TheLurkest
New member
I'm not usually the type of person to make a thread about something like this, but I need to keep track of what I'm doing, and this seems the best way (so others may learn from my knowledge/mistakes).
I was about 330 - 340lbs in September (my scale wasn't too great, so I don't know precisely), went on the Atkins diet for about 6 weeks and lost down to 310lbs. Went off the diet and gained to 315lbs (water gain), where I've held steady these last few months. Now that I've gotten past the issue that made me go off the diet, I'm ready to attack this issue head on with a protein sparing modified fast (PSMF).
I bought a new scale, which is very accurate, but went to the Dr. anyway to verify my weight and blood pressure, which was 315lbs on March 8th (two days ago), and 120/80 blood pressure (pre-hypertension). I started the diet on March 9th.
As of right this moment (9:45PM March 10th) the scale shows 311.6lbs - the rest of my weigh-ins will be done in the morning. I haven't exercised these two days, but will once my body adjusts completely.
Waist - 62 inches (5.1 FT!) circumference.
ABOUT A PSMF DIET
This isn't a way of eating for life - this is battle mode for those who need/want to strip off a massive chunk of fat. I need/want to. I've never been thin a day in my life - I weighed 120lbs at 11 years of age, 200lbs at 14, 250lbs at 16, etc. up to nearly 350lbs at 21 years old (my current age). I've never been on a date. I've never particularly enjoyed life. Every moment of my existence is marred by the discomfort I feel from being so large. My blood pressure is pre-hypertension. I've begun to experience blood sugar issues (extreme exhaustion after eating sugar/vision issues). Time to stop thinking about the day I'll lose the weight and actually do it.
A protein-sparing modified fast is basically a fast (starvation) with the inclusion of 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass + some fat + leafy veggies + supplements. The idea is that your body runs off fat or glucose. If you deprive it of both, your body will eat your fat for its energy needs and your muscle for its glucose needs. The problem with this is obvious - you're starving, and your body is cannibalizing itself. To remedy this, you eat sufficient protein for your body's need, and it will use your fat stores for your energy needs.
MY DIET
I'm following Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss diet, but the Cleveland Clinic also has a PSMF diet if anyone is interested in checking it out. Always consult with your doctor first, this is an extreme diet that requires you to have sufficient knowledge of biology/nutrition, your own body's limits and needs, etc. I'm doing a PSMF for six weeks with one 'refeed' a week.
I'm also taking 25mg of ephedrine and 200mg of caffeine twice a day. Less anyone panic about this, I monitor my blood pressure very closely, and have a high stimulant tolerance. I have asthma, so I've been taking ephedrine regularly over a long period of my life. I know my levels and what I can handle, but I don't know yours, and thus I advise you against using an EC stack. Talk to your doctor if you're interested.
I eat about 900 calories a day total, usually consisting of chicken jerky and baked fish fillets. I also eat cucumber slices and/or a green pepper and/or an iceberg-spinach salad. I take [1] multivitamin, [1] calcium, and [3] fish oil capsules in the morning, and again with dinner. I take some magnesium and potassium twice a week, and will increase/decrease it depending on how I feel in a week. Some people require a fiber supplement, but I haven't, and don't think I will, since I consume adequate veggies.
MY EXERCISE
Extreme or heavy exercise on a PSMF is not possible, and would be incredibly stupid. I don't feel tired or anything, but I can tell just moving around that I'll certainly not last long if I strenuously exercise. That's fine. Diet is 90% of weight loss, and, at my current weight, is more important in terms of pure weight loss than exercise (though exercise is certainly necessary).
My plans currently are weight lifting twice a week with one large protein shake (250 calories/56g protein/16g carbs) immediately before. The other days will be a leisurely 1 mile walk down a nearby nature trail, or something similar.
