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.
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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
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pre workout foods? it says no work out required wen you click on the page
According to the Glycemic Revolution book, you can eat almost any dairy (this is addressed to the people who want milk in their coffee). Dairy and protein have almost little or no effect on ones glycemic response. I’ve been following the GI diet, and although I have no cravings at all, I haven’t lost any weight either. It’s nice not to crave, but I follow the diet and work out about 30-60 minutes a day. I’m stuck at 135 lbs (5’5″).
How important is it that you take thos supplements right before bed? I’m taking the niacin like you are, and haven’t gotten ahold of policosanol yet, but I’m taking the chromium polynicotinate during the day. I’m using Cell-tech Hardcore brand creatine, which has chromium polynicotinate in it, but it also has a lot of sugar, so taking it right before bed is out of the question.
I’ve been eating like this for the past two weeks and haven’t really lost anything. However, I do eat a lot of fruits. Is this okay?
I just finished my first week and jumped on the scale this morning and was two pounds heavier. So frustrating! And I was strict in following it. My husband however lost 4 pounds (we started together).
Hi Sarah – Fruit is not allowed. Too much sugar.
Shannon – if you’re following strictly it will happen just be patient and consistent…everyone reacts differently but ultimately results will come. Drink lots of water!
Cheers
so chili would be ok on this diet right? I’ve mostely been eating chicken and veggies so far.
Thank you Tim, and all, for participating in this blog. Kind of like a group therapy session…have lost 20 lbs on this diet, now I’m off – but I’m a lot more educated about how I need to eat to keep weight off. But I digress…
I have recently come across a great snack for those used to salty, crunchy stuff that is available immediately.
Not sure, but I think it would even be within the strict confines of Tims original version of the diet. Dilly Beans.
I live in Wisconsin – they seem to do a lot of canning here. Dilly beans are green beans in a jar, with vinegar, dill, garlic and something spicy like bird’s eye chili’s (if you like). It’s quick, has no salt (the chinese say to replace salt with vinegar wherever possible), tasty, always ready, and low in carbs/calories.
Enjoy
T
I just got the supplements and I need my cholesterol lowered so I will start the chromium, niacin, reservatrol and the poli…tonight…i hope my cholesterol goes down as well as my blood pressure….my body easily fills with water
I saw an interview with Tim where he said he held off on posting comments from one of his similar blog entries for years until it was the right moment to suit him (with a book coming out)…and I’m guessing that’s what he is doing here too by not answering questions anymore?
Does anyone else know if Garbanzo beans are allowed?
And Tyson, until your comment I had forgotten all about Dilly Beans! I haven’t had those in years and they were hard to find around here.
Sarah ,
Fruit is not allowed on this diet. You can grab some fruits once you reach your goal. (Tim did mention about that before).
Don’t give up. Give yourself a month. I remember when i first started this diet , although i lost 5 lbs in the first week, but 2nd and 3rd week i didn’t loose any pound, then on the 4th week, i lost another 5 lbs. I’m sure it has something to do with ” once a month” girlie thing. So don’t give up yet!!
First Day on diet ( 8/10) – 115 lbs.
Today (10/6) – 104.8 lbs.
Hi, I just started this diet today. On tim’s post it said grass fed beef. I was wondering if other beef are okay or is it just grass fed beef since it is leaner and the fat is different from other beef? Thanks
also just wanted to make sure…so are sugar free jello, popsicles, candy ok? since diet sodas are ok?
Shannon, Garbonzo beans are not allowed. Tim mentioned that in a really old post.
Joshua, I think Chili is okay. I’ve been getting 99% fat free chili and since it’s super high in sodium I’ve just been adding a spoonful to the red beans I’ve been eating at each meal. The added flavor helps a lot. Plus I figure most people on here seem to use canned beans. I cook a bunch myself and just freeze half, so I don’t start with all the salt that’s in canned beans. So it’s balanced out I hope? Only time will tell I guess.
I’m on…day 8 and have lost 8 lbs.
Good luck everyone!!
Regarding Resveratrol; you need to drink about 400 glasses of red wine a day to get a high enough dose for the life extension effect – and obviously the drawbacks of doing this would negate any potential positive outcome.
In addition, Resveratrol is produced by grapes as an anti-fungal agent, so grapes that have been sprayed, or that are grown in drier climates are not likely to produce much Resveratrol. Organic European wines, or maybe a drop from New Zealand, would probably be your best bet.
