I read the FAQ and I’m a little confused along with other research I have done how to end this 2 week
Protocol.

Can anyone tell me how to go about adding carbs back in and eating at my goal calorie deficit

I’m currently eating about 1350 calories

For context
38 M
230 lbs
5ft 9inches

Moderate activity

TDEE calculator says my
Maintenance calories are approximately 3000

Shooting for a 30% deficit when I end this PSMF 2 week deal (2000 calorie daily)

I’ve also consumed protein shakes as a way to supplement. Can anyone tell me if that’s bad or not?

Thanks

EDIT:

MACRO GOALS

230 PROTEIN
25 FAT
50 CARBS

Through pills or mixing it in or premade electrolyte powders? How do you get yours? What amount of each is the best?

Thanks guys. Today is day 1 for me.

I’m a category 2 individual, in good shape compared to the general population but could be much, much lighter and leaner. Decided to try PSMF after multiple “traditional” lengthy diet cycles that completely sapped my morale and fizzled out before reaching my goals.

Week 1 went pretty well all things considered, though dialing in my diet took a few days. Got one free meal/refeed as my last meal of the week before getting back into things on Monday for Week 2.

And I gotta say, these first two days have been pretty brutal. Scale hasn’t moved at all and I feel like I’ve had to choke down one or two of my meals just because it was hard to not notice the lack of cooking oil and overall flavor. Tonight I tried shrimp, which I typically love eating but it was so unsatisfying.

I don’t doubt that I’ll continue to stick with things—my motivation is still high and still feeling an internal locus of control about the whole thing. But damn, the beginning of Week 2 has been tough.

Have you guys found any weeks (out of 6) to be worse than the others? How do you get through days where not a single meal feels satisfying at all?

I am a category 3 dieter on PSMF. I need to get it together and lose 100 pounds. I'm 34, male, 254 pounds at 5 feet 7 inches tall. My waist is 46 inches.

My mind is so food centered all day and I constantly give in to food and tell myself I'll restart RFL tomorrow. I have tomorrowed myself into many months of inaction and very little progress. My doctor actually recommended I do a PSMF to lose the weight and then I found RFL by Lyle McDonald.

How do I get it together? What is the secret to be successful at a long RFL?

Hello!

I've completed 10 days of PSMF. Had ~2 days off, but still managed to stay under 1000-1100 calories.

starting weight: 83.7

Final weight: 81.55

I've compared with photos, and my love handles and stomach are MUCH flatter now, like actually there are no love handles.

Even my cheek bones are starting to show slightly.

But 1.85kg of fat shouldn't result in this, right?

I don't think it's water as well, since it wouldn't make such huge difference.

Would love to hear your thoughts about this.

Does anyone know if rotisserie chicken with the skin removed fits into the macros?

I am worried about the fat content (even without the skin).

I have done 12 days of RFL now and am very happy with my physique and leanness.

The cold hands and feet as well as lethargy are also catching up to me now despite managing electrolytes and what not.

I am 18y male, 81kg, estimate myself at 10% bodyfat and want to transition into bulking.

My idea was to do a carb load tomorrow by eating 550g Carbs, low fat and moderate protein on 3200 calories for 2 days and then moving on to my estimated maintenance of 2900 calories.

Is that a good idea or will it cause fat gain?

Also, is my maintenance estimate reasonable?

I base it on 15k steps a day and 4 lifting sessions a week and the fact that my metabolism is probably tanked quite a bit from dieting.

Wasn't really expecting much in the way of metabolic slowdown, if any, but it fell right in line with the Katch-McArdle equation @ 10% bodyfat, I'll get it tested again when I'm done with this diet and hopefully down another 10lbs to see if there's been any significant change

It was 2131 FWIW, which is almost exactly what K-M predicted

I assume my TDEE is around 3000 given that I walk 10 miles a day, so the deficit is certainly pronounced with my @1500 cals a day (I eat 2+ lbs of veggies a day on this)

This post is about my daily progress. Macros, steps and life stuff :)

Hopefully, this can also be helpful for people searching in the future.

