Hi all,

I recently came across Lyle McDonald's RFL book and am looking to start the PSMF diet start of December for 2 weeks. I am carrying most of my fat in my torso ie love handles, chest and stomach and feel i need something short and intensive to get the fat moving.

I am a category 2 (49 yo male) and am lifting weights 4 days a week, ill drop this to 3 days during the diet. I will follow the book as required and incorporate the free meals and refeeds as necessary with the advised supplements.

I guess I am looking for advice or tips from anyone who might be similar stat's to me (or anyone really) who has done the diet for a couple of weeks so i can understand what to expect with regards to energy levels and possibly any tweaks or gotchas to avoid. I am a bit concerned about energy levels and mental fatigue.

Interested to hear anyone's feedback, input or stories. Did the diet work great for you, was it a game changer or just meh ?

Hello all

I am a woman in my early 30’s. I have finished the Rapid Fat Loss Handbook by Lyle McDonald. I am ready to start the diet but with my health condition - Idiopathic Intercranial Hypertension- I don’t think I’ll be able to use thermogenics or an EC stack. I have taken Lipo-6 hers black in my early 20s to help with working out and energy with no ill side effects, but I wasn’t diagnosed with IIH then.

I can still drink caffeine in modest doses however.

Has anyone successfully completed 6-8 weeks of psmf without any thermogenics or ec stack?

Thanks

Hi I've been on a PSMF for maybe 3 weeks I feel pretty good not hungry probably thanks to ketosis although I have been having this really strange symptom where my hands and feet will get really tingly and easily fall asleep (go numb) if I sit in the same position for a while. I've also been waking up with bad charley horses in my calves maybe twice a week.

I am a small person 5'1 115 lbs but not lean I don't have lot of muscle mass so I'm just trying to lean out before the holidays. I try to aim for 40-80g protein a day. I'm a picky eater so it's mostly from fish, dairy, and egg whites. I eat 1 or 2 meals. I admittedly don't eat as much veggies as I probably should but I just don't really like them lol. I mostly have leafy greens. I'm lightly active I'm averaging about 8k steps a day and I lift weights 2-3 times a week though I'm not good at it lol. I take electrolytes and all the recommend vitamins. I take extra care about potassium as I have had medically low levels in the past. I take magnesium with food because it gives me diarrhea if I take it on an empty stomach.

I do have a problem with drinking a lot of diet soda I probably have about 3-5 cans a day to curb sugar cravings and give me a little energy boost. I mix my electrolytes with it because I get the unflavored kind and it's yucky otherwise. I wonder if it's too much sodium. Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice? Thank you!

Hello, I’m interested in buying a PSMF book. Is Lyle’s RFL book or The Ultimate Diet 2.0 the best one to purchase or is there another book that is recommended? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Does anyone else use these on a PSMF?

The actual carb count is negligible and 3 of them give you almost 90g of protein for just 450 calories, making them pretty close to a scoop of cheap ass whey protein in terms of macros

Anyone use pedialyte before/during a workout?

I want to use the powder form...one serving is about 11 g Dextrose. The only thing I am worried about is one of the ingredients is "short-chain fructooligosaccharides" and I am wondering if this is bad since it is Fructose. I recall reading that fructose is NOT good to have while running PSMF.

EDIT: More Info....On page 34 in Lyle's RFL handbook, he mentions that you can take 5g of a fast acting carbohydrate before a weight workout. He says "up to 15-30 g of carbs (think Gatorade) can be sipped on during a workout). The way I am reading this is ....take 5g of sugar before a workout (if drinking Gatordate I am assuming 15-30g of liquid contains about 5g sugar).

Does everyone supplement with fiber when doing PSMF? Or we just letting the cruciferous vegetables do the work?

Hey everyone,

I'm planning to follow a diet based on Lyle McDonald's recommendations and would appreciate some feedback on my food choices, electrolyte intake, and training routine.

My stats:

- Sex: Male

- Height: 158 cm (5'2")

- Weight: 144 kg (317 lbs)

My daily food intake:

- 700g chicken breast (weighed raw, before cooking)

- 300g broccoli

- 100g spinach

- 1 serving of 2% fat Greek yogurt

- 7g salt added to my food

- 4g fish oil

- 1 serving of multivitamin every other day

- 1 serving of electrolyte blend

My total protein intake should be around 175g or slightly more, depending on the exact products and portions.

