TheNormalMan's 6 Week RFL/PSMF Cut

[TheNormalMan]

Following hot on the heel's of my successful 4 week Velocity Diet cut, starting today, I'm going to be embarking on a 6 week RFL cut based on the principle's of Lyle McDonald's RFL Handbook.

My plan is to run the RFL protocol for the next six weeks which will be until November 11.

Depending on how I feel, the length of this cut may be shorter or longer depending on the results I get as well as how much more intense dieting my body can take.

That's why I ended my Velocity Diet run last Friday to give myself a two day mental break from dieting since it was my plan to start on this plan beginning today.

I will only be consuming one protein shake per day and this will be post workout due to convenience and the need for quick digesting nutrients.

The only other time I will be consuming protein shakes on this diet is the rare day that I'm not able to prepare enough real food but I don't foresee this being a problem.

Coming off a four week run on the Velocity Diet, I really have no interest in protein shakes for the time being other than post workout.

I will be weighing in everyday on this diet again like I did on the Velocity Diet and keeping a running weight log as well.

At the end of everyday, I will also be logging my food intake for the day with what I ate at every meal and my estimated total amount of calories for the day.

I've calculated my lean mass as sitting around 170* and I know that my bodyfat is somewhere around the 25% marker, probably a little higher, but I'm going to be running this diet as a category 2.

*My lean mass is calculated from numerous BodPod tests I had done at college several years ago and my body composition hasn't changed much since then.

As a category 2 dieter who lifts weight, I will be consuming 170 * 1.25 grams = 212 grams of protein per day.

This comes out to 850 calories from protein each day + vegetables + 4 servings of fish oil capsules per day for the recommended amount of Omega 3s.

Carbohydrates and fats will be limited to fibrous vegetables as outlined in Lyle's book as well as whatever minimal amounts tag along with the protein sources I'll be eating on this diet.

With fish oil and fibrous vegetables + tag along carbs and fats, I expect my total calorie intake each day to be somewhere in the 1000-1200 range after all is said and done.

For the first week, I don't plan to have a cheat meal and I'm planning on doing my refeed on Saturday and I'm going to be starting with the lowest amount of carbs necessary for the 5 hour refeed window and seeing how my body reacts.

I'll update more later as I have my meals and all the macro nutrient ratios in each meal.

Starting Weight: 227.2#

[TheNormalMan]

Day 01: 227.2#

Didn't have a chance to log yesterday. Got home real late from work last night and I just went straight to bed because I was really tired.

Food log for 10/3/11:

Meal 1:
2 cups Eggbeaters
1 serving fish oil

Meal 2:
8 ounces chicken tenderloin
5 large mushrooms
3 ounces green beans
1 serving fish oil

Meal 3:
Same as meal 2

Meal 4:
1.5 scoops Casein protein
1 serving fish oil

Total: 190 g protein
Calories: ~1000

Need to get my protein intake a little higher since according to RFL, I need be around 212.

After four weeks on the V-Diet, it was a lot easier getting all my protein from shakes than it is eating it.

I'll just have to slowly increase my protein intake after the days this week and keep everything on like that.

Shooting for 210 grams today.

I'll update again tonight after I make it through another day.

Had lots of energy yesterday, but I'm also running on glycogen from this weekend. I should be fully depleted in the next day or two so I'm guessing by Wednesday, I should have a good idea what my energy levels on this diet will be like.

[binks09]

What's your protocol in terms of exercise? I know Lyle recommends really reducing cardio to almost nothing and only 3-4 days of quick weight training.

[TheNormalMan]

What's your protocol in terms of exercise? I know Lyle recommends really reducing cardio to almost nothing and only 3-4 days of quick weight training.

What's up man. Good to see you back around again.

I'm not doing any cardio right now. I didn't do any during my four weeks on the Velocity Diet and I definitely won't be doing any on this cut since my calories are even lower now than on the V-Diet.

As for weight training, I'm gonna keep going with my current routine which is 4-5 days/week as this works for me.

If I find that I'm not getting results or I'm too drained, I'll cut back to 3-4 days per week.

My strength is actually really good right now so I'm going to keep going with what has been working for me so far.

[TheNormalMan]

Day 01: 227.2#
Day 02: 227.8#

Food log for 10/4/11:

Meal 1:
2 cups Eggbeaters
1 serving fish oil

Meal 2:
8 ounces chicken tenderloin
1 cup mixed peppers
5 large mushrooms
1 serving fish oil

Meal 3:
5 ounces canned tuna
4 ounces lean ham

Meal 4:
1 scoop Casein protein
1 scoop whey protein
1 serving fish oil

Total: 200 g protein
Calories: ~950

Protein intake was a little bit higher today than yesterday.