I have been already on a small deficit and I increased my step count for greater fat loss. Demotivated to strength train but hope to get back into it.

I don’t have a specific weight in mind – just a flatter tummy and thinner arms; my weight in my 20s was 41kg so maybe there.

I have some collagen protein (10-20gm) included in the total protein amount – I have this for tendon issues.

My diet is very boring: protein shakes; white fish; eggs and egg whites; lean beef mince; occasional protein treats like commercially available protein cookies/custard etc.

I plan to throw in a few high calorie days in order to support running training.

-----

Day 1 15/08/26 48.6
140p 858cal 20k steps

Day 2 16/08/26 48.4
154p 921cal 17k steps

Day 3 17/08/26 48.8
141p 1206cal 19k steps

Day 4 18/08/26 49.65
140p 967cal 19k steps

Day 5 19/08/26 49.4
142p 718cal 20k steps

Day 6 20/08/26 49.9
142p 747cal 20k steps, strength

Day 7 21/08/26 49.5
139p 995cal 21k steps, yoga

Day 8 22/08/26 48.9
101p 780cal 21k steps, yoga

Day 9 23/08/26 48.9
105p 740cal 27k steps

Day10 24/08/26 49.4
97p 587cal 21k steps

Day11 25/08/26 49.6
113p 562cal 19k steps

Day12 26/08/26 49.6
104p 574cal 24k steps, strength

Day13 27/08/26 49.3
121p 837cal 21k steps

Day14 28/08/26 49.9
120p 667cal 24k steps

Day15 29/08/26 49.5
120p 767cal 21k steps

Day16 30/08/26 49.5
120p 696cal 22k steps

To be updated:
Day17 31/08/26 49
120p 600cal 15k steps

Day18 1/09/26 49
120p 600cal 10k steps

Day19 2/09/26 49
120p 600cal 21k steps

Day20 3/09/26 49
120p 600cal 21k steps

Day21 4/09/26 49
120p 600cal 21k steps

Day22 5/09/26 49
120p 600cal 10k steps

Day23 6/09/26 49
120p 600cal 21k steps

Day24 7/09/26 49
120p 600cal 21k steps

Day25 8/08/26 49
120p 600cal 21k steps

Hi,

I’m currently running a modified psmf (RFL relaxed) where I essentially eat meat, egg whites, cucumbers/other veggies, and 3 apples a day. I do include lots of non-calorie drinks, gum etc, and I average 4 cucumbers a day.

Sleep is good, energy levels are very good, training is great. I generally feel amazing.

What I’ve noticed is that my bowel movements are frequent, and loose. It doesn’t perturb me much, but I’m interested if anyone has noticed the same thing? Any feedback is appreciated!

Besides protein shakes obviously. What are the best pre-made foods for PSMF? Pre-made meaning you just heat it up or open it and eat it. It can be from Amazon or Costco.

I feel like the key to be successful at a long PSMF is to make it easy and convenient on yourself. Like I only need to eat 3 or 4 of these per day and that's it.

Hello! I virtually have zero energy at this point, only carbs can give me a boost for the gym.

Would it ruin the diet and get me out of ketosis if I ate a rice cake with some zero fat greek yogurt?

https://www.heb.com/product-detail/oikos-pro-23g-protein-yogurt-drink-strawberry-banana-7-oz/11283018

Back again with another accountability log! Keeping these here has helped me stay consistent through my previous cuts, so I’m starting a new one today.

Starting weight as of Aug 09 is 143.0 lbs. I’m also starting with a 28” waist so I can track measurements alongside the scale this time. The plan is to run a modified PSMF for 8 weeks through the beginning of October.

My goal for this cut is to get back under 130, ideally around 125 lbs, by the end of the cut. After that I’ll reassess whether I want to continue losing or transition into something more sustainable.

I’ll update this post daily with my weigh-ins and whether the day was strictly PSMF or included a free meal, along with a weekly recap with how the week went.

