4-HB Success Stories

fitfunk

Hi fellow 4-HB'ers!
We're more than midway through 2012 - how is everyone doing on the plan?. I just started slow carbing this week and have that new convert zeal, trolling through all the old message threads, cheering for everyone's lost lbs/inches. Anyone care to share how it's been going. Whether you've been doing this for months or days, I'd love to know your story.

How long have you been on 4-HB?
What success have you had so far?
Do you find it easy to maintain the slow carb approach?
For those who have been doing this a while, what do you wish you knew or had done then that you know now? (e.g. i see a lot of people mention they wish they'd taken photos/measurements, etc)
Other tips or tricks?

jayseabrown

hi fitfunk! thanks for checking in!

i was a faithful 4HB follower for about 9 months. i lost about 25 pounds on the plan, in about six months or so. then i totally stalled out and didn't lose anything (pounds, inches, anything) for about three or four months so i moved away from following the plan to a T. Now i eat a small amount of non-4HB carbs (steel cut oats for breakfast, a small amount of fruit throughout the day, sometimes a protein bar), and also work out doing tabata for an hour three times a week. i found that that has helped move down my bf% from 28 to 23 in just three months, even though the scale still isn't moving.

i really appreciated the basics of the program and found it helpful to kickstart my weight loss but the last 10 or so pounds, for me, were just not going to come off using Tim Ferriss's program ... i didn't have enough "fuel" to workout the way i needed to and even when i did, my body wasn't building muscle from it. i still stay away from bread and refined sugar, but find the way i eat now is a lot more sustainable for the long term. (I also obviously don't do a cheat day because i'm not sticking to as strict of a plan)

Mostly, 4HB helped me learn a lot about health that i didn't know before, even though i was a long time dieter. i finally understand how important WHAT you eat is, and i won't ever go back to eating the crap i was before!!

good luck on your journey -- let me know if there's anything i can do to support you!

fitfunk

Congrats to you! And thanks for sharing your experience. I worry about the long-term (prematurely, right? i should lose some lbs before I worry about maintaining lol) and it sounds like you've found a great way to make this into a lifelong eating plan. I'm a runner and so far have no energy problems, but do worry about long runs, more than 6 miles. I used to eat an orange or small fruit halfway through long runs as I hate those fake gels and goos.

thriftycupl

Much like the other person who commented, I followed the book (didn't get the 30g of protein in within 30 minutes of waking due to lack of eating breakfast). I lost 25 lbs quickly and easily and then stalled for 7-8 weeks. I kept going but have read so much on this website and in the forums, I decided I needed to try something else that I could maintain for the rest of my life.

Good luck on your journey and let me know if you have any questions or need some additional support on this site. Happy to be friends if that will help.

newfern

Hi everyone!

I've been on 4HB for about 1.5 weeks and lost 5# in just that time! It does seem easy for me to maintain the slow carb approach except the day or two after the cheat day. I hope this week will be easier. Like the others, I have already found that 100% adherence is probably not a requirement for success.

Last night (not cheat day) I had a chocolate chip cookie and lost 1.5 pounds this morning. So, don't kick yourself, just remember it's an overall plan, no need to kill yourself. If you stall, just try more food or less food or different food. That's all!

Good luck! I know you can do this!

-fern

fitfunk

Congrats on your loss!

stacicats

Hi there,

I have been doing the 4HB for about 10 weeks and am down 14 pounds and a total of 12 inches (taking measurements on R/L arm and thighs, weight and hips). Take measurements - because when I have a week of no scale movement - I at least have that to keep me going!

I make our breakfast and lunch the night prior and it rarel differs from this ~
Breakfast ~ Scrambled eggs, turkey bacon (Costco has a great buy on 4pack of Oscar Myer) , fresh spinach (big bag of fresh from Costo is the best we have found) - sauteed in olive oil spray. I add in 1/4 avocado (mixed with lime juice, cilantro and a half tomato) and lentils.
Lunch ~ Chicken (I buy the Costco roasted chicken for the week and take all the skin and fat off) and broccoli (Costco fresh big bag for cooking in lunch and we use it in our salad). I add also add in avocado and lentils.
Dinner ~ Chicken or lean steak and salad. No beans for dinner.
**I love Trader Joes Lentils they have near there salads. I also love their cuban style black beans and Jalapeno Refried Beans.

Protein shakes with added "fake" sweeteners stalled my weight loss (even though the carb count was 4). I cut them out and now if I need a boost before a workout - I eat carrots. If I get hungry in a long workout - I eat carrots=) ! Cottage Cheese has also been added a few weeks ago and it's great for 14G of carbs in a half a cup! I use it as an afternoon snack to get me to dinner.

I took 6 weeks of the PAGG stack. No side effects and I liked it. But we are planning to try for a baby so have since stopped them. I cut my workouts down a lot also. I used to workout 5 days a week ~ run/walk/hike 25-40 miles a week with strength training. I am down to walking at least a mile a day, a jog every now and then, planks, iso crunch, and kettleball swings (the moves in the book rock and I love them) twice a week.

My Favorite!! I never- ever - ever feel stuffed any more. I feel content. I taught myself to eat to live - not live to eat. That was a tough one in my house - because we really love food. Now we plan an adventure for our cheat day and always over do it. I can't tell you how much we have had to throw out because our stomachs do not like that stuff any longer!

Sorry this was so long ! I enjoy reading posts on here and 4 hour people and love all the tips and tricks!