Cronometer results for the FMD

[Clinton]

Thanks Dean,

 Great suggestion on taking less than 1 per day - that amount would also get me just above RDA level as well,

Clinton

[mccoy]

If we eat whole grain cereals in non-neglible amounts then we should be able to hit the Se RDA. I was curious so I checked yesterday's Se contributions, half a Brazil nut (2 grams) gave me 70% RDA, whereas a similar, slightly larger contribution, 79%, was provided by 175 grams whole grain bread.

With whole grain cereals and yogurt I would have reached the RDA regardless of brazil nuts or supplements. But that of course implies a certain level of calories with a nontrivial contribution of carbs-containing foods.

 

[mccoy]

I wanted to postpone a few months the next FMD to consolidate muscle hypertrophy, but the body intelligence suggested to me otherwise. I started developing a slight aversion for food and feeling nauseated after eating. So, that means it's time for the 11th FMD. 1st day, 69.4 kg bodyweight

Edited October 15, 2019 by mccoy

[mccoy]

2nd day. I wonder why the pasted figures are sometimes lost.

 

 

[mccoy]

3rd day. No hunger, a little exercise with light weights, a little more sleepiness. Maybe the body becomes accustomed to the FMD after some cycles, maybe this time I had an advatage provided by the higher bodyweight.

The following food has been distributed in 2 meals and is pretty convenient to follow when working. Carrots, almonds and 20 gr bread with tahini eaten while working, at 10-11 AM.

Steamed zucchini dressed with EVOO and chestnuts at night.

Edit: I inserted the summary, about 720 kCals with P/C/F = 9%/41%/51%

 

 

Edited October 17, 2019 by mccoy

[Ron Put]

Thanks for this, mccoy. I might try it. Actually, I was thinking of trying the real Longo box, then transition to this, so I can compare.

The 0s for cashews, etc. are a glitch, I assume.

But do you count the olive oil, I don't see it reflected?

[mccoy]

9 hours ago, Ron Put said:

Thanks for this, mccoy. I might try it. Actually, I was thinking of trying the real Longo box, then transition to this, so I can compare.

The 0s for cashews, etc. are a glitch, I assume.

But do you count the olive oil, I don't see it reflected?

Ron, that's a good idea to start from the standardized FMD, where you are sure to follow the real deal and have no concerns but those to unpack the items.

The zero means that in that day I'm not eating those foods, what I do is to input a set of more likely foods and then choose from them, zeroing those which I don't eat. It's an optimization technique since it's easy to choose the option 'input previous day' and I have the whole choice of many items I usually eat (in a regular day or in a FMD day).

I'm eating 20 grams of EVOO per day, which contributes 177 kCal, I inserted the summary in the previous cronometer snapshot, 51% fats, 41% carbs, 9% protein.

This time I feel very good with this choice of foods, either from the logistic and the physiological point of view, so I'm going to keep it unchanged as far as possible.

Conceptually speaking, the Prolon box is studied to give you exactly the standard dosage, for those people who don't want to bother with designing their own FMD, those who start out like yourself and especially so for those who are on a medical procedure, so the box ensures the proper homogeneity, it's seen as a medicine.

Conceptually speaking, I noticed that Longo's FMD may be adapted to one's own requirements. Keeping the calories unchanged, there are infinite sets of foods we can ingest, it is possible to change a little the carbs and fats percentages, the fiber content, the number of meals, the foods we find more satiating or palatable and so on. Protein should not be increased above the suggested threshold of about 20 grams, whereas carbs can be lowered and, if desired and tolerated, they may even be decreased further to obtain a keto-FMD, which may have advantages for those who are at an advanced level in following this practice (Dr. Peter Attia sometimes suggests keto-FMDs to his patients).

As I hinted before, maybe for this optimization, maybe for the adaptation after various cycles of FMD, this time it's going like a breeze to me, no hunger, no excessive weakness or sleepiness.

At the end of it, the FMD really would seem just like every other activity or sport you take up: you start, do some mistakes, learn, adapt the theory to your individual setup, acquire proficiency, optimize, become good at it, eventually reap the benefits. 

A word of caution for those who are reading this: the frequencies raccomended by Longo should be followed. Doing an FMD too often may be detrimental. 

 

Edited October 17, 2019 by mccoy

[mccoy]

FMD over. 4th and 5th days I used exactly the same menu of 3rd day since it seemed to be optimal.

I used no supplements at all.

Results of this FMD

• Bodyweight decreased exactly 0.5 kg per day,
• Level of energy was good, on 3 out of 5 days I had  some light workouts
• the cognitive level was good, except maybe on the 1st day
• Hunger was practically nihil
• I've been active on all days, with a full-time job and some long drive commuting
• Fasting glycemia on the 6th day (just after the FMD) was 80 mg/dL, lower than my usual value
• Blood pressure on the 6th day was 120-70, which is my average, may have been influenced (increased) by the cold shower I had before the measurement
• Hunger is significant on the 6th day (just after the FMD)

Edited October 19, 2019 by mccoy

[mccoy]

12th FMD, this time I tried a modified FMD, changing a little the ratio suggested by Longo, to make it a lower-carb FMD. The rationale, recognized by Longo himself, is that by diminishing the glucose signal the FMD swifts a little closer to a zero-calories fast (he doesn't suggest it to everyone though). Peter Attia also experimented and prescribed to some of his clients a ketogenic FMD (details undisclosed AFAIK).

Also, I noticed that it's easier to design the modified FMD  rather than precisely following the 45-45% ratio of the original FMD. 

Today,  day #3, the carbs to fats ratio was 25-65, with the 10% suggested protein which I try to keep constant across the whole FMD.

