Cigarettes On the Rapid Fat Loss Diet

Nutrition
1

I don’t speak much about training in the nutrition forum. But here we go.

I’m doing another stint on the Rapid Fat Loss Diet because I want to be lean for summer and also because my training regimen has changed drastically. It involves a large amount of running. Currently, I’m building back up to a cardio base of being capable of running (OUTDOORS - NOT pussy treadmill shit) 4 times per week minimum for 40 minutes at a shot. Prior to changing my training, I couldn’t locomote faster than a walk because of my weight and LONG time lifting for nothing but size and strength - bodybuilding and powerlifting training. By the summer time, I want to be in shape for SERIOUS interval training - 100 to 400 meter sprints.

To build this base up, I had to scale back on weight training to two full-body sessions per week. I still have weight to lose for sprinting and medium-distance tempo runs. So I’m back on the RFL diet for another round.

As we know, this diet is a HIGHLY restrictive, sometimes miserable endeavor. I have NO problem during the day on this diet. Several times per week, it’s late at night and in the middle of the night that my appetite goes bonkers. It doesn’t bother me so much, but has me wired and fidgety. We know nicotine is a short-term appetite suppressant. Despite the fact that I am an absolute fitness and health nut and a dietitian by profession, I’ve experienced smoking ONE cigarette on those hungry nights (totals 2 to 3 stogies PER WEEK) completely alleviates my hunger pangs and I go to sleep peacefully. I don’t feel ANY addiction to nicotine at all, have no desire for cigarettes during the day or even when I use them sparsely as mentioned here, and will not smoke one right when this diet ends. When I smoke one, I have no desire to have another one at all.

What tricks have you employed to not go stir crazy on this diet? I KNOW full-well that this approach isn’t optimal, but I don’t see 8 to 12 cigarettes over a month span being particularly harmful. I also know full-well that cigarettes have a detrimental effect on metabolism and insulin sensitivity over the long term. But this isn’t long term.

Here’s training (All running is done outdoors):

Day 1: Run for half hour, static stretching
Day 2: Mobility drills, full body session, 15 to 20 minute walk
Day 3: Run for half hour, static stretching
Day 4: Run for half hour, static stretching
Day 5: Mobility drills, full body session, 15 to 20 minute walk
Day 6: Run for half hour, static stretching
Day 7: Off or half to one hour walk

Daily cardio helps with keeping appetite under control too.

2

You clearly know your shit, but don’t you think all this cardio on very low cal diet will lead to a good amount of muscle loss? I know you want to cut weight so you’re lighter on your feet, but are you fine with losing muscle mass in the process?

I just think RFL is extreme enough as it is, so adding in all that extra training will be more detrimental than effective (unless we’re talking low-med intensity cardio).

Started my second round of RFL on Monday (Cat 2 first time… Cat 1 this time). I’ve never really had serious appetite issues on the diet, but I attribute that to:
-EC stack 3 times a day (you could also add in 1-3 g of L-tyrosine per dose… I currently take my EC stack with 3 g of tyrosine)
-increasing my water intake considerably (throw in some Crystal Lite if I really don’t feel like drinking water)
-diet sodas if I don’t want water or Crystal Lite
-a lot of celery dipped in Frank’s Red Hot sauce
-brushing your teeth

I also do my training in the evenings. Once I get back from the gym around 10-11pm (sometimes as late as 1am), there’s only so much time left before I have to go to bed, so after a shower and my last meal, it’s usually lights out.

What category are you doing it at?

3

Personally anything that makes me feel a little calmer. PSMFs tend to make me a little agitated. I like 5 HTP, 150 - 300mg per day; seems to blunt appetite to an extent and makes me feel a little calmer due to the serotonin. Seems to work for me; others find 5 HTP to be less effective. Periodically I would thrown in something like Phenibut at night. I have also found ashwagandha to be awesome for the same anxiolytic, calming effects. Bacopa monnieri would be something I will try if I do this kind of diet again.

4

Be carefull if you have an addictive personality. I sure as hell do. I have battled alcohol and cigs for along time. I conquered the drink but I do slip up on smoking and feel guilty as hell when I do.

