The Protein-Sparing Modified Fast (PSMF)

As promised, I shall discuss the PSMF (I was going to have a whinge about the sudden loss of ability to watch "Neighbours" on Demand Five using Firefox, but I'll save that for another time if Demand Five Support don't fix the problem).

What's a PSMF?

A standard PSMF is ~1g of protein for every kg bodyweight a day plus lots of green leafy vegetables plus six to ten fish oil capsules a day plus vitamin & mineral supplements plus unlimited water AND NOTHING ELSE. You may find this quite literally hard to swallow! PSMF may also stand for Protein Strictly , Mother-F***er! A 100kg person (e.g. me) may get to eat ~400kcals from protein + ~100kcals from incidental carbohydrates & fats = ~500kcals a day. Hear that rumbling noise? It's my tummy! A well-known PSMF is Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss Handbook.

For more information, see http://forums.lylemcdonald.com/forumdisplay.php?f=7 and Is Rapid Fat Loss Right For You?

To make a PSMF easier to manage (but have a slower rate of weight loss), here are some modifications:-

1) Instead of six to ten fish oil capsules a day, stir ~25g of powdered linseeds into a large glass of drink and swallow the lot. Do this at breakfast-time. 25g of linseeds contains ~10g of fat (of which ~6g is Alpha-Linolenic Acid, an omega-3 fatty acid) which does the following:-

a) It stimulates the gall-bladder to empty, thus reducing the risk of gallstones.
b) It usually results in a bowel movement some time later. The ~10g of soluble fibre/fiber in the linseeds + accompanying fluid guarantees regularity.
c) It provides women (but not men) with all of the omega-3 fat they need each day.

Men need to eat either half a 213g tin of wild red salmon a day or six to ten fish oil capsules a day as their bodies don't produce enough DHA from Alpha-Linolenic Acid. See Extremely Limited Synthesis of Long Chain Polyunsaturates in Adults: Implications for their Dietary Essentiality and use as Supplements

2) Eat about 100g of protein a day. As meat, poultry & fish contains 20-25% protein, this means that you can eat ~1lb of meat, poultry & fish a day. 100g of protein a day is well within the capabilities of your liver and kidneys.

3) Eat about 44g of fat a day. This allows you to choose less lean cuts of meat & poultry and you can even eat the skin on chicken as long as you factor it into your total fat allowance. It also allows you to use vinaigrette salad dressings or a knob of butter or a dollop of real mayonnaise to make your vegetables taste nicer.

4) Eat about 50g of carbohydrate a day. This allows you to eat shed-loads of leafy green vegetables and also an onion. It also allows you to eat a portion of fruit e.g. an apple or a bowl of berries/cherries with Splenda & a dollop of whipped cream each day.

5) If you do any intense exercise (e.g. HIIT or resistance training with weights), eat an extra 50g of slow-release carbohydrates a couple of hours beforehand to fuel it.

6) Supplement with 5,000iu/day of Vitamin D3. Nowadays, many of us spend our lives mostly indoors and this causes many of us to become deficient in Vitamin D. Please read Vitamin D.

In conclusion:

100g of protein provides 400kcals, 44g of fat provides 400kcals and 50g of carbohydrate provides 200kcals, making a grand total of 1,000kcals a day. Hopefully, this will be enough to stop your tummy from rumbling. If you weigh over 100lbs but aren't losing weight on 1,000kcals a day, see your GP as you may have a thyroid problem.

I believe that the above diet tackles the problems of gallstones, constipation, dry skin, dry hair, depression and dietary deficiencies. You get to eat real food and quite a lot of it too, for a fairly rapid fat loss diet.