Tim Ferris Slow Carb Diet and Cheat Day

Packfan92 · January 2018

What is everyones opinions of the Slow Carb Diet and cheat day? I dont eat this way completely, but a majority of my meals have a meat, legume, and vegetable component, I also dont have a cheat day per say, but i usually do have a day a week where i am away from home, etc where i end up eating out and over-eating the wrong kinds of foods, not necessarily on the same day every week. Has anyone here had success with a cheat day or with Tom Ferriss’ approach?

Falklang · January 2018

Never heard of the Slow Carb Diet I just typically eat within my calories and boom that's it...no need to complicate things. In regards to a "cheat day" I will be implementing it once a week after this month, but it should be really called a "no calorie limit day" as cheating means it's bad lol

prdrivas · January 2018

I have. I started three years ago, just before joining MFP. After losing 60 lbs, my weight has fluctuated up or down depending on activity, but for the most part, stayed in the same place. My wife has also had success with this approach, losing 40 lbs and keeping it off.

We definitely do Cheat day, maybe even a little harder than Tim would recommend (see my caveats below). We look forward to it. Basically, if I get a craving for something off the list (like pancakes), I make a note that it makes the Cheat day list and I can wait it out. We also eat out about 3 days a week and have found it very easy to adjust menu items. Overall, it's been a fantastic success.

Caveats:
1. His exercise recommendations are a nice start, but you may want to adjust those depending on your goals.
2. It really helps to have someone do it with you.
3. One of the big problems I see with friends who attempt to do it and fail, is that Cheat day becomes Cheat days. And Cheat day doesn't mean waking up at 12:01 AM on Cheat day and eating until 11:59 PM. We generally do a harder workout in the morning on Cheat day, then eat at our regular meal times. I usually follow the guideline that each meal can last an hour. Once that hour's done, the meal is done. However I can pack a lot into an hour and sometimes its and hour and 15 minutes.

4. Live your life. There are times, like the Holidays and vacation, that I just eat what I want, when I want. I expect my weight to go up, and it does, but it comes back in control pretty quickly once I get back into it. Again, it really all depends on your goals.
5. I don't see any foods as "wrong" or "bad", just that I may not react well to them, so I limit them. I think that's the biggest take away I've had from taking this approach. It definitely helps develop a lifestyle, rather than being on a diet.

Let me know if your have any other questions.

Packfan92 · January 2018

Great info! Thanks

Christine_72 · January 2018

I "think" @Sabine_Stroehm has some experience with the slow carb woe.

Packfan92 · January 2018

Slow Carb woe? Bad experience?

Christine_72 · January 2018

Packfan92 wrote: »

Slow Carb woe? Bad experience?

Oh sorry, no. WOE = Way Of Eating

Packfan92 · January 2018

Oh ok lol. I was like wow that doesnt sound good! Sorry im not up on the lingo here i guess:)

HaggisWhisperer · January 2018

I used the slow carb diet about 5 years ago with good success for about the first 30lb or so when I hit a plateau. It is pretty much just paleo + legumes (except for the cheat day) - although many of the paleo guru types are not as anti legumes as they were a few years ago. Although I loved the cheat day I did find it hard dealing with the cravings the following day and ended up moving away from that. I think a lot of his principles are quite sound - I quite enjoy cooking so made up a lot of my own meals according to the principles rather than "eating the same thing every day" which would not have worked for me.

Packfan92 · January 2018

Interesting, thanks for the response. I was semi following it for awhile but was a little lax on how strictly i adhered. There would be those days where i really craved something and would give in, or have a few drinks on occasion when it wasnt a cheat day. I do follow some of the same principles now, however now i am tracking calories for the first time so it will be interesting to see how it goes. And ive quit drinking so that in itself should make a difference. I have learned to love beans and lentils! And they are so good for you so for that i am glad.

lemurcat12 · January 2018

Christine_72 wrote: »

I "think" @Sabine_Stroehm has some experience with the slow carb woe.

Pretty sure she's said that what she does (which she named "slow carb") is not the same as Ferris's later-invented diet.

Packfan92 · January 2018

So who is Sabine? I dont know much about how this app works. Since you tagged that person in the above comment are they alerted to this thread?

deannalfisher · January 2018

Sabine is another MFP user...so when her name is tagged, she'll get a notification to come check out the thread

tmoneyag99 · January 2018

Packfan92 wrote: »

What is everyones opinions of the Slow Carb Diet and cheat day? I dont eat this way completely, but a majority of my meals have a meat, legume, and vegetable component, I also dont have a cheat day per say, but i usually do have a day a week where i am away from home, etc where i end up eating out and over-eating the wrong kinds of foods, not necessarily on the same day every week. Has anyone here had success with a cheat day or with Tom Ferriss’ approach?

No different the GI diet and Phase 2 of the Southbeach diet.

Basically the medical and nutritional community are starting to realize the heavy impact of simple carbs on our diet in relation to weight and health.

tmoneyag99 · January 2018

prdrivas wrote: »

I have. I started three years ago, just before joining MFP. After losing 60 lbs, my weight has fluctuated up or down depending on activity, but for the most part, stayed in the same place. My wife has also had success with this approach, losing 40 lbs and keeping it off.

We definitely do Cheat day, maybe even a little harder than Tim would recommend (see my caveats below). We look forward to it. Basically, if I get a craving for something off the list (like pancakes), I make a note that it makes the Cheat day list and I can wait it out. We also eat out about 3 days a week and have found it very easy to adjust menu items. Overall, it's been a fantastic success.

