The 4-Hour Body / Slow-Carb Diet

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  • umd78
    umd78 Posts: 9
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    @Mcferg

    Without knowing your age or physical background, you would be surprised how easily you can pick things back up when your body is in better shape. I did a marathon last October, and I'm currently training for a half marathon in May. I haven't really run in the winter, but with my weight training and weight loss, I have easily been able to increase my speed and endurance without much lag time.
  • Goalis180
    Goalis180 Posts: 24
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    @Goalis180

    One thing I lament a little is that I have only been running about 10 miles per week. I've just found that the kettlebell workout is just as effective, and requires less time. However, I spent a long time building my running endurance and speed (over distance), and I know that when I decide to start racing again, I'll probably be starting from scratch. I'm not sure I care about that too much, because I feel so wonderful now, but it's in the back of my mind.

    Well, don't forget he has a whole section in the book devoted specifically to race training, that again doesn't require the kind of time that "purists" insist must be done. Just do those training exercises, and you'll be just as fit if not more so for a race.
  • violynist
    violynist Posts: 61
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    Hi

    Just wondering about cottage cheese, I have seen on other sites that people are eating it on the 4 hour body. Is anyone eating it and still losing?

    Thanks

    Yes, it works ok for me...
  • Chiloo
    Chiloo Posts: 1
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    I started this diet last Monday (March 7, 2011) with a weigh-in of 241 lbs. My weigh-in on that Friday was 236 lbs. Needless to say, I was incredibly pleased. My menu went as follows for the week:

    Breakfast: 4 tablespoons of Egg Whites, Spinach, Red Peppers, Seasonings and on two of those days I added a couple of pieces of turkey to the omelet.

    Lunch 1: Romaine lettuce, half of a tomato, a few spinach leaves, half of a cucumber, black beans and a half of a nice sized chicken breast tossed in a garlic, lemon, and olive dressing I made.

    Lunch 2: Same as above.

    Dinner: One t-bone pork chop (roughly 7 oz), broccoli, red peppers, onions, and spinach.

    Basically, I eat the same thing everyday (switching between pork, chicken, and tilapia) but I mix up the vegetables between meals and on Wednesday and Thursday, I skipped first lunch and ate a bigger second lunch.

    Friday was my cheat day. I had a considerable amount of alcohol, a bacon cheeseburger, and a fish fillet sandwich. On Saturday I weighed in at 239 lbs so I gained 2 lbs from cheat day.

    On Monday (March 14, 2011), I weighed in at 237 lbs and that's where I am currently. I'm expecting to lose 4-5 lbs this week following the same general meal plan as last week. I have to tell you all, though....the results from this diet kind of makes me want to skip cheat day. =]

    If anyone has any suggestions or meal ideas, I would greatly appreciate it. Good luck, everyone!
  • Goalis180
    Goalis180 Posts: 24
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    I started this diet last Monday (March 7, 2011) with a weigh-in of 241 lbs. My weigh-in on that Friday was 236 lbs. Needless to say, I was incredibly pleased.

    On Monday (March 14, 2011), I weighed in at 237 lbs and that's where I am currently. I'm expecting to lose 4-5 lbs this week following the same general meal plan as last week. I have to tell you all, though....the results from this diet kind of makes me want to skip cheat day. =]

    If anyone has any suggestions or meal ideas, I would greatly appreciate it. Good luck, everyone!

    Congrats, my weight loss is similar to yours. I was averaging a pound per day. Today, it was only down 1/4 of a pound and I didn't even really cheat on my cheat day (big explanation above)

    I would definitely suggest you at least cheat a little, otherwise, you may crash and burn, as this diet is so close to the South Beach Diet, and I crashed and burned because I couldn't give in t any cravings. I talked at length about this above, I really believe to maintain mental sanity you should cheat a little, even if you don't go to the extreme he talks about. However, I'm not sure if the diet is as effective if you don't go crazy cheating. I'm actually wondering if bc I didn't go crazy on my cheat day (onion rings and 2 pieces of bread and one fried coated chicken breast) is why I'm not losing like I was originally. The first cheat day, I had a few little debbie snack cakes like 3-4 chocolate milk, a huge bagel, pizza, etc...I still was down the next day.

