Top 10 Steps To Take Before Starting a PSMF Diet

February 27, 2020 by Spencer Rowles Blog PSMF Benefits PSMF Diet Plan PSMF Recipes

You’re geared up about the PSMF diet and are ready to get started on it as soon as possible. I understand your enthusiasm, but it is essential to make sure you fully understand what you are getting into with this diet. Many people try to jump head first into a protein sparing modified fast routine and find out, rather quickly, that they were ill-prepared for the unique demands and challenges of this diet.
[no_toc]
As a result, too many people fall off the rigorous schedule demanded by this routine and end up either gaining weight or losing muscle mass. Nobody ever said that the protein sparing modified fast diet was simple, which means that anybody who wants to try it needs to take several necessary steps to ensure that they do everything correctly and carefully. And that’s why I created this list of preparation steps for PSMF.

These prep methods are ideas I’ve carefully researched over a period of several years and which offer many benefits to those on a PSMF routine. They are relatively simple to quickly understand and require only a little bit of work to execute. So please don’t hesitate to try them out on your own. They can help you get started on the path to dieting success with PSMF.

1. Talk to Your Doctor

It is always a great idea to talk to your doctor before you start any new diet. This fact is especially true with a PSMF diet. The unique demands of this routine make it crucial to understand your health fully and whether or not you are ready to handle this type of weight loss plan. It is also necessary to talk to your doctor about any complications that could occur while on this diet.

Even better, a good doctor can help to prepare you by giving you guidelines into what kinds of food to eat while on this challenging routine. While I’ll discuss many of these foods later in this list, a doctor can provide you with a detailed list of healthy foods and recipes that you can utilize when on PSMF.

In fact, it is a good idea to regularly visit your doctor while you are on a PSMF routine. They can gauge any changes in health it might be causing and help you adjust to them. Even better, a doctor can also help you with the next step in this process.

2. Decide on Your Weight Loss Goals

A PSMF routine is a challenging one that will help you burn fat off of your body quickly and efficiently. However, you need to have realistic goals in mind when starting this routine.  You should try to aim for an ideal weight that is right for your height and build.

Rather than dropping too much weight as you might on a fad diet, PSMF helps you lose weight safely every week and sustain it over time.

Yes, it might not be as fast as you were hoping, but permanent weight change is done slowly and with careful dietary changes. You can’t expect immediate results but can achieve permanent ones if you use PSMF to change your dieting method appropriately.

3. Gauge How Much Protein and Carbohydrates You Need

One step that needs to be taken early on in your PSMF routine is to gauge how much protein you need every day to be healthy. You can use the PSMF Calculator for this.  The most basic formula you can use to figure out this protein level is as follows: 0.8 grams multiplied by your perfect body weight. So let’s say your perfect body weight is 170 pounds. Multiply that by 0.8, and you end up with 136 grams of protein every day.

You also need to make sure that you eat as close to no carbohydrates as possible on this diet. You’re going to eat no more than 20 grams every day. That level is minimal and may be difficult for some to transition to at first. After all, so many of us are addicted to carbohydrates and use them to fill out most of our diet. However, it is crucial to cut your carbs to that low level to ensure that you get the results you need on this routine.

Pro tip: Try to integrate as many high-quality vegetables as possible into your diet to reach this goal. They will not only fill you up but can also provide healthy proteins, vitamins, and minerals.

Make sure that you focus only on low-carbohydrate vegetables, such as:

• Green beans

• Mustard greens

• Eggplants

• Mushrooms

• Bell peppers

• Zucchinis

• Cucumbers

• Broccoli

• Asparagus

• Spinach

• Celery

• Tomatoes

• All spouts and herbs

• Sea vegetables

• Garlic

On that note, you need to avoid starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, peas, sweet potatoes, winter squash, beets, parsnip, and even carrots.

Just as importantly, you need to remember that net carbohydrates are equivalent to the fiber content subtracted by the total carbs. You are only avoiding sugar on PSMF, not fiber. Knowing this helps to avoid even more severe dietary limitations.

4. Research  Supplements

The limited nature of PSMF means that you will have to take a supplement every day to stay healthy. I suggest a good one-a-day vitamin that includes a high dose of sodium, potassium, multiple types of vitamin B, vitamin C, and calcium. These nutrients are important because the PSMF diet will create a natural loss of these vitamins that must be counteracted. I also suggest fish oil.

It is also a good idea to take a supplement of fiber to ensure that you don’t suffer from indigestion, constipation, or diarrhea. A dose of about 20 milligrams every day or so should be a good start. Increase your treatment if you find that your diet isn’t providing you with enough fiber to stay regular.

