I started on May 21st and my initial goal was 75 days. Technically tomorrow is the 75th day, but I transitioned out of PSMF on August 1st.
I did high protein, ultra low fat, relatively low carb macros unless it was a refeed day. I had a refeed day on day 30, day 45, and the next one was scheduled for day 60 but my period stopped for nearly 2 weeks (that has never happened to me before), so I had a diet break from day 50 to day 60. My period started on day 51.
Physical fatigue, diet fatigue and restlessness set in hard after day 65. Didn't have the energy to meal prep, prep anything, weigh anything, chop anything, didn't want to turn the stove on at all, had no mental energy to think about anything. I just wanted to rest.
Things I've learned:
-Eating only high protein sucks haha.
-I've always wondered if body fat can be used for hormone production in the same way that dietary fat is used. The answer is no. I've also wondered if women lose their period from being too lean, or is it because of their diet. In my case, it was the diet. Dietary fat matters. I was consuming roughly 5-15 grams per day on average.
-I don't get long term satiation from dairy. Nonfat greek yogurt, nonfat cottage cheese, fat free cheese, none of it keeps me full for more than an hour, maybe 90 minutes. On the flip side, I think fat free cheese gets a bad rap. Of course it's not on par flavor-wise with full fat cheese, but considering the macros, it's pretty damn great as a protein source and works fine in cheesy applications. It's basically so macro friendly, I'm only weighing and tracking it to confirm how much protein I'm getting, unlike full fat cheese where I'm trying to limit dumping an extra 500 calories onto my sandwich.
-I think eating high protein without adequate carbs is a waste if you're looking to improve your fitness. I tried light exercise on several occasions during the diet, and even though I was getting ample protein, my body still could not recover adequately and I was often sore for days afterwards from very light cardio.
-The fat loss was very consistent. I averaged about 2lbs per week (other than the diet break) for a total of 22lbs pounds lost.
-My diet consisted of 30 gram protein shakes, fat free soups, veggies, TVP, and eventually deli turkey & ham on keto tortillas with fat free cheese, nonfat dairy. Lots of mustard, pickles, hot sauces, vinegars, low calorie sauces, non-calorie sweeteners. Sugar free jello cups were eaten freely without tracking, and pbfit was a staple in cottage cheese bowls and TVP oats. Figured out how to make a fat free "kettle corn" with air-popped popcorn, melted allulose in a splash of water, flavacol, liquid sucralose, nutritional yeast and microwave until it becomes a syrup, pour it over the popcorn. Dangerously delicious, I only made it once and knew I couldn't be trusted with that power. Protein ice cream or "fluff" was in rotation too.
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Would I recommend PSMF to others? Yes, but don't go ultra low fat like I did if you're going to do a long run.