 

[mccoy]

Another low-carb variation of the FMD, which is extremely simple, is the avocado monodiet. 600 gr green skin avocado will exhibit a carbs to fats ratio of 24-70, with only 6% protein. This idea was proposed by some blogger whose name I don't remember, and it was discussed time ago with Mechanism, who has a ketogenic proclivity. this might cause more bodyweight loss than usual...

Edited May 13, 2020 by mccoy

[Ron Put]

5 hours ago, mccoy said:

Another low-carb variation of the FMD, which is extremely simple, is the avocado monodiet. 600 gr green skin avocado will exhibit a carbs to fats ratio of 24-70, with only 6% protein.

Interesting idea, at least for 5 days.  Are you thinking of trying it?

I have to fatten up before I do anything resembling a fast, since nowadays I am down to 10% fat and BMI of 18.7, according to Withings.

I am starting to wonder if my water kefir intake (1.5L on most days) is keeping me skinnier than usual.  I still average about 2000 kcalories per day.

[mccoy]

Ron, I don't know about the avocado FMD since here it's not always available in the rightly-ripe, ready-to-eat state. I might try something similar like veggies, EVOO and nuts although this would probably provide not less than 10% protein.

I usually loose from 5.5 to 7 pounds during a FMD, acquired after 10-15 days max. FMD is probably less advised to rigorous CRON followers.

[mccoy]

This time I'm experiencing difficulties in regaining weight. Not so much hunger as well. We'll see...

[Ron Put]

6 hours ago, mccoy said:

This time I'm experiencing difficulties in regaining weight. Not so much hunger as well. We'll see...

LOL! About 80% of the population in NA and Europe would love to have your problems.

Where I live, avocados are generally good year-round, so I eat a smallish one (70-100g) almost every day of the week.

Edited June 10, 2020 by Ron Put

[mccoy]

13 hours ago, Ron Put said:

LOL! About 80% of the population in NA and Europe would love to have your problems.

I know, sometimes I almost wish I had obesity problems so that I could practice rigorous  CR! 

[gombo2]

47 minutes ago, mccoy said:

I know, sometimes I almost wish I had obesity problems so that I could practice rigorous  CR! 

In your opinion what would be a vigorous CR?I think it would be imc 16 or less

[mccoy]

On 6/10/2020 at 5:08 PM, gombo2 said:

In your opinion what would be a vigorous CR?I think it would be imc 16 or less

But we don't have obesity problems, so why to worry about it? By rigorous CR I mean eating little in general, more veggies, less calories and carbs. Little enough to go from a BMI of say, 30 to one of 23. Not less.

[Sibiriak]

Just curious, why strictly not less than 23? 

Personally,  I think Michael Rae's definition of serious "CR" is a good one, aligned with the evidentiary basis for the proposition that "CR" might extend lifespan,  not just healthspan, in humans.
 

• A person is CR'd if  they restrict caloric intake while maintaining adequate nutrition so that he/she  weighs at  least 15% less than his/her biological setpoint weight.

• Biological setpoint  weight  is defined as  the weight to which one tended to remain stably when in  one's early twenties, and that was within the healthy BMI range.

 

(It is interesting how "adequate nutrition" came to replace "optimal nutrition" in CR definitions.)

Cf.How Many Calories Should I Eat? What's My Goal Weight? What's My Setpoint? What "%CR" Am I?

Michael Rae adheres to the "calories, calories, calories" position;  in contrast,  Dean Pomerleau argues for the "net calories" theory.

Edited June 11, 2020 by Sibiriak

[Fernando Gabriel]

26 minutes ago, mccoy said:

But we don't have obesity problems, so why to worry about it? By rigorous CR I mean eating little in general, more veggies, less calories and carbs. Little enough to go from a BMI of say, 30 to one of 23. Not less.

Have you done CR for a long time?

[mccoy]

1 hour ago, Sibiriak said:

Just curious, why strictly not less than 23? 

For cosmetic reasons, assuming a decent muscle mass... Below this value, I start looking too skinny. I looked good (to my own) at 24.5, but I am not able to keep that weight for long.

According to MRs definition, my target should be 19.4, at which value I start looking like a survivor of a concentration camp.

[mccoy]

1 hour ago, Fernando Gabriel said:

Have you done CR for a long time?

Only for short times, I lose too much weight with it.

[mccoy]

I went thru my 12th FMD and followed almost exactly the same design I followed the time before, to me it's an optimization acros the FMD rules, convenience and avoiding hunger.

Carbs was 25-30%, which is less than the recommended 45% but this way it's easier and maybe more effective.

I lost 6.6 pounds = 3 kgs, of which I regained 2.2=1 kg after 4 days.

At the end of the FMD blood glucose was about 10 mg/dL less than usual.

More tired than the time before, and with mild nausea in the first days.

Edited July 28, 2020 by mccoy

[mccoy]

Yet another cycle of FMD, 2nd day,  this time I'm experimenting a low-carb version of it, where less glucose sends a metabolic signal more similar to a water only fast, accordingly to Longo and others (Longo does not advise it to everyone though). My intention is to keep the same menu all days, a psychologically useful strategy (the mind will not focus on food). Carbs 24% on this day.

 

Edited October 13, 2020 by mccoy

[Todd Allen]

20 hours ago, mccoy said:

Yet another cycle of FMD, 2nd day,  this time I'm experimenting a low-carb version of it,

So with the 0 grams of 85% chocolate do you inhale the aroma or just glance wistfully at the unopened package from a safe distance?

[mccoy]

1 hour ago, Todd Allen said:

So with the 0 grams of 85% chocolate do you inhale the aroma or just glance wistfully at the unopened package from a safe distance?

Todd, the mere thought of it is enough!

It's a leftover from the previous day, I decided against it later.

Today the menu was exactly as yesterday. 3rd day. No tiredness nor sleepiness at all. The body has started to utilize ketones.