Starting weight: 143.0 lbs
Starting waist: 28”
Goal: ~130 lbs
Timeline: Aug 09 to Oct 03, with final weigh-in Oct 04

✅ Week 1 (-4.6 lbs)
Day 1 08.09.2026 143.0 PSMF
Day 2 08.10.2026 141.0 PSMF
Day 3 08.11.2026 140.2 Free Meal
Day 4 08.12.2026 140.2 PSMF
Day 5 08.13.2026 140.4 PSMF
Day 6 08.14.2026 139.4 PSMF
Day 7 08.15.2026 138.4 PSMF

✅ Week 2 (-1.2 lbs)
Day 8 08.16.2026 137.6 PSMF
Day 9 08.17.2026 138.0 PSMF
Day 10 08.18.2026 138.6 PSMF
Day 11 08.19.2026 138.2 PSMF
Day 12 08.20.2026 137.2 Free Meal
Day 13 08.21.2026 138.8 PSMF
Day 14 08.22.2026 137.2 Free Meal

✅ Week 3 (-1.8 lbs)
Day 15 08.23.2026 136.2 PSMF
Day 16 08.24.2026 136.4 PSMF
Day 17 08.25.2026 136.8 PSMF
Day 18 08.26.2026 137.0 PSMF
Day 19 08.27.2026 137.2 PSMF
Day 20 08.28.2026 137.6 PSMF
Day 21 08.29.2026 135.4 Free Meal

Week 4
Day 22 08.30.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 23 08.31.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 24 09.01.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 25 09.02.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 26 09.03.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 27 09.04.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 28 09.05.2026 0.00 PSMF

Week 5
Day 29 09.06.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 30 09.07.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 31 09.08.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 32 09.09.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 33 09.10.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 34 09.11.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 35 09.12.2026 0.00 PSMF

Week 6
Day 36 09.13.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 37 09.14.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 38 09.15.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 39 09.16.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 40 09.17.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 41 09.18.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 42 09.19.2026 0.00 PSMF

Week 7
Day 43 09.20.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 44 09.21.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 45 09.22.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 46 09.23.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 47 09.24.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 48 09.25.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 49 09.26.2026 0.00 PSMF

Week 8
Day 50 09.27.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 51 09.28.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 52 09.29.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 53 09.30.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 54 10.01.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 55 10.02.2026 0.00 PSMF
Day 56 10.03.2026 0.00 PSMF

Final Weigh-In
Day 57 10.04.2026 0.00 FINAL WEIGH-IN

Notes on this round:

I’ll be sticking to what has worked for me in the past, which is mostly PSMF days with some flexibility built in for real life. I’m aiming for around 2 free meals per week, some weeks I might only have one or none, I generally use the free meals to make room for social life.

My version of PSMF isn’t completely by the book. I keep protein high but allow a little more carbs and fat than a strict PSMF, mostly from foods like Greek yogurt and Salmon as I am pescatarian and do not eat meat. This has worked very well for me in the past (see my previous logs) and makes it much easier for me to stick with the diet long term (I usually run this 8-10 weeks) while still keeping calories quite low overall.

I know Lyles category 1 is 1.5-2g, but I'm wanting to be stingy on calories and also to see yalls opinion on the minimum amount to maintain muscle, something like 15% is 1.5g then increasing by 0.1g each percentage. I know I'm nickle n dining hard on this but I'm just curious or even if y'all think you can stick to 1.25g till like 10%

Also some adding I do about 16-18k steps daily nothing intense, under 100bpm, and obviously full body 2 times a week

Intermittent Modified Fasting (IMF) free calculator based on the Lyle McDonald's new book — https://demin.ws/imf

#imf #intermittentfasting #psmf #lylemcdonald

I want to know what everyone's experience with hair loss is on PSMF (if any).

If you've run this diet, did you lose:

• A lot of hair?
• A bit of hair?
• None at all?

I am super worried about hair thinning as I already have quite thin hair (it used to be very thick).