THE FOOD/PROGRESS SO FAR
Yesterday, the first day on this diet, was brutal. I felt fine until about 3PM, which is when I normally have my first real meal of the day. The later half of the day, up until about 11PM, was very difficult. I was cold and shaky and had a perpetual headache. My mind was fuzzy and I could concentrate on nothing. I was grouchy because I was hungry and had a headache. After the sun went down, I got terrible cravings for all sorts of terrible foods (you guessed it - I usually eat junk food around 9PM). It took a lot to power through it, but I did.
March 8th
[3] hamburger patties
[3] slices provolone cheese
[2] fish fillets
[1] whey protein shake (250 calories/50P-16C + 18 amino acids + essential minerals)
No veggies because I was out.
March 9th (today)
Today I felt much better. I did wake up hungry, though not ravenous - just a lingering sensation. No headaches or cravings at any point today. Though I still have an urge (from habit) to pop all sorts of junk food in my mouth, I actually feel physically good. Well balanced, if that makes sense. Not hungry even though I've had so little. Not dizzy, cold, moody. I have amazing mental clarity. I haven't felt exhausted at any point today, which is unusual, since I usually crash around 4PM and can hardly stay awake. It's currently 11PM, I arose at 8AM, and I still feel fine. It really is incredible.
[3] hamburger patties
[2] slices provolone cheese
[2] fish fillets
[1] whey protein shake
Today was pay day, so tomorrow I'm going grocery shopping for a wider variety of food including veggies. My plan is to make a lot of chicken jerky, which I've made in the past, because: A) I love jerky, B) It's easy to snack on when the munchies set in, C) because I hate cooking.
I'll add pics at some point, though I can't guarantee when. I'll weigh in everyday and report on how I feel, and if I experience any health issues.
If you read this far, thanks.
EDIT: After re-reading this, I'd like to toss in a few clarifications. I've made very minor tweaks to the RFL version of the PSMF, based on reasons I won't get into. I ate cheese these two days because I can't buy fish oil capsules until tomorrow, and certain vitamins in the multivitamin are fat soluble. There will be no cheese starting tomorrow. I'm also eating hamburger patties because I'm almost out of food, and all I had was a package of frozen hamburgers and some fish fillets. As I said, tomorrow I go shopping.
I was about 330 - 340lbs in September (my scale wasn't too great, so I don't know precisely), went on the Atkins diet for about 6 weeks and lost down to 310lbs. Went off the diet and gained to 315lbs (water gain), where I've held steady these last few months. Now that I've gotten past the issue that made me go off the diet, I'm ready to attack this issue head on with a protein sparing modified fast (PSMF).
I bought a new scale, which is very accurate, but went to the Dr. anyway to verify my weight and blood pressure, which was 315lbs on March 8th (two days ago), and 120/80 blood pressure (pre-hypertension). I started the diet on March 9th.
As of right this moment (9:45PM March 10th) the scale shows 311.6lbs - the rest of my weigh-ins will be done in the morning. I haven't exercised these two days, but will once my body adjusts completely.
Waist - 62 inches (5.1 FT!) circumference.
ABOUT A PSMF DIET
This isn't a way of eating for life - this is battle mode for those who need/want to strip off a massive chunk of fat. I need/want to. I've never been thin a day in my life - I weighed 120lbs at 11 years of age, 200lbs at 14, 250lbs at 16, etc. up to nearly 350lbs at 21 years old (my current age). I've never been on a date. I've never particularly enjoyed life. Every moment of my existence is marred by the discomfort I feel from being so large. My blood pressure is pre-hypertension. I've begun to experience blood sugar issues (extreme exhaustion after eating sugar/vision issues). Time to stop thinking about the day I'll lose the weight and actually do it.
A protein-sparing modified fast is basically a fast (starvation) with the inclusion of 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass + some fat + leafy veggies + supplements. The idea is that your body runs off fat or glucose. If you deprive it of both, your body will eat your fat for its energy needs and your muscle for its glucose needs. The problem with this is obvious - you're starving, and your body is cannibalizing itself. To remedy this, you eat sufficient protein for your body's need, and it will use your fat stores for your energy needs.