    My meals are usually pretty simple.

    In the morning I like to have 3-4 eggs depending upon how hungry I am. I either just chop up hard boiled eggs or fry them. I sometimes add boiled ham to them. I usually always add spinach and onions. I sometimes add salsa to them. Sometimes I eat black beans on the side. I tried mixing it with the eggs and spinach, it wasn't bad but it wasn't great either.

    Lunch varies for me. I usually will have some oven roasted turkey slices and salad with a balsamic vinegar and oil dressing. Sometimes I add hard boiled eggs and ham to it too. Also will use the half can of black beans that I didn't eat if I had them in the morning.

    Dinner will consist of chicken or steak and a vegetable usually the half can of spinach I didn't eat in the morning and also sometimes broccoli.

    What I had yesterday I really enjoyed I had some deer steak (courtesy my brother and the 9 point he shot this past buck season) with broccoli and soy sauce. That was so delicious.

    My two favorite condiments are salsa and soy sauce.
  • monmon028
    monmon028 Posts: 16 Member
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    Hi Everyone! I hope you folks don't mind me butting into this thread. I am on day 3 of the SCD and I feel like I have been wearing google down with endless questions and a search for support. I'm so glad to come across this forum, I've been reading through the posts and you all have already been such a HUGE help.

    Like I said I am on day 3 of the SCD. I honestly feel weary about even calling it a diet, because I feel that this can turn into a change in my actual lifestyle. I've always been the person who loaded up on more side dishes than the actual main course. Eek. But I jumped into this and so far so good.

    I am a 25 year old female, weighed in yesterday at 235 and I am towering at 6ft. I'd like to start by losing 50lbs-- it's a stretch, but that is my goal and what I need to do to get healthy.


    Anyways, maybe you guys can answer some questions I have:

    1. How often do you guys exercise? @Chiloo it seems like we are in similar spots, how much activity do you get a week? I play in a basketball league once a week, but am still recovering from an ankle injury so I don't exercise as often.

    2. I've been chewing flavored gum to curve my craving for sweets. Has anyone had any bad side effects on their weight?

    3. Can someone explain PAGG? Is this supposed to be taken on a cheat day or everyday?

    4. I am 3 days from my cheat day and I am nervous! Do you exercise on your cheat day? Or is it all about going nuts but staying in control?

    5. I am getting mixed signals, the diet says to eat as much as you want of the protein, legumes, veggies, etc... but does that come with a limit?

    Here's what my meals have been looking like, Can you let me know if I am doing ok?

    Bfast- Egg Whites(about 3 eggs) , 2 slices of turkey, mushrooms, lettuce, bean sprouts

    Lunch- Chilli (1 can) & Lettuce

    Lunch 2- Grilled Lemon/ Teriyaki Chicken (1 breast) or Steak (Thin small piece) w/ Veggies

    Dinner- Chicken Lettuce Wrap w/ beans or repeat lunch 2


    You guys rock. Thanks!
  • umd78
    umd78 Posts: 9
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    Anyways, maybe you guys can answer some questions I have:

    1. How often do you guys exercise? @Chiloo it seems like we are in similar spots, how much activity do you get a week? I play in a basketball league once a week, but am still recovering from an ankle injury so I don't exercise as often.

    2. I've been chewing flavored gum to curve my craving for sweets. Has anyone had any bad side effects on their weight?

    3. Can someone explain PAGG? Is this supposed to be taken on a cheat day or everyday?

    4. I am 3 days from my cheat day and I am nervous! Do you exercise on your cheat day? Or is it all about going nuts but staying in control?

    5. I am getting mixed signals, the diet says to eat as much as you want of the protein, legumes, veggies, etc... but does that come with a limit?

    1. I workout the same amount as I used to. I feel like a diet should change your lifestyle outside of the kitchen. Since I work out a lot (4 days of lifting, along with running). I tend to try to feed myself more. This plays into another question you have later.

    2. I don't think chewing gum should effect anything although I noticed my sweet tooth went away by the time by first cheat day came up.