Training routine:

- Resistance training: 3 days per week

- Cardio: 25 minutes, 4 days per week

Questions:

1. Does this food selection fit Lyle McDonald's diet principles?

2. Am I getting enough potassium and magnesium from these food sources, or should I adjust my electrolyte intake?

I'm particularly interested in feedback from people who have experience following Lyle McDonald's protocols.

Thanks!

After 4 hours i hit 30 days no cheats or refeed what do you think about a cheat day or refeed day iam 25 percent body fat now

Hello.

I am doing PSMF - learning it with nice success.

I have a question:

How do you manage stopping binges, reduce harms all of that nature? And how to speed up this process ?

Last maintenance day I went over the rails due to buying too much sweets. Have not eaten them all at once around 1/2 of it but spiralled into some other food ls in excess.

Day after maintenance was RFL but with this distaste of 3kg up on scale.

Today eaten the rest of it + some fat meat (what was in the fridge).

Now I am on the phase ' no crying in the car' what is done is done and for sure I will have plenty similar situations in the future . Even if it will be 3 rlf days I will be back on track within 3 days max.

THE QUESTION IS : how to come to that realization faster ?

How do you do it ?

For now I know :

- buy only amount that you intend to eat exactly : in my case 60g of something

- no leftovers in the fridge

- a lot of tea and mint to bypass overeating disorder

- fast back as fast as possible ! But how ? 😅

I'm almost 2 weeks into RFL and thinking about taking a maintenance day since it's starting to get tough (only so much chicken breast and tilapia one can eat) and was wondering how it feels returning to RFL after a day off. Is it hard? How hungry do you get? Does "leaving ketosis" increase your appetite?

Iam 22 days on psmf and starting to fell so sick of tuna whey ext what to do now

Been running psmf for ~2 1/2 months now with the help of semaglutide (starting weight 339, cw 306) but I've been falling short on my protein goals lately because tuna, ground turkey, chicken breast, and lunch meat is getting nauseating. The constant chewing is too much haha. Anything that's high volume hasn't sat well with me either. My appetite is basically 0.

My typical day looks like this:

First meal: premier protein shake, quest bar (50 g protein, 11g fat, 6 net carbs)

Second meal: protein shake with almond milk (2 scoops, 50g protein, 2g fat, 5 net carbs)

Third meal: < insert lean protein here, 4-8 ozs > steamed broccoli or cauliflower if I'm able to get it down (30-60 ish grams of protein, 2g fat, 4 net carbs)

I supplement with fiber, fish oil, and a cheap multivitamin.

I feel bad relying on processed foods and protein powder, but they're the only things that I don't dread eating. I wanna lose at least another 30 lbs before taking a sanity break for a week or two (still at a large deficit to keep losing). I'm open to any suggestions!

I’ve seen these two numbers both by Lyle. The GLP book and RFL book give different numbers, with the GLP book giving the 1.5g/lbs LBM value.

As a Cat 1 individual, weight training and 10k average steps which number should I be aiming for?

Thanks

Is PSMF actually doable for someone who works full time? Do you feel unwell during the initial stages, or even all the way through it? How long does it take to get used to it?

Current RFL diet, should i add or adjust anything? Intermediate to advanced lifter, 215lbs 6ft, 16-18% body fat. trying to get down to 195lbs.

Daily Meal Plan: 1,161 cal | 150g protein | 47g fat | 27g carbs:

1st meal (420 cal: 44P / 23F / 6C)
4 large eggs (HEB Cage Free Brown): 280 cal, 24P / 20F / 0C
4 oz honey smoked turkey breast (HEB): 140 cal, 20P / 3F / 6C

2nd meal (741 cal: 106.5P / 24F / 21C)
5 oz ground beef, 85/15: 301 cal, 26P / 21F / 0C
2 scoops ON Whey Isolate, chocolate: 240 cal, 48P / 3F / 6C
2.5 cups fat-free milk (HEB Mootopia): 200 cal, 32.5P / 0F / 15C

For context, my trainer introduced the Protein Sparing Modified Fast to me so that I could just lean out because I was skinny fat. I've done this fast 4 times. One week in June, one week in July and then 2 consecutive weeks in August. Each time, i lost around 4 pounds of fat. I started off at 18% body fat and by the 4th time I did the fast, I was at 11.5% body fat. I look noticeably leaner but i still have alot of fat accumulated on my lower abdomen and lower back. Most of the fat was being removed from my legs and arms.

