Before
In planning for the New
Year I sought out not just a diet or exercise plan but something new which I
could apply to my daily life all year long as a healthy introduction to what I
have been doing already. My goal was to lose weight and to get my metabolism
going again. My challenges were enabling glucose management (I am
hypoglycemic), avoiding food allergies (gluten, oats, soy, tapioca, teff) and
supporting my thyroid and adrenals. Oh and non-GMO and mostly organic.
Enter the ever-wise Mary at Ovitaminpro.com. She introduced me to the author of this diet and. shared how she and her husband Dr. Dan just attended a seminar regarding Prolon. She shared they were going to try it as the science behind it made sense.
I was on board! I ordered the book and unfortunately it did not arrive before the diet and has not arrived yet but I am excited to read it and eventually glean...
The beautiful white box arrived with everything so well organized and easy to follow. Each day was in a white box labeled Day 1, 2, 3, etc. I really appreciated the big 32 oz. bpa-free bottle as no need for measuring water for the L-Drink which entered on Day 2.
Day 1
I set everything out on
my counter in the order in which I would consume each item. The handy dandy
laminated card was great as I propped it up against the Day 1 box. I had
already found a gluten free substitute for the L-Bar Coco Crisp bar which I
could not consume due to containing oats. My husband enjoyed those along with
the rest of each day's L-Drink which I felt wasteful if I had just dumped the
excess down the drain (more about that in Day 2). I weighed myself early that
morning. I also drank a cup of coffee which is allowed. I still would like to
know if caffeinated coffee was allowed or just decaf. That was not clear.
The L-Bar (nut based) was yummy! I loved the tomato soup and olive and crackers for lunch. Minestrone soup (blech) seemed like it was old and the veggies stayed hard so I knew I must not have cooked them long enough? I also add more sea salt and cracked black pepper (pepper was a no-no I found out the next day but sea salt fine).
Just before going to bed I felt bloated and uncomfortable but not the usual detox feeling. I felt like I had eaten way too much food and drank too much liquid throughout the day. I was wondering if the tea besides the coffee was necessary. I mean, could I have skipped the tea in the morning?
I emailed Mary and shared my thoughts and I was glad I did because she shared this may be die off from my SIBO. That was encouraging to get her email on Day 2.
Biggest victory (after seeing the scale go up that nite to my highest weight ever! I was wondering on Day 1 nite why I had agreed to this and how was this going to be good for me) was that on Day 1 I had the best night of sleep in my entire life! I kid you not. I slept so well and so peacefully and felt so content. No stomach gassy feeling or needing to use the bathroom just slept like a happy rock.
Day 2
Scale shows I lost 2 lbs
from my original weight the morning of Day 1! Woohoo!!! I felt rested and
confident and then along with reading Mary's email and the positive encouraging
words from Prolon's emails I knew I could endure and thrive the next 4 days.
Let's talk about the L-drink. Confusing to say the least which portion I was supposed to keep and which amount to discard. I actually did it wrong the first time and was glad my husband figured out the cryptic directions. You keep the run off amount on the top. When it gets down to your actual weight line that is what you are supposed to discard. I do not know if it has a shelf life (the remaining portion in the bottle) but I did stash each days "waste" in the fridge and used it in my husband's smoothies in place of stevia or raw honey. Why not? The hibiscus tea in the L-Drink was the winning combo. I did not add ice and it kept taking the edge off my hunger.
Olives? I have never savored an olive before! Not sure why it was so tasty or valuable to the kit, but I missed those olives on Days 3&5! Crackers too! My fav was the tomato soup, crackers and olives. So grateful when those were on the menu! Quinoa Mix soup (double blech).
Day 3
Lost another lb! Day 3
was kind of uneventful other than I had to go to a Women's Bible Study in the
morning and so I waited until about 10:30 to eat my L-Bar. I savored the hot
coffee at the meeting. I appreciated sleeping in because I knew I could drink my
hot tea at home first and then when I headed out have coffee.
You really do need to plan ahead. I appreciated the lack of meal prep or clean up during the entire 5 days. And because I had a cup o joe every morning, I did not feel deprived. However, my one crave starting Day 3 was cheese! I do not understand that at all but I kept thinking about it.
I noticed on Day 3 that I was truly enjoying taking time to consume the little bit of food that I was allowed each and every meal and snack. I was understanding for the first time what mindful eating means. I resented interruptions or distractions while I ate. I suddenly was protective of my meal times and even having the hot tea in the morning became a ritual of savoring. I did make my afternoon tea and then let it steep and cool and I added ice to it. I just needed a bit of refreshment and so I was glad I had saved the lemon mint teabag. The little things in life are to be enjoyed and I do hope this will be a carryover from my Prolon experience!!!
Day 4
No weight loss Day 4.
