The Zero-Prep FMD: How to Fast-Track Your 5 Days Without Kitchen Chaos

"I thought I was going to pass out in the middle of my 2 PM meeting," Melissa from Denver messaged me last week. "But instead, I felt more focused than I had in years—and all I'd eaten was your weird avocado-lemon 'soup' concoction."

She was on day 3 of what I call the Zero-Prep FMD—my answer to everyone who's ever said "Sofia, I want to try fasting-mimicking, but I literally don't have time to breathe, let alone meal prep."

And that's when I realized we all think FMD requires some kind of Martha Stewart-level kitchen wizardry. Spoiler alert: it doesn't. In fact, some of my most successful FMD cycles happened when I had zero time to cook and had to get creative with grocery store basics.

The Beautiful Truth About Lazy FMD

Here's what nobody tells you about fasting-mimicking: the simpler you keep it, the better you'll stick to it. I learned this during my busiest quarter at work last year when I was pulling 12-hour days and the thought of chopping vegetables made me want to cry.

Let's be honest here—most of us aren't going to spend Sunday afternoon portioning out tiny containers of measured nuts and pre-cooking five days of vegetable broth. And that's okay! The science behind FMD doesn't care if your vegetables came from a farmer's market or a pre-washed bag from Trader Joe's.

Dr. Valter Longo's research shows that what matters most is hitting those macro targets: keeping calories between 800-1100 per day, with specific ratios of fats, carbs, and proteins. Whether you achieve that with homemade soup or store-bought options is entirely up to you (and your schedule).

The Zero-Prep Shopping List That Changed Everything

When Melissa asked for my "lazy FMD" protocol, I sent her this exact shopping list:

Base essentials:

• Pre-made low-sodium vegetable broth (the good stuff, not the $0.99 cubes)
• Avocados (buy them at different ripeness stages)
• Pre-washed salad greens
• Cherry tomatoes (no chopping required)
• Canned olives
• Raw almonds and walnuts
• Nut butter packets (yes, the single-serve ones)
• Herbal teas (lots of them)

Game-changers:

• MCT oil (for that hunger-crushing boost)
• Nutritional yeast (makes everything taste better)
• Everything bagel seasoning (trust me on this)
• Lemon juice in the bottle (fresh is great, but we're being realistic)

The beauty? Everything here requires zero cooking. You're basically assembling, not preparing.

The Daily "Cooking" That Takes 5 Minutes Max

Here's exactly what a typical Zero-Prep FMD day looks like:

Morning (100-200 calories):

Heat up 1 cup of veggie broth, add 1 tablespoon MCT oil, squeeze of lemon, sprinkle of nutritional yeast. Sip it while checking emails. Follow with herbal tea.

Lunch (200-300 calories):

Half an avocado mashed with lemon juice and everything bagel seasoning. Eat it with a fork like the sophisticated adult you are. Side of cherry tomatoes and 5-6 olives. More tea.

Afternoon snack (100 calories):

One of those nut butter packets or a small handful of almonds. I time this for my usual 3 PM slump.

Dinner (200-300 calories):

Big salad with pre-washed greens, the other half of your avocado, more cherry tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil, and—here's the kicker—warm vegetable broth poured over top like a soup-salad hybrid. It's weirdly satisfying.

(Don't judge the soup-salad thing until you've tried it. My husband thinks I'm insane, but it works.)

When Things Get Real: Handling the Tough Moments

Around day 2 or 3, you might hit what I call "the wall of why." As in, "Why am I doing this to myself when there's perfectly good pizza in the world?"

This is where the zero-prep approach really shines. When you're hangry and exhausted, the last thing you need is complicated cooking. Having grab-and-go options means you're less likely to quit because something seems too hard.

Melissa told me her breakthrough moment came when she realized she could heat broth in her office microwave and add MCT oil from a travel bottle she kept in her desk. "It felt like I'd discovered fire," she said. (FMD brain fog makes us dramatic, as one does.)

The Surprising Science of Simple

Here's what fascinates me about this approach: research from USC's Longevity Institute suggests that the metabolic benefits of FMD might actually be enhanced when we keep things simple. Less variety in foods can lead to better adherence and potentially stronger autophagy activation.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick recently discussed on her podcast how the body responds more predictably to simple, whole foods during fasting states. Complex recipes with multiple ingredients might actually work against us by triggering more diverse digestive responses.

Translation: Your lazy approach might be more effective than that person on Instagram making elaborate FMD cauliflower rice bowls.

Real Talk: What This Actually Feels Like

I won't sugarcoat it—even Zero-Prep FMD has its challenging moments. Day 1 is usually fine (honeymoon phase). Day 2-3 can feel rough as your body adjusts. By day 4, most people report feeling surprisingly energetic. Day 5 is victory lap territory.

The difference with this approach? When you're struggling, you're not also dealing with meal prep stress. You can focus all your energy on getting through the fast itself.

One trick that helps: I set phone reminders for my "meals." When you're eating so little, it's easy to forget and then wonder why you feel terrible at 4 PM. Structure helps, even if that structure is just "heat broth, add oil, drink."

Your Zero-Prep Starter Plan

If you want to try this approach, here's my suggestion for your first cycle:

1. Shop for everything on Saturday (takes 20 minutes) 2. Start on Monday when work distracts you from hunger 3. Prep nothing in advance except having MCT oil at your desk 4. Focus on hitting macro targets, not creating Instagram-worthy meals 5. Document how you feel each day (voice memos work great)

Remember: the goal isn't perfection. It's completing five days of FMD in a way that fits your actual life.

The Results That Matter

Melissa lost 4 pounds during her first Zero-Prep FMD week, but more importantly, she told me she felt "weirdly accomplished" by Friday. "I always thought I needed perfect conditions to do something like this," she said. "Turns out I just needed permission to do it imperfectly."

That's the thing about FMD—and really, any wellness practice. We often wait for the "right time" when we have energy to meal prep and our schedule is clear and Mercury isn't in retrograde. But sometimes the best approach is the one you'll actually do, not the one that looks best on paper.

Since developing this protocol, I've used it during conference weeks, deadline crunches, and even while traveling. It's not fancy, but it works. And honestly? After trying dozens of elaborate FMD approaches, I keep coming back to this simple system.

Here's my question for you: What's really stopping you from trying FMD—is it the fasting itself, or is it all the complicated protocols you think you need to follow?

Because if it's the latter, maybe it's time to embrace your inner lazy genius and try the Zero-Prep approach. Your future self (and your kitchen) will thank you.