I went on vacation between September and October. Last week I decided to do this fast a 5th time just to lose my vacation weight and to see if i could finally burn off some of the belly and back fat i still have left. The body scan I got before i started said I was 11.8% body fat. I did the fast for 6 days. When I did my body scan after, it said I only lost 0.5 pounds of fat, a far cry from the 4 lbs a week i'm used to. For context, my protein was 255 g, Carbs were 70g and my fat was 5g. These are usually my macros everytime i do the fast. I lift weights 4 times a week and do incline walking on the treadmill for about 45 to 60 minutes a session around 3 to 4 times a week.

So my question is, why was my fat loss this time so low compared to the other 4 times I have done the fast?

https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1x8zytx/more_than_half_of_people_with_earlyonset_type_2/

More than half of people with early-onset type 2 diabetes (average age just 38) went into remission with no meds after a 24-week program: 12 weeks of 800–900 calories a day plus supervised strength and cardio workouts. They lost fat but kept their muscle, and even their hearts became healthier, too.

Link to actual article: https://www.sciencealert.com/this-diet-and-exercise-combination-put-early-onset-diabetes-into-remission-in-half-of-participants

I want to do a seven day PSMF in the middle of my bulking cycle. I will do a gradual reduction and increase to and from the PSMF.

I also want to use it as kind of like a mental break from eating so much, but wondering if it will have good effects to lose a little bit of fat?

I’m quite lean as it is I usually start my bulking phase at about 6 or 7% body fat and I would say right now I’m not about 12%.

Any advice welcome.

(I'm reposting this here because it got removed from r/loseit for promoting ED habits. Maybe it's because I said feel like I could eat like this another week.)

So my husband and I decided to do a protein sparing modified fast for 2 weeks because we are taking a tropical vacation soon and we both wanted to have nice beach bodies. We were both nervous about cutting calories so significantly but now that we are a week into the diet I told my husband that I could easily do this another week. In fact I struggle to eat all the food I need to in day.

I used to eat like 2000 to 2500 cals a day at least for maintenance so I assumed I would be very hungry. I was hungry on the first couple days but by day 3 my only craving was for a glass of wine with dinner. We are on day 8 now and I'm sitting here typing this instead of eating the hard boiled egg in front of me because even though I know I need to eat it to stay on diet, I'm just not hungry. How can I go from eating 2000 to 900ish calories a day and not be hungry? Anyone else experience this?

So I started today and after breakfast thought "damm that's a lot of food" ! Your thoughts and advice would be appreciated.

This is what I have come up with:

Multivitamin and electrolytes daily.

Day 1
Breakfast: 1.5 cups (360g) liquid egg whites scrambled with spinach, salt, and black pepper (cooked with non-stick spray).

Lunch: 220g grilled skinless chicken breast, sliced over cucumber slices with apple cider vinegar and coarse salt.

Dinner: 250g baked cod fillet seasoned with lemon juice, garlic powder, and steamed zucchini slices.

Broth: 1 cup salted chicken bone broth mid-morning and evening.

Day 2
Breakfast: 1 cup (240g) liquid egg whites + 2 whole egg whites, cooked as an omelet with diced celery and hot sauce.

Lunch: 250g canned white tuna (packed in water, drained), mixed with 1 tbsp mustard, lemon juice, salt, and wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves.

Dinner: 220g roasted turkey breast (skinless) with a side of steamed broccoli florets (salted).

Broth: 1 cup salted beef bone broth mid-morning and evening.

Day 3
Breakfast: 1.5 cups (360g) liquid egg whites scrambled with 50g fat-free cottage cheese (scrambled in for creaminess) and chives.

Lunch: 250g steam-baked tilapia fillet seasoned with paprika, onion powder, and steamed green beans.

Dinner: 220g pan-seared skinless chicken breast with a small salad of romaine lettuce, radishes, and lemon-juice dressing.

Broth: 1 cup salted chicken bone broth mid-morning and evening.

Day 4
Breakfast: 1.5 cups (360g) liquid egg whites baked as an egg bake/frittata with spinach, mushrooms, and salt.

Lunch: 250g boiled or grilled jumbo shrimp, seasoned with Old Bay, salt, and fresh lemon juice over sliced cucumber.

Dinner: 220g roasted turkey breast sliced thin, served with soy sauce, ginger, and steamed zucchini strips.

Broth: 1 cup salted beef bone broth mid-morning and evening.

Day 5
Breakfast: 1.5 cups (360g) liquid egg whites scrambled hard with hot sauce and black pepper.

Lunch: 250g baked flounder or sole fillet with garlic powder, lemon wedge, and a side of celery sticks.

Dinner: 220g grilled skinless chicken breast marinated in white vinegar, mustard, and herbs, served over shredded romaine.

Broth: 1 cup salted chicken bone broth mid-morning and evening.

