Protein Sparing Modified Fast (PSMF)

[cda_id]

Has anyone tried a PSMF? If so, what were your results? I am not interested in your bad comments / opinions on this, only those who have gave it a go, what did you think?

[Dave P]

Any link to what it is exactly?

[cda_id]

nope, no link available. It is a low carb, mostly protein shake short term diet. The details are: 3 - high quality - high protein shakes a day and supliments of quality low fat proteins as snacks if needed. I do not plan to go as low as most, but around 1000 calories. This is pretty much a no carb diet.

[Dave P]

Welp.

Since you dont want to hear anything negative Im just gonna keep my mouth shut.

[cda_id]

okay. lol!
I have already heard the negatives and postive opinions, I am actually just looking for a few who have tried it out before.
have you ever tried it?

[Dave P]

Nope.

Not a fan of short-term dieting. Do a search for the Velocity diet. I think its the same thing pretty much.

[TheKansan]

This was brought up in another thread that I was reading. It sounds absolutely horrible to me.

Here is a link http://www.drblythe.com/weightloss/chptr6txt.htm

Anyway like I said in the other thread that sounds absolutely horrible. You need to take stool softeners, your breath will stink, and worst of all you won't be able to enjoy a meal, not to mention it is incredibly boring.

[Eileen]

Don't do this. This diet is an extreme, last resort for the morbidly obese, who can take risks because the risk of not losing weight is greater than the risk of the diet. And even then, it's always a short term solution.

Basically, it is a very low calorie diet where all you eat is protein. You go into ketosis, and can lose a lot of weight on it, but you'll have no energy, and working out is out of the question. Long ago when I was young and stupid, I tried something similar, and went from being able to cycle 100 miles, to not having the energy to climb a flight of stairs. I lost weight, but a load of it was muscle, and when I stopped, the weight went back on, but the muscle and energy took months to replace.

If you eat nothing but protein, you teach your body to use protein for fuel. Since you are in a severe calorie deficit, your bdoy will look in the most logical place for more protein to burn, your muscles. You will lose fat too, but fat is easy to replace, and muscles aren't.

If you want to give your body a shock to encourage it to lose weight, think about a good keto diet, where you eat plenty of calories, but most of them are from fat. This encourages fat burning and enables you to keep working out and building more muscle.

[shadyniner]

Don't do this. This diet is an extreme, last resort for the morbidly obese, who can take risks because the risk of not losing weight is greater than the risk of the diet. And even then, it's always a short term solution.

Basically, it is a very low calorie diet where all you eat is protein. You go into ketosis, and can lose a lot of weight on it, but you'll have no energy, and working out is out of the question. Long ago when I was young and stupid, I tried something similar, and went from being able to cycle 100 miles, to not having the energy to climb a flight of stairs. I lost weight, but a load of it was muscle, and when I stopped, the weight went back on, but the muscle and energy took months to replace.

If you eat nothing but protein, you teach your body to use protein for fuel. Since you are in a severe calorie deficit, your bdoy will look in the most logical place for more protein to burn, your muscles. You will lose fat too, but fat is easy to replace, and muscles aren't.

If you want to give your body a shock to encourage it to lose weight, think about a good keto diet, where you eat plenty of calories, but most of them are from fat. This encourages fat burning and enables you to keep working out and building more muscle.

This poster is obviously talking about the medical version of a PSMF. You should go over to t-nation and check out the velocity diet. A lot of good coaches over therea have used it and recommend it. You will never get good advice from this site of someone who has used it. Everyone here will tell you it is dumb and you should eat chicken breast and brocolli instead.

Anyways, I have done it as laid out over at t-nation. I did not use the biotest products, I ordered a protein mix from another site. It is also important that you get your milled flax seed in and take fish oil with every meal. It is also very important that you adhere to the guidelines for your weekly solid meal. It is very easy to go overboard with that meal. I did not need any extra fiber, I got enough from the flax seed and at night I had a little natty peanut butter. Although, by the end of the diet, I was a little stuffed up. So try and get some fiber from your one solid food meal, like consume some sweet potatoes, oatmeal, green veggies, something with plenty of fiber.

