On Rapid Fat Loss and its Implications
Rapid fat loss could for a small sized man or woman implicate a daily caloric intake as low as 800-1200 Kcal.
In this case, adherence to the diet can be challenging and going for a whole food based PSMF (Protein Sparing Modified Fast) has been found to help people achieve a higher sense of satiety. However, humans are subjected by a multitude of external stressors (a sense of deprival due dieting, your job, family, etc.) that can compromise the compliance to a low calorie diet, raising the probability to start a binge eating cycle to “cope” with life frustrations.
Unfortunately this fairly common (instinctive and non-rational) choice will inevitably compromise and often undo most of the hard work pursued until that moment.
Compliance to a diet is directly proportional to the food variety, according to the taste preference of the individual. For certain individuals, having room for some “comfort foods” could help to improve diet adherence (80/20 rule by Alan Aragon). However, comfort foods by definition are usually highly palatable and caloric dense, and if one lacks self-control or has a tiny room for calories like in the case of smaller individuals (does not matter if you are a male or a female), a moment of indulgence can easily trigger a binge.
But what if you could outsmart your instincts by simply providing “processed foods” (processed, by you of course) that would fulfill your taste buds while giving virtually zero calories?
In this article, I’d like to share with you some dirty little recipes that helped me -a 163 cm male- during the hardest time of my aggressive cut, drop from 25% to 10% Body Fat steadily, with high adherence and without feeling deprived, despite having a die-hard sweet-tooth.
We would call this approach, the “ANTI FAT BOMB” approach: If you want to “defuse” your cravings, here’s your kit:
Warning: all the listed recipes use thickeners like Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum. If you experience intestinal discomfort or if you have SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth), it is suggested not to use these ingredients. The results will be less “thick” but appreciable anyway. You can also modify the recipes and add zero carb protein powder, unsweetened almond milk or avocado.
Recipes Index
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Cloud 9 Bread
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Sub-Zero (kcal) Icy pops
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10-20 Puddings
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Keto “Gains” Protein Ice Cream
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PSMF-Friendly Puff Pastry
Cloud 9 Bread
Ingredients (servings 17):
- Egg whites: 300g
- Egg white powder: 20g
- Flaxseed powder: 5g
- Sesame seeds (whole): 3g
- Sea salt: to taste
Macros per serving:
- ~14Kcal
- 3g protein;
- 0.16g net carbs;
- 0.14g fat.
Preparation:
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 C degrees (static, not ventilate)
- Mount the egg whites until very stiff.
- Incorporate all the other ingredients with a mixer until you obtain a homogeneous batter while maintaining the eggs stiff.
- On a parchment paper or a muffin baking tin sprayed with pan spray, place the dough making 17 “balls” roughly of the size of a palm.
- Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes (until the bread becomes golden and crisp).
- The bread is ready! It is best to be consumed with other food, but it can be a potent “craving killer” on its own.
- It is possible to aromatize it with black pepper, rosemary, basil, etc. Just put the herbs in the raw batter and mix.
By using roughly half of the ingredients and making a flat circle with the mixture, it is possible to create a base for a pizza or a roll stuffed with the ingredients of personal preference.
If you want to make the recipe lighter, you can remove the seeds powder and use fiber like psyllium husk or powdered cellulose.
You can even sub the egg white powder with more fiber. However, I have achieved the best consistency with the protein powder. The fiber only variant suits best for making a “flatbread” or a base for a 120 Kcal pizza.
If you tolerate it well, you can add 1-2g of xanthan gum for achieving a better density. The xanthan gum makes the recipe suitable for making flatbread cooked in a pan.
Sub-Zero (kcal) Icy pops
The procedure is the same for all the variants:
- Fill a pot with the ingredients and agar agar. Heat until it boils, then put the mixture in stamps for icy pops. Put the stamps in the freezer. Let them freeze for some hours, and they’re ready.
Blueberries:
ingredients (servings 8):
- Water 0.5 l
- Blueberries fresh or frozen 25g
- Agar Agar or other thickener 2g (optional)
- Stevia or another sweetener to taste
Macros per serving:
- 2.5 Kcal
- 0.05g protein
- 0.17g net carbs
- 0.01 fat
You can use strawberries, blackberries or raspberries as an alternative. It is possible to add more grams of berries if you want a higher consistency. Keep in mind that calories and net carbs will go up accordingly.
Vanilla:
ingredients (servings 6):
- Micellar casein 10g
- Coconut milk 40g
- Unsweetened almond (or cashew) milk: 140g
- Water (enough for filling the stamps)
- Agar Agar or other thickener 2g (optional)
- Stevia or another sweetener to taste
- Vanilla aroma to taste
Macros per serving:
- ~20.5 Kcal
- 0.26g net carbs
- 1.4g fat
More caloric, but dense and filling. I have achieved the best result by mixing micellar casein with vanilla bean, but you can use virtually any kind of protein powder, be it flavored or not.