5

I don’t know how you are going to have the energy to do all that cardio on such low cals for most days but you know your body. As far as the smoking goes, Won’t that hinder your ability to run? I mean with your lungs? I know when I used to have a few cig’s when I was having a few beers It used to kill me the next day I would be coughing up flem but that may have just been me and perhaps it doesn’t affect you in the same way, If it was me I would just use some skoal (its a smokeless tobacco you put inside your lip. I used to dip when I was playing hockey most of our team did. I don’t advocate using tobacco in anyway I don’t use it anymore but if it will help you stick to your diet then give it a try in my opinion its better then smoking. Just my 2 cents. :slight_smile: Good luck

6

Bric,

I’m sure you have a good stretching program but if you don’t “Stretch to Win” is a book that covers the fundamentals.

First time I used a PVC pipe on my legs was painful but at the same time felt great.

7

Build something, something that takes a long time.

A ship in a bottle, a bookcase, a patio bench or table, or have some fun and make something so unorthodox that it becomes a conversation piece; the more you want to make it, the more you can place your mind into it.

And by unorthodox, I mean something stupid and hilarious like this:

9

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Ahahahaha. that machine is great!

Brick, why not use a fraction of a nicotine patch, held onto skin by a band-aid?

Too much hassle?

BBB[/quote]

I never thought of that. Good idea!

10

As an ex-smoker, this is one of the most retarded suggestions I have ever heard and would expect it from some 16 year old kid not an adult.

Addiction is pretty subtle - to even be thinking along these lines is “junky thinking” - stupid reasoning to let you indulge in an addictive substance. Its a damn excuse and got squat to do with dieting. Most other bbers are busy dieting without smoking, why the hell are you the special one that needs it and somehow immune to an addiction that typically grows to a more than a pack day habit? Nearly every other occasional smoker gets caught whatever their claims of invulnerability.

Don’t be a fucking moron, grow a pair and diet like a man. I would say this to the closest people in my life in more graphic terms.

11

[quote]jo3 wrote:
You clearly know your shit, but don’t you think all this cardio on very low cal diet will lead to a good amount of muscle loss? I know you want to cut weight so you’re lighter on your feet, but are you fine with losing muscle mass in the process?

I just think RFL is extreme enough as it is, so adding in all that extra training will be more detrimental than effective (unless we’re talking low-med intensity cardio).

Started my second round of RFL on Monday (Cat 2 first time… Cat 1 this time). I’ve never really had serious appetite issues on the diet, but I attribute that to:
-EC stack 3 times a day (you could also add in 1-3 g of L-tyrosine per dose… I currently take my EC stack with 3 g of tyrosine)
-increasing my water intake considerably (throw in some Crystal Lite if I really don’t feel like drinking water)
-diet sodas if I don’t want water or Crystal Lite
-a lot of celery dipped in Frank’s Red Hot sauce
-brushing your teeth

I also do my training in the evenings. Once I get back from the gym around 10-11pm (sometimes as late as 1am), there’s only so much time left before I have to go to bed, so after a shower and my last meal, it’s usually lights out.

What category are you doing it at?[/quote]

It’s just low to medium intensity cardio performed 3 to 5 times per week for 40 to 40 minutes as Lyle recommends in the book. They’re just nice and easy tempo runs. He and I don’t recommend sprinting or interval training on this diet.

I consider walking barely qualifying as exercise.

I don’t feel run down at all and don’t lose muscle easily.

I don’t mind losing some muscle mass in certain areas. For example, at my biggest, my thighs were 28 inches at the thickest circumference. This isn’t good for ANY kind of running, nor did I find that arms and lats and upper back muscle jiggling all over the place beneficial for running either. I still have a decent amount of size. Not being able to locomote faster than a walk for considerable time and not being able to run a mile in less than 8 minutes had me PERSONALLY annoyed. I’ve explained in several places of this site why my fitness goals have changed drastically.

I’m glad you mention caffeine. Three cups of coffee per day helps a lot too. I won’t go over 3 cups, and for someone like me, they have to be consumed at least 6 hours before bed.

The diet does give me a euphoric feeling at times and this is not uncommon in fasts and very low calorie diets. Christian Bale reported euphoric feelings while starving himself for The Machinist. Surprisingly, I don’t feel tired on little sleep with this diet. I got 4 hours last night and have no desire to nap right now. In my regular lifestyle, I’d be DESTROYED with anything less than 7 hours.

12

[quote]silverhydra wrote:
Build something, something that takes a long time.

A ship in a bottle, a bookcase, a patio bench or table, or have some fun and make something so unorthodox that it becomes a conversation piece; the more you want to make it, the more you can place your mind into it.