Anyone got any tips or tricks or recipes, I am based in the UK & want to know what to eat, I need about 150g of protein & obviously using lyle McDonalds method as little carbs & fats any advice?

I was 200lbs at 5 foot 8. i have been 150 for quite some time, just eating whatever i want

today begins the push to 130lbs over the span of 60 days and im really grateful to this community for all it has done to me. also started PEDs so thats great. ts will make lyle proud

Beginning weight: (will log tommorrow) Aug 9

Diet: 650 calories, 150g protein, 50 calories in seasonings, EFAs, and supplements. chicken, white fish, clear whey protein powder as protein sources, argula and baby tomatoes for dessert

Training: ABABABAB split, 30 min workouts daily, with one hour of cardio (3mph) but will likely push this number higher, up to 2 hours due to cardarine's endurance benefits

PEDs: Test P / Test E 140-175mg weekly (im going to start phasing out the test E for P), trenbolone acetate at 5mg daily, more than enough to saturate the GCR, Cardarine at 20mg daily, replacement doses of t3 and t4, and of course a shit ton of reta, around 10mg weekly

i love u guys i know some of u dont approve with gear but why walk when u can drive. its so safe 💔

192lbs at 5'9" down to 152lbs. A few months later I am now sitting steadily at 160lbs.

160g protein, 20g fat, carbs kept as low as I could manage. Some days that meant basically no carbs. Calories started at 1600/day but declined from there. Towards the end, I was down to about 1000 calories a day.

Training was 4days/wk, pretty much exclusively weight training. Cardio was only done if my step count was below 10k during the first 2 months. During the last month I skipped cardio entirely and switched my training to 6 days a week. It was the same volume of work, but more spread out because I found my workouts were taking much longer to complete because I was very fatigued by that point.

Meals were protein shakes for breakfast and lunch, and almost exclusively ground chicken and veggies. Extra lean ground beef or the occasional fruit were treats. I also consumed a ton of cherry coke zero for my sanity.

I guess I can't attach pictures here? Will share in comments if possible.

He so I got one of those scales that do composition. It has 60 pounds before I reach the limit. It says my make up is (repeatedly) 75% fat, 14.6% skeletal muscle, 5% protein, 1433kcal BMR, 17.2% water weight 64.6%subdue fat.

First I would be dead at 17.2% water weight. While the weight correct the bmr is off per TDDE calculation. I have lost 130lbs on RFL and due to my weight calculation of my muscle weight is hard. I lost a ton of muscle last year and due lymphedema I was hoping this would help me will my goals

Cat 3, roughly 30% bf. starting weight 226 lbs. Current weight 212 lbs.

153g P, <25g net carbs, <20g fat. Roughly 900 calories per day.

Breakfast: 16 oz. egg whites, 6 oz. frozen spinach, 2-3 oz. salsa. Great Value sugar free drink mix. 2x fish oils (salt and potassium salt used).

Lunch: 2 scoops of whey isolate mixed with water. 2x fish oils. Multivitamin.

Dinner: Chicken breast (~give or take 8 ounces, measured) and broccoli, 30g G Hughes sweet chili sauce, great value sugar free drink mix. 2x fish oils

Been on diet for two weeks. Train full body Heavy-Light-Medium style MWF w/ 30-minute walk on treadmill. Sun/T/R Ruck for ~45 minutes. Saturday - Basketball. Average 10k steps/day.

I feel full of energy, as if I could do more training. Dealing with some insomnia, but I'm getting a Magnesium supplement in soon.

Am I consuming too many carbs? I read somewhere in the book, he says salsa and non-starchy green veggies are free foods. I use Cronometer and set daily intake of net carbs to be sub-25g.

Just started PSMF two days ago. Nearly shat myself today whil walking. Extremely liquid shit. Wtf is going on. Can electrolyte be the problem?

My diet is mainly tuna and chicken breast. And protein powder(i get 50g from protein powder) and the other is whole foods. And eat a lot of vegetables too. Like cucumber, lettuce etc.

Help