The 4-Hour Body / Slow-Carb Diet
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Doesnt he say that one of ther reasons this diet wont work is because some people wont eat enough? i'm not counting to limit my intake but to make sure I'm eating enough, but I can't seem to. I do feel healthier but I am wondering if when I stop eating like this I will just gain it all back. I am a heatly eater who likes desserts but sometimes just adding simple carbs and sugars seems to up your weight no matter how little of you eat, but just because its part of your diet agian. is this true for anyone else?0
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well, i'm not hungry. i eat all day long. if i'm hungry i eat. i'm actually doing two 24 hour fasts (ESE) each week on top of this because i'm pretty sure i overeat. i love to eat so much, and i've never ever had a problem with undereating.0
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i've been doing this for just over a week now and am down 3 pound. I've been sticking to the diet pretty much to a T. I have had a really hard time getting 1200 calories in. I also am running about 30 min a day beacause i love cardio, so I'm really behind by almost 500 calories a day. A few questions: can I drink mikl/protein drink after a workout? what are some snacks that are high in calories but still fall into this diet? I am about 15 pounds away from my goal weight so really want this to work.
Milk is a definite no-no, per the book. There may be protein shakes you can make with water? I would say that if you're not getting enough calories, try cooking with a little more healthy fat (such as olive oil), adding avocado to things or eating more legumes. Maybe I just have a bigger appetite than most, but I'm consuming probably around 1800 cals per day, and, while I'm not hungry, I'm sure I could eat more.0 -
Doesnt he say that one of ther reasons this diet wont work is because some people wont eat enough? i'm not counting to limit my intake but to make sure I'm eating enough, but I can't seem to. I do feel healthier but I am wondering if when I stop eating like this I will just gain it all back. I am a heatly eater who likes desserts but sometimes just adding simple carbs and sugars seems to up your weight no matter how little of you eat, but just because its part of your diet agian. is this true for anyone else?
I hear ya. Ferris, though, talks about it like this is just how he eats in general. I think that's the idea...that you just change your general approach to eating to follow what he suggests. Of course, once you reach GW, you may be able to experiment with more concessions, etc. At least that's how I'm trying to approach it. I'll tell you this - I don't count my calories, and I'm way less concerned about the scale than I've been in the past. I'm completely fine w/ 1 lb per week for now, and once I've lost 5 or 6 lbs, I'll be fine with 1/2 lb per week...because I'm much less focused on my goal this time around, and more focused on just getting used to eating like this (which hasn't been hard, thus far). I've got 13 lbs to go, and if I get there by June, that's cool with me - actually, even after that it's fine, because if I can stick to eating like this that long, I figure I'm in the clear.0 -
I have had a really hard time getting 1200 calories in.
If you look back a couple of pages, I had the same complaint. While Ferriss says not to count calories, I've been doing so anyway, and I've had HUGE issues meeting even 1200 calories a day on this, even without counting any exercise!
Some things I've added:
* for breakfast, my BF and I split 3 whole eggs plus 4 eggs whites in our breakfast scramble; he added the 3rd whole egg for flavor
* more beans
* half an avocado at lunch, mashed up with my daily half-can of salmon and half-can of black beans (in addition to a vegetable when i have time at work - some days I don't have time, but we consume a lot of veggies otherwise)
* a small handful of nuts (10 or so) no more than twice a day
* a spoon of guacomole if necessary
The avocado is the best, both in terms of adding calories and flavor, overall. I love the excuse to eat half an avocado. And it's pitching me calories over the 1200 mark consistently.
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I'm trying not to get too excited because I know some of this is just female water flux, but y'all, I was at 209 yesterday morning, 204 last night, and 205 this morning. That's 11 lbs in 11 days, net. The persnickity machine agrees that this is (mostly) actual fat loss. If you all could only have heard how skeptical I was when my BF suggested we do this.