And by unorthodox, I mean something stupid and hilarious like this:

Good point! Forgot this dieting trick too.

13

[quote]Dave1986 wrote:
I don’t know how you are going to have the energy to do all that cardio on such low cals for most days but you know your body. As far as the smoking goes, Won’t that hinder your ability to run? I mean with your lungs? I know when I used to have a few cig’s when I was having a few beers It used to kill me the next day I would be coughing up flem but that may have just been me and perhaps it doesn’t affect you in the same way, If it was me I would just use some skoal (its a smokeless tobacco you put inside your lip. I used to dip when I was playing hockey most of our team did. I don’t advocate using tobacco in anyway I don’t use it anymore but if it will help you stick to your diet then give it a try in my opinion its better then smoking. Just my 2 cents. :slight_smile: Good luck[/quote]

Good post. But dude, I’m talking about TWO or THREE stoges per WEEK, not per day.

14

[quote]sevenmoist wrote:
Be carefull if you have an addictive personality. I sure as hell do. I have battled alcohol and cigs for along time. I conquered the drink but I do slip up on smoking and feel guilty as hell when I do. [/quote]

The only thing I’ve been addicted to is exercise. I don’t even crave or think of cigs during the day. Never even thought of smoking one in 14 years. And even in high school when I used to have a few here and there, I never had any craving to have one.

15

[quote]Dave Rogerson wrote:
Personally anything that makes me feel a little calmer. PSMFs tend to make me a little agitated. I like 5 HTP, 150 - 300mg per day; seems to blunt appetite to an extent and makes me feel a little calmer due to the serotonin. Seems to work for me; others find 5 HTP to be less effective. Periodically I would thrown in something like Phenibut at night. I have also found ashwagandha to be awesome for the same anxiolytic, calming effects. Bacopa monnieri would be something I will try if I do this kind of diet again.[/quote]

I’ll look into this too.

16

My weight training is simple.

Day 1:
Push press
Squats
Single-leg stiff leg deadlifts
Chinups
Incline dumbbell press
Bar curls
Cable woodchop
Stability ball pushups

Day 2:
Muscle snatch or power cleans
Deadlift
Walking lunges
Dips
Dumbbell rows
Tricep extensions
Ab wheel
Leg raises

17

[quote]Kvetch wrote:
As an ex-smoker, this is one of the most retarded suggestions I have ever heard and would expect it from some 16 year old kid not an adult.

Addiction is pretty subtle - to even be thinking along these lines is “junky thinking” - stupid reasoning to let you indulge in an addictive substance. Its a damn excuse and got squat to do with dieting. Most other bbers are busy dieting without smoking, why the hell are you the special one that needs it and somehow immune to an addiction that typically grows to a more than a pack day habit? Nearly every other occasional smoker gets caught whatever their claims of invulnerability.

Don’t be a fucking moron, grow a pair and diet like a man. I would say this to the closest people in my life in more graphic terms.
[/quote]

A) Most bodybuilders use a long, drawn out, 3 to 5 month diet that doesn’t involve eating ZERO starchy carbs and 1,300 calories.

B) I can GUARANTEE that I don’t get hooked. :slight_smile:

C) Did I make a suggestion? If I did, can you tell me what it was?

18

[quote]Kvetch wrote:
As an ex-smoker, this is one of the most retarded suggestions I have ever heard and would expect it from some 16 year old kid not an adult.

Addiction is pretty subtle - to even be thinking along these lines is “junky thinking” - stupid reasoning to let you indulge in an addictive substance. Its a damn excuse and got squat to do with dieting. Most other bbers are busy dieting without smoking, why the hell are you the special one that needs it and somehow immune to an addiction that typically grows to a more than a pack day habit? Nearly every other occasional smoker gets caught whatever their claims of invulnerability.

Don’t be a fucking moron, grow a pair and diet like a man. I would say this to the closest people in my life in more graphic terms.
[/quote]

You also got it wrong to think that bodybuilders don’t do dumb shit to be a bodybuilder!

LOL! (For real!)

:slight_smile:

19

It’s the Nicotine in Cigarettes that takes away the hunger. Why smoke when you can chew a piece of gum. Works for me!

20

[quote]AzCats wrote:
It’s the Nicotine in Cigarettes that takes away the hunger. Why smoke when you can chew a piece of gum. Works for me! [/quote]

On a related note, chewing regular gum helps with my cravings.