Ian & March's 5-Day Fasting Experiment

This week's episode is a day by day diary of an experiment in extended fasting that Ian and March did in November of this year. Their plan was to fast for five days using a protocol created by Dr. Valter Longo, an expert on the positive health effects of fasting. Fasting is known to have a host of benefits ranging from helping to correct metabolic diseases like diabetes to strengthening the immune system and reducing the risk of cancer. Dr. Longo's fast mimicking diet involves eating only a few hundred calories of food each day for 5 days. This makes it easier to maintain than a water-only fast while having many of the same health benefits. So let's hear how they got on! Show Notes 00:00 - What is a fast mimicking diet and why would you do it? 01:40 - March & Ian discuss doing a 5 day fast 03:58 - Ian hatches the plan to record the fasting daily diary for the show 04:37 - Ian wants March's warnings about what to expect - including hunger pangs and the 'keto flu' 10:55 - Ian wants to know if he can exercise while fasting 11:57 - Day 1 diary 12:47 - March had a foggy day, maybe not enough coffee? 15:12 - A fan tells Ian the seaweed snack from our meal plan is super popular in Taiwan 16:10 - Day 2 diary 16:45 - March's sleep starts to get way better while fasting 17:06 - Ian suffers through eating vast quantities of spinach 18:08 - Something weird happens to Ian's teeth 21:29 - Ian starts measuring his ketones & blood glucose 24:16 - Day 3 diary 24:51 - Ian and March are delighted to realize their fast will end on Friday night, not Saturday! 26:50 - March makes the mistake of watching The Great British Bake-Off while fasting 28:20 - Ian wakes up feeling pretty shaky 29:39 - Ian figures out the mystery of his weird teeth thing 32:00 - Day 4 diary 32:46 - Ian has heart palpitations and is understandably freaked out 38:02 - Day 5 diary 38:36 - We find out whether Ian's racing heart caused him to quit the fast early 40:17 - Ian & March discuss missing food and their new found empathy for anyone who goes hungry 49:41 - How to measure poverty and how hunger fits into it 52:40 - Conclusions 52:30 - Ian & March have a bumpy end to their five day fasts 1:01:00 - The risks of fasting & dieting for people suffering from disordered eating 1:03:10 - Ian & March talk about whether they'll do another fast in the future Mentions Dr. Valter Longo & his fasting research ProLon - Dr. Longo's company & FMD kit Heart Palpitations During Water Fast? (Reddit thread) Ian & March's 5 Day FMD meal plan Green tea & water ad libitum DAY 1 (1180 KCAL) 2 avocado 322kcal 57g salted macadamia nuts 408kcal 100g spinach (raw or lightly steamed) 46 kcal 200g steamed broccoli 34kcal 1 bouillon cube 16kcal 2 cloves steamed garlic 8kcal 5g package dried seaweed 24kcal DAY 2-5 (858 KCAL) 1 avocado 322kcal 57g salted macadamia nuts 408kcal 100g spinach (raw or lightly steamed) 46 kcal 200g steamed broccoli 34kcal 1 bouillon cube 16kcal 2 cloves steamed garlic 8kcal 5g package dried seaweed 24 kcal Follow Us Instagram Facebook Twitter Subscribe iTunes RSS Weekly email newsletter Full Episode Transcript Better Show Blog Feedback Email: [email protected] Enjoy the show? Leave a review in iTunes! Tell two friends about the show!