The 2011 Action Plan for RAPID FAT LOSS

Please refer to the previous two posts if you haven't as they describe the emotional journey I made to get to this point.

The thing is, actual weight loss is easy. It comes down to one thing, and one thing only, and that's calories in < calories out. To lose 1lb of mass, a deficit of 3500 calories is needed. To acheive a weight loss of 2lb a week, a 7000 deficit is necessary through diet, exercise, or a combination of both.

On an average day, I burn 1500 - 1900 calories. To deficit 7000 a week without exercise means I can only eat 500 - 900 a day, certainly below all the 'recommended healthy calorie intakes'. Let's say I deficit 500 through diet and 500 through exercise. That's still only 1000 - 1400 calories per day in addition to over 45min of cardio. The worst part, and the part that I'm trying to avoid, is that it involves meticulous calorie tracking which would drive me right back to overthinking (and possibly consequential obsession) about food.

Well, you probably are thinking, so don't try to deficit too much, lose weight at a reasonable pace like a NORMAL PERSON. The thing is, I have a highly addictive personality. My MBTI tells me so, (I'm INTP) and since childhood, I had always been very impatient and stubborn. The only thing motivating me is SEEING RESULTS, and anything less than 2lb/week is tooooo slow for me. See, I'd rather give up 90% of food for 6 weeks than give up 25% food for 6 months. So what to do?

Rapid Fat Loss, a book by Lyle McDonald, is arguably the most effective crash diet out there. It follows the principles of the PSMF diet, a diet used by doctors for morbidly obese patients who need to lose fat FAST while preserving body mass.

The three macronutients in every food are fat, protein, and carbohydrates. The PSMF is a fast which eliminates all calories except for protein. My recommended protein intake according to the RFL calculator is 86 - 90g of protein a day. The only other things allowed on the diet is fibrous vegetables (for essential nutrients), and some nutional supplements. Essentially, 86 - 90g of pure protein is 344 - 360 calories. The leanest sources of protein (chicken breast, turkey, egg whites) contain 400 - 500calories for the above number. A number far below my BMR or daily expenditure. What this extreme level of deficit will do is force my body into starvation mode where it will draw energy from existing fat and muscle - the PSMF directs this extraction from pure fat by providing the necessary amount of protein to preserve existing lean body mass.

On the master cleanse last year, I lost 8lb in 7days but I regretted it so much because I lost A LOT OF MUSCLE. I felt so flabby and fat even though the scale showed a lighter number. The PSMF is the safest way to hit that extreme deficit without destroying existing lean body mass. I bought the e-book for $39.95 and have read it through twice now, what impresses me about this diet/fast is the simplicity of it. McDonald is brutally honest about the realities of weight loss and admits that 5 - 10lb (perhaps more) of water weight will be gained back at the end of the diet. However, a girl my weight and size can expect to lose 2-3lb of mostly FAT weight per week. My goal is to lose 10lb (and keep it off) in 3 weeks and then to reevaluate whether I should continue or take a break.

To make it easy on myself, I plan on planning meals at the beginning of each week and cooking the meals then so they are easily accessible. I have purchased most of the nutritional supplements already. Since I'm out of the house from 9am to 5:30pm everyday this semester, it'll be really helpful to come home to a pre-made dinner and have lunch easily accessible.

I haven't been able to find many PSMF logs on the web so hopefully someone somewhere will find mine helpful.

Every week, I am allowed 1 free meal, as well as a mandatory 5hr carb refeed during which I have to consume a minimum of 150g carbs.

Here's the nitty gritty ...

Meals/day: 4 (Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, Dinner)
Calories/day: 500 - 700 (I'm probably going to start on the higher end and work my way down)
Protein: 86 - 90g
Omega-3 oils: 3 - 10g (McDonald recommends 10g, but the pharmacist stared at me like I was crazy when I went to ask him if this was a safe dose. He told me to start with 3g and work my way up if I don't see adverse results)
Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc: 2 times daily
Generic Multi-vitamin: 2 times daily
Ephedrine/Caffeine: 10mg/100mg upon waking

I plan on starting the diet on Saturday, with no free meal until the following weekend. Currently I am at 139lb (:(!) and my goal is to get down to 129lb by Feb 1st. Ultimately, I'd like to be 124lb by my 21st birthday on March 7th. That's 15lb in 8 weeks or around 1.89lb loss/week. I think as long as I adhere to the rules this is not that far-fetched of a goal.

Tomorrow I plan on doing an ease-in (mostly to eat up my remaining fruits/carbs). Lots of fruits/veggies, little to no processed foods. I'll post a log for tomorrow and then my daily record after that.

Excited to start this!