Anyways, only run the diet for the specified amount of time, 28 days. Any longer is just to much! I ran the diet for 28 days, lost about 21 pounds, then put about 5 back on right after I started eating solid food. I lost no strength, and had pretty good energy levels throughout. I did not run the thermogenic, but instead drank loads of green tea and yerba mate. There were a few days that I was tired, but I had good energy most days. Just adjust your training. I only trained 3 days a week, then did some light cardio the other three days. Since coming off, I have been carb cycling and have put on some muscle and gotten quite a bit stronger. I may use the velocity diet for 28 more days towards the end of the summer.

Read some of the articles over at t-nation about the diet. Dan John uses the diet for 28 days for all of his strength athletes prior to them starting their season. He does it to take fat off fast, and then gets into the normal training. He likes this approach. Many others agree, fat loss should be an all out war, not something you do for six months at a time. I tend to agree with this.

If you have any other questions or anything, post them up or PM me.

[cda_id]

Thank you, thank you for the REVIEW!
I was looking for someone who has done it before. Thanks for the refernce to the velocity site, I'll go there.

[cda_id]

Don't do this. This diet is an extreme, last resort for the morbidly obese, who can take risks because the risk of not losing weight is greater than the risk of the diet. And even then, it's always a short term solution.

Basically, it is a very low calorie diet where all you eat is protein. You go into ketosis, and can lose a lot of weight on it, but you'll have no energy, and working out is out of the question. Long ago when I was young and stupid, I tried something similar, and went from being able to cycle 100 miles, to not having the energy to climb a flight of stairs. I lost weight, but a load of it was muscle, and when I stopped, the weight went back on, but the muscle and energy took months to replace.

If you eat nothing but protein, you teach your body to use protein for fuel. Since you are in a severe calorie deficit, your bdoy will look in the most logical place for more protein to burn, your muscles. You will lose fat too, but fat is easy to replace, and muscles aren't.

If you want to give your body a shock to encourage it to lose weight, think about a good keto diet, where you eat plenty of calories, but most of them are from fat. This encourages fat burning and enables you to keep working out and building more muscle.

Tried the "KETO" thing but I am telling you, it doesn't work for me. Low carb with normal calories helps a little, but now I am at a point in my physique that I can't break through....The fat will not budge. So, this is a better shocker I think (the PSMF) Thanks for the input though. I was looking for someone who HAS TRIED IT!

[ronz0r]

I've tried it. Don't do it. I've read the book and done everything as Lyle reccommends. It does work, but even though its meant to preserve muscle, you'll lose a good bit on that sort of deficit. What happened to me when I did it was I made it 10 days, then I went on a binge for 3 weeks and gained all the weight back, so in the end my composition got worse.

You wont even want to get out of bed, let alone perform all the normal functions required of you every day. There are far better alternatives.

[shadyniner]

I've tried it. Don't do it. I've read the book and done everything as Lyle reccommends. It does work, but even though its meant to preserve muscle, you'll lose a good bit on that sort of deficit. What happened to me when I did it was I made it 10 days, then I went on a binge for 3 weeks and gained all the weight back, so in the end my composition got worse.

You wont even want to get out of bed, let alone perform all the normal functions required of you every day. There are far better alternatives.

So then you didn't do it? I am sure it was not recommended to do it for 10 days then binge for 3 weeks. These diets are not meant for someone with low willpower. It is tough to gut through four weeks of the velocity diet, but for quick fat loss, I found it worth it. If you get your healthy fats in and drink plenty of green tea and stay active, you will notice no energy loss.

[nithos]

So then you didn't do it? I am sure it was not recommended to do it for 10 days then binge for 3 weeks. These diets are not meant for someone with low willpower. It is tough to gut through four weeks of the velocity diet, but for quick fat loss, I found it worth it. If you get your healthy fats in and drink plenty of green tea and stay active, you will notice no energy loss.

Exactly. If you have any emotional attachment to food, don't attempt a PSMF. If you don't think you can handle 30-50% of the "weight" coming back on in the week or two following the diet, don't attempt it.

[ewitte]

I've tried it. Don't do it. I've read the book and done everything as Lyle reccommends. It does work, but even though its meant to preserve muscle, you'll lose a good bit on that sort of deficit. What happened to me when I did it was I made it 10 days, then I went on a binge for 3 weeks and gained all the weight back, so in the end my composition got worse.

Lyle McDonald? I remember him from MFW... used to hang out there a lot the last time I cut. Too much spam for it to be a really important source of information now days. Dude you really need to control your binges.

[cda_id]

I have already started this diet. It is not at all bad. This is day 2. I do not have an emotional attatchment to food, so I thought I'd give it a go.
We'll see how I do on this one. Thanks all for your input & opinions.