I'm feeling surprisingly full after so little calories. Unlike the Velocity Diet, I actually get a sense of satiety from my meals now instead of just feeling not hungry like how I did on the V-Diet.

My strength is still really strong. Haven't lost any strength in my main lifts.

Put up 315 on flat bench for 3 good reps with strict form yesterday. Not bad for being low cal/low carb and losing weight fast.

I'm really stoked to see what I can do in the next 6 weeks.

[BellaValerina]

I still stalk you Please PLEASE please tell me you will NOT binge for a least a month after your 6 week cut...I really really really really really want to see posts regarding maintenance not just on and off again type of behavior.

You are kicking ass and taking names. I hope you acheive your goals. We are all here cheering you on and waiting for you at the finish line.

I'll be feeling your "pain" starting Saturday. Oh boy what am I doing to myself

[TheNormalMan]

I still stalk you Please PLEASE please tell me you will NOT binge for a least a month after your 6 week cut...I really really really really really want to see posts regarding maintenance not just on and off again type of behavior.

You are kicking ass and taking names. I hope you acheive your goals. We are all here cheering you on and waiting for you at the finish line.

I'll be feeling your "pain" starting Saturday. Oh boy what am I doing to myself

Alright, I promise, no unplanned binging for a month. For what it's worth though, I am going to be eating myself stupid on Thanksgiving. There's too much good home cooking that I don't get enough of anymore for me to pass this up. But this will be the only day that I truly let myself eat as much as I want for the day.

I'm going to be cutting in some form or another until I hit my goal of around 185-190 pounds and then I'll reassess and see what my next goal will be.

I honestly have no idea what weight I want to get down to before I'm happy with my body but since I'm a fairly thick guy, I figure 185-190 is a good starting point for now.

We'll both achieve our goals. I'm within sight of the finish line now and I know that after six weeks on RFL, I'm going to be coming down the home stretch.

So close and yet so far. Time to stay the course.

[BellaValerina]

Well Thanksgiving, Christmas, and NYE are all planned cheat days IMO. I just want you to force yourself into maintenance like you do during these strict diets. Nothing crazy but just eating "normally" like 2200-2400 calories of balanced, low acid response foods

[TheNormalMan]

I agree on all those days certainly being planned cheat days. I can't imagine a Thanksgiving or Christmas without several helpings of my mom's home cooking since she's been hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas for as long as I can remember.

After my six weeks on RFL, I'll be following Lyle's advice for a 2 week full diet break which should take me up to about Thanksgiving or take. After that I'll see where I'm at and decide if I need to keep cutting or take December off and just try and maintain.

That's eight weeks away which is a long time in the grand scheme of strict dieting. Just need to make it those eight weeks first.

[jon1995]

in broseph i hope you make it.
and theres no need for PWO shake btw

[TheNormalMan]

in broseph i hope you make it.
and theres no need for PWO shake btw

You bet I'll make it. I always do. Keeping it off seems to be the problem.

You don't have to anything a certain way. PWO shakes are convenient and fast.

PWO shakes are important because there's a short window following a training session where insulin sensitivity is vastly heightened and the nutrients you give your body go directly towards muscle repair and recovery.

Real food is not digested fast enough to take full advantage of this window which is why taking 1-2 scoops of whey protein immediately after lifting is very important for muscle maintenance/growth.

[TheNormalMan]

Day 01: 227.2#
Day 02: 227.8#
Day 03: 227.4#

Food log for 10/4/11:

Meal 1:
2 cups Eggbeaters
4 ounces ham
1 ounce fat free cheese

Meal 2:
8 ounces chicken tenderloin
1/2 cup green beans
4 large mushrooms
1 serving fish oil

Meal 3:
1.5 Scoops Syntha-6

Meal 4:
6 ounces chicken
Vegetable mix with peppers, mushrooms, broccoli

Meal 5:
1 Scoop Syntha-6

Total: 210 g protein
Calories: ~1200

Total calories and intake today were a little higher than they should have been.

I was ravenously hungry yesterday for some reason.

I'm going to wait a little bit later in the day before I have my first meal today.

I think eating first thing in the morning is getting my hunger going too early and makes it too hard for me to stick to my diet for the rest of the day if I start too early in the morning.

