First and foremost, this isn’t sponsored in any way. I’ve seen lots of people in my Instagram circle post wonderful things about Prolon so I thought Black Friday was a good time to finally buy and give it a try (hey, that rhymed!).
Me and my BFF were talking about Prolon a month or so ago and decided this would be something fun to do together. I know I know, our definitions of fun are all a little different. I’m a full grown adult and I don’t need to be supervised, but having someone to text and complain to is kind of nice.
2 FAQ:
What’s Prolon?
I’m linking their website here for a better explanation. From my understanding it’s a five day diet designed to mimic a fast. The foods provided are high in fat, low in carbs and protein.
Why are you doing Prolon?
For fat loss, not weight loss. Which sounds weird when the diet is high in fat yet promotes fat loss. I’m not the scientist behind the diet!
For the last 4-7 years I have tracked my weight, waist, bust, and hip measurements monthly. It’s partly habit, but also a great way for me to check in with myself. The last six months of this year my measurements have been greater than the first six months of the year. That’s the real reason I’m giving Prolon a try. I’m curious as to what the results will be and how they will impact what comes next for my wellness journey.
Day 1:
It’s an exciting day! I finally get to start and find out what all the hype is about. I fasted until noon on this day and started with some Prolon pills. I didn’t think anything of them in the moment but it’s now 9:00pm and I’m still kind of burping the taste of the pills. The soups were surprisingly tolerable, and I even found myself enjoying the bean soup for dinner. A PB&J sounds delicious, but I’m settling for some spearmint tea. Overall hunger scale 2.5/10.
Bottom: snack; dinner
Day 2:
I woke up with mild hunger and broke my fast at about 9:00am with the Prolon nut seed bar. Work was busy! I work in long term care and bounced from room to room 11 times, which doesn’t leave a lot of time in my schedule for hydration. I always drink very little throughout the day, but being on this low calorie fast has made liquids necessary to have some substance in my belly.
I didn’t go to work on day 1 of the fast, so today was also my first day seeing other peoples food. It was my patient’s cafeteria food which never looks appetizing, but on this day it looked 100% better than a powdered packet of soup. As it turns out, the tomato soup included with Prolon is fantastic!
I ended the day with what I believe to be a hunger headache. I have had about one headache every 10 days for the last few months so there’s a chance the headache is unrelated. I felt mild hunger at all times throughout the day and for that reason I’ll rate my hunger 3.5/10.
Day 3:
It was my second day in a row waking up hungry, which isn’t normal for me. I can usually make it to 11:00am to noon without eating anything, but I felt uncomfortably hungry from the time I woke up. The food grossed me out today too. The seed crackers smelled like cardboard. Thank goodness they didn’t taste like it! I have also gone through phases of taking vitamins, however taking these Prolon pills of multiples is too much for me. Shame on me for smelling the pills – I literally gagged!
As I’ve followed the Prolon journey of others they’ve said they were not hungry and that they had more energy. Liars! Tell me why I fell asleep working on my computer at 7:00pm with all this “energy?” I’m mildly agitated and moderately hungry. Hunger scale 5/10.
Day 4:
In a shocking turn of events, I woke up without hunger! I was surprised and relieved. I also look different today as compared to the other mornings where I felt I looked the same when looking in the mirror. Hunger pangs hit me today especially in the evening but not as terrible as day 3. Hunger scale 4/10.
Day 5:
Another morning of looking more lean. I felt a little bloaty, but not more than when I’m on my usual vegetarian diet. Work was busy and I had things to do after work too so it was far easier to ignore the hunger but it was absolutely there.
Prolon seed crackers were on the menu today and I refused to eat them. They’re just not that great! I have a high tolerance for bland food and repetition in my diet. I had cottage cheese and crackers for a year and a half for lunch. Boring food right? But not bad. It says a lot about Prolon crackers if I couldn’t down them for a few days in one week. Hunger scale is hard to gauge because I’m exhausted, but I’d say 4/10.
Final Thoughts + Results
It wasn’t worth the suffering. The only reason I didn’t quit midway through day 3 (my hardest day) is because I spent too much money on the fast. I am also not physically strong compared to the average american woman, so I take pride in my mental toughness that helped me get through the last two days. The black friday Prolon sale was so good I almost purchased two or three boxes and I’m so glad I didn’t.
I almost forgot the results! I’m more of a measurements person, so I’ll give you those first.
- waist: down 3/4 inch
- bust: unchanged
- hips: down 1/4 inch
- weight: down 3.5 lb
Jeff teased me saying he could have made up a diet with restricted calories and guaranteed the same results. He’s 100% right! With a caloric intake of 750 per day, the average person will be hungry and lose weight. While I do believe Prolon is evidence-based, it’s clear the creators of it are more so good at math and have knowledge of creating a calorie deficit. I have no desire to do this again for fun, and I would only ever consider another round if I was looking for a quick fix pre-beach trip or something along those lines. This fast has reminded me that I’m not a quick fix type of person and I just need to implement better lifestyle changes. Up my oatmeal with flaxseed intake, and perhaps layoff the M&M’s for dessert.
Now that it’s over I’m very much looking forward to consuming solids! Now you tell me, is this Prolon fast something you would consider? Let me know in a comment below.
XO,
Vivian