Even though this may seem gross, you need to gauge the firmness of your bowel movements and change your fiber intake appropriately. If you find that you are only taking one substantial and hard bowel movement every day, you need to increase your fiber supplement. Likewise, decrease your fiber if they get too loose or watery. Typically, you want multiple soft, but solid, bowel movements every day on a PSMF routine.

5. Take “Before the Diet” Photographs

One issue that may plague many people on this diet is an inability to gauge their weight loss progress. People who are losing weight often don’t notice it until they are shown pictures of themselves before they lost weight. As a result, it isn’t a bad idea to take a few photos just before you start your diet. This step will help to give you a visual guide to your weight loss.

This step is of particular importance on a PSMF routine because your weight loss can be quick(or slow), but consistent. As a result, it will be easy to ignore or miss how much fat you are losing. A photo will remind you of what you looked like before your routine and can even be shocking in many instances.

Pose in your underwear and take a photo against a light background. Position the photographer about 15-20 feet from you to get your whole body in the shot. Now, place this photograph somewhere in your home where you can easily see it. For example, you could put it next to a mirror in your bedroom or a private bathroom to gauge just how much weight you are losing while on this routine.

6. Invest in Measuring Equipment

People on many types of diets may struggle to measure a tablespoon or teaspoon of a food based on sight. You don’t have to do that if you purchase high-quality measuring tools. You’re going to need spoons, cups, and a small scale to gauge the size of your daily portions. A scale is particularly nice because it can give you an estimate of how much protein you have to eat during the day.

Make sure that you use these measuring tools every day to ensure that you stick to your routine. For example, you can measure out exactly 20 grams of carbohydrates to ensure you don’t go over your limit. Spread these carbs through your day to avoid eating too many of them in one sitting.

When buying these products, remember that most measuring spoons and cups are more or less the same. You can buy an inexpensive type and get the same results that you would with expensive variations. However, you should invest in a battery-operated digital scale for weighing your food. This step ensures that your measurements are as accurate as possible. It also makes sure that you get the right amount of food without any error.

The food scale below is highly recommended with many great reviews from consumers.

Etekcity Food Kitchen Scale, Digital Grams and Ounces for Weight Loss, Baking, Cooking, Keto and Meal Prep, LCD Display, Medium, 304 Stainless Steel

• Accurate Measurement: Weigh up to 5 kg/11 lb precisely in 1 g increments.
• Unit Conversion: Select your preferred units, oz/lb:oz/fl’oz/g/mL to follow recipes more conveniently. Power is provided by 2 AAA batteries (included), making the scale portable and ensuring that you can easily acquire replacement batteries.
• Tare Function: Use the tare function to remove container weight from the final measurement of your food
• LCD Display: Easily read measurements on the backlit LCD display
• Quality Material: Measure food, small items, and liquids with confidence on the 304 food-grade, stainless steel platform

Check Amazon Price

7. Understand Your Refeed Periods

During your PSMF schedule, you are going to have what are known as refeeding periods. These are a one-day during which you go back to eating a normal amount of carbohydrates and other types of foods. There are a few reasons that you perform this step. First of all, your hormone levels will be very unbalanced if you stick on a PSMF diet for too long.

That’s because many hormones, like leptin, are affected by your carbohydrate intake. While a few weeks on a PSMF diet will keep your hormone levels at a reasonable level, they will still be dropping. Staying on a PSMF diet any longer than that will throw your body’s leptin levels off for an extended period. As a result, you need to refeed your body with carbohydrates to balance your hormones.

A proper refeed day isn’t an all-you-can-eat buffet. You aren’t going to eat an endless amount of pepperoni pizzas or potato chips. Instead, you need to reintroduce healthy carbohydrates back into your diet slowly and carefully. Focus on high-quality grains, bread, and other types of healthy carbs to balance your hormones and get them back to a safe level.

Typically, you want to stick to a calorie level that is average for your height and weight during a refeed period. Falling off the bandwagon entirely and binge eating will make it more difficult to your transition back to PSMF the next day. Even worse, it can devastate the psychological benefits offered by a good refeed period. That’s because refeeding days are often a great goal to aim for when working through the demands of PSMF.

So carefully plan out a refeed day while on a PSMF routine. Think of this day as a reset button and a reward for your hard work on your diet. Staggering these days throughout your dieting schedule gives you a goal to work towards and takes some of the psychological burdens off of this diet. It also helps to make it easier to focus on dietary success.