[TheNormalMan]

Weight's finally starting to drop again.

I hate how it takes 3-4 days to debloat from a bad weekend. Such is the price we pay. But that's ok.

I'll be honest so far, sticking to this RFL meal plan is harder for me than doing the Velocity Diet.

Results get me to stick to any diet plan but the sheer simplicity of the Velocity Diet is what appealed to me since you don't think about food at all while on that diet.

I feel better overall since I started RFL than I did on the Velocity Diet, but making sure to limit my food intake to the proper choices is not easy, at least for me.

I'm naturally drawn to high fat foods and since this diet eliminates fat, staying away from no fat in the diet is really tough for me.

Just have to take it one day at a time and keep pushing.

[binks09]

I liked your idea of limiting overall "meals" and waiting to eat until further in the day. Many people have found great success through IF (leangains), in which the fasting period lasts roughly 16 hours followed by a feeding window of 8 hours. Whatever you do, just stick to it and the results will follow.

[TheNormalMan]

Day 01: 227.2#
Day 02: 227.8#
Day 03: 227.4#
Day 04: 226.4#

Food log for 10/6/11:

Meal 1:
6 ounces ham
3 ounces fat free cheese
1 large tomato
Mustard
1 serving fish oil

Meal 2:
4 ounces chicken tenderloin
1 cup mixed vegetables
1 serving fish oil

Meal 3:
1 scoop whey protein
1 scoop casein protein
1 serving fish oil

Meal 4:
16 ounces fat free cottage cheese

Total: 190 g protein
Calories: ~1000

Took today off from working out. Wasn't really feeling in the mood to workout today.

Already done two weight sessions so far this week. Going to be doing some shoulders and a little more upper body tomorrow and I'll be doing legs on Saturday.

Sunday will be my next rest day and Saturday is my planned refeed day.

Going to start with about 250 grams of carbohydrates and go from there. See how my body reacts to it.

Finally nice to see the scale start dropping down again.

Really hoping to get down to 210 by the end of the month.

With as fast as I was losing on the Velocity Diet and considering that this diet is even less overall calories, I don't see why I couldn't be down to 200 by the end of the month.

Just have to maintain my consistency and focus and stay the course.

[TheNormalMan]

Day 01: 227.2#
Day 02: 227.8#
Day 03: 227.4#
Day 04: 226.4#
Day 05: 226.2#

Food log for 10/7/11:

Meal 1:
6 ounces chicken sausage
1 cup mixed vegetables
1 ounce fat free cheese
1 serving fish oil

Meal 2:
8 ounces rotisserie chicken (white meat)

Meal 3:
8 ounces chicken breast
2 TBPS Low Sugar BBQ Sauce
4 ounces shrimp
1.5 cups mixed vegetables
1 serving fish oil

Meal 4:
1 scoop Syntha-6

Total: 200 g protein
Calories: ~1100

Woke up like six times to piss last night when I was asleep and I even stopped drinking water like two hours before bed.

Damn low carbohydrate diets and water just going right through you.

I really hope my weight really starts to drop in the next few days.

Really annoying to be doing everything right and not watching the scale drop on such a restricted diet.

I can feel differences and changes in my body compared to last week but I hate not watching the scale drop in the meantime.

Hopefully I'll see a good drop by earlier next week. That's what I'm really hoping for.

[jon1995]

nice job bro keep pushin

[TheNormalMan]

nice job bro keep pushin

You got it. Doing awesome this week, ain't gonna stop now.

Just five more weeks to go then I'll figure something else out.

[TheNormalMan]

Had a group meeting at work today. Lunch was catered so I used this meal as my refeed and my "free meal" for the week. I'll be having my next free meal most likely Wednesday night and it won't be as much food as I had today.

Had a bunch of skewers of roasted chicken, about 8 bite size potatoes stuffed with cream cheese, 2 servings of potato salad, a large green salad, a bunch of sliced tomatoes, and finished off the meal with 3 large mocha chip cookies.

For a refeed, fat content was probably higher than necessary, but I feel great, didn't eat myself sick, and am going to finish the day with two more high protein meals.

Probably won't be able to give an accurate calorie estimate for today as I have no idea how the catered food was prepared, but it wasn't the healthiest of foods I've ever eaten.

Gonna tear it up at the gym tomorrow morning and pump out some major weight. Feeling great right now.

I'll update with weight and daily macros later.

