"And why exactly are you doing this?" a colleague asked me when he saw the kale crackers I was eating instead of a typical pregame meal.
"I just want a reset," I deadpanned while actually enjoying the kale crackers.
This was my first day on the Prolon Fasting Mimicking Diet, a plan that, in theory, is supposed to replicate the benefits you receive from fasting. The difference is that you can eat, rather than not eat. Now, it's not feast on gorgeous produce. Instead it is is prepackaged food prepared by L-Nutra a nutrition technology that sells the five-day fast.
Day 1 on the Prolon Fasting Mimicking Diet
I decided to start on a Sunday, Decision Day in MLS. I work for FC Dallas and we were playing Sporting Kansas City with a playoff spot on the line (we won and clinched a playoff berth...with a first-year head coach and the youngest team in MLS).Gamedays are busy and high-energy for me: I'll walk anywhere from two to six miles, I host a TV show, I oversee media operations, I visit with guests, help with social media when needed, pick up the odd piece of trash that flies onto the Toyota Stadium concourse...you get it. It's busy. I usually have no shame having a cookie...or three...on gameday. Additionally, we offer a pregame meal to the media, which I usually eat. It's generally not too bad: grilled chicken, chicken soft tacos or pasta with vegetables. We also offer foods at halftime such as popcorn and those dang cookies. Gameday eating is more out of habit rather than hunger.
I thought this would be a good day to start because the day one of the Prolon protocol is the highest calorie day. On average, users consume almost 1100 calories, something that was doable, at least I thought.
Turns out it was. Day one was easy. It helped that I was busy but I had no true hunger pangs and felt fine throughout the day.
RELATED: Prolong Fasting Diet Day 2 Review: Brainfog Sets In
The Night Before
I had a big dinner the night before with a friend at Hudson House in Dallas (their Tuna Tower Salad and french fries are on my "Last Supper" list and should be on yours, too!). When I woke up on Sunday, I wasn't hungry at all. I started the day with a cup of black coffee, which is allowed on the diet (or 24 ounces of caffeinated, unsweetened tea) and an Algal Oil capsule. All good.Breakfast
I had "breakfast" an L-Bar nut bar, which was actually quite good, if not small. It's the highest calorie item on the Fasting Mimicking plan, coming in at a whopping 260 calories.RELATED: Prolon Fasting Mimicking Diet Day 3 Review: Brainfog Sets In
The Workday
The day progressed fine. Lunch was the Butternut Squash Soup, two NR-T capsules, Kale Crackers and olives. The combination of all three worked really well together.For an afternoon snack, I had a small L-Bar Choco Crisp with hibiscus tea that I put in a water bottle and drank cold (it was a record 97 degrees in Dallas that day!). I tried to enjoy that at halftime but didn't have the time. I ended up scarfing it as I was ensuring our postgame press conference room was set up.
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| Some calm amidst the postgame madness |
Postgame is usually crazy but today was crazier than usual because of the win which helped us clinch the seventh seed in MLS' Western Conference. We had a slew of media requirements to fulfill and postgame operations to manage. This made any chance of being hungry or thinking about food impossible...and kind of good thing.
Dinner
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| Prolon Fasting Mimicking Diet Minestrone Soup |
I got home that night around 8:30PM and heated the Minestrone Soup which I ate slowly because by that time, I was feeling the hunger pangs. I followed that with the Choco Crisp bar and some leftover tea.
Day 1 Takeaways
The first day wasn't that bad. It was tough to break from the habits of munching mindlessly during a game. That is a good thing because I snack out of habit rather than hunger which is something I am trying to break. I also didn't have any extra caffeine, which is something I normally consume prior to my pregame show. Again - I think that is something out of habit and not a necessity.I was initially worried that I would be exhausted or low on energy eating only 1100 calories on what needs to be a high-energy day for me. Turns out, it wasn't an issue at all.
Disclaimer: this is solely my experience on this plan and should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional before making any dietary or lifestyle changes. This post is not sponsored. I paid for the fasting protocol on my own.
