Hi All! Flashing back in time today to two posts that I shared in June of last year. Combined, it’s a pretty long read, but I think you may find it helpful. It’s about an eating strategy called Protein Sparing Modified Fasting (PSMF) that is used to jump start weight loss. It seems to go against everything I typically recommend, I know, but hear me out. I’d love to hear your thoughts! Here are the posts:
6-11-18
I want to update on my own fitness this week, not so I can bore you with pretty pictures of food I haven’t eaten yet, but in hopes that you get something from it and to show you that what I post about isn’t just words. Several months ago, I realized that I had long been hindering my own fitness progress by refusing to gain some body fat. To many of you, I know that sounds weird because you are trying to LOSE body fat. But the truth is, my primary fitness goal is getting stronger, and there just comes a point where you begin to hinder that by not eating enough food. So, I started eating more, I did indeed bust through the strength plateaus, and I have been very happy with my progress. But now, I’ve put on a bit more fat than I’m comfortable with as a fitness coach who’s body is, let’s face it, sort of my own business card to a degree.
I am using a method called Protein Sparing Modified Fasting that I was put onto by Thomas Snyder. This is a very low-calorie diet in which I eat primarily pure protein sources. I’m trying a new method of cutting fat for a few reasons: 1. It will work more quickly than what I normally do, and I want to get back to growing stronger as quickly as possible. That’s hard to do in a calorie deficit. 2. I want this to help all of you. The more things I experience myself, the better coach I am and the more strategies I can confidently suggest not just from research, but also experience. Now, you may think that I’m a huge hypocrite and that this is the opposite of what I usually post about (avoiding big deficits, using moderation, not setting up for failure, etc). But the fact is, jump starts can be a good thing if you think of them that way. I also have manipulated my calories and macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat) for years. I know how to supplement to fill in the holes this leaves in my diet, and I know what to do after I finish this to not undo my progress. This is a valid strategy, but not one I’d recommend to many people because of how difficult it is to stick to. It’s not a fun experience, but it is an effective one. I will be posting this week to show how I go about it, and you will be able to take some of this and apply it to your own, less aggressive approaches, or try it yoursef. I want to demonstrate to you the power of proper caloric manipulation. Stay tuned if you’re interested, and unfollow me if you don’t want to see me starving and laying on the mean streets of Manhattan. And as always, if you have fitness questions, send them my way!
6-15-18
Hi all! I want to give a detailed update to anyone interested, so here it is. This is my 5th day of this eating experiment I shared called Protein Sparing Modified Fasting. Tomorrow, I will have some carbs in the form of delicious popcorn as Maura and I watch Incredibles 2, and from there work my way back up to my maintenance calories. I also would love for you to read my post from Monday for why I am doing this and why it isn’t a great idea for most people. What I ate:
I consumed about 1000-1250 calories per day, the vast majority of which were protein. All calories came from ground turkey, chicken breast, tuna, ants that I found crawling on the floor in my darkest moments, whey protein powder, raw kale, tomatoes and celery, cooked broccoli, sugar-free Jello, and the very little calories that came with my black coffee and chewing gum (not together, disgusting). I supplemented with a multivitamin, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, and I used a lot of salt. These were to fill in the holes left in my diet by cutting out much of my normal food. Results:
I’ve lost 4-5 pounds in 5 days. I had gained some fat, mostly in my mid-section, as a result of my recent increase in caloric intake in order to break through my strength training plateaus. After this week, my shirts lay flatter. Most of the weight loss likely came from water weight, but I have noticed a little fat loss with no noticeable loss in muscle mass. Ketosis (your body turning to its fat stores for energy in the absence of carbs) gets a lot of negative hype from people who overplay it’s results and miscommunicate why it works, but it is real. Experience:
I lifted weights on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Monday’s workout was more or less normal. I moved up on some lifts. I experienced a dip in energy in the middle of my session, but it returned quickly. The quality of this workout is likely due to the residual glycogen (energy stores from carbs) in my system from last weekend. Wednesday’s workout was insane. I was energized and also moved up despite having only about 475 calories in me. I don’t know how to explain this except that perhaps the caffeine from my espresso was “kicking me up a notch” since I hadn’t eaten a lot with it. Thursday’s workout was atrocious. I attribute this to not sleeping well the night before as well as my glycogen stores (carbs stored as energy) likely being totally depleted. I had a few times where small headaches came on and where I was very tired, but for the most part my energy levels were stable and at times even high. Recommendation:
This approach is by nature a jump-start program meant to transition into a sustainable approach shortly thereafter. In my opinion, it should not be done for more than 1-2 weeks because of the sheer physical and mental difficulty of it, and the inherent danger if supplements are not correctly used. I would absolutely recommend speaking with a doctor before giving it a try unless you are very experienced with manipulating calories to reach your goals and have the willpower of a Jedi Master.
Lessons you can take from this:
This is nothing more than an extreme calorie deficit to lose weight with a focus on maintaining muscle mass as you do it. It is a strategy that can be implemented the same without the extremely low calories. I recommend a more moderate deficit. Some things that I am taking from it are recommendations for people I am coaching for weight loss on feeling satiated, since Lord knows I missed my chips and salsa, and a reminder of what it's like to not be able to eat what you'd like to because of your goals. Message me if you’d like me to help you come up with some number to focus on, I’d be glad to help, and comment any questions you have about this!
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