I've never been even vaguely interested in dieting - I was a muscular kid, not athletic but very solid, and have always weighed more than people think I do. I honestly prefer a more rubenesque body (as does my BF). I dieted ONCE, in college, as part of an insane dance teacher's demands that I get down to 115 (I'm 5'8, and I was ~150 at the time) for some part she wanted me to dance, and the damage that did to me psychologically was enough to make me a life-long diet hater. (For the record, I got to 120, I looked like a walking skeleton, my clothes hung on me, and I cried all the time, AND I got injured because I had no energy and fell, ending my "dance career" such as it was - I had never even planned to be a dancer, and it was just a hobby...) When I work out, I put on muscle, and never lose weight. 6 months of hitting the gym for an hour+ 4 times a week, doing both cardio and weights, turned me into an amazon - I was lifting heavy-duty shopping carts off the ground with my hands and ripping multi-ply silk stringing thread - but I never went below 200. Also, working out makes me depressed. I know it's not supposed to, but I wound up with a rip-roaring case of depression at the same time, and I'd literally cry every time I left the gym - not over anything specific, but I'd just sob all the way home on my bike in this kind of bottomless existential angst, the unbearable emotion of just being alive. (This isn't the only backwards biochemistry reaction I have, either - I swear, my chemistry is all kinds of weird.)
I just assumed that nothing was going to work for me.
So, for me to say this is working and that I see this as a potential lifestyle change is shocking to me. I used to talk about a tattoo I wanted, but because of where i want it, I won't get it unless I'm at 150 again. After turning 40, I put that possibility aside - things could only get worse, not better, right? This morning, I thought, I might actually get that tattoo after all.1 -
i've been doing this for just over a week now and am down 3 pound. I've been sticking to the diet pretty much to a T. I have had a really hard time getting 1200 calories in. I also am running about 30 min a day beacause i love cardio, so I'm really behind by almost 500 calories a day. A few questions: can I drink mikl/protein drink after a workout? what are some snacks that are high in calories but still fall into this diet? I am about 15 pounds away from my goal weight so really want this to work.
try a pea protein isolate protein shake (chocolate flavoured). Contains no milk, soy, carbs, etc.
Also try some nuts as a snack. Tim is big on almonds, walnuts and brazil nuts.0 -
doesnt he say you eat anything you want after a workout within a certain time? that is why i was thinking milk was ok, am I way wrong on that?0
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doesnt he say you eat anything you want after a workout within a certain time? that is why i was thinking milk was ok, am I way wrong on that?
There are lots of things in different chapters that are contradictory in his book and it is easy to get confused. At the end of the day the book is not an instruction manual. It is more of a collection of ideas that you can experiment with. Try it. If it doesn't work then you have learned something.0 -
Also try some nuts as a snack. Tim is big on almonds, walnuts and brazil nuts.
FYI peanuts are a legume and not a nut. so it technically fits in your serve of legumes0 -
what does everyone think of Veggie Chips? I was thinking I could use these to dip in my hummus and cottage cheese to make things more interesting, and they're a bit more flavorful than raw veggies....0
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what does everyone think of Veggie Chips? I was thinking I could use these to dip in my hummus and cottage cheese to make things more interesting, and they're a bit more flavorful than raw veggies....
Depends on what type of veggie chips you're talking about. If there's such a thing as veggie chips made from just veggies, I haven't seen them. Most "veggie chips" are comprised primarily of potatoes and just flavored with vegetables.0 -
FYI peanuts are a legume and not a nut. so it technically fits in your serve of legumes
I dunno. While they may technically be legumes, from dietary perspective, they're more like nuts. Ferris also identifies these as a "domino food". That (the domino thing) doesn't make it a no-no, as long as it doesn't send you into a tailspin, but I think it's pretty safe to say that you cannot substitute peanuts for lentils, beans, etc.
After all, potatoes are technically a vegetable, and we know they're not allowed. Tomatoes are a fruit, and we know they are allowed...because in a dietary sense (at least as far as macro-nutrient composition goes) potatoes are more like starches/grains and tomatoes are more like vegetables. Similarly, peanuts are more like nuts.
That being said, I often do have a teaspoon of natural peanut butter as a snack. So far, no issues with this.0 -
heyy all. I had to move up my cheat day because of my fiance's birthday. Has anyone tired this? do you think its going to seriously mess up my diet?0
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what does everyone think of Veggie Chips? I was thinking I could use these to dip in my hummus and cottage cheese to make things more interesting, and they're a bit more flavorful than raw veggies....