[ronz0r]

Lyle McDonald? I remember him from MFW... used to hang out there a lot the last time I cut. Too much spam for it to be a really important source of information now days. Dude you really need to control your binges.

That was a one time thing...and yes I did try it. I can handle the weight gain/loss...Ive been CKDing for over 8 weeks so I know all about rapid weight swings.

I was just making the point that severe starvation has very strange effects on a person. I'm normally quite controlled in my eating. I dont want anyone to think I have an eating disorder or anything like that, I was just giving out my first hand experience with the thing.

Yes Lyle McDonald...hes a KD genius, I worship him lol

[ronz0r]

So then you didn't do it? I am sure it was not recommended to do it for 10 days then binge for 3 weeks. These diets are not meant for someone with low willpower. It is tough to gut through four weeks of the velocity diet, but for quick fat loss, I found it worth it. If you get your healthy fats in and drink plenty of green tea and stay active, you will notice no energy loss.

No it wasnt recommended. Im the poster child for why that stuff doesnt work in the long run. 95% of people wont have the willpower that you do. I tried it, I failed, and I dont recommend the approach to anyone. I dont think trying things like that is conducive to a lifestyle change, and could possibly start a nasty binge purge cycle with people.

To me it makes much more sense to go about things moderately...thats me, if the velocity diet worked for you good...I cant handle the loss of energy and inability to workout on somethin like that. To each their own.

[davetalley]

Hi,

The only reason I found your post was to do research on PSMF. I have a personal friend at church who has lost 131 lbs since Jan 8, 2009. Here first month was 30 lbs and she has had a month with 20 lbs lost. Her average 13 lbs in the last 10 months. She's went from very over weight to "stunning"!!!

She does aerobics, weight trains, and kick boxing. Some combination of this for 4 days a week. She has literally transformed herself right before our eyes.

She does the "protein sparing modified fast" under the care of a physician (MD). I know they do blood work on her from time to time to check for abnormalities. This is an aggressive carbohydrate restricted diet. She says she limits carbs to 12 grams a day. Her protein is the form of lean meats, eggs and bacon (turkey strips), ect. I'm not sure if she drinks protein shakes or not. She also commented that she has not had ANY SUGAR for the entire time.

Having said this, I too have had success with a low carb diet. But it was more "carb" friendly than this. I was took the ideas from the Atkins diet but ate all the leafy green veggies that I wanted. Also broccoli was big on my list. I lost 60 lbs in 3 - 4 months. I never felt better.

The chemistry going on in the body during this type of diet is remarkable. I've heard a medical experts say that carb restriction is the most "clinically correct" diet on earth. Once you understand the chemistry behind it, the worry and mystery fades away.

First, the body chooses food in a "pecking" order only. Your body first seeks carbs for energy, then fat and almost never protein. Just as your body stores fat, your liver also stores around 500 grams of carbs. The idea behind eating no carbs is to:

1) restrict the body from "food" carbs so the body will use up your reserve from the liver
2) once the stored carbs are used up, continue restricted "food" carbs to force the body's energy seeking "pecking" order to be activated.

If the body can not get energy from carbs, IT MUST EAT the fat on your body to access energy. Its merely switching gas tanks, from carbs to stored fat.

You can proof this by buying keytone sticks at the drug store. When the body is carb resticted it will burn fat. By dipping the keytone stick in you urine, the stick turns various shades of pink, which chemically proves if you are burning fat. "Keytones" are only present if you are burn fat. Keytones start showing up in the urine around 1.5 -2 days after restriction.

This is the diet I did. I worked out before I ate to force more energy from fat storage first. I ate bacon and eggs in the morning. I ate protein and veggies every meal. Once I found keytones in my urine, I would graze throughout the day (between) meals on sunflower seeds. These are high in protein and low in carbs. I was very strick for six days a week. On the seventh day I ate what ever I wanted.

The reason for the seventh day is two fold. First, to break up the monotony. Second, when you are on a restricted carb diet and then switch to crap food every seventh day, you realize how bad those foods are for you because you will feel the difference from the consumption of sugar/carbs compared to no sugar/carbs. The idea is to show you the success of the diet and then to feel what you have been doing to yourself on other diets.

My first time I ate sugar after several days of carb restriction was terrible. I literally shook once the sugar hit me.

