I first heard of the Prolon diet while watching the Goop Lab on Netflix with the ultimate Woo Woo Working Woman Gwenyth Paltrow. She always has the very best intel on what’s what in the health and wellness world.  Although she doesn’t make it seem like too much of a fun time, I took mental notes. Since then, I’ve seen many of my favorite health influencers come out of the Prolon closet advocating its many health benefits for resetting metabolism and healing inflammation to name a few. Having just spent the last several weeks indulging in way too many birthday dinners, treats, and tequila sodas my body was longing for a reset. In fact, it was begging and pleading. So, I gave in, and here’s the download on Prolon and how my first experience went. 

What is Prolon?

ProLon is a fasting-mimicking at-home diet that consists of scientifically researched micro- and macro-nutrients prepared in precise quantities and combinations that nourish you but are not recognized as food by your body and therefore mimic a fasting state. In other words, the plan shifts your body into fasting mode allowing your cells to reap the benefits of fasting while still allowing you to eat a limited amount of food. Your body thinks it’s fasting but you’re not actually forgoing food. 

 

ProLon comes delivered to you in five small pre-prepared meal boxes, one for each day, that include energy bars, soups, a variety of snacks, drinks, and supplements. The ingredients are 100% plant-based, gluten-free, non-GMO, and contain no artificial additives. Day one provides about 1,150 calories and the subsequent four days hover around approximately 700 to 800 calories. 

 

ProLon is based on over 20 years of research from one of the most well-known authorities on longevity and the science of fasting. Dr. Valter Longo is the Director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California and was named one of the top 50 most influential people in health by TIME. Interestingly, he donates his shares of L-Nutra, the company that makes ProLon, to fund more research. I guess you can say he really is in it for the science. 

 

The ProLon diet has been clinically tested and found to promote beneficial effects in a wide variety of conditions ranging from excess weight and fasting blood glucose to growth factors associated with DNA damage and aging.  Additional recorded benefits from the study include

 

• A triggering of autophagy which is the clean-up of old and worn cellular components therefore promoting body rejuvenation.

• A jumpstart into visceral or abdominal fat-burning mode resulting in a decreased body weight, BMI, and total body fat. 

• An overall feeling of greater energy, mental clarity, and focus.

• A shift in mindset with many participants reporting a renewed awareness of what they consumed as well as their portion sizes and a motivation to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Here’s what the diet looked like for me.

Day 1

Breakfast: L-Bar & Tea

Lunch: Tomato Soup, Kale Crackers, & Olives

Snack: L-Bar & Tea

Dinner: Minestrone Soup & L-Bar Choco Crisp

Supplements

 

I had the brilliant idea of starting the diet on Superbowl Sunday.  The first day is the most food so I didn’t necessarily feel deprived or hungry.  It felt awkward not having stomach filling real meals and I realized just how much I graze all day.  A mental fog and headache started to creep in as the day proceeded.  I seriously regretted my decision as I watched everyone drink cocktails and munch on yummy game food.  However, the game and commercials were also super distracting from the lack of real food so maybe I was low key genius for starting during such a popular event. Also, there was no next day guilt about overindulging on buffalo wings.  I might already be winning.

 

Day 2

Breakfast: L-Bar & Tea

Lunch: Mushroom Soup & Olives

Snack: Olives & Tea

Dinner: Minestrone Quina Soup & L-Bar Choco Crisp

Supplements & L-Drink

 

The headache and mental fog are REAL and, according to my Prolon assigned health coach, quite common with fasting.  Work is a struggle and I just want to stare off into space. I feel like I should be wearing a sign that says “Please don’t asking my challenging questions”. Thankfully Mondays are my lighter workdays and I just focus on trying to get through the day.  I am starting to really dig the L-Bars and nibble on mine like a rabbit to relish my few savory enjoyments.  Also, not sure why there are so many olives.  I like olives but can a girl get some crunch?

 

Day 3

Breakfast: L-Bar & Tea

Lunch: Mushroom Soup & Olives

Dinner: Minestrone Soup

Supplements & L-Drink

 

This day was ROUGH.  There’s the least amount of food and it feels endless.  I spent the night before rereading the menu as if I could magically will more food items to appear.  The hours of the days were utilized on the best possible eating strategy.  I split the breakfast bar into multiple courses and drank endless cups of tea. I happened to schedule the check in with my health coach for that day and asked him what one could do if they were absolutely starving.  Fortunately, he said that either a persian cucumber or a stalk of celery is allowable if drastically needed.  I immediately ate two cucumbers.  It was drastically needed.

 

Day 4

Breakfast: L-Bar & Tea

Lunch: Vegetable Soup & Olives

Snack: Olives & Tea

Dinner: Minestrone Quinoa Soup & L-Bar Choco Crisp

Supplements & L-Drink

 

This day is definitely better as you feel like you’ve made it over the proverbial hump.  The brain fog and headache had cleared and I felt mentally clear and focused.  I also felt energized and found myself powering through my day and to-do list.  I did, however, begin to grow super weary of eating the same boring foods on repeat. I started visualizing all the foods I was going to eat once off the fast.  Oddly, I visualized lots of fresh vegetables.  I kept thinking about raw carrots.  I can assure you that I never longed for carrots before.  Weird but I guess in a good way.

 

Day 5

Breakfast: L-Bar & Tea

Lunch: Mushroom Soup & Olives

Dinner: Minestrone Soup

Supplements & L-Drink

 

This was perhaps the easiest day because I knew I would be eating normally again in 24, 23, 22 hours and so on.  Yes, I really did have a mental hourly countdown filled with moments of giddiness as I imagined being reunited with my beloved and gorgeous coconut milk collagen matcha latte.  I had energy and an enormous feeling of accomplishment knowing that I’d pretty much made it through. Seems like Gwen and I now have Prolon in common amongst so many other things.  That last minestrone soup was slightly painful but the thought of what I would lovingly eat the next day powered me right through this final meal. 

 

The Wrap Up

All in all the Prolon diet is not for the meek.  It is hardcore and you need to go in with a can-do mindset.  The battle is both physical and mental.  However, it is definitely doable and not incredibly painful.  Your body feels like it’s getting the necessary fuel it needs to function.  I never felt ill or unsafe.  It’s an odd state of being, though, in which you don’t necessarily feel overly hungry but the cravings are acutely there. These cravings are phantom and, really, are more of a longing to eat and be full because it’s what we’re used to feeling. At least, that is what I’m used to feeling with the amount and frequency with which I normally eat.

 

The food was simply OK.  It wasn’t great but it wasn’t awful. Both bars were pretty tasty and I would eat them on the regular. They are the one part of the diet that made me feel like I wasn’t being deprived. The kale crackers were pretty yummy as well.  Again, not sure why there were so many olives. The soups were pretty blah. They tasted decent for powdered soup but nothing I would ever eat when not on this diet.  It would be delightful if, in future iterations, the evening soup wasn’t only minestrone.  The scientists behind Prolon were clever enough to discover the secrets to longevity and anti-aging. Surely, they can come with a second soup flavor.

 

I lost about six pounds in a week, which I was pretty stoked about.  I hadn’t seen that number on the scale in some time although I put half back on in a few days. However, the diet, for me, was more about resetting and cleansing my body and mind.  I feel strongly that the mission was accomplished. In the days following, I had more energy, mental clarity, glowing skin, and focus. I honestly felt lively, vibrant, and lighter. The diet also made me more mindful of what I was consuming as well as my portion sizes.  I will 100% be doing this detox again in next coming months. I may not like it but I like its effects. Gwenyth and Goop were right again.