As I mentioned a few days ago, I’m now testing out the Fast Mimicking Diet, an intermittent, very-low-calorie five-day semi-fast, which research is showing may have powerful effects on long-term health.

As compared to the roughly 3500-4000 calories I eat on most days, 725 calories seems very low calorie indeed.

My fast compatriot Jessie and I collectively decided that our best strategy would be to further subdivide things into a series of daily intermittent semi-fasts: eating 125 calories through the morning and afternoon, then enjoying a large 600-calorie dinner. Last night, for example, we had scallops in a lemon-butter sauce with mashed celery root and braised kale. Which was both delicious, and served in large enough portion that I almost couldn’t finish eating it.

Thus far, I’ve also stuck with my workouts as previously programmed. Yesterday, despite running on fumes, I managed to pull a 20-pound PR on the sumo deadlift. Though, following that, and feeling slightly lightheaded, I also didn’t quite stick the dismount stepping down from a weighted step-up, leading to a five-foot backwards sprawl that narrowly avoided landing under the 135-pound barbell.

Fortunately, I don’t have any more heavy lifting scheduled during the fast – just a more conditioning-focused workout today, and two weekend runs (one intervals, the other a longer tempo jog). I’m not sure how those will work out, though it’s probably better to fail by having to walk part of a sprint than by being crushed to death by dropped weights.