[TheNormalMan]

Day 01: 227.2#
Day 02: 227.8#
Day 03: 227.4#
Day 04: 226.4#
Day 05: 226.2#
Day 06: 226.6#

Food log for 10/8/11:

Meal 1:
2 cups Egg Beaters

Meal 2:
8 small skewers of rotisserie bbq chicken
2 servings potato salad/mixed veggies
1 large serving salad with light dressing
8 mini cream cheese stuffed bite sized potatoes
4 small squares veggie bread
4 large slices fresh tomatoes
3 large mocha chip cookies

Meal 3:
1 scoop whey protein
1 scoop casein protein

Total: ~175 g protein
Calories: ~maybe 2500?

Total calories for the day are just ballpark since I have no idea how many were in the meal I had for lunch at our luncheon at work.

Really annoyed the scale isn't dropping at all.

Makes me feel discouraged when I don't see progress and I know I should be losing pounds no matter what I'm doing.

My body is beyond the point of recomping significantly at this point so it's aggravating to not watch my weight drop at all in nine days.

Some will tell me to stop weighing myself all the time but for me, it's one good tool of measurement since I know I lose weight rapidly when I follow my cutting routine strictly.

Back to my usual diet of protein and lean veggies tomorrow and hopefully I'll see a drop in weight in the next couple days.

Might have to change a few things around if nothing changes soon.

[TheNormalMan]

At least the damn scale is starting to move again.

Go figure, the day after a cheat meal and it drops again.

Never surprises me how wacky the body can be in its reaction to carbohydrates and sodium.

[TheNormalMan]

Day 01: 227.2#
Day 02: 227.8#
Day 03: 227.4#
Day 04: 226.4#
Day 05: 226.2#
Day 06: 226.6#
Day 07: 225.6#

Food log for 10/9/11:

Meal 1:
10 ounces chicken breast
3 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup mixed peppers/onions
1 ounce fat free cheese
1 serving fish oil

Meal 2:
6 ounces lean ham
2.5 ounces fat free cheese
1 large tomato
1 serving fish oil

Meal 3:
8 ounces chicken breast
1/2 cup mixed peppers/onions
1 scoop casein protein
1 serving fish oil

Total: ~190 g protein
Calories: ~900

Finally nice to see my weight dropping again.

Felt good today after my heavy carb meal yesterday.

Going to have a small "free meal" Wednesday night and then another more structured "refeed" on Saturday night.

If it goes well this week, that will be my meal timing for the remaining five weeks on RFL.

Until tomorrow, rock on everyone.

[TheNormalMan]

Couldn't sleep last night. Got all of two hours of sleep last night.

I even ate a 130 calorie strawberry flavored Greek Yogurt because I was hoping a few carbs would help put me back to sleep. Nope, all that did was make me hungrier.

So I've been up since 1 AM since I can't sleep and I feel like absolute hell today. Worst I've felt in five weeks of dieting thus far both mentally and physically.

I'm beginning to think that jumping into RFL right after the Velocity Diet wasn't such a good idea.

I should have taken a week to eat at maintenance or something to let my body readjust.

If I don't see significant improvements in my body this week or a large drop in weight, I'm going to take a diet break next week for at least a week to shock my metabolism back up.

I'm a strong willed guy and when I set my mind to something, I finish it, but I'm not going to go through another five weeks feeling drained and half starved if I only drop 8-10 pounds.

I can lose that much weight eating 2800 calories per day and 200+ carbs a day.

Planned "free meal" Wednesday evening and a "refeed" on Saturday.

For the rest of the week, it's business as usual.

[TheNormalMan]

Day 01: 227.2#
Day 02: 227.8#
Day 03: 227.4#
Day 04: 226.4#
Day 05: 226.2#
Day 06: 226.6#
Day 07: 225.6#
Day 08: 225.6#

Food log for 10/10/11:

Meal 1:
6 ounces lean chicken sausage
1 cup mixed peppers/onions
1 serving fish oil

Meal 2:
12 ounces top round steak
2 cups mixed greens
1 large tomato
1 ounce fat free cheese
1 serving fish oil

Meal 3:
6 ounces chicken breast
1.5 ounces fat free cheese
2 TBPS fat free sour cream
1 scoop Syntha-6
1 serving fish oil

Total: ~215 g protein
Calories: ~1100

Still no weight drop again today. Not sure why, but nothing I can do about it.

Just going to keep going one day at a time and see where the rest of this week takes me.

