Fat Loss via Better Science and Simplicity
It is possible to lose 20 lbs. of bodyfat in 30 days by optimizing any of three factors: exercise, diet, or drug/supplement regimen. I’ve seen the elite implementation of all three in working with professional athletes. In this post, we’ll explore what I refer to as the “slow-carb diet”.
In the last six weeks, I have cut from about 180 lbs. to 165 lbs., while adding about 10 lbs. of muscle, which means I’ve lost about 25 lbs. of fat. This is the only diet besides the rather extreme Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD) that has produced veins across my abdomen, which is the last place I lose fat (damn you, Scandinavian genetics). Here are the four simple rules I followed…
Rule #1: Avoid “white” carbohydrates
Avoid any carbohydrate that is — or can be — white. The following foods are thus prohibited, except for within 1.5 hours of finishing a resistance-training workout of at least 20 minutes in length: bread, rice, cereal, potatoes, pasta, and fried food with breading. If you avoid eating anything white, you’ll be safe.
Rule #2: Eat the same few meals over and over again
The most successful dieters, regardless of whether their goal is muscle gain or fat loss, eat the same few meals over and over again. Mix and match, constructing each meal with one from each of the three following groups:
Proteins:
Egg whites with one whole egg for flavor
Chicken breast or thigh
Grass-fed organic beef
Pork
Legumes:
Lentils
Black beans
Pinto beans
Vegetables:
Spinach
Asparagus
Peas
Mixed vegetables
Eat as much as you like of the above food items. Just remember: keep it simple. Pick three or four meals and repeat them. Almost all restaurants can give you a salad or vegetables in place of french fries or potatoes. Surprisingly, I have found Mexican food, swapping out rice for vegetables, to be one of the cuisines most conducive to the “slow carb” diet.
Most people who go on “low” carbohydrate diets complain of low energy and quit, not because such diets can’t work, but because they consume insufficient calories. A 1/2 cup of rice is 300 calories, whereas a 1/2 cup of spinach is 15 calories! Vegetables are not calorically dense, so it is critical that you add legumes for caloric load.
Some athletes eat 6-8x per day to break up caloric load and avoid fat gain. I think this is ridiculously inconvenient. I eat 4x per day:
10am – breakfast
1pm – lunch
5pm – smaller second lunch
7:30-9pm – sports training
10pm – dinner
12am – glass of wine and Discovery Channel before bed
Here are some of my meals that recur again and again:
Scrambled Eggology pourable egg whites with one whole egg, black beans, and microwaved mixed vegetables
Grass-fed organic beef, pinto beans, mixed vegetables, and extra guacamole (Mexican restaurant)
Grass-fed organic beef (from Trader Joe’s), lentils, and mixed vegetables
Rule #3: Don’t drink calories
Drink massive quantities of water and as much unsweetened iced tea, tea, diet sodas, coffee (without white cream), or other no-calorie/low-calorie beverages as you like. Do not drink milk, normal soft drinks, or fruit juice. I’m a wine fanatic and have at least one glass of wine each evening, which I believe actually aids sports recovery and fat-loss. Recent research into resveratrol supports this.
Rule #4: Take one day off per week
I recommend Saturdays as your “Dieters Gone Wild” day. I am allowed to eat whatever I want on Saturdays, and I go out of my way to eat ice cream, Snickers, Take 5, and all of my other vices in excess. I make myself a little sick and don’t want to look at any of it for the rest of the week. Paradoxically, dramatically spiking caloric intake in this way once per week increases fat loss by ensuring that your metabolic rate (thyroid function, etc.) doesn’t downregulate from extended caloric restriction. That’s right: eating pure crap can help you lose fat. Welcome to Utopia.
###
If you enjoyed this post, check out my latest book, The 4-Hour Body, #1 New York Times and #1 Amazon bestseller. You will learn: the finer details of the Slow Carb Diet (outlined in the above post), how I gained 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days, how to produce 15-minute female orgasms, and more.
You can also get the Expanded and Updated 4-Hour Workweek, which includes more than 50 new case studies of luxury lifestyle design, business building, reducing hours 80%+, and world travel.
Related and Recommended Posts:
Tim Ferriss interviewed by Derek Sivers
Tim Ferriss articles on Huffington Post
Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That's how we're gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you're rude, we'll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)
@dillene That day of food doesn’t look much like what Tim is suggesting.
I juts got on this page , and I loved it , it seems pretty intelligent so i will try it for a fwe months or years hahaha, i have a lot of overweight but I really want to loose it this time, I lost 40 pounds some time ago but got them all back! I am tired of being like this, -i am married now and I want to look better each day,
thaks TIM for taking the time to help others that need an example to follow
Hi everyone,
I started this diet last Monday and since I do not have a way to weigh myself at home, I could only do it on Wednesday when I went to the gym. I was 207. On my cheat day on Saturday I ate like a real pig (extremely high quantities of chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, and some pizza), on Sunday I wanted to eat healthy again but due to a trip, I could not do it. Today Monday, I could finally have my healthy meals and to my surprise, when I went to the gym and checked my weigh, it was 201. I’m really happy about it, I plan to continue for at least 2 months. The final vision is to lose my giant love handles that I’ve had since I was little.
I’ll keep updating my progress.
Gracias Tim! Dime, cuando estuviste por Argentina tuviste la oportunidad de visitar Uruguay? I spent my last year of high school in beautiful Montevideo.
@Mike- well, I’m a vegetarian, so the grass-fed beef option is out.
I’m focusing on beans, veggies (many veggies), a few eggs and lowfat/part skim cheese. No fruit, no sugar. No grains yet, either, but only because I want to see how well I do with the options I listed above. If I collapse or my teeth start falling out then I’ll adjust the diet as needed.
Incidentally, I’ve lost 5 pounds in the last two days, although I suspect 99.9% of that was water.
For dinner tonight: fattoush! Minus the pita chips and berries.
Is sodium a grand factor here? I know sodium will retain water but i don’t think i can handle beans or steamed veggies with no salt…
what say you?
thanks
hello,
i have a question what do you do in your sports training?
I’m a Type 2 diabetic and I’ve been on an escalator of medication and weight gain for the last 4 years. The more medications I take, increases my weight, which increases insulin resistance which means more medications. I’ve been on a low-carb diet for about 2 weeks now, and I’m feeling good. I haven’t lost any weight, but my waist is shrinking – I can fit in pants I haven’t worn in 4 years, and a couple of my suits I bought last year are about 4 inches too big for me now.
Also, I’ve been able to significantly reduce my medications.
I’m being much more strict than Tim’s diet here. I’m eating low carbs (trying for 20 a day, but that’s almost impossible due to carbs in things like tomatoes, milk, and lentils) – around 50g a day. Much higher fat and protein content though, and though I’m not “counting calories” to reduce, I’m monitoring my caloric intake to see my diet composition %’s (fat, protein, carbs, fiber, sugars, sodium, etc).
Let’s see how it goes!