I’m going to give this diet (or the vegetarian alternative) a whirl and see if I can trim down my waist a tad. My main concerns going into this however, are firstly that I’m usually hungry throughout the day as I can’t eat too much in one sitting, it already makes it difficult to concentrate during the energy troughs. Secondly, the lack of fresh fruit throughout the day – I usually down 1 of each: banana, apple, orange, on a daily basis. Or is this still okay to do?
Yes, chili is perfect for this diet. I make a big pot that lasts us 3 days so it’s easy and very filling. Be sure to read the backs of any cans of beans or diced tomatoes to ensure they don’t have sugar or Maltodextrin (found in most prepared foods – Tim warned about it several times). I make my chili with 4 cans chili beans, 1 can chili peppers, 2 cans diced chili tomatoes, and throw zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, spinache etc. into my food chopper and puree it and blend that in as well. Throw in plenty of chili and garlic powder and you have a super delicious, nutritious, 100% diet worthy and very filling meal – eat all you want all day long and you will only LOSE weight! 🙂
Thanks to strict adherence to Tim’s diet, over the last 5 months my hubby has dropped from a size 42 to a 34, and is STILL losing, and I’m down to a size 2 from an 8. Thank you Tim!
Just follow it EXACTLY people, and you will lose, guaranteed!
NO rice, bread, quinoa, potatoes, or anything white and starchy (No crackers with your tuna fish, even brown rice or grain bread – NADA)
NO sugar, corn syrup, any type of sugary syrup, or Maltodextrin. (Found in most prepared meats)
NO fruit at all, no fruit juice.
NO garbanzo beans.
NO dairy. That means no mayonaiise, no parmesan, no 1% milk, nothing!
ONE real egg a day, the rest egg whites.
Kristal – Thanks so much for your chili recipe, I will definitely give it a try 🙂
Hi guys, just a quick question. Is it ok to eat these baked beans on this diet (http://www.viewpoints.com/images/review/2007/150/19/1180572037-30538_full.jpg, Bush’s Baked Beans with Brown Sugar and Bacon)? They’re really easy to make and I can’t cook if my life depended on it, PLUS all I have a medium-sized frying pan (living on campus), so I went with them.
Thanks
I use canned beans a lot….but, the organic kind. No added sugars or sodium.
Vegetarian chili also works!
I weigh 217 I’m 5’10 and can’t stand it anymore!
I weighed 182 and was very fit at age 39 then came marriage and a daughter by my wife. I am now 45 and I’m completely out of shape and can’t stand it another day.
I’ll give this a try and report back to you with the results in 20 days.
MP
Melyssa – I forgot to add that I put in 1 lb. ground turkey – browned, and then drained and rinsed. Can’t believe I forgot the most yummy part! 🙂
Hi,
I have now lost 35 lbs on this diet! I feel so good eating this, and I have been able to stick with it. The free day does it for me as well as having the glass of wine. I’m feeling so good. Need to loose another 25 lbs!
Thank you!!!
@AR Those baked beans have a TON of sugar in them which is a NO NO on this diet. Try canned pinto, and black beans. They arent as tasty, but that’s what it takes to do this diet right.
•Well I started this diet on Sunday sept 27th my weight then was 224.5.
•I weighed my self again Sept 28th 220.5!!
•I weighed myself again on 29th of Sept 216.5!!!
•I weighed myself again on 8th Oct 210.00
Total weight loss = 14 pounds
The first week was easy and all the weight lost was obviously water weight. The 2nd week is a little harder thank god for a cheat day, I went crazy at subway ?
•My stats are 5?9 was at 224.5 🙂 medium build age 42. My workout routine is boxing/martial arts and my Nordic track for fun and cardio.
I have to say, i am doing the supplementation and my blood pressure and cholesterol has gone down, i am not doing the diet i was and couldn’t stick to it, but i have given up all gluten products and meat. i do need to lose weight but i had to get my stats better my pressure w/o meds for 2 days has been like 119/78 and thats great. i have been doing the chromium, niacin, reservatrol, policosanol at night and 1 niacin as i wake up and it’s really been a blessing for me. Tim thanks much
There you go fellas, I have completed my 4 week Diet 70% based on this one and my results are as follow:
*Weight at the starting day – 1st week: 220 lbs
*Weight at the ending day – 4th week: 198 lbs
I am still keeping up with it for at least 2 more weeks so I can definitely be as I really wanted.
I have used once day off per week and gone really wild eating everything I was dreaming of but the strongest point of my success was self-confidence I can say. If you are confident that you can do it and have optimism you will definitely succeed, I have no doubt on that.