Was feeling pretty wiped out today so I didn't do any kind of training today. Took a nice rest today and I'll be getting a good 8-9 hours of sleep tonight.

Gonna give the diet a few more days before I change anything drastic. Just frustrating not to see progress everyday like what I had on the Velocity Diet.

Unfortunately it's out of my control at this point. And I'm even drinking close to a gallon and a half of water per day.

[stingray72]

I still stalk you Please PLEASE please tell me you will NOT binge for a least a month after your 6 week cut...I really really really really really want to see posts regarding maintenance not just on and off again type of behavior.

You are kicking ass and taking names. I hope you acheive your goals. We are all here cheering you on and waiting for you at the finish line.

I'll be feeling your "pain" starting Saturday. Oh boy what am I doing to myself

Its usually a 10- 15 pound regain because of carbohydrate depletion but other than that nothing if you up calories slowly.

[stingray72]

Couldn't sleep last night. Got all of two hours of sleep last night.

I even ate a 130 calorie strawberry flavored Greek Yogurt because I was hoping a few carbs would help put me back to sleep. Nope, all that did was make me hungrier.

So I've been up since 1 AM since I can't sleep and I feel like absolute hell today. Worst I've felt in five weeks of dieting thus far both mentally and physically.

I'm beginning to think that jumping into RFL right after the Velocity Diet wasn't such a good idea.

I should have taken a week to eat at maintenance or something to let my body readjust.

If I don't see significant improvements in my body this week or a large drop in weight, I'm going to take a diet break next week for at least a week to shock my metabolism back up.

I'm a strong willed guy and when I set my mind to something, I finish it, but I'm not going to go through another five weeks feeling drained and half starved if I only drop 8-10 pounds.

I can lose that much weight eating 2800 calories per day and 200+ carbs a day.

Planned "free meal" Wednesday evening and a "refeed" on Saturday.

For the rest of the week, it's business as usual.

I dont sleep well on low carbs either.

[jon1995]

I love your attitude. Wish I had the same motivation. Keep at it you deserve your goals.

[TheNormalMan]

Its usually a 10- 15 pound regain because of carbohydrate depletion but other than that nothing if you up calories slowly.

That's definitely on the higher end of the spectrum. Everyone's different, but I'd say most people fall into the 5-10 pound range at most. Maybe a few are exceptions.

I've found that if I reintroduce carbohydrates slowly and don't add in 300+ grams everyday for a week straight, I can actually maintain my weight and not go up much if at all over a couple week's time.

But then again, everyone's different and I know what works for me.

I dont sleep well on low carbs either.

Slept like a baby last night for some reason. Took some ZMA before bed last night. Maybe that made all the difference.

I love your attitude. Wish I had the same motivation. Keep at it you deserve your goals.

Thanks man. The important thing is just making your mind up about something and telling yourself that you're going to finish goals no matter what obstacles get in your path.

That's the promise I made to myself this time and I'm not stopping until I hit my goals this time no matter what.

I've failed too many times in the past to let myself fail yet again so it changes once and for all this time.

[tjwoody]

Good luck, its tough but with IF should help.

I am so sick of chicken right now. lol. I really need to take some time off from eating it at all.

[TheNormalMan]

Good luck, its tough but with IF should help.

I am so sick of chicken right now. lol. I really need to take some time off from eating it at all.

Yeah, I just love the IF style of eating cause honestly, I'm not even really hungry the first half of the day when I wake up most days.

The only time I really find myself hungry in the morning is when I have to get up really early around 5 or 6 AM.

Other than that, it's no problem holding off eating for 4-5 hours until about noon or so. That's about the time I have my first meal most days of the week.

It's just the combination of the super low calories and no carbohydrates that are draining me at this point.

I'm on EC stack right now, so that's helping me offset some of the feelings of sluggishness I've been feeling at the gym and work lately.

I'm not tired of chicken yet. I guess yet being the key word...

I rotate between chicken breast, lean chicken sausage, ham, tilapia, tuna, and lean red meat as my sources of protein and I put fat free cheese on almost everything.

I get too bored eating the exact same thing at every meal.

At least on the Velocity Diet, you don't think about food so drinking the same protein shakes at all meals is no big deal, but I need to have some variety in my diet when I'm eating solid food.

I can't shovel down plain chicken breast and salad greens as my only food four to five times a day.

That's a sure fire way to get me to not follow my diet plan and end up cheating bad on my diet.