MKS
August 15th i will be weighing myself and putting this to the test. I have followed it pretty closely I think, but will take into consideration I was very sick in bed for 3 days….and still not convinced on the full blown junk cheat days…lol every bodys body is different and mine doesnt seem to agree with it.k
But i do feel healthier physically and mentally and can run 5 miles and 8:30 min mile pretty well which proves to me that the beans are all the carbs I really need.
@ Angel… WOW!! Keep up the good work!
this diet its seems simple which its what i need but as far as the eating schedule and the workout schedule its a little bit hard for me since I have to work second shift from 2 till 11 pm, what do you suggest so it can fit in my schedule
Are any type of sports drinks allowed? I know Tim said “no” to Propel and most do have lots of sugar or artifical sweetners like G2.
After I run I definitely need something in addition to water since I sweat a lot!!! I usually mix 3 parts water to one part Gatorade since it’s too sweet anyway. I don’t really want to drink it but if I don’t I sometimes feel dizzy, etc. So what’s the best option for me to drink with water after my workouts? This would only be needed once per day. I normall drink water and green tea and nothing else during the day. I hope to start this diet plan soon and move into a lifestyle change.
Tim, thanks for the info. I will try your recommendations. I am over weight right now. The thing is, if I go on a high protein, low carb diet, I can lose the weight like crazy, but I start to miss the carbs so much after awhile I go nuts, thus I start to gain it back. But maybe with your plan I can have that one day a week to get it out of my system and trick my body into not slowing the weight loss. I’m looking foward to see how it works for me.
PS: Thanks for the egg peeling info.
I love the simplicity of this diet! And I am going to give it a go!
my first day was today. but I had cereal and milk for dessert, but i wont have it tommorow. will be more strict.
love the one day off a week idea. that’s superb!
i also had some fruit aswell, so will cut down on the fruit or abolish it all together from tommorow onwards.
my food intake today was:
2 peaches, 1 plum, some cherries.
lunch – lentils, mixed vegetables, turnip and lamb stew. some home made yoghurt.
dinner – mixed vegetables, turnip and lamb stew, 2 carrots, pickled onions, yoghurt.
Tim, I must know this. I love salmon, especially Pacific Northwest salmon like Sockeye and Coho. It it ok to eat these to lose weight. I hope it’s yes.
Hi John,
Salmon is delicious and totally fine 🙂
Tim
I WAS SOOO EXCITED THE FIRST THING I DID WAS COME IN MY DOOR AND SIT DOWN AT MY COMPUTER AND TELL YOU GUYS,,, THE INSTRUCTOR IN MY COMBAT CLASS TOLD ME A LOOK ALOT SMALLER AND SKINNIER JUST FROM LAST WEEK AND ASKED WHAT I WAS DOING! SHE WAS SUPRISED I WAS NOT DIZZY OR TIRED.
AS SOON AS I GOT HOME MY NEIGHBORS WERE SUPRISED AND ASKED IF IVE LOST MORE WEIGHT AND I LOOK SMALLER. I TOLD THEM WHAT I EAT AND THEY SAID THEY LOVE FOOD TO MUCH…WELL NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD TO ME AS BEING SKINNY!
I HAVE NOT WEIGHED MYSELF. IM WAITING UNTILL DAY 30 OF THE DIET TO SEE HOW MUCH I HAVE LOST…ABOUT ANOTHER WEEK.!!! ILL KEEP YA ALL POSTED!
THANKS TIM!!!!!
Hello to all. Just want to check in with an update. I started at around 174 lbs, did the slow-carb diet for 4 weeks and plateaued around 167 lbs. Then I decided to go on ketosis for a fat-loss boost by doing the Atkins induction phase. Within 2 weeks I got down to 160 lbs. If anyone believes ketosis is unhealthy for a normal individual, I found this really interesting article: http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/ketones-and-ketosis/metabolism-and-ketosis/
I’m around 17% bodyfat and my goal is to get down to 12-13% before going back on slow-carb. The last 5 days I’ve been fluxuating so I started exercising. Looks like I took the “without working out” thing as far as it could go 🙂
@ Jeff – Don’t worry about sodium. The goal is to lose fat, not water. Ironically, the more water you drink the less you will retain, so drink up!
I’m getting used to my routine and I have to say that I am glad I’m getting accustomed to the change. I’ve noticed that I don’t feel as tired anymore. I have more energy. I feel pretty good overall. I don’t get the munchies. I now believe that I can do this in the long term. That’s something I’ve never said before about any diet plan.
I have a question for those of you that’s been on this for a while. I am just wondering if I have to eat beans at every meal. During breakfast time, I’m starting to get a little ill from it. It’s hard to eat it. As for lunch, snack, and dinner, it’s not a big deal at all. I have it on salads, on the side, etc. I can eat it with no problem. So I’m just wondering if I omit the beans during breakfast, will it make a huge impact?
🙂
@Jen
Rather than replenishing electrolytes through gatorade, powerade, G2, etc, may I suggest the following?
Emergen-C Lite, 36 packets
(you can see an example here: http://www.amazon.com/Alacer-EmerGen-C-Lite-36-packets/dp/B00013YZIE/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1249562522&sr=8-17)
Ingredients
Calories: 5gm, Total Carbohydrate: 1gm, Sugars: 1gm, VITAMIN C: 1000mg, Niacin: 10mg, Folic Acid: 25mcg, Vitamin B12: 25mcg, CALCIUM: 50mg, PHOSPHORUS: 98mg, MAGNESIUM: 60mg, Zinc: 2mg, Manganese: .5mg, CHROMIUM: 10mcg, SODIUM: 60mg, POTASSIUM: 200mg, Alpha Lipoic Acid: 1mg
You just add it to some water, and it’s a bit fizzy and lemon-lime flavored lightly… not sweet or bitter. I get leg cramps when I sweat, diet or not, so I need to keep my potassium, magnesium, etc levels up after time at the gym or outside. This is inexpensive, portable, and easy to manage.
Their FAQ on the website is here: http://www.emergenc.com/faq
You can pick these up at WHOLE FOODS, THE VITAMIN SHOPPE, etc… but finding the lite ones in a generic store like WALMART won’t be easy.
Hope this helps!
Very good blog. I find that if I eliminate one “bad” food from my diet at a time (gradually), I am more successful. Going “cold turkey” is almost impossible. For instance, just take out “potato chips” for 3 weeks and leave everything else the same. You will be consuming far less calories just from eliminating that one food. Then add another “bad” food to the elimination list etc. etc.
@jen
I think the method you described is ok. A three to one ratio of water to gatorade is fairly high level of dilution, so I don’t think it’s that bad of a situation. I have been known to mix grape juice with my fruit flavored whey proteins to get a mix of sugar and protein in after a workout. I also drink a supplement called Green Mag after some workouts depending on if it was cardio (swimming or bike riding) or weight lifting.
What are people eating for dessert as a healthy option ? after dinner i like something sweet, but i cant think of anything that will be compatible with this diet. So instead i am drinking peppermint tea.
Heya Tim,
I’m on DAY ONE of this diet, and really think I can stick to this – especially being somebody who hates/doesn’t have time for the gym.
In the meantime, I have just a few questions that I’d really appreciate having answered…
1. Am I allowed to eat Hummus?
2. Would you advise the ‘no holds barred/eat anything’ day within the first week?
I look forward to hearing from you!