    3. I'm currently not doing PAGG so I will leave that to someone else to answer.

    4. My cheat day is on Sundays, which coincides with my long run days. It's really hard to fuel yourself without carbs so I chose this day for that reason. If you would normally exercise on your cheat day, I would. There are exercises Tim Ferris discusses in his book that he suggests you do on your cheat day.

    5. As long as its allowed, there is no limit. In my personal experience, I have found it is taking less food now than it did before to satisfy me. I still eat as much as I want, but it just ends up being less. Since everything going into your body is no longer processed, its okay to eat more. Also, most veggies are low calorie, high quantity. Its important to make sure you eat enough calories each day to keep your metabolism running efficiently.
  • Positively_Me
    Positively_Me Posts: 1,500 Member
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    bump..
  • Goalis180
    Goalis180 Posts: 24
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    Anyways, maybe you guys can answer some questions I have:

    1. How often do you guys exercise? @Chiloo it seems like we are in similar spots, how much activity do you get a week? I play in a basketball league once a week, but am still recovering from an ankle injury so I don't exercise as often.

    I tried kettlebell swings one day and did them wrong and my lower back was really sore. As of now, none, but still dropping weight like crazy. I intend to do them twice a week, but I have to get mechanics down better, so will do with a lighter weight.

    2. I've been chewing flavored gum to curve my craving for sweets. Has anyone had any bad side effects on their weight?
    I"ve actually read somewhere that any source of sweetener even artificial can trigger a craving for sweets. How accurate this is or the exact source, I couldn't tell you. However, for my sweet cravings at night I usually take a big bowl of plain yogurt and put one packet of sweet n low in it. Tim also suggested sugar free jell-o.

    3. Can someone explain PAGG? Is this supposed to be taken on a cheat day or everyday?
    If memory serves correctly it's supposed to be every day, however, I don't do it, so I'm not sure. However, I do drink unsweetened green tea all day. Therefore at least I'm getting some green tea, but I know the extract is more potent.

    4. I am 3 days from my cheat day and I am nervous! Do you exercise on your cheat day? Or is it all about going nuts but staying in control?
    My first cheat day, I really didn't have much in the way of cravings. I ate 3-4 little debbie snack cakes (not really because I wanted to, more because I knew I SHOULD) I drank chocolate milk, I ate a gigantic bagel, I had some pasta and pizza. I'm glad umd chimed in above. I've been kind of depressed lately for other reasons and I noticed my appetite was getting lower, I wasn't sure if that was a product of the diet or the depression. Even on my cheat day, I don't really feel like eating as much as I used to.

    My last cheat day, I hardly cheated at all. My appetite just wasn't there. As far as cheat day, I think it is essential for mental well being and being able to stick with the diet, and I also do believe it will help prevent your body from wanting to go into "starvation mode" and hold on to the stored fat. I think it's up to every individual to determine what is best for them. In other words, I'm not going to force myself to eat junk if I really don't want it, kind of like I did the first day, but at the same time, I'm going to ensure that I get some things in that I don't eat during the week like milk, and bread mainly. If I feel like eating a ton of junk, I will. If I want candy all day, I will. I'm going to make sure I DO eat SOME cheat food every week, but I don't think I'll take it to the extreme Tim did.

    5. I am getting mixed signals, the diet says to eat as much as you want of the protein, legumes, veggies, etc... but does that come with a limit?

    Nope, in fact, eat as much lean meat as you want. The protein will help to keep you full. The enemy to any diet is hunger. If your body goes into hunger it will go into "starvation mode" and want to hold onto your excess fat. This is from evolution. So, whatever you do eat when you're hungry. Don't even feel bad about it. Make sure you are full even stuffed every meal.

    Here's what my meals have been looking like, Can you let me know if I am doing ok?

    Bfast- Egg Whites(about 3 eggs) , 2 slices of turkey, mushrooms, lettuce, bean sprouts

    Lunch- Chilli (1 can) & Lettuce <I'm really not sure about the canned chili. I try to stay away from processed foods except lean lunch meat, such as oven roasted turkey and boiled ham.

