i'm following the diet from lyle mcdonald's
rapid fat loss handbook. it is a protein-sparing modified fast (psmf) for dropping fat quickly without compromising lbm or overall health. i'm sure that many people would find it controversial with it's very limited calories and reduced activity, but i am really ready for a change.
i started my current weightloss journey in september 2006 following a trip to arizona. i weighed in excess of 330 pounds (my scale's maximum) and was miserable. asking for a seat belt extender on the plane was mortifying and it was a chore to haul myself around the grand canyon and various other places we visited. i vowed i would never let myself be so out of shape again and started eating better and exercising (mainly walking) when i got home. i had dropped about eighty pounds when i came across the new rules of lifting for women and the jp forums in january of this year. i signed up for the first women's challenge and changed gyms. i had to drop out of the challenge after surgery to correct a deviated septum knocked me out of the gym for eight weeks, but i loved nrol4w and lifting heavy. i didn't lose much in the way of pounds, but i gained a ton of strength and lost lots of inches. but i also realized that fat loss had to be my first priority since i still weighed in at over 250 pounds.
so i started reading everything i could get my hands on including leigh peele's
fat loss troubleshoot. then i came across lyle's rfl program. it's pretty intense but lots of people have had good results, so here i am! as a category 3 dieter, i require about 150 g protein/day and i get two "free" meals a week. the program is simple - every day i eat my protein, 10g efas (mainly in the form of fish oil capsules), two servings of nonfat or lowfat dairy, "unlimited veggies" and as few extra carbs and fat as possible (preferably under 25g each). since i have so much bodyfat, there is little risk of losing lbm and i can stay on the diet for 6-12 weeks before taking a 1-2 week maintenance break. resistance training is recommended 2-3 times a week and cardio is limited and low intensity in keeping with the reduced calorie intake. there really isn't much more to the program than that - just lots of water and i've started drinking green tea a few times a day.