Thanks,
– T
Hi T,
1. Keep it to a minimum. It’s easily abused.
2. Yes, assuming you do 6 days strict beforehand.
Good luck!
Tim
Hello Deb!
So great that people are noticing! Hope your neighbors enjoyed “raining on your parade!” They are just jealous! I agree nothing tastes as good as thin makes me feel. Sexy is the word here that always puts a smile on ones face.
Hello to all!
Today I’m wearing jeans that last month did not fit! Sexy it does make me feel!
I find I need to take some kind of fiber stuff each morning, you know the kind we buy at Walmart! Hope that is ok, as it does help with me visiting the smallest room in the house!
Good Luck everyone!
Leona
This diet looks simple and easy! Can’t wait to try it. Are there any women out there that tried with lots of success?
Hi Tim,
awesome book, awesome blog, I’m hooked .
just two questions on this diet
1. what are the best things to eat during days and evenings when you are simply still hungry?
2. what is the stance on chopped canned tomatoes e.g. the ones with garlic, basil and oregano mixed in ? Botanically tomatoes are classified as fruits so does that mean we should avoid them like other fruits as much as possible ?
thanks
Hi Ados,
1. Don’t snack. Eat more at each meal.
2. Tomatoes are totally fine. Just ensure no added sugars.
Good luck!
Tim
[…] For most of my adult life, I have been concerned about my weight. After watching my parents try a lot of different diets over the years, I proceeded to eventually fall into the same trap of yo-yo dieting. While I had some initial success in my 20s to early 30s, by focusing on lots of exercise, I reached a point where I seemed to just gain more weight every year, no matter what I did. After several years of gaining a lot of weight, I became resigned to the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to do anything about it. That was until I read an article, written by lifestyle experimenter Tim Ferris, about his version of a “slow-carb di… […]
Sounds like it’s worth a shot Tim. I normally do something similar but I usually include wholemeal grains (rice, bread etc). I can probably count the number of times I’ve eaten lentils on one hand, but I think this could be interesting.
I’ll post here in a few weeks, should get some decent results.
Sean
hey all!
split pea soup plain ok? and lentil vegtable soup rinced ok?
i like switching things each week! Makes it more interesting!
Ya know im supposed to weigh myself in a week. i know ive lost weight. but i am afraid to weigh myself. I dont want to be disapointed. I think im gonna go one more month without weighing myself…and really try to make a difference and give my 110% eating one treat a week and as much as i want of it!!!!
THis is exciting! I can see results! and others can to on me! Im so happy!
I’ve been following this diet for roughly 4 months and have lost over 40 pounds. I went from 210 down to 167! And cut my body fat down to 13% so a big thanks goes to Tim!
But over the last six weeks or so the fat quit dropping off. I’m really wondering why?
I included things like fruit and nuts from the begining but eventually cut those things out. As a result I lost 3 or 4 pounds and once again hit the plateau.
I’m wondering if I am going to have to cut dairy out of the equation as well.
Tim isn’t very clear on his stance. Early he said cheese was ok, but later he says no. I put milk in my coffee and sprinkle some cheese on my eggs. He talks about 1% milk a couple times but i’m still confused?
So my question…
Is there a definitive answer on dairy?
Hi Murph,
I’d suggest cutting out dairy entirely, except for cheat day. That is my approach. Please also realize that the total pound per week loss will naturally slow, but this shouldn’t frustrate you. The lower your bodyfat %, the more meaningful each pound lost is (a higher % of your total bodyfat).
Good luck!
Tim
Well, I’ve completed the 30 days, and I’m down about 6 pounds from the start. Its been alright, but the results have been very subtle. Here’s a breakdown of my experience.
Started out: 5’10” male, 24 years old, weighed about 179 lbs – around 15% body fat.
I ate the same meals every Sunday – Friday with slight variations for “snacks” which was as follows:
Wake Up
9:00am – Coffee, no sugar with a little creamer (4g carbs p/serving)
11:30am – 2 eggs, toss some of the yolk out, picante salsa, a couple bites of lean turkey sausage.
2:00pm – lean beef jerky or lean turkey, some lowfat cottage cheese, a few veggie chips (9g carbs p/serving)
5:00pm – baby spinach salad, black beans, a couple small croutons for flavor/texture, light vinaigrette dressing
8:00pm – 1 chicken breast, side of veggies (string beans, carrots, corn), and side of black beans
9:30pm – glass of red wine
11:00pm – sometimes if I couldn’t sleep with an empty stomach, either a few slices of lean turkey, or a little vanilla dessert bar (100 calories, 2g fat, 12g carbs)
For liquids, I only drank Crystal Light no sugar green tea (98% water, 2% powder). Don’t know if that was a good idea or not, but it was enough to quench the sweet tooth.
So I know there are a few cheats (chips, croutons, lowfat vanilla bar, green tea?) in there, but it made the diet bearable. It was certainly far fewer calories and carbs than I had consumed prior to the diet which kept me at a steady 180 lbs. I couldn’t think of any other foods that would be better for snacks, etc.
Saturdays involved some combination of pizzas, burgers, chocolate ice cream, and cheetos. I’d only eat when I was hungry though, and wouldn’t force it, so the food was horrible but the quantities were low. I got full much quicker and stayed full longer on saturdays than I would with the healthier food the other days.
The result: I’m still 5’10, dropped down to a low of 172.2 (though the past few days I’m back up to ~174.5), and body fat down to around 13.7 – 14.2%.
I look somewhat average to slightly thin, but not chiseled which is where I want to be, so I want to drop another 10-15 lbs. I am sticking with the same diet regime and going to try to add in some exercise – past couple days I’ve been doing burpees/up-downs or whatever you call them (jump up arms up, drop down do push up, jump back to feet, jump up arms up, etc.). I’m up to 67 reps in around 20 minutes, and adding around 15 reps every other day.
These results were not near as drastic as I would of liked, so I’m open to any thoughts, ideas, or tips to improve the speed of the results (while staying full – starvation usually ends up temporary).
Hello everyone,
I lost 3 pounds this week. That makes 7 pounds or so already.
@Deb: I didn’t see the recipe you were using for either soup, but I have been using stews for most of my meal. This past week when I lost three pounds I made a pea soup using split peas as my legume. I added a bunch of lean ham to the soup to nake sure I was getting enough meat in the pea soup. I am guessing that because I lost three pounds eating about 7 pea soup meals that it was OK for me at least.
I think I can eat like this forever if I choose to do so.
Thanks for the simple diet device Tim.
will this make your thighs look smaller because i play soccer during the summer and i usually have big thighs
@ Murph,
Milk has a low GI, but a high “insulinic index”. In short, it is assimilated slowly, and the sugars in milk are slow carbs, but they make the pancreas go haywire, ruining the effect of the slow carb diet.
I figured this out recently, wondering why Tim said “no milk”, knowing the GI was low. So I looked into it and that’s what I found.
On cheat day you want the opposite, lots of insulin over a short period of time. This gets the leptin secretion back to top speed (it slows because of the low insulin levels over the 6 days). That makes dairy excellent for cheat day. Yay for ice cream lovers (like me!)