Depends on what type of veggie chips you're talking about. If there's such a thing as veggie chips made from just veggies, I haven't seen them. Most "veggie chips" are comprised primarily of potatoes and just flavored with vegetables.
Costco sells real veggie chips - with zuchinni, sweet potatoes, etc...0 -
heyy all. I had to move up my cheat day because of my fiance's birthday. Has anyone tired this? do you think its going to seriously mess up my diet?
I wouldn't sweat it, particularly if it's been 5 days since your last day, but even if it is, it will be at worst a minor setback...I think this sort of thing only becomes a problem if it snowballs...and you continually move things up until you're cheating every 2nd or 3rd day.Costco sells real veggie chips - with zuchinni, sweet potatoes, etc...
Interesting... I haven't seen those. I guess I'd look at the ingredients and decide. Sweet potatoes aren't specifically addressed in the book, but I'd avoid them. Zuccini should be fine. If there are carrots in there, he mentions them as an okay snack...but look at the other ingredients...0 -
i could've sworn on his blog post that he said sweet potatoes were ok, not that i eat a lot of them, but maybe 1 meal per week.
eta: ok, it actually was someone commenting on the blog post. i knew i saw it there. my brain registered sweet potatoes as being ok0 -
Been following the diet exactly, lost 5 lbs, got down to 204 from 209. Had a small cheat day (onion rings, Momma Burger and a bag of chips). TOM landed on said cheat day. That was 6 days ago and still have not lost the weight. Still around 207. Why? Today is another cheat day. Still have not cheated. Scared to.0
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Well, I'm now on the morning of my 3rd cheat day. I lost 1.5 lbs this week, which is interesting for a couple of reasons. One is that the 3rd week of diets is when my weight loss typically starts to slow down, the other is that I've been sick this week, and unable to exercise. I took the full week off of exercise, and that's the first time I've done that in probably 3 years. I think that, even though I ate whenever I was hungry, it ultimately probably helped (short-term) with the weight loss.
So - I'm looking forward to another guilt-free cheat day today. Championship Sunday, so that means beer and snacks. i won't overdo it, though - learned my lesson the first week.
Rojo40 - I think the cheat day is one of the cornerstones of this diet. There's a lot of other talk around here about making allowances for certain foods that are considered healthy, and all that, but I'm not sure the cheat day falls into that category. Even if you don't buy-in to the suggestion that eating more calories once per week helps keep your metabolism up, it certainly makes it much easier to stick to the plan during the week. And remember - cheat day doesn't mean you have to eat a bunch of junk food - you can cheat on this diet with a day full of healthy grains and fruit - those will boost your calories and give your tastebuds a change of pace as well.
The cheat day weight you gained, I'm sure is just water. What you ate no way would produce a 3 lb actual gain in fat. Take a look at your fluid vs sodium consumption. Maybe that's it.
One of the things I like about this diet is that I pretty well enjoy eating the prescribed foods, so I feel like I don't panic as much if the scale doesn't move. Because I don't feel like I've put that much effort into the diet itself, it's not as disheartening if the weight loss is slow or stalls periodically.0 -
FYI - Tim has posted a number of clarifications on slow carbing on his blog:
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com
here they are:
Slow-Carb Clarifications
I’m currently getting at least 500-1,000 questions a day via the blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. about the slow-carb diet. Let me clarify a few things:
Do not eat the following, except for cheat days:
Yams
Sweet potatoes
Quinoa
Dairy (this includes cheese and yogurt of all kinds)
I mention cottage cheese at one point as a last resort. It is low in lactose, which is what you need to avoid. Ghee and cream (for coffee) should not contain any lactose, hence you can use them. The same goes for effectively lactose-free, unflavored whey protein, etc..
SUPPLEMENTS: There is NO need for supplements on the slow-carb diet, besides magnesium, potassium, etc. in “Slow-Carb II.” PAGG is NOT necessary, so if you find it confusing, just omit it.
Post-workout carbs – If your goal is fat loss, and assuming you are not training for endurance competition:
- If you male and not 12% bodyfat or less, no post-workout carbs.
- If you are females and not 20% bodyfat or less, no post-workout carbs.