But.....olives 2 times! I was hungry by the time dinner came. I was also ready
for bed early. I had felt slightly light headed while sitting at my desk on Day
4 working. I felt physically and mentally spent which was not my usual on a Friday
when I work 6 hours. I would not say I felt cranky or detoxy but just kind of
down. I took time to analyze what I was feeling and realized my physical
deprivation was having an effect on me emotionally. I was feeling the loss of
the social aspect of cooking dinner for my husband and I and together sipping a
glass of cabernet and then enjoying a bit of dark chocolate for dessert.
I stopped and gave myself permission to mourn the loss of the routine of my days. And then reminded myself from that morning's inspiration email from Prolon that this was just 5 days and then my routine would return to normal but a new normal of not taking those blessings for granted. I also got real with the fact that I my body does need and enjoy protein and so by now feeling slightly deprived is probably a good thing! We can get so in our heads and belittle ourselves with negative self talk. I mean, really we need to go easy on ourselves sometimes!
I shared this with Mary via phone as she was so good about calling me back when I left a voicemail with the answering service. I left a message to leave me a voicemail about a product but when I saw it was Mary calling, I did pick up. Her friendly voice was comforting and uplifting.
She spent as much time as I needed in answering my questions. You just do not often get that kind of care and personalized counsel from a busy company. Mary was happy to know it was the end of my mimicking fast and despite my desire to eat baked manicotti on my transition day Sunday, she shared a piece of fresh fish and veggies would be best as my body really needed the protein. I agreed the baked manicotti could wait. Little did I know at the time how hard the transition would be even with fish.
Day 5
Yes my last day was on a
Saturday in which I had to work 9-6. The highlight of my last day was tomato
soup with crackers for lunch. I went to bed early Day 5 with dreams of waking
and making the snapper en papillote, sticky rice, avocado and orange juice for
breakfast.
Happily, I took my last sip of the L-Drink and set the bottle in the sink. I took all 5 white boxes and the big box to the garage to use for Christmas decorations. I just love anything white.
I had done it! I knew at that moment I would do Prolon again. Actually, my plan is to do another one in March then run my blood labs and then do another in May and then run my labs again.
On Day 5 my husband and I both commented on how great my skin on my face looked. And that my face was so much thinner. It was like I woke up in my younger body. I could also see my legs and butt looked slightly smaller in my leggings. The scale only read one lb less than the day before on Day 5. However, I felt like a completely different person and my mood was great. Throughout the 5 days, there were highs and lows but the lows were offset by the sense of "euphoria" you get when fasting. However, I did not have the same feeling of a normal diet due to the L-Drink supporting my glucose needs. I am just so intrigued to learn more!
Transition Day
I wish I had spent even
more time researching the day after! I felt fabulous at church. So happy, so
skinny so full of energy. I was actually afraid to drink a cup of coffee
because I already had way too much energy. I felt confident and knew I looked
so much better than the Sunday before. I serve in the lobby before, during and
after service so I see so many of the same people each and every Sunday. I
could see the interest and attention I do not usually get. Flattering to say
the least!
Fast forward past lunch and I should never have had a glass of red wine! I got a sense of heart burn and felt "off" as the serenity I had felt earlier in the day seemed to fade at that point. I do not know if it was a sugar spike or just too acidic but I wished I had not had a glass of wine on the Transition Day. Next time I will do better. I was so excited to eat I know now I did not eat slowly enough. That no doubt contributed to the heart burn sensation.
In Conclusion
As I sit here now
pondering this quite intriguing concept which is fast mimicking, I can share
with you that I still have a lot to learn! I am so shocked to say that I wish I
were still on it because although it was a challenge and most of the soups
being quite blechy (sorry Prolon) I felt so good! I wish we could
have all the benefits of it and still the vino, carbs and chocolate.
While I did take my thyroid supplements in half the amount each of the 5 days I felt when I went off the cleanse, my body was not thanking me for that so next time I will stay on the thyroid supplements as normal.
I cannot wait to read The Longevity Diet book https://prolonfmd.com/the-longevity-diet/ and learn more! I cannot wait to share this part of my health journey with others. While the company I work for which is Kroger's healthy banner Vitacost.com does share what fast mimicking is in our VitaVibes Blog, we do not sell this product. However, I have been so fortunate to have access to these cutting edge programs and supplements at www.ovitaminpro.com.
I continue to be humbled and blessed by those people in my life who come alongside me to mentor me and to challenge me to be the best I can be. I am so grateful for Mary and Dr. Dan as I trust them always to lead me in the healthiest of directions. And...when I almost fail to remind me of the ultimate goal which is to keep striving for the finish line. For it is there where looking back will always be the prize. The blood labs do not lie and that fact along with feeling great (looking great too) is where we can see how far we have come!
No one was meant to do life alone. There is a team of people cheering for you at www.ovitaminpro.com. Reach out today. You will be glad you did!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from www.ovitaminpro.com.