@lothario…it seems your not doing enough exercize! weight loss and becomein chizled are accomplished much quicker with combination of exercize and diet! If your starting out with exercize I recommend at least 3 days a week 45 minutes to start loosing more weight…and then increase it after 3-4 weeks.
@Deb, Lothario, and All,
Thanks for the dialogue all, but ONCE AND FOR ALL:
Exercise is not necessary for this diet to work. If you eat banned foods, do not expect exercise to undo the damage. It probably won’t. The post is titled how it is for good reason.
That all said — good luck!
Tim
@Lothario – Like Tim said a few messages ago….Don’t snack, eat larger meals. I have a horrible sweet tooth and have been eating the 3 recommended meals a day and only those and if I feel like I need something sweet before I go to bed I have an sugar free instant coffee. Once you stick to the ACTUAL diet for a couple of days your sugar levels in your body will level out and you don’t crave those things anymore (or at least I dont till about Thursay). My advice would be just to try exactly what Tim says to do and you will get the results you want in the end. Be strong!
A brief check-in: I started this diet on 8/2 at 165 lbs. By 8/8 (my first ‘cheat day’) I was down to 155 lbs. After my cheat day? Back up to 159.5. Bwahaha! Still, I won’t sneeze at a 5.5 net pound loss.
Anyway, I’m back on the wagon now. My weight had gone down another half pound this morning. I’m trying not to be obsessive-compulsive with my weighing in, but I find it to be a fascinating process.
I’m still not sure which form of niacin supplement is best. The main ones used are:
1. nicotinic acid – proven to be effective, but causes flushing (and other side effects)
2. niacinamide – little flush, but not sure if it’s as effective
3. inositol hexaniacinate – no flush, but not proven to affect HDL or LDL (so may be nothing more than a placebo)
I have a feeling that nicotinic acid is the only one that really works. And by works, I mean improves triglyceride levels, insulin sensitivity, and other markers of cardiovascular health. I think that maybe the flush is actually a sign that it’s working.
Ha, I think I just convinced myself here. But what do you guys think? Do you maybe have some information that I haven’t come across? By the way, the reason I’m interested in niacin is actually because of a condition called Raynaud’s disease (extremely cold hands). Apart from a flush, do you guys experience a raise in overall body temperature, or only on the surface of the skin? But I also have a suspicion that insulin sensitivity is one of the most important health indicators.
hi, wow itried 25 days and i loss 12 pound,. men thanks for your advice
@chunky so you/Tim are proposing to eat each meal until being full? I feel like I eat quite a lot at my meals, but I admit I don’t eat until I’m completely full, which naturally leads to more frequent hunger. I would have to eat an enormous amount of food if I were attempting to have 3 meals satisfy me all day. Is that honestly better than smaller portions + snacking?
@Lothario I am not proposing anything. I am just repeating what Tim has said, and he is the maker of said diet. I have followed it just as he has instructed and do not really get hungry in between meals. If I do it’s usually between breakfast and lunch and I eat a few raw carrots. I also do not eat until I am full, I just eat until I am satisfied. Honestly if you just do what he says for 3 days, no snacking, you will be amazed at how often you get hungry and how much it takes to make you satisfied. Hence why I said to be strong. The first couple of days you will feel like snacking but you have to work through that. I chose to do this diet and I am so happy with my mood, my energy, and my wieght loss. Good luck!
Ok, I’ve read every post and am starting the program today… Breakfast was 2 egg whites, one yolk, 1/2 cup white beans, peppers and onions and garlic in the eggs…
I’m currently 216 and having an extremely difficult time losing weight! I’ve definitely been inspiring by the simplicity of the program and the weight loss numbers mentioned here… I’ve been trying to get healthy and am in menopause and the hormoens are wreaking havoc!
Please wish me well!
Monet
I just wanted to give you guys a status report on week two. After my cheat day on Saturday, I gained 1 pound which is normal for me. The week before I gained pretty much that, but lost it. So week two, I lost that 1 pound. I didn’t lose any weight on week two, but I’m not discouraged. I did manage to lose in inches. I lost 1/2 an inch off my hips which is absolutely great. I lost a total of 1 inch off my thighs. Not so shabby either. So that’s a total of 1.5 inches for the week. I’ll take the inches. The grand total of inches lost from Day One: 5 inches total. Yippee! No exercise either.
I decided to start exercising now because I didn’t lose any weight. I think for my age, I have to exercise.
Thank you, Tim, for this wonderful blog. I truly believe I can do this for the long term. It doesn’t make me feel that I can’t ever have any of my favorite foods. I just have to wait on my “cheat day”. I found a lot of recipes on the web that fits in your diet. I can eat with my family and don’t feel like I’m missing out. That’s a huge hurdle when you have a family you cook for. For example: Taco and Burrito night. I get to eat that stuff except for the tortilla and the shell. I just throw it on a salad with no dressing. (of course I have to check everything by reading the ingredients. You won’t believe what they throw in there.)
So with a total weight loss of 7 pounds in two weeks, I can’t complain. I feel great.
🙂
2 weeks, and I’ve lost almost 10 pounds!
I have a question. I know it is not possible to spot reduce love handles, but are there any ways to emphasize the reduction of fat in that specific part of the body? Thank you!
@chunky: So I am upping all the portions of allowed food during my meals to compensate for cutting out any intermediary snacking. After day 1, no bites of any ‘banned’ food were required to curb hunger and I felt good, so we’re off to a good start.
@Deb: as far as ‘chiseled,’ I suppose its just another way of saying lower body fat. Looking for lean & tone as opposed to bulky muscles. As far as that is concerned, the most important exercise to accomplish this I assume would be heavy & regular cardio. Hopefully that takes a back seat to the diet as per Tim’s advice – I have always been inconsistent and un-dedicated at times with working out. Lessening its importance has my vote!
I have no idea what my goal is however – I don’t want to define it by weight because that could be misleading – though I’m not sure what body fat % should be the target then…
OK I’ve wanted to see my abs my whole life so I’m starting today!
Game on.
Well this is day 2! Yesterday I had a slight headache and felt a bit hungry but by the end of the day with 3 servings of beans…I felt overstuffed. Today, I cut back on my beans but still had them and feel better but still really full.
Being that I am hormonal, perimenopause, I have noticed that my moods are better! Prior to this program I was doing low carb so I’m hoping that this speeds up the weight loss, but like the other lady said with hormones sometimes the weight just doesn’t want to come off so everyone suggests exercise.
I’m going to walk for now and see how it goes…
I appreciate reading everyone’s feedback!
Well this is day 2! Yesterday I had a slight headache and felt a bit hungry but by the end of the day with 3 servings of beans…I felt overstuffed. Today, I cut back on my beans but still had them and feel better but still really full.
Being that I am hormonal, perimenopause, I have noticed that my moods are better! Prior to this program I was doing low carb so I’m hoping that this speeds up the weight loss, but like the other lady said with hormones sometimes the weight just doesn’t want to come off so everyone suggests exercise.
I’m going to walk for now and see how it goes…
I appreciate reading everyone’s feedback and look forward to seeing the scales move!