In the end, the point of 4HB is intelligent and responsible SELF-EXPERIMENTATION. I will not answer all of your questions, precisely because I want you to think for yourselves and figure it out. Hundreds of you have already done. It’s not that hard.
The following will address 99%+ of those who are confused:
- If you have to ask, don’t eat it.
- If you haven’t had blood tests done, I don’t want to hear that the diet doesn’t work.
- If you aren’t measuring inches or haven’t measured bodyfat % with an accurate tool (BodPod, etc. and NOT bodyfat scales), I don’t want to hear that the diet doesn’t work.
- If you’re a woman and taking measurements within 10 days prior to menstruation (which I advise against in the book), I don’t want to hear about the lack of progress.
- On the critical 4-6 week window:
For people over 40 and women (especially after two kids), it’s quite common that the most dramatic fat-loss and weight change comes after 4-6 weeks on the diet. I have explanation for this. Needless to say, if you haven’t done the diet for AT LEAST four weeks, please don’t post a comment about plateauing and panicking. I can’t give you meaningful advice without a ton of other supporting data (blood tests, etc.), and it’s physically impossible for me to respond to each person.
To reiterate: The entire goal of 4HB is to make you a self-sufficient self-experimenter within safe boundaries. Track yourself, follow the rules, and track the changes if you break or bend the rules. Simple as that. That’s what I did to arrive at my conclusions, and that’s what you will do — with a huge head start with the 4HB — to arrive at yours.
Do it for 4 weeks and then troubleshoot if you’re plateauing.
If you post a plea for help anywhere, include at least two FULL days of your meals and snacks so people can actually help you.
Most of those saying they’re “following the diet to the letter” are doing nothing of the sort. Reread “Slow-Carb II” in 4HB.
Last, I’ll repeat the basic approach to the unknown: If you have to ask, don’t eat it0 -
Responses to some of the Ferris stuff from his blog...I mention cottage cheese at one point as a last resort.
Really? Cottage cheese is mentioned 3 times in the book, and "last resort" is never used, and not once does he give any indication other than that it is totally fine. From one quote: "Cottage cheese, my mother's preference, is also a fine addition". Does that sound like a last resort?!- If you have to ask, don’t eat it.
- If you haven’t had blood tests done, I don’t want to hear that the diet doesn’t work.
- If you aren’t measuring inches or haven’t measured bodyfat % with an accurate tool (BodPod, etc. and NOT bodyfat scales), I don’t want to hear that the diet doesn’t work.
- If you’re a woman and taking measurements within 10 days prior to menstruation (which I advise against in the book), I don’t want to hear about the lack of progress.
Obnoxious. Don't get me wrong - I'm SURE there are lots of people not really following the diet, but claiming to and complaining, but come on - most of us (at least here) do actually know if a diet is working or not. I don't have to measure inches to know if I'm losing them, for example...the fit of my waistband will tell the tale. Of course, you kind of tell that Ferris is kind of obnoxious from the tone of a lot of book, right?
That being said - Caprica, thanks for posting...the list of foods at the top will certainly be useful to many.
- On the critical 4-6 week window:
For people over 40 and women (especially after two kids), it’s quite common that the most dramatic fat-loss and weight change comes after 4-6 weeks on the diet. I have explanation for this. Needless to say, if you haven’t done the diet for AT LEAST four weeks, please don’t post a comment about plateauing and panicking. I can’t give you meaningful advice without a ton of other supporting data (blood tests, etc.), and it’s physically impossible for me to respond to each person.
To reiterate: The entire goal of 4HB is to make you a self-sufficient self-experimenter within safe boundaries. Track yourself, follow the rules, and track the changes if you break or bend the rules. Simple as that. That’s what I did to arrive at my conclusions, and that’s what you will do — with a huge head start with the 4HB — to arrive at yours.
Do it for 4 weeks and then troubleshoot if you’re plateauing.
If you post a plea for help anywhere, include at least two FULL days of your meals and snacks so people can actually help you.
Most of those saying they’re “following the diet to the letter” are doing nothing of the sort. Reread “Slow-Carb II” in 4HB.
Last, I’ll repeat the basic approach to the unknown: If you have to ask, don’t eat it
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