    Lunch 2- Grilled Lemon/ Teriyaki Chicken (1 breast) or Steak (Thin small piece) w/ Veggies<If you're full with this that's fine, but I'd say to add more meat, don't hesitate on eating as much chicken as you want. I also eat as much steak as I want too. I did the same on the South Beach and I still lost ridiculous amounts, so that's up to you. This is where I deviate from the diet some.

    Dinner- Chicken Lettuce Wrap w/ beans or repeat lunch 2


    You guys rock. Thanks!

    Hope I helped.
  • umd78
    umd78 Posts: 9
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    @Goalis180

    Diary isn't an allowable food group in this diet. I'm not one to nitpick but it doesn't seem to right to suggest to others seeking advice. It may work for you but I generally feel like one should follow the diet to a T first before adjusting to their own wants.
  • monmon028
    monmon028 Posts: 16 Member
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    @umd & @Goalis

    Thanks for all your input I really feel that I have a better handle on this now.

    Sugar free jello it is!

    So for the meals, when Tim says "Have the same few meals over and over again"--- does that literally mean we should have the same recipes? Or just as long as we use one component from proteins, legumes, veggies, etc? I've been trying to come up with all sorts of different recipes just so I'm not eating the same thing everyday. Will it have an effect on weight loss?
  • umd78
    umd78 Posts: 9
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    As long as you find a recipe that only includes allowable foods, you will be fine. How the foods react to your body may be a different story. It seems to me to find out what works for you and apply it over and over again.

    I forgot to post this earlier but here is a good cookbook i found.

    http://robbwolf.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/The-Slow-Carb-Cookbook.pdf
  • Goalis180
    Goalis180 Posts: 24
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    @Goalis180

    Diary isn't an allowable food group in this diet. I'm not one to nitpick but it doesn't seem to right to suggest to others seeking advice. It may work for you but I generally feel like one should follow the diet to a T first before adjusting to their own wants.

    You know what, I totally forgot that wasn't acceptable. It confused me bc he mentioned it in another section on fermented foods that are good for you. Page 4 of this very thread was talking about yogurt. I didn't even realize that soy sauce probably wouldn't be allowed either. It looks like, back to just salsa.

    As far as the yogurt thing, well, as far as I'm concerned I will continue to have it because of the pro-biotic benefits. I've cut all other dairy out, so a bowl per day isn't affecting me. I've still lost weight and continue to do so. However, as you said, I won't make that suggestion to the people who want to be "purists" on this diet.

    So, when I said that it wasn't bc i was flaunting my version of it, bc if I do mention things that "I" do, I try to let people know. The yogurt was an oversight.
  • violynist
    violynist Posts: 61
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    So, when I said that it wasn't bc i was flaunting my version of it, bc if I do mention things that "I" do, I try to let people know.

    amen. applause for diversity. let's let this board work for everyone, no matter how we eat. freedom of speech, & all that good stuff.

    tim mentions cottage cheese, yogurt and buttermilk (fermented stuff), along with citrus throughout the book, recommending them at different times, and then saying to abstain at others. i believe soy sauce (the real stuff) is encouraged because it is fermented. in any case, apparently these areas are open to interpretation. so there you have it. :drinker: if you choose to use them or not is up to you.

    the point is, if you are not losing weight, figure out what's holding you back. if you are, then it's working!
  • monmon028
    monmon028 Posts: 16 Member
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    @Violynist-- I notice that too, I first read the section specific to the SCD and I am now reading through the rest of the book, and it's obvious why a bunch of people question different foods (including myself). Like you said, he mentions dairy etc a lot throughout other sections of the book. But yes I agree with you, " if you are not losing weight, figure out what's holding you back. if you are, then it's working!"
  • umd78
    umd78 Posts: 9
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    Just in response to the past posts, I'm not saying anyone should follow the SCD to the exact word. Although, I will argue that the restrictions on your diet are there for a reason. This is a generality, but I can assume most of us didn't eat healthy before we started this diet. By following the rules, many of us have eliminated a lot of processed foods from our bodies. Obviously, this will cause for an overall increase in health, or weight loss. I only bring up restrictions for those who want to try to get the maximum weight loss before adapting to their wants/needs/desires. I would love to have milk with my protein shakes, and I would probably still lose weight. Would it be as much weight? Probably not.