MY DIET
I'm following Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss diet, but the Cleveland Clinic also has a PSMF diet if anyone is interested in checking it out. Always consult with your doctor first, this is an extreme diet that requires you to have sufficient knowledge of biology/nutrition, your own body's limits and needs, etc. I'm doing a PSMF for six weeks with one 'refeed' a week.
I'm also taking 25mg of ephedrine and 200mg of caffeine twice a day. Less anyone panic about this, I monitor my blood pressure very closely, and have a high stimulant tolerance. I have asthma, so I've been taking ephedrine regularly over a long period of my life. I know my levels and what I can handle, but I don't know yours, and thus I advise you against using an EC stack. Talk to your doctor if you're interested.
I eat about 900 calories a day total, usually consisting of chicken jerky and baked fish fillets. I also eat cucumber slices and/or a green pepper and/or an iceberg-spinach salad. I take [1] multivitamin, [1] calcium, and [3] fish oil capsules in the morning, and again with dinner. I take some magnesium and potassium twice a week, and will increase/decrease it depending on how I feel in a week. Some people require a fiber supplement, but I haven't, and don't think I will, since I consume adequate veggies.
MY EXERCISE
Extreme or heavy exercise on a PSMF is not possible, and would be incredibly stupid. I don't feel tired or anything, but I can tell just moving around that I'll certainly not last long if I strenuously exercise. That's fine. Diet is 90% of weight loss, and, at my current weight, is more important in terms of pure weight loss than exercise (though exercise is certainly necessary).
My plans currently are weight lifting twice a week with one large protein shake (250 calories/56g protein/16g carbs) immediately before. The other days will be a leisurely 1 mile walk down a nearby nature trail, or something similar.
THE FOOD/PROGRESS SO FAR
Yesterday, the first day on this diet, was brutal. I felt fine until about 3PM, which is when I normally have my first real meal of the day. The later half of the day, up until about 11PM, was very difficult. I was cold and shaky and had a perpetual headache. My mind was fuzzy and I could concentrate on nothing. I was grouchy because I was hungry and had a headache. After the sun went down, I got terrible cravings for all sorts of terrible foods (you guessed it - I usually eat junk food around 9PM). It took a lot to power through it, but I did.
March 8th
[3] hamburger patties
[3] slices provolone cheese
[2] fish fillets
[1] whey protein shake (250 calories/50P-16C + 18 amino acids + essential minerals)
No veggies because I was out.
March 9th (today)
Today I felt much better. I did wake up hungry, though not ravenous - just a lingering sensation. No headaches or cravings at any point today. Though I still have an urge (from habit) to pop all sorts of junk food in my mouth, I actually feel physically good. Well balanced, if that makes sense. Not hungry even though I've had so little. Not dizzy, cold, moody. I have amazing mental clarity. I haven't felt exhausted at any point today, which is unusual, since I usually crash around 4PM and can hardly stay awake. It's currently 11PM, I arose at 8AM, and I still feel fine. It really is incredible.
[3] hamburger patties
[2] slices provolone cheese
[2] fish fillets
[1] whey protein shake
Today was pay day, so tomorrow I'm going grocery shopping for a wider variety of food including veggies. My plan is to make a lot of chicken jerky, which I've made in the past, because: A) I love jerky, B) It's easy to snack on when the munchies set in, C) because I hate cooking.
I'll add pics at some point, though I can't guarantee when. I'll weigh in everyday and report on how I feel, and if I experience any health issues.
If you read this far, thanks.
EDIT: After re-reading this, I'd like to toss in a few clarifications. I've made very minor tweaks to the RFL version of the PSMF, based on reasons I won't get into. I ate cheese these two days because I can't buy fish oil capsules until tomorrow, and certain vitamins in the multivitamin are fat soluble. There will be no cheese starting tomorrow. I'm also eating hamburger patties because I'm almost out of food, and all I had was a package of frozen hamburgers and some fish fillets. As I said, tomorrow I go shopping.
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