health trend that never seems to go out of style. People will try just about anything to drop a few pounds. Fasting, or the abstinence from eating, has been gaining a lot of attention recently as one of the best ways to lose weight, reverse disease, and even promote longevity. But there are a lot of misconceptions about fasting, which is why Doctor Joel Kahn decided to try a fasting mimicking diet for two months to clear up a few things. Here is what he learned.

What Is The Fasting Mimicking Diet?

The fasting mimicking diet, or FMD, is a collection of work conducted by Doctor Valter Longo and his team at the University of South California on longevity. It is designed to regenerate and rejuvenate the body’s cells to slow down the aging process, lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation and fasting blood glucose levels, and promote quick and healthy weight loss. The FMD has been clinically proven to help people lose an average of 1.2 inches from their waist and five pounds of body weight with the first five days.

The Basic Rules Of The FMD

On the first day of the FMD, the program has its participants reduce their caloric intake to 1,100 calories and then to 800 calories over the next four or five days overall. The FMD focuses on whole food plant-based nutrition, such as teas, soups, olives, and nuts that provide eighty percent fat and ten percent each of protein and carbohydrate. Exercise and alcohol are not allowed within the first five days of calorie restriction. Coffee is discouraged, but drinking one cup a day is allowed.

Doctor Joel Kahn’s Results

Doctor Kahn followed the diet for two months. He described his results as remarkable and stated that the program was a simple, tasty and filling way to lose weight and gain energy. Doctor Kahn said that the main difference between the FMD and actual fasting is that he did not gain back the weight he lost due to the precise structure of the program. Benefits of Doctor Kahn’s two-month trial included better sleep, satiation, and working more efficiently without worrying about what he was going to eat for the day.

What Makes The FMD Work?

The most impressive part of the FMD is the science to back up its claims. Doctor Longo based the program on the research he conducted on yeast in animal models. He found that fasting had benefits on metabolism and lifespan. According to one study of one hundred subjects who participated in the FMD program for five days a month for three months, there were profound differences between visceral fat loss and lower blood sugar levels, markers of inflammation, blood cholesterol, and blood pressure.

Benefits Of The FMD

The FMD was shown to reduce a biomarker for cancer growth called insulin-like growth factor 1, or IGF-1. The diet also increased stem cell production, which is needed to regenerate new, healthy cells. The FMD is unique to other fasting diets because it promotes regenerative and rejuvenating changes while reducing the likelihood of disease. Some research even suggests that the FMD in conjunction with chemotherapy may help fight cancer more efficiently with fewer side effects.

Doctor Kahn’s Recommendations On The FMD

Doctor Kahn recommended that his patients perform three cycles of the FMD to see the best results. He stated that after three consecutive months on the FMD, the program becomes easier to follow and the long-term health results will encourage participants to continue. Doctor Kahn reviewed the FMD as one of the greatest examples of taking peer-reviewed science and applying it to reasonable standards. He claimed that patients who want to lose weight, keep it off, and gain more energy would be happy with their investment in the program.

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