[…] took Sunday off the eating cycle as per Tim Ferriss’ recommendations. I didn’t eat “what I wanted” so much so as what was available. I had 3 bagels […]
Hi to all & checking in:
Today is day 12 of the program for me. My weight, the first week, was down 1 to 1.5 pounds. Today I am down a solid 4 pounds. You know how, when you get weighed at the doctors office, you weigh more? Well, yesterday I visited my doctor and my weight loss was confirmed as down 4 pounds. I am so pleased.
I have adhered to the program with some exceptions. I must have my coffee in the AM with milk. I have tried the 1% but have gone back to 2%. I would, guess-ta-mate I intake approximately 1/3 cup of this milk with my two home-made cappuccino’s. I have read about the reaction of mil with the pancreas and insulin response; while I agree with this health point, I cannot, for the sake of increasing my weight loss, give up my milk with coffee in the AM (wish I could).
Adherence to the program has been easy, once you are past, the first 2-3 days. It is amazing and has given me more energy. A little bit of cheating has occurred with intaking a couple of snacks of spoonfuls of peanut butter. My plan is to intake more at meals and include peanut butter (which I find odd that I crave it so much).
On cheat day, I ate a lot of pizza. I can tell you, it made me ill. I had one of the worse headaches. My stomach tolerated my change in diet with lots of gas and in general I felt bloated; I was very fatigued the following day. So, I am not sure how I will approach cheat day this weekend, but I am making, a list of those items I crave like, ice cream.
I do look improved. My tummy fat is shrinking as are those “love handles” (above the waist on your back) that, unfortunately, women get also. I should mention, I am 56 years of age. I have given so much to my career and raising my children that, I did let my needs for true health be less of a priority than it is now (and will remain).
So thank you to all for supporting each other and me. I am certain I will achieve my goal. I, initially talked about a weight number for my goal. I have changed my thoughts and focus to be a goal of “am I truly fit and trim” (of fat)? I can tell you, I am well on my way, to achieving that goal.
L8R Folks… carry-on with the good work.
BonnieRN
PS: Time: are you still in Colorado? This is where I reside. Are you speaking anywhere? I would travel to Aspen if there were a lecture or something you were involved with. I would love the opportunity to hear you.
well it’s almost 2 weeks now since i’ve started going on this diet !!! well i’m not much of AN EATER !!! so even tho u recommended to eat atleast 5 times a day !!! i again only eat only 3 times i suppose that’s why i haven’t been losing weight sooo quickly…! i am as i said 5’5 and WAS 121 lbs…but within these 2 weeks i’ve REDUCED TO 117 lbs…! is this how the process should go or should it go a bit faster…! coz i know i’m not that heavy and all, but still i’d like to be 105 lbs !!!
so is this how the process should go or should it go a little faster ??????? if yes please tell me how ???
Well day 3, more energy! I’m still having problems sleeping but did manage to get about 5 hours. Yesterday I only had two meals because I felt so full so I need to work on getting in more meals today. I decided to decrease my beans to 1/3 of a cup instead of 1/2 a cup so that I could eat more throughout the day…we’ll see how it goes!
Everyone is doing fabulously…very inspirational! Keep up the good work!
Hi folks, it’s shrinkingLeon again! I went to a family reunion last week, and got a lot of compliments regarding my weight loss. I did kind of “bad” last week in terms of eating whatever, but I’m right back on the program this week. It’s incredibly easy to get back to doing once you are used to following this weight loss. I’ve lost 63 lbs in 5 months, and even though I felt like I could’ve lost more, that loss is nothing to sneeze at.
Good luck everyone, and remember, keep it simple!
OK guys…GAME ON!!!
I will the the ginnie pig and let you know all about it
This will be day #1 – I am 5-9, 223 lb male…looking foward to losing 40 pounds before/by 12/2009.
I will follow the directions strictly. See you all on 8/22/09 (1 week from now)
Hey Tim,
All this sounds great, but does it work for all ages?
Wow Leon!
You have done very well, I can only wish to lose as much as you. Sixty-three pounds is nothing to sneeze at…keeping it simple. Well today I weighed and was down 3 pounds…I’m happy with that and my pants are loose. For whatever reason I was craving sweets today but I think “mother” is coming so that would explain it! By the way, my moods are still much more stable…with major depression!
Tomorrow is my cheat day and I’m thinking ribs, potatoes, and chocolate! I’ve been counting down the days and hope that I don’t do any damage that isn’t recoverable this week!
I love this plan because it is SIMPLE! Thanks all!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Hello all! Ive been a reader of this board for about 3 weeks. I started this plan 2 weeks ago and one day. Here is my update and whats been happening with my weight.
I’m 5’4″ and a 30 year old female, mother of 2 small children 4yrs and 2yrs
Started on a Friday weighing 140 and skipped my first Saturday
I stuck to the plan religiously. I ate nothing but one choice out of each section 4 times a day, my fourth meal was that smaller second lunch as Tim mentioned. I also drank close to 100 oz of water a day.
Today is the second “Saturday” and my weight this morning is 129.2! That’s a total loss of 10.8 pounds!
My meals mostly looked like this:
Breakfast 7am: 1 egg white, 1 egg, black or pinto beans, mixed veggies, salsa
Water 32 oz
Lunch 11:50: chicken breast, black beans, spinach, low fat low sugar dressing, can of diet coke
Water 32 oz
2nd lunch 4pm: left over lunch, sometimes I don’t finish, just a simple quick salad again
Water the rest of my water from after lunch
Dinner 6:30: think cut pork, black or pinto beans, asparagus or mixed veggies
Water 32 oz
I attend school during the day so I’m short on time and still managed to cook everything, which I’m not used to.
My “Saturday” last week I ate”
Breakfast: bagel with cream cheese
Water 32 oz
Lunch: McDonald’s 2 cheeseburgers, fries, diet coke
Water 23 oz
Dinner: Pizza, Pizza, and more Pizza LOL, diet coke
Dessert: cheesecake and drank far to much wine!
also had a few small handfuls of m&m’s and skittles.
My weight fluctuated a bit after my Saturday but I was expecting that a bit. It wasn’t bad and the over all weight loss so far I’m very happy with.
So heres to another “Saturday”!!! (I don’t like to call it a cheat day because its not a cheat day, its part of the eating plan)
Good luck to everyone! I encourage anyone reading to give this a try. It works and I feel like Im eating real food and the weight is coming off. I’ll update in another 2 weeks.
~Mindy
Hello,
I’m in my late 40’s and have had a terrible time losing weight, am in perimenopause, and suffer from depression and had been stalled since January. This week was my first week and I lost 3 pounds and was NEVER hungry! My moods are also more stable and I feel SO VERY much better!
I think like want2bthin you should just print out the instructions and give it a go! Obviously for me, the beans are helping to stablize my blood sugars which must be having an impact on my moods!
Good luck to you and keep us posted!
Hi Tim and Everyone Else!
I just had a quick question, how crucial is the cheat day to the whole diet equation? You mentioned that it serves the purpose of basically shocking your body with calories, so you continue to lose weight. If you don’t do the cheat days, or you do one say every 2 weeks instead, will that cause your weight loss to slow down?