8. Start Out Slow and Steady

Jumping right into a PSMF diet without proper care practically ensures its failure. That’s because your body will react too negatively to such a sudden change in your food intake. Instead, you should start slowly cutting out a few carbs from your diet over a 2-4 week period. Try to cut out about 10-20 grams of carbohydrates every week. Increase your protein intake until you have reached the level calculated above and continue until you reach a calorie count that is right for your needs.

At a certain point, you’ll find that you are eating almost no carbohydrates and that you aren’t suffering from any carb withdrawals. Cutting out too many carbs at once will cause your body to react negatively. These painful withdrawal symptoms occur when you cut too many carbohydrates out of your diet too quickly. The adverse effects of this health issue include nausea, headaches, vomiting, confusion, mental fog, and even flu-like symptoms that can be painful to experience.

However, taking it slow and steady ensures that you reach an effective PSMF routine without experiencing these issues. It also helps your body to adapt to the unique demands of this diet and avoid hunger pangs and other concerns. That’s because slowly cutting calories out of your menu helps to shrink your stomach and to make it easier for you to eat fewer calories without being hungry.

9. Create a Support Group

Find somebody who is willing to go through a PSMF routine with you. This person can serve as your dieting buddy and provide you with the support you need to get through this challenging period. The two of you can get together to prepare meals and even plan a PSMF routine. Even better, you can talk to each other when food cravings get difficult to handle.

If possible, try to reach out to multiple people in the community who are going through this diet. You may be able to find some at the gym or even at diet group meetings, such as Weight Watchers. Building a group of 5-10 people is excellent for a PSMF diet because it avoids the kind of isolation this diet may cause. Creating a community of like-minded people will allow you to hold parties and dinners together that focus solely on PSMF foods and dietary support.

10. Create an Exit Strategy

Before you start your diet, it is a good idea to know how you are going to transition off of it. While you can safely stay on a PSMF diet for an extended period, some people find it works best as a temporary weight loss solution. As a result, it is important to find a way to carefully progress from a full PSMF diet into a normal eating pattern.

An excellent way to start is to hold a refeeding day immediately after you reach your goal for weight loss. This day will help to introduce carbohydrates back into your body and balance your leptin levels. After that, adjust your food intake over a period of several weeks to work back into regularly eating carbohydrates. Make sure that you trim your protein intake and balance it with healthy carbs. And add only 15-20 percent more calories every week to avoid feeling stuffed or triggering reactive weight gain.

Make a long-term exercise plan after a psmf diet.

A good exercise program will help to keep the weight off and also increase your muscle bulk.

I suggest focusing heavily on muscle-building routines, such as lifting, to work your body.   However, you should also jog regularly to ensure that you get boosts in your cardiovascular health. Typically, you’ll only need to exercise about 30-60 minutes every day to get good results.

That said, let’s take a look at a good exercise plan:

• Sunday – Rest Day With Yoga Stretches

• Monday – Arm Exercises and Jogging

• Tuesday – Leg Exercises and Jogging

• Wednesday – Rest Day With Yoga Stretches

• Thursday – Core Exercises and Jogging

• Friday – Arm and Leg Exercises and Jogging

• Saturday – Core Exercises and Jogging

Feel free to tweak these exercises in any way that you see fit. For example, you may find that jogging is too much to do after performing muscle-building routines. However, it is essential to perform some cardiovascular-boosting exercises on these days. Try walking for 15-20 minutes to get some benefits. And on your yoga days, try to focus on hot yoga routines to further improve your strength.

And focus your workouts on a period no more than 30-60 minutes after you eat. This step is critical because it helps to provide your body with the fuel it needs for exercise success. Avoid working out immediately after eating because you may suffer from heartburn or other painful conditions. If you find yourself suffering from these problems during your routines, stop immediately and adjust your next day’s schedule to avoid this issue.

Final Thoughts

By now, you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect when starting out on the PSMF diet. These tips showcase an effective preparation plan that will not only get your body ready for this dieting method but also prepare you mentally. After all, the unique and challenging demands of a PSMF routine are often too difficult physically and emotionally for many people to handle without a little help.

Most importantly, make sure that you talk to a medical professional about the unique challenges offered by this diet. You may find that you need special help or adjustment that only a dietitian or another medical professional can provide.

And make sure that you keep track of your dieting success and adjust your diet, as necessary, to ensure you achieve high levels of success. If you find that you are struggling to stay on PSMF or if you feel symptoms akin to a fever, talk to your doctor right away and consider quitting this diet. While it is a safe way to lose weight, some people may respond to it poorly and may require medical attention.

If you have any questions, be sure to visit our community forums.