Lemon:
Ingredients:
- Water
- Half lemon, squeezed
- Stevia or sweetener to taste
- Agar Agar or other thickener 2g (optional)
Macros:
- Negligible.
You can add some ascorbic acid and or magnesium citrate for replenishing some essential micronutrients during summer time.
10-20 Puddings
Procedure:
- The recipe is similar to the Icy pops.
- Agar Agar is necessary (2-3g), you must incorporate all the liquids in a pan and heat it until it boils.
- Then you must put the mixture in pudding stamps. Transfer them to the fridge and let the Agar Agar densify for some hours.
Berries:
Ingredients:
- Unsweetened almond (or cashew) milk: 250g
- Micellar casein: 5g
- Powdered cellulose: 5g (optional)
- Water: 250g
- Agar Agar 2g
- Blueberries or other berries 22g
- Stevia or sweetener to taste
*it is possible to use just berries, water, agar agar and a sweetener without the casein, fiber and almond milk. However, more berries will be required.
Macros per Serving:
- ~10.5 kcal
- 0.65g protein
- 0.5g net carbs
- 0.4 fat
Vanilla:
- Sub the berries for vanilla aroma or vanilla bean. Sub the water with another 250g of almond milk if you want a more dense pudding.
Chocolate:
- Sub the berries with 10-15g of unsweetened cocoa powder.
Greek yogurt (a bit higher in calories):
- Sub berries and casein for 150g of “zero fat” Greek yogurt
Macros per Serving:
- ~22 Kcal
- 3g protein
- 0.9g net carbs
- 0.5g fat
Keto “Gains” Protein Ice cream
I use this recipe during summer time or when I don’t want to cook. It’s highly proteic and has a discrete amount of micronutrients as well.
Procedure:
- The quantitative and the combinations of ingredients are up to you. However, the same ratios should be used.
- Put in a blender almond milk (light), ice cubes, xanthan gum, guar gum, micellar casein, avocado, carrot, cocoa powder, sweetener to taste, vanilla or other aromas of your choice, cinnamon. Blend until it is smooth and stiff, consume or put in the fridge/freezer.
Ingredients (for one bowl):
- Unsweetened almond (or cashew) milk 310g
- Ice cubes 300g
- Micellar casein 35g
- Avocado 50g
- Carrots (or chayote squash, or zucchini) 50g
- Unsweetened cocoa powder 15g
Macros (for the whole bowl):
- ~306 Kcal
- 36g protein
- 8.5g net carbs
- 13g fats
It is possible to remove/add other ingredients for modifying the macros according to your goal/taste preference. The important thing is the ratio between the thickeners and the ice.
PSMF-Friendly Puff Pastry
This “cake” is more caloric than the previous recipes, but it still fits PSMF macros and could be a nice way to “outsmart” cravings, preventing the start of a binging phase during those times when you’re under psychological stress.
Procedure:
- Whisk the egg whites, xanthan gum and fiber with a blender until you obtain a thick dough. Add in the cottage cheese, sweetener, fresh ricotta and aromas.
- Put the mixture in the oven at 180-Celsius degrees for 40 minutes (until it is golden and well cooked inside).
- In the meantime put in a basin the almond milk, sour cream (10% fat), sweetener, aromas and 1.5g of guar gum. Start to whisk until you obtain a dense cream.
- When the dough is cooked, use a kitchen brush to cover the cake.
- Let it cool and put in the fridge. The consistency should be similar to Puff Pastry with ice cream on top.
Ingredients (16 servings):
- Egg whites 320g
- Powdered cellulose 10g
- Xanthan gum 1.5g
- Micellar casein 22.5g
- Erythritol, stevia or another sweetener to taste
- Cottage cheese 170g
- Fresh ricotta (low fat) 100g
Macros per serving:
- 32 Kcal
- 5g protein
- 0.7g net carbs
- 1g fat
The End! (for now)…
Yes, the photos are horrendous. I accept consultancies from foodie celebrities on Instagram.
Even if you could potentially hit your whole macros with these recipes, it’s highly advisable to apply the 80/20 rule, where 80% of your diet is composed of whole protein sources and green veggies, like the recipes that I have posted in my previous article, while having a tiny little -but voluminous, trust me- 20% room for this kind of recipes. This way you should be able to create a nice balance between taste variety and nutrient density.
Have a nice cut!
Originally written by Flavio Furlan, revised and edited by Luis Villasenor