The first day or so of carb restriction feels a little loopy (disconnected) for the lack of a better word. But once the carbs are bled out of the liver, it feels almost euphoric and peaceful. Really! You will feel a little sluggish. I used stimulants to help me along such as powdered hydroxycut during my work outs. This would give me the lift I needed to exercise. I'd take it on an empty stomach, wait a half hour or so, work out, come home and eat breakfast (bacon and eggs).

I was shocked once the weight started to peel off. I felt like a "melting" man. This is the description friend gives also.

Make sure you take 6-10 omega fatty acids per day, a multi-vitamin and you must drink a lot of water, 8 - 10 glasses per day. Because toxins (environmental pollutants) can be stored in body fat, you have to have a safe way of flushing it out. Besides, the liver must be properly hydrated to process the fat burning.

One more thought why restricting carbs is a successful method of "transforming" your body. One word, growth hormones. Your body produces 100% of all the growth hormone you need to build muscle and break down fat. The problem arises once you hit 21 years of age. Studies have shown that age you age, the "release" of your growth hormone declines. Growth hormone is absolutely determined to be the cause of all age related diseases. Yes, getting old is a disease. This is where weight training is so critical. Studies show that growth hormone (the stuff you personally make in your own body) is released in two ways only.

1) strenuous weight training
2) no eating carbs or sugar before going to bed. In deep sleep, GH is released, however, sugar in the blood stream suppresses it.

That's right, eating a high protein diet while weight training is the perfect match for releasing the stuff that professional athletes would love to inject.

I know I have written a ton of stuff here. If you will experiment with carb restriction, you will be surprised at the results. Meats help satisfy the hunger pains and maximixe the fat burning.

[davetalley]

Don't do this. This diet is an extreme, last resort for the morbidly obese, who can take risks because the risk of not losing weight is greater than the risk of the diet. And even then, it's always a short term solution.

Basically, it is a very low calorie diet where all you eat is protein. You go into ketosis, and can lose a lot of weight on it, but you'll have no energy, and working out is out of the question. Long ago when I was young and stupid, I tried something similar, and went from being able to cycle 100 miles, to not having the energy to climb a flight of stairs. I lost weight, but a load of it was muscle, and when I stopped, the weight went back on, but the muscle and energy took months to replace.

If you eat nothing but protein, you teach your body to use protein for fuel. Since you are in a severe calorie deficit, your bdoy will look in the most logical place for more protein to burn, your muscles. You will lose fat too, but fat is easy to replace, and muscles aren't.

If you want to give your body a shock to encourage it to lose weight, think about a good keto diet, where you eat plenty of calories, but most of them are from fat. This encourages fat burning and enables you to keep working out and building more muscle.

I found your comments irresponsible and clinically incorrect. Your body uses energy in a pecking order only. First carbs, then fats and almost never protein. The idea behind consuming the protein is so you don't eat up your own muscle. The body will seek carbs then fat. If you have no body fat, then your body will eventually turn on it's own muscle. But you would have to be very thin before that would happen.

If you eat a lot of leafy green veggies, a high protein low carb (no sugar, pasta, potatoes, breads) will be very successful.

[Shr3dJunki3]

In short, PSMF will work if your calories are low enough. I've tried it and yeah it does work but PSMF isn't a lifestyle you could sustain. If you wan to lose fat, look at your lifestyle and change that instead, it'll be much easier on you. A good thing to keep in mind is that fat loss is a marathon, not a sprint.

[oldmanallen]

Has anyone tried a PSMF? If so, what were your results? I am not interested in your bad comments / opinions on this, only those who have gave it a go, what did you think?

My doctor put me on the PSMF for six months. In that time I lost 80 pounds and was in better health than I had been in years. Comments from friends and family were mostly about how much healthier I looked instead of how much weight I had lost. After six months I got off the diet and have not gone back to my original weight, although I have regained almost 50 of the pounds. I am now going on it again and expect to lose 89-90 pounds before I relax and ease back on it. This time, however, I won't go completely off it, but will simply add enough carbs (in veggie form) to keep from losing too much weight. Be sure you have a doctor who understands the PSMF, approves of you being on it and monitors you closely. If you can get past the first week or two without giving up, you will probably be thrilled with the results.

[francysco]

bump. wanting to try this, anyone have links to where i can find a basic guide? they all seem to be a purchased plan

[Luclin999]

bump.

Don't.

Don't bump old dead threads. The majority of people who used to post in it are probably not even reading the forum anymore.

Start a new one if you have a question.