    That's all I was saying.

    Unless you try the program with all the restrictions, you don't really know what your max weight loss could be.
  • violynist
    violynist Posts: 61
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    Unless you try the program with all the restrictions, you don't really know what your max weight loss could be.

    tru 'dat. i guess i am afraid to lose more than 1 lb/week. weird, huh? if it's progressive, i keep up emotionally & my closet can handle the weight loss. but if too fast, i can't change my psyche along with my body.

    so, circumference & product updates...

    circumference: my favorite jeans are now falling off, hard to keep up! love it.

    products:
    - hemp protein - vanilla spice: not bad! go for it if you want to avoid whey
    - macadamia nut oil - yes, it is great on eggs! yummy.

    also unrelated, but interesting. don't know what the cause is, but my sex drive is def ramping up! not sure if it's the diet, the l-carnitine, or the wild mexican yam. whatev, i will just go with it! :laugh:
  • sbracken
    sbracken Posts: 79
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    Happy Day After St. Patrick's Day!!!!! I indulged greatly yesterday! Started out good with egg whites for breakfast. Then for lunch it was 5 22oz Miller Lites and a Chocolate Cake shot. Then pizza for dinner (2 slices) from the bar we were at. Then I grabbed a banana to ward off the headacahe that was forming at around 8pm. Then came the chocolate chip cookies, pretzels and wine. Feeling good this morning, no hangover at all. Drank about 2L of water last night after getting home after dinner. And right back to being on plan today. Since I was off plan yesterday, I'm not sure if I'll cheat or not this weekend. I think I'll play it by ear and see what's what come Sunday.
  • msbiz
    msbiz Posts: 174
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    Hi! This is my first post since I just found this support site for the 4 HB diet. I started the diet on Jan 17, 2011 (my New Year's resoluton!) and it started out great, but has slowly deteriorated for me. I stick to the diet RELIGIOUSLY, eating basically the same things all the time as Tim recommends. On cheat days, I go crazy with CANDY and CHOCOLATE, since that's what I crave. I'm thinking that that is my problem and, like Sporty, I need to have a cheat MEAL instead.
    So, here's my progress: lost 9" since Jan. 17 (8 weeks); lost ONLY 2 LBS. in that time! I was so discouraged, I blamed he scale and went out yesterday and BOUGHT A NEW SCALE, only to find that I weigh TWO POUNDS more than when I started! AAAAGGGHHHH!!! To torture myself even more, I took out my summer clothes today and can only fit into maybe 1/2 of the capris! I'm ready to jump off a low wall! Tomorrow is cheat day and I'm scared to death! I know I SUPPOSED to force myself to have it, but I'm afraid to gain even more! I drink about 8 1/2 liter bottles of water a day, 1 glass of red wine, only legumes, veggies and good proteins. I do the workout on page 164 three times a week, using a 10# kettlebell and I walk my dog about 1.5 miles about 5 days a week (not fast since he has to pee on EVERY bush and tree!), but at least I'm moving. I also do a great deal of gardening (strenuous!) about 3 days a week...lots of bending, lifting, hauling, etc. I should be SKINNY! Any suggestions?
  • violynist
    violynist Posts: 61
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    So, here's my progress: lost 9" since Jan. 17 (8 weeks); lost ONLY 2 LBS. in that time!

    @msbiz: hi! welcome! sorry to hear you are discouraged!

    did you mean 9 inches or 9 lbs lost? can you clarify? if 9 inches, that is pretty amazing! the diet results in body recomposition, so do you think that might be a factor here?

    i'm not an expert on the diet, i will let other folks handle that. but i will share my experience - that i do bulk up with repetitive weight reps, almost immediately, so i have to keep those at a minimum...

    i use cardio to lose weight. if i walk 2 miles/day at a moderate pace with no interruptions, i will lose weight. have you thought about focusing 100% on your cardio, & separating that time from the dog walks?

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