This sounds like a great diet! I havent read the book anything, I just googled hot to loose 20 lbs. I’m a 14 year old girl who weight about 189 lbs, I wanna diet as soon as possible, is this a diet thats good for me? Is it healthy for me at my age?
Hey! I just stumbled upon this. This sounds like something that would be easy to stick to compared to some others out there. I was trying a diabetic diet my dad used (he”s diabetic not me) and he went from 300 to 180 pounds. His allowed a little more to the portions than the one I was using which is the one for women. It made it really hard to stick to. It was great and help some but the lack of food left me with no energy no matter what I did. I’m definitely trying this! Won’t my boyfriend be happy? Lol.
There’s so many comments I can’t possibly read them all. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I could eat for breakfast? The rest of the day will be easy for me to figure out but breakfast has me stuck completely! Lol.
OK it’s been a week since taking Tim’s advice and cutting the dairy. I’m down 6 more pounds. And whats unbelievable to me is that I wasn’t even consuming that much before hand. Maybe a handful of cheese on my breakfast eggs, and a glass of milk per day…
Although I did add green tea to my diet and cut down on my coffee intake without totally eliminating it. I also did a couple sets of push-ups through out the week, so those probably helped? Not sure…
Charles was extremely helpful for his explanation, and obviously Tim was for his prompt response. Once again big thanks!
Okay I am going to give this a try. I have tested a few meals over the past week and they don’t seem to be too bad. Some background info is that I am 34, weight 161, and probably intake 1000 calories of alcohol 600-800 calories of alcohol per day, so I am going to cut that out too, no wine for me. I’ll check back in a week to let you know the progress.
Thanks for the long comment list, it’s very helpful.
[…] follow a diet of sorts. And for a while it worked very well. The first 20 lbs. just “melted away,” as they […]
Hi, everyone. It’s my 3rd week check in. I am just ecstatic over my changes. I am just extremely excited because this is a fail-safe plan for me. Although it might not seem much to some, this is quite an accomplishment for myself in such a short period of time. Although I didn’t lose any weight on my second week, I lost in inches. My third week I managed to lose 2 pounds, but lost a total of 2 inches off my body.
Week 1 – 7 lbs. Waist – 1 inch……Hips – 1/2 inch…Thighs – 2 inches
Week 2 – 0 lbs. Waist – 0 inch……Hips – 1/2 inch…Thighs – 1 inch
Week 3 – 2 lbs. Waist – 1/2 inch…Hips – 1/2 inch…Thighs – 1 inch
Grand total: 9 lbs. Waist – 1.5 inches…Hips – 1.5 inches…Thighs 4 inches
(7 inches total combined)
Start Weight 231
current Weight 222
You can only imagine my elation right now. I am telling you if you stick to Tim’s plan, it will work. Don’t forget, you can still lose in measurements. That right there is where you want to notice it. Weight can fluctuate, but measurements don’t lie.
Take care all. Talk to you next week. 🙂
Hey Tim, great blog! – I was wondering if you could explain the after workout pizza – how does it fit in to the loosing weight without exercise? Also does it not contain a lot of forbidden foods?
Keep up the good work – and thank you to everyone that is posting – it is very motivating to hear your success stories! As soon as I get along with this I will post my results!
Is there a list of foods and veggies to go by? I am a little confused. This sounds like it would be great for me. Please help. Thank you!
Hey Tim,
I have another question.
How many times a day am i supposed to eat?
Is three fine? And if so, at what time would i eat my breakfast,lunch, and dinner.
Andrea – Your answer is in the original post (see below).
I have a question – does anyone have a list of peas/ beans/ lentils that are good?
Any to avoid?
I’m assuming black eye’d peas are ok?
Lastly I tick the box to get updates but none come through am I doing something wrong?
Cheers
Tim
——————————————————————————————————————–
Some athletes eat 6-8x per day to break up caloric load and avoid fat gain. I think this is ridiculously inconvenient. I eat 4x per day:
10am – breakfast
1pm – lunch
5pm – smaller second lunch
7:30-9pm – sports training
10pm – dinner
12am – glass of wine and Discovery Channel before bed
@Lothario
What do you mean by bulky muscle? Bodybuilders muscle? Trust me that can’t be accomplished by eating low calories. Just worry about keeping your muscle or adding a little bit while on this plan. I think TONE is the dumbest word in the world because everyone who wants “TONE ” grabs a 10 pound weight and does 30 reps thinking they are doing something for themselves.
You want to be lean? Take the heavy and regular cardio you want to do and drop that crap right out of the equation. How about adding in a nice RESISTANCE TRAINING regimen with this diet.
Cardio does squat for FAT loss but it does do alot for weights loss which you don’t want. Sure you can lose 40 pounds of weight and the other guy loses 20 pounds of fat with weight training but i am 100% sure the 20 pound fat loss guy will look better.
I think cardio is the easy way out. Weight training which promotes muscle is the BEST way to lose fat quickly.
Jump on a tredmill for an hour and lose 300 calories, big deal, you will eat that with your ” reward meal ” for doing cardio.
Go do some weight training at a good intensity and burn calories and fat for hours after.
THIS GOES FOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THIS FORUM:
You want fast weight loss and to lose valuable time and look not so hot do lots of cardio and no weights.
You want to lose a lot of fat and look good? Then do this eating plan and have a progressive resistance training routine, MORE MUSCLE LESS FAT from proper lower calories eating and weights.
Can we eat wok food..for instance there is a great place by my house that serves lot of seafood and pork but they cook it in a wok? Is that allowed?
Oh by the way..love this diet..i have seen great results..one more question..i usually drink a cup of coffee in the morning..can I add a packet of splenda ot two to it?
What do you feel about testosterones?? Such as Arimateste…I just started taking this a few days ago and really dont have any input on it. Im 245lbs and would like to drop about 20 lbs. Thanks Ed
@Debbie C, the foods and veggies you want to buy are your call. If you like mixed vegetables, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, squash, etc., get them. If you like steak, chicken, pork, lamb, etc., get them. Tim’s made it simple by saying eat what you want, but cut out the white products (rice, bread, potatoes, milk, etc). And to put it simply, just replace those bad foods with beans. It’s at the top of the page just in case you missed it.
@ Ashley, stir fry is fine. They usually use a bit of oil and seasoning for that. Just make sure that there isn’t any added sugar. Some Asian-style sauces have sugar, just beware of that. Just ask what’s in their sauces. Soy sauce is fine, just beware of the sodium content. I have stir fry that I make myself at home. It’s simple to prepare at home. You can even make some teriyaki sauce too with some Truvia (all- natural alternative to Splenda.), soy sauce, and garlic etc. I would have some teriyaki chicken, stir fry, and some white or pinto beans…yum. As for your coffee question, you can add some Splenda, just be sure to know that artificial sweeteners aren’t what they crack up to be. I usually have 1 cup of coffee on my cheat day. I’m not a big coffee drinker.