Day 6
Breakfast: 1.5 cups (360g) liquid egg whites scrambled with diced radish tops or spinach.

Lunch: 250g canned tuna in water, drained and mixed with Dijon mustard and capers, eaten with cucumber rounds.

Dinner: 220g baked white fish (cod or halibut) with Old Bay seasoning and steamed asparagus tips.

Broth: 1 cup salted beef bone broth mid-morning and evening.

Day 7
Breakfast: 1.5 cups (360g) liquid egg whites cooked as a flat omelet with herbs and salt.

Lunch: 220g poached skinless chicken breast, shredded and tossed with hot sauce and lime juice over lettuce wraps.

Dinner: 250g steamed sea scallops or shrimp with garlic salt, lemon juice, and a side of steamed zucchini.

Broth: 1 cup salted chicken bone broth mid-morning and evening.

Week 2 Meal Plan
Day 8
Breakfast: 1.5 cups (360g) liquid egg whites scrambled with spinach and garlic powder.

Lunch: 250g baked tilapia fillet with Cajun seasoning and steamed cucumber/radish salad.

Dinner: 220g roasted turkey breast with mustard and steamed broccoli.

Broth: 1 cup salted beef bone broth mid-morning and evening.

Day 9
Breakfast: 1.5 cups (360g) liquid egg whites cooked with 50g fat-free cottage cheese and black pepper.

Lunch: 220g pan-seared skinless chicken breast sliced over romaine with red wine vinegar and salt.

Dinner: 250g baked cod fillet with lemon pepper and steamed green beans.

Broth: 1 cup salted chicken bone broth mid-morning and evening.

Day 10
Breakfast: 1.5 cups (360g) liquid egg whites scrambled with hot sauce and celery salt.

Lunch: 250g canned water-packed tuna with mustard and lemon juice wrapped in lettuce.

Dinner: 220g grilled skinless chicken breast with garlic powder and a side of steamed zucchini.

Broth: 1 cup salted beef bone broth mid-morning and evening.

Day 11
Breakfast: 1.5 cups (360g) liquid egg whites frittata with spinach and sliced mushrooms.

Lunch: 250g steamed shrimp with cocktail-style seasoning (lemon, hot sauce, horseradish—no sugary ketchup) over cucumber slices.

Dinner: 220g roasted turkey breast with soy sauce and steamed broccoli florets.

Broth: 1 cup salted chicken bone broth mid-morning and evening.

Day 12
Breakfast: 1.5 cups (360g) liquid egg whites scrambled hard with black pepper and herbs.

Lunch: 250g baked flounder or white fish with lemon juice and a green salad (romaine + vinegar).

Dinner: 220g grilled skinless chicken breast with hot sauce and steamed asparagus.

Broth: 1 cup salted beef bone broth mid-morning and evening.

Day 13
Breakfast: 1.5 cups (360g) liquid egg whites scrambled with 50g fat-free cottage cheese.

Lunch: 220g poached chicken breast, shredded with mustard, salt, and wrapped in romaine leaves.

Dinner: 250g pan-seared scallops or white fish with garlic salt and steamed zucchini.

Broth: 1 cup salted chicken bone broth mid-morning and evening.

Day 14
Breakfast: 1.5 cups (360g) liquid egg whites cooked with spinach and garlic.

Lunch: 250g baked tilapia with paprika and lemon, plus cucumber slices.

Dinner: 220g roasted skinless turkey or chicken breast with black pepper, mustard, and a side of steamed green beans.

Broth: 1 cup salted beef bone broth mid-morning and evening

Thank you.

Hi everyone!

I'm planning to start my first 6-week PSMF cycle, but I'm genuinely struggling to figure out my calorie and protein targets. I've tried reading Lyle McDonald's book, but I cant seem to decipher it especially the calculations 😭

My stats:

• 24F, 154 cm (5'1"), 71 kg (156 lbs)

• Estimated body fat: 35–37%

My biggest confusion is how to actually calculate my daily calories and protein. If i upload the book to chatgpt and claude one tells me 600 kcal, another says 1,200 kcal, and the book seems to have its own calculations. At this point, I genuinely don't know what to trust.

I've been considering around 105g of protein and 650 kcal but I dont know if I am right?

For someone with my weight and body fat, how would you actually go about setting up a proper PSMF? What calorie and protein targets would you use?

I'd really appreciate some guidance, especially from people who've followed the book or completed a PSMF themselves. I've read so many conflicting things that, at this point, I trust this community's experience more than another calculator!

Thank you so much!