Intermittent fasting (IF)
What it is, how it works, and how it compares to the Prolon 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD).
Products to support intermittent fasting
The Intermittent Fasting Bundle pairs the Prolon 1-Day Reset with Fasting Bars, built to fit a 16:8, 5:2 or 6:1 schedule. The Prolon 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Diet, below, is a different program, for prolonged fasting.
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What is intermittent fasting?
Unlike traditional diets that call for changing what you eat, intermittent fasting changes when you eat. It's an eating pattern built around timing: you cycle between an eating window and a fasting window, such as a daily 16-hour fast or two lighter-calorie days a week. Intermittent fasting periods last up to two days, which is typically not long enough to trigger autophagy.
How does intermittent fasting work?
Intermittent fasting works on a schedule: you pick windows for eating and for not eating, then repeat the pattern. A daily 16:8 schedule limits eating to an 8-hour window each day. A weekly 5:2 schedule keeps five days normal and reduces calories on two. What you eat during the eating window still matters, since intermittent fasting changes timing, not food choice.
Common types of intermittent fasting
5:2 diet
Perhaps the most popular intermittent fasting approach, this diet calls for limiting daily calories (500 max. for men, 600 max. for women) for 2 non-consecutive days per week. For the other 5 days of the week normal, healthy eating is encouraged.
16:8 diet
Similar to the Warrior Diet (see next panel), this eating approach also limits the number of hours you can eat each day. Here, however, the individual has a longer eating window of 8 hours per day, while the remaining 16 hours call for a complete fast. So, for example, if you ate dinner at 8:00 p.m. you wouldn’t be able to eat again until noon the following day.
Warrior Diet
Like other popular types of intermittent fasting programs, the Warrior Diet emphasizes when to eat. In this case, individuals will fast for 20 hours each day and have just a 4-hour window each night where they can consume a large meal consisting of healthy fats, proteins and vegetables. Calories are not considered during this diet.
Fasting benefits continued
Hot tip for TRE
While the requirements for these intermittent fasting programs may be easy for some to satisfy, it can still prove challenging for many. One way to help bridge the gap between meals is to eat a Fast Bar®. Not only does it help to offset feelings of hunger, but it nourishes you without breaking your fast*.
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*Benefits seen in a randomized, controlled study in 108 adults after a 15-hour overnight fast comparing the glucose and ketone results every hour for 4 hours in the Fast Bar group, breakfast group and water-fast group. Data on file.
General benefits
What are the benefits of intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting may support metabolic health and weight management. Results vary by person and by pattern, and what you eat during your eating window still matters.
Intermittent fasting and prolonged fasting
How is intermittent fasting different from prolonged fasting?
Intermittent fasting and the Prolon Fasting Mimicking Diet are structured differently. Intermittent fasting is a meal-timing pattern you can follow every day, mostly by changing when you eat. Prolon itself is not an intermittent fast, though Prolon offers several products designed to support intermittent fasting between FMD cycles. What is the Fasting Mimicking Diet?
Prolonged fasts, fasts of three consecutive days or more, last longer than a typical intermittent fasting window. They can trigger a process called autophagy, your body's cleanup of old, worn-out cellular components and debris, which supports cellular rejuvenation and renewal. Prolon, the patented 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Diet, is designed to guide your body into a fasting state so you can get many of the benefits of a longer fast while still eating real meals and snacks.
In a clinical study of Prolon after three consecutive monthly cycles, Prolon helped to preserve lean body mass while reducing body fat, especially visceral (belly) fat.* Users also reported more energy, clarity and focus after a cycle. See the full list of Fasting Mimicking Diet benefits
*Benefits seen in a clinical trial of Prolon after three consecutive monthly cycles.
Who should not fast
Do not fast or use any products for fasting purposes if:
- You have a fever, cough, diarrhea, signs of an active infection, or are at risk for recurrent infection
- You are underweight, breastfeeding, or pregnant
- You have dietary restrictions
- You have a known, suspected, or diagnosed eating disorder
- You are under the age of 18 or over the age of 70 unless you are under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner