What it is?

The Rapid Fat Loss Diet is essentially a protein only diet that seriously limits the calories coming in. As I wrote about awhile ago, calorie restriction has been working for me and using Eat Stop Eat was a great step. This diet is essentially the next step and is really hard-core.

Called PSMF (Protein Sparing Modified Fast), it is a scientifically based approach to quick weight and fat loss. The diet has you eating a specific number of calories for your height, weight, and body mass index (all of which is calculated in the calculator that comes with the course. In the diet, you add in some fibrous vegetables and some very key supplements (magnesium, potassium, calcium, omega-3’s) to keep things moving.

Based on my category of body (the tools help you figure this out), I also have one free meal per week as well as a 5 hour structured refeed. I have not done these yet but am looking forward to doing them. There are still rules around these meals, but essentially you are looking to incorporate some more carbs in to the meals and satisfy any cravings you may have. Lyle really goes into all the details about the process so there are no questions left unanswered.

The program also incorporates a full diet break for 2-weeks, which I will discuss later.

My First Couple of Days

Today is day two and the hardest part is really the planning. It takes work to hit the protein number and add in those vegetables. If you have a protein goal of 154 grams, then you need to hit 154 grams, not 165, not 140. The most helpful tool for this has been Daily Burn.

Essentially, the night before I plan exactly what I am going to eat for the day using Daily Burn, cook up the breakfast and lunch to pack to work. For example, last night I grilled some chicken with dill and mushrooms for lunch and some scallops and spinach for breakfast (I love seafood so I could eat that for breakfast any day). Tonight for dinner I am going to have some cod and chicken with asparagus.

As you can see, the components of the diet are simple natural foods. A very very very small amount of carbs and fat are allowed. I will be eating protein almost exclusively.

I also had to head out and buy up some supplements – calcium, magnesium, and omega 3’s. Lyle recommends 10 grams of omega-3’s per day and that can add up in cost. However, once set up with all the “tools” lined up it should be pretty easy to move forward.

No Cardio but Weights are Ok

Since this is a very low calorie diet, my daily bike commutes are no longer allowed. This is really because on such low calories one has to be very careful about what extra energy expenditure one does. According to Lyle, doing too much cardio while on the diet can actually hinder results.

However, he does recommend continuing weight training and I am not going to change my plans for that at all.

How Long

I have set up a structured program that has me doing the RFL program for 3- 4 weeks at a time with 2 week full diet break. These breaks coincide with vacations I have coming up including trips to London, April break, and ultimately my cruise in May. It also coincides with this contest! Once that is done, I will go back to eating at maintenance using the Eat Stop Eat methodology.

As usual, I will be posting my results over the coming weeks and it will be very interesting to see how this program helps (or not). I have high hopes for it.

(Photo Credit)

For example, I do not think I was ever going heavy enough to really test my muscles and force them to grow. Sure, it always felt difficult but probably was never enough. In addition, the programs I was putting together were never very scientific nor based on research. In other words, they were not targeted at getting me the results I was looking for. Instead that had me doing the traditional bicep curls, tricep extensions, and other muscle isolation exercises. These types of exercises have never provided me with much of a benefit.

Bodyweight Training and Success

This week I hit a milestone in my training. I successfully completed the first 3 phases of the Turbulence Training Bodyweight Turbulence Training 6-month program. This progressive program has taken me through a series of well-thought out and effective routines using only my own bodyweight, a stability ball, and a medicine ball (although you don’t totally need this). Next week I will be moving on to phase 4 and I can honestly say that I am starting to see some definition in my stomach. In other words, there are abs starting to peek through! I had to read that again as I wrote it because to me it is still unbelievable. I never thought I would ever be able to see abs.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of work to do. I still have a layer of fat that I need to get rid of. I also have some lower belly fat that seems to be very stubborn. My strategy for that is to simply continue on with calorie restriction, use Daily Burn to meticulously track my calories, and stick with the bodyweight exercise program and I suspect it will start to disappear. If the past results are any indication then this WILL happen over time. It just takes patience and hard work.

Without trying to be too pushy, if you are willing to work hard and see results then bodyweight training might be the thing that changes it all for you like it did for me.

(Photo Credit)