Let me give you the list of food articles I have used for this period:
Boiled/Fried chicken breasts or thighs once a day
Boiled/Fried various vegetables throughout the day
Natural Water (Nothing else besides natural water) – app. 5 litters per day.
Mixed salads (Especially using cucumbers, tomatoes and onions)
Canned Tunafish or plain fish with chopped onion or without it (as you wish).
Slim soup (Chicken based ones with low-calories content at app.65 calories per one served cup).
Articles that I have strictly ignored and not used during this period:
Breads (white, whole, brown and any other one made out of flour) were strictly forbidden and I have not used any of them ever (Even when I broke the rules).
COKE (Strictly forbidden for me and I did not use it even during my one week day off)
Cookies or any other chocolate article containing sugar.
Important: I know when I get obsessed to eat something I may not handle it, so If I am really starving for something, truly said I give it a try and keep up the diet plan right after it, e.g couple times it happened to me that I did drink coffee w/milk even why I was not supposed so. I really did not care for it and passed it successfully (So I would suggest you, if you really are dreaming for something minor you better it/try it rather than starving and only thinking about it as you may break down and start eating everything after you quit the plan).
Do not think too much of it and be confident that you can do it,
If you reach the point when you can lose weight with your mind, you will do perfect on this plan practice too (So remain confident and know that you can do it).
I am a Psychologist myself and maybe that’s the reason why I did not have any issue with confident and was psychically fit to succeed, but it does not require much work trust me.
Physical activities (I only play twice a week 1 hour soccer match and other than that I really don’t do much except walking from time to time during my working hours)
If I could lose up to 20 pounds for not more than 1 month what can hold you doing that. Make up your mind and start it, you can definitely succeed.
I am also willing to help if you guys need anything, whenever I can I will help as I know how it is when you find yourself in such situation.
I can be contacted at: leonirca@hotmail.com
Thank you once again and go for it.
Leon
[…] junk and bad information out there it’s hard to get your head on straight. Forget about all meat diets from the 4 hour work week. Forget about fats, carbs, sugar, […]
So the main difference between Tim’s diet and Atkins, is that he allows beans (legumes) as a “slow carb” for energy, correct? Because they both seem to share similar concepts, except Atkins insists on a super strict 2 week induction period of 20g carbs (no beans no starchy veggies, nada) to make sure you hit ketosis.
Are all of you who’ve seen success on this diet, on a state of ketosis as well? And what kind of cardio do you do, if any at all?
Tim, do you still recommend Arthur Jones’ bulletins for workout strategy? I heard you recommend these during audio recording with Eben Pagan.
Hello all another update. My 4th week I lost another 1 lb and this is the end of 5th week & I lost 1lb. Slow compared to my first 2 weeks where I lost 12lbs but I think I’m over my “plateau”. Usually after my free day I usually put on 3-4 lbs; takes about 3 days to take that off before I get back into “new weight lost”. But this morning when I weighed myself after free day I only put on 1/2 pound. 🙂 Only 4 pounds short of my goal weight and that should be happening at end of this month. In 30 days I lost 16lbs, doing weight training 3-4 days week so still losing weight even though building muscle. Can fit into all my old clothes. Feel so much stronger on my runs and weight training. Now I am trying to incorporate some carbs into my day to see how body reacts.
I add blueberries into my plain yogurt, eat whole grain bread (turkey sandwich) 1-2 week, few carrots here and there, piece of milk chocolate at night with the 1-2 glasses of red wine. What a rebel I am!! Like I said in previous post I went very strict on this eating so now “experimenting” with higher carb foods to see what happens. This eating change is a lifestyle change for me that I will keep for a lifetime.
Donna
Hey Tim, I was just wondering, what do you have against milk? Isn’t it good for the body?
hey tim! you said that we should avoid milk. i drink raw milk. is that okay?
Hi, I am supriya, I am 27 and weigh 64kg
need to loose wieght but dont no how to burn. I spend about 45 min on threadmill, and exercise, totallling about 1hour a day. Now started diet but my basic food comprises of rice, but now i have reduced my normal food intake to 1/4 of mu usual food. I am now having fruits when ever i am hungry.. so could you please tell me what i need to do and what i need to change..could you also give me an ideal way to eat, the only problem is i have tummy tucks.. so need to have a good figure…Please help me out, what i need to do
Hey just checking in its been a while….so to my disapointment i weighed myself after 2 months with following this diet pretty faithfully and I did not loose 20 lbs.!!!! Here is the good news though! My life style diet is better. I feel better. I stopped drinking and take into consideration I lift weights and im a runner! Instead I gained probably about 10 lbs of musele and lost 10 lbs of fat! My clothes fit great, the comments are get from people have been positive.