Keep it up the good work everybody, and keep posting. If you need some inspiration, I suggest reading all of the posts. It will keep you motivated. I did that for the first couple of weeks of my diet. 🙂
@Mark
As Tim says above, exercise is not required on this regime. I weighed a lot more than you do, am shorter than you are, and I have lost nearly 50 lbs – about 5 inches off my waist – since March without any exercise. I have not been able to exercise because I was in not one but two accidents (2 different women reversed into me within 9 months of each other). So, yes, you can do this diet without exercising. It works fantastically.
@Tim
Now I could use some more help, Tim. I am getting to the point in my recovery where I can exercise. I am not going to be doing weights because my shoulder, arms, and back won’t allow it. I was going to start with calisthenics – sit-ups, etc. – so I can gauge the strain against my recovery a bit better. QUESTION: In the 20 minutes of resistance-based exercising, how intense of a workout should one look for to letimate eating a pizza like you show? What was your intention in the blog? Can you suggest a rule of thumb on this?
Many thanks in advance for your help.
Hello fellow Beano’s!
Just a bit of feedback, 1st week in and find this a breeze as I’m always full (lost 4 pounds)
Made the Turkey Chilli recipe that someone posted and love it. A bit of spice can make anything interesting…- if you have more recipes that work please post them.
I do go to the gym everyday and have done for sometime but never realized how much difference diet can make. I can see the faint outline of my abs! amazing..
Tim – Thanks for doing the hard work of researching this and figuring it out, now all we have to do is follow instructions, very easy!
Good luck everyone, remember, if in doubt, get some beans out!
Tim,
Thank you for your help.
Let me start of by saying that i am on my third day on the diet, and i feel great.
My hunger and appetite have decreased to my advantage.
I don’t find myself wanting to snack, here and there.
I’ll try to keep everyone updated on my weight loss
I know that it states in the original post how many times a day HE eats.
But i was wondering if it was fine if i just ate 3 times a day.
In addition, i have another question,
I know that it is recommended for you to use Saturday As your cheat day, but on one of the comment’s from Tim, he said that the cheat day was only recommended the first week if you had followed the diet for 6 days before, but i started this diet on Monday, so when i reach Saturday this week, i would only have been following the diet for five days. Therefore, is it fine if i have my cheat day on Sunday and if so, will my weight loss results work against me if i have my cheat day on Sunday.
Lastly, have been reading some of the blog comments from other users a few days ago, a couple said that they had great results had lost about 7 pounds the first week, but were scared that it was fat loss it was just water loss. I tried searching for these comments today to see if there was further information on what “water weight loss” was, but was unsuccessful. So I’m kindly asking for more information on this.
Thank you everyone in advance for your help.
@Andrea
A quick reply because I am about to hit the sack. You need to eat 4x a day to stoke your metabolic rate. Three times a day will not be as effective.
The regime is such that you are supposed to be on it six days before your first cheat day. However, if Saturdays will work out better for you in the long-run, do it on Saturday the first week even if it is only five days. This is what I did, and it worked out very well. The one day won’t matter much in the greater scheme of things.
As for weight loss from water vs body fat, I do not know that there is an immediate way to tell. You must keep your water intake up on this diet. Otherwise, you will compromise your weight loss and risk causing problems for your kidneys. I drink a minimum of 150 oz a day. Dependent on your water intake, the scale reading can vary by quite a bit. I have seen mine vary by as much as 8 kg in one day.
Hope this helps.
Question on the diet: can I eat sweet plantains?
I’m a 51 year old female. Single. I have 5 kids & 7 grandkids.
I’m 5’4 & weigh 160 lbs. I’ve been trying to lose weight for the last 2 years but nothing seems to work.I drink alot of soda, I buy a liter @ a time. Drink 2 a day sometimes. Im marring a actor in Dec I like to be down to 130 like I was 3 years ago. I started gaining weight after my mom’s stroke. Any advice you all can give me to help would be wonderful;
thanks Ciara
@Andrea
The water weight loss thing is basically this. For most people, we don’t drink enough water in a day, so your body stores up water for situations where you need it and it doesn’t have enough. When you finally do start to drink enough water every day, after about 10 days – 2 weeks, your body finally starts to realize that it might not have to store so much, and starts letting some of the reserves go. So you actually lose some weight in that you aren’t storing as much water anymore.
You can tell when you’ve hit that point because initially you have to pee all the time, but after about 2 weeks that goes away and you don’t have to pee as much at all.
Looking forward to starting this diet. I’m in the Navy and I’ll be heading to Navy Officer Candidate School (OCS) in a couple of months and want to shed a few unwanted pounds of body fat before the Marine Corps drill instructors pound me into submission!
My wife is training for a marathon and I’ve decided to help support her by training for it with her (even though I won’t be here to run it). So that’s my excerise plan.
I love my morning coffee. I don’t mind drinking it black. My question: Is Splenda a good alternative sweetener? I want to avoid aspartame.
Hoo-yah!
Reggie
I used this plan, catered to my tastes of course, to lose some of the weight I have gained since getting married. I was 171 and am now 150. I’ve gone from a size 13 to a size 6. This meal plan has helped me change my eating habits from junk food to a high fiber, high energy and healthy diet. I have more energy to exercise and feel absolutely amazing since I first came here and read this page in May of this year.
I’ve been having health problems since last year and I can honestly say that the past few months have been a constant improvement. I believe I have the weight loss to thank for that. Also, I’m in a much better mood now that I’m physically stronger and healthier than I have been in a long time. And I know my husband would thank you for that as well.
I can’t even begin to thank Tim for putting this out there. I really needed a helping hand to get my health back on track. Thank you so much.
hey, im looking to do this diet during ramadhan, and was wondering if thats too risky or a good idea, what my plan is to have a meal at 4am and then fast through out the day and then break my fast at 8pm with legumes protein and veggies to fill me up…and drink plenty of water in the hours from 8pm to 4am again, i have to do this for a month, do you think its possible to lose maximum weight or will i just not lose anything at all? im really trying to slim down after this month of ramadhan as uni starts lol…and im just trying to look as good as i can before i go, if i lose 10lbs il be happy enough, i will be working out 4 times a week bodyweight circuits and can i get some advice on this please
and also what can i do after ive lost the weight, do i carry on with this or try a different diet, as at uni i wont get much time to do all this preparing
@Hassan
Basically diets don’t work in the long term, in the short term they can be great but if you then revert back to eating as you did before you will gradually add the weight back.
For longevity you really need to make this a lifestyle choice.. as Tim said somewhere before he’s been on this plan for a number of years.
Quick personal update. Today is my cheat day and although Tim says eat whatever you want I’m finding it hard. I grew up in a family where we’d eat our first meal as fast as we could in order to get a second helping!
But this morning I had peanut butter on toast with chocolate milk and I feel SOOO bloated…my body is like “what the hell!!! where’s my nice steady beans” 🙂
Anyway I’m determined to have some dairy milk today – I just wish I had some English dairy milk – WAY better in England.
Peace
Tim
Tim-
Your eating plan is awesome and I enjoy being on it!!