Caveats:
1. His exercise recommendations are a nice start, but you may want to adjust those depending on your goals.
2. It really helps to have someone do it with you.
3. One of the big problems I see with friends who attempt to do it and fail, is that Cheat day becomes Cheat days. And Cheat day doesn't mean waking up at 12:01 AM on Cheat day and eating until 11:59 PM. We generally do a harder workout in the morning on Cheat day, then eat at our regular meal times. I usually follow the guideline that each meal can last an hour. Once that hour's done, the meal is done. However I can pack a lot into an hour and sometimes its and hour and 15 minutes.
4. Live your life. There are times, like the Holidays and vacation, that I just eat what I want, when I want. I expect my weight to go up, and it does, but it comes back in control pretty quickly once I get back into it. Again, it really all depends on your goals.
5. I don't see any foods as "wrong" or "bad", just that I may not react well to them, so I limit them. I think that's the biggest take away I've had from taking this approach. It definitely helps develop a lifestyle, rather than being on a diet.

Let me know if your have any other questions.

Lyle McDonald talks about this. Search "Revisit Refeeds" on youtube. Cheat days doesn't mean to eat garbage it means for some people (specifically small women) you get to just increase your intake with good foods.

tmoneyag99 · January 2018

Packfan92 wrote: »

So who is Sabine? I dont know much about how this app works. Since you tagged that person in the above comment are they alerted to this thread?

Check out the southbeach group. She is very active there. Also checkout the soutbeach diet. This sounds like another spin on Dr. Agaston's diet created specifically for heart patients trying to address cholesterol issues.

Packfan92 · January 2018

Thanks for the info everyone, ill look into some of those resources!

ryank · February 2018

I've switched to Slow Carb after a year on just low carb, which was 40-50g net carbs a day. I lost 25 pounds but I ended up with very low energy and needed the cheat day to replenish glycogens, so I hit the fruit smoothies hard on cheat day and feel great.

Haven't lost any more weight yet after switching 2 months ago but my body shape is changing and I'm definitely putting on more muscle from gym 3x a week.

Sabine_Stroehm · February 2018

How did I miss this thread? I am "slow carb" but way way pre-tim ferriss. (not a big fan of his)

Happy to answer any questions about how I approach things!

ryank · February 2018

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

How did I miss this thread? I am "slow carb" but way way pre-tim ferriss. (not a big fan of his)

Happy to answer any questions about how I approach things!

What do you do that's different to Tim Ferriss's version? Other than not weighing your poo (I assume).

Sabine_Stroehm · February 2018

ryank wrote: »

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

How did I miss this thread? I am "slow carb" but way way pre-tim ferriss. (not a big fan of his)

Happy to answer any questions about how I approach things!

What do you do that's different to Tim Ferriss's version? Other than not weighing your poo (I assume).

I have only read Ferriss once, when it first came out, but from what I recall:
Lot's. No cheat days for one.

I aim to eat DELICIOUS nutrient dense foods. Lean proteins, LOTS of high fiber vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, dairy, some lower sugar fruits, some 100% whole grains (steel cut oats, quinoa, brown rice...). Adequate good fats. I look at sugar content on labels (and look for the various names of sugar on ingredient lists). I eat some tubers and other starchy plants, but usually with a fat, and always with the skin on.

I don't eat candy. I don't eat pastries etc. I don't eat cakes and cookies. I don't drink sugary drinks. I rarely eat fast food, and when I do it's like: a turkey sandwich on wheat. I very much limit heavily refined carbohydrates, primarily the "convenience foods".

I consider the glycemic impact of the foods I'm choosing.
I'm aiming to limit blood sugar swings. This helps ME to not get ravenously hungry, aides ME in not getting the munchies and cravings, and aides ME in meeting my eating goals. (YMMV) I lost weight eating this way, and have (more or less, damn you menopause lol) maintained about 17-18 years by eating this way.

I know that there will be indulgences as part of regular life. No need to schedule them in, life just happens.

My approach was originally informed by a radio interview with Dr. Arthur Agatston, who went on to write the "South Beach Diet" (which he no longer owns, nor endorses). Later influenced by the mediterranean diet, and more recently by books like Smart Fat, and The Dash Diet Weight Loss Solution.

They all boil down to the same thing: quality foods: proteins, fiber, fat, and flavors.

I originally also called my approach low Crap, but that didn't go over well here. heh. So slow carb is what I call it here.

Recently, in addition to thinking more about the best fats, I've been thinking more about the thermic effect of various foods, but don't know much about that yet.

Cheers.

ryank · February 2018

Thanks, that's helpful.

I think where I went wrong with low carb was to not get enough variety - I worked out what I liked and could stick to and just stuck to it. But I must have been missing nutrients so I got rundown. So now I use cheat days / binge days as a way of cramming variety into one day then going back to my routine. I'd prefer to be doing it more how you do it, maybe when I'm on maintenance that will be more natural.

jetsetcharm · July 2018

I started 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferriss in Spring of 2012 and by fall of 2014, I was 100 pounds down. I also had the pleasure of introducing myself to Tim on BART and thanking him for his program. Since I got married in 2017, I have put back on some weight due to (unfortunately) celebratory ongoing alcohol consumption, which then had me put back on about 40-50 pounds. Gave that up, and back on the straight and narrow - the slow carb plan. I've brought on two other friends, because an accountability partner(s) is absolutely key.

Tim Ferris Slow Carb Diet and Cheat Day

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