So don’t get frustrated that weight could be distributing somewhere else if you are an exercizer! I stick to the diet pretty closely substituting something out once in a while if i get bored….for breakfast ive been having 2 eggs and oatmeal! The beans get really old! But still eat them in the day with my other meals.
Dear all,
I’m always impressed and humbled by the incredible comments on this post.
QUICK REQUEST/FAVOR:
If you’ve tried this diet, can you please help me on this page for 60 seconds? http://www.curetogether.com/tfs.php
I will share the data with all of you once it’s organized.
Thank you in advance for taking a moment!
All the best,
Tim Ferriss
Just to follow up:
Please note that I might also email some of you. I’ve never emailed people for this post, but I really need your help.
Don’t worry — I won’t be spamming anyone. Just asking for some constructive feedback!
All the best,
Tim
Hello Tim,
May I be added to that e-mail list? I haven’t posted in a while, but I’d love to contribute to any end-line product for this diet. Is that book you’ve subtly alluded to finally coming out?
Also, I was wondering if you could supply an opinion on nutritional yeast and parmesan cheese [low fat, low glycemic, high sodium] for this diet? I can sort of infer an answer for the latter, but closure triumphs all.
Thank you.
I can do this Tom Ferriss.
I have exactly 30 days before I go to Cabo San Lucas on vacation; attend a family reunion in Las Vegas on Thanksgiving; visit New York for my 40 birthday celebration; and head to Italy on business.
I have to commit to this as Julie Powell did about Julia Child’s lifestyle, minus the recipes, of course!
I am 5’3 and weigh 162 lbs. My body fat is 38.5.
My goal is to weigh 130 lbs with a body fat count of 23.
I am definitely ready to experiment on this new lifestyle – after reading your blog for three hours. I may need to visit the blog daily to motivate me and help keep me on track – readers’ comments help.
By the way, I will be doing this lifestyle without doing any exercise.
Will post my first week progress next Tuesday morning.
Hi Tim,
I am a vegetarian and was wondering if subsituting the chicken with fish would produce the same results. I eat lots of Salmon, Tilipia, and Bass.
Thanks for the help
Taylor
[…] preplanned meals. Tim Ferris, author of the wildly popular 4 Hour Workweek, did a blog post about losing weight via simplicity and science. ” Rule #2 Eat the same few meals over and over again. The most successful dieters, […]
Tim-
I’m interested on your position on fats with Taubes’ book in mind. What would be the negative effects of eating sausage, chicken thighs, cheeses, and other food higher in fat but low in carbs such as pork rinds or even bacon.
If Taubes thesis is correct that fats are not the problem, what will be the effects of eating foods higher in fat?
Hi.
I would like to follow your diet plan.
Just wanted to know that is there any other alternative to milk?
I brisk walk for 9kms everyday and need some sort of calcium intake which would be good for my bones..Is it possible to have any other alternative?
plus also wanted to know whether brown bread and oil (for cooking vegetables and meat) is allowed or not?
Thanks
Hey Tim i have two questions that i’m curious about :
1/ Following your plan, would one hit a state of ketosis? Is ketosis what causes the weight/fat loss?
2/ If so, then i’m curious about rule #2. wouldn’t eating the same meals over and over again, cause your body to adjust to the routine, and therefore decrease metabolic efficiency?
Thanks!
3/ If ketosis is indeed what’s going on here, would the cheat day throw you out of ketosis? Because i heard some people that does Atkins, that it takes them anywhere from 3 days up to a week, sometimes even 2 weeks to get back in ketosis. So while your theory about the cheat day makes perfect sense, i’m also worried if it will affect or slow down the efficiency. Thanks again!
This diet sounds great!!!
its food I normally love to eat.
I do have to ask….
How do you prepare your proteins?
Just some salt n pepper, fancy it up, or does it really matter?
I also understand that you said stay away from anything white, especially rice but unfortunately I live in Hawaii and rice is pretty much our second language (we eat it with every single meal) does brown rice affect your diet?
Hi all,
I’m a 27 years old woman, and I did a diet since may. I just lose 11lb in 5 months. I eat healthy but it seems to be not enough… it’s really hard to think about what i’ll can eat everyday, and do some attractive menus. So, i think this diet is for me !
I’ve just 