I have read through about 5 pages of the comments, but didn’t really see any people that are really into lifting weights. I know that you stated eating the pizza after workouts, however my usual regimen of pre/post weight lifting food is as follows:
Pre: high GI food like a piece of bread with tablespoon of peanut butter, or some other small amount of high GI food
Post: half a scoop of all natural whey protein, tbl spoon of creatine, tbl spoon of glutimine…all mixed with about 6 oz of water.
I also use casein protein before bed sometimes, which is 124 calories per scoop with water, 3grams of carbs.
Is this acceptable for the diet…as I lift pretty hard for usually 1 hour three days a week?
Thanks in advance
Kenny
@Hassan
As (the non-4HWW) Tim observed, it is wrong-headed to change to this regime and think you will one day go back to what you are eating now and maintain the weight loss. You might as well fight gravity. It is very much a lifestyle change and one that will leave you a lot healthier than most dietary lifestyles. FWIW, it is only in colloquial speech that ‘diet’ indicates a low-calorie diet. Otherwise, it represents the food intake habits of one’s lifestyle.
@Clara
What kind of help are you looking for? Change your eating regime to this one, lose the weight, look great. Stay on it to keep the weight off and feel great. The hormonal aspect of the diet is fantastic, too. Pretty much every activity I do has improved on this regime – from deeper sleep to more efficient and effective work and things in-between. You will probably want to suspend it on your honeymoon, but by then your metabolism would be ramped so high that your body would probably burn through any junk you might eat.
@Tim Ferriss
Once again, any rules of thumb on how intense of a workout before one might have a pizza on this regime?
Hello everyone…
This was my second week on the diet. The first week I started at 218 after a cheat spree. I started the diet in the middle of the week and lost 3 pounds….then had a cheat day and went back up to 216 and today I am 213. That is a net loss of 5 pounds and I’m happy with that because I’m perimenopausal and had not lost a thing since January even though I was low carbing!
Another thing I would like to reiterate is that for women who are hormonal this diet would be optmal because as I keep saying, my moods are much, much, more stable! My family and I thank you Tim for that!
I’ve thought about the cheat meal this weekend and the 7 day thingy, so I might have it Sunday or I might just skip it and see how it goes because my mood went back into the toilet (I ate sweets and for my body at this point it is a no no). If I do go OFF PLAN (like that term better than cheat) then I think I will stick to good complex carbs and avoid the sugar
So that’s my update and I’m off to fill my crockpot with some pinto beans!
P.S. Had black beans this week for the first time and they weren’t so bad but I prefer pinto!
Thanks!
im kool with making it a lifestyle choice :)…just wondering what can i do about this diet during ramadhan as im not alowed to drink or eat anything during the day till sunset and before sunset…after that i cant eat, so can you help me to see if i can lose weight using this method during ramadhan
@Hassan
Can you eat four meals whilst the sun is down? As far as I can tell, eating four times a day is critical to keeping one’s metabolic rate up. Fasting during the day will definitely slow your rate. It may be that you go off it for Ramadan – not exactly a fast, I know, but it is an option.
HTH
what do you mean by go off it? i cant go off ramadhan, religous month, what can you recommend i do for a diet then during this month to lose weight, because im willing to cut out all white carbs and go into the leguems and protein, basically…i can eat after 8pm to 4am thats my eatings times and after 4am to 8pm i cant eat anything or drink anything.
@Al
Thank you for your help.
I don’t think it’s becoming a problem for me when i eat 3 times a day.
I have seen weight loss since the last time i weighed myself
In addition, eating three meals now i think is just right for my body because I dont even get hungry between meals I don’t even snack anymore.
I also feel great (:
What do you think?
As for the cheat day, is it fine if i do it Sunday anyway?
I have had ZERO gas problems with them.
Hello. Tim, I got a question for you. If anyone else can answer this, I would appreciate it. I read an article about a seed that can be a replacement for rice. It’s called Quinoa. It’s actually a seed and is in the family of spinach. It is actually considered a protein and has potassium, magnesium and manganese. It is a slow carbohydrate. It’s also gluten-free. Apparently it is healthy to have on a diet. So my question is, is it all right for me to add this to my diet? It’s not a grain, but a vegetable so I am really interested in what your thoughts are on this.
Thank you in advance. 🙂
@ Angel
That quinoa sounds great, I might purchase some and have it on my off day.
Thanks!
I’m really interested in starting this diet after advice from a couple of friends on the same diet. But I was wondering, where do you get your essential fatty acids from? I could only think of possibly consuming eggs that have omega 3 in. And possibly from a limited amount of nuts. Also is flaxseed alright on this diet in a small teaspoon serving?
@ Maz
I still take my flax seed and eat tuna once a day… I’m not sure if I would have lost more so far because of it but I’m still losing….
@Andrea
Glad to help. I did not say that three meals a day would not work. Rather, four times a day would be more effective because it will stoke your metabolism higher and keep it there longer. Recall that your metabolic rate goes up within an hour of eating; the amount it goes up is correlative to the amount of protein you eat in the meal, as I understand it. So reduced calories at four meals might be fine, but four meals of 35% protein or so would probably be better.
As for Sundays as the cheat day, go for it. Whatever seventh day works best. But you should definitely have the seventh day of indulgence lest your metabolic rate adjust to the lowered level of intake and thus set the stage for massive weight gain when you go off it. There is nothing magical about Saturdays – unless your cheat day happens to be one. Then they are magical indeed! 😉
@Hassan
No, I am not saying give up Ramadhan. Rather, recognise when something is unable to be maintained. If you can fit the meals between 4h and 20h, so be it. The trouble is that your insulin levels are sure to take a hit in the day time. If I were you, I would be inclined to put off the change of regime until after Ramadhan. On a religious level, Ramadhan is already a fast, I would not complicate it for yourself by trying to do this regime. At four meals a day, I reckon that I eat around 1800 calories per day. I think the best that you could do is three meals between 20h and 4h. That is around 1350/1400 calories. It is up to you how sustainable that is within your lifestyle, but I doubt I would last a week. So, for what it’s worth, I say eat, drink, and be merry between 20h and 4h. Life will be hard enough outwith those hours. Again, if it were me, I would give my body a week post-Ramadhan to recover and then change to the present regime. HTH.
My initial reply got lost in the ether, so I am gonna try to reconstruct it here in brief.
@Andrea
Three meals a day may result in weight loss, but 4x meals of 35% or more protein would almost certainly result in greater weight loss. It would stoke your metabolism higher and keep it there longer.
Whatever seventh day works for you is fine on this regime. The point is to have the seventh day. Otherwise, your body will adjust to the lowered level of intake and this lays the groundwork for massive weight gain when -not if – you go off the regime.
@Hassan
I would be inclined to wait on changing to this regime until after Ramadan. I see no practical way that you can fit in the meals in a way that would adequately stoke your metabolic rate while ensuring that you get sufficient nutrition and avoid problems with your insulin level during the day. Ramadan is already a fast, to take on this regime at that time would seem to unduly complicate the situation. If I were you, I would wait a week after Ramadan to let your body adjust to regular eating again, then change to the regime. HTH.
I need to know what to bring for my lunches at work. Tim please could you give me some suggestions. I do have access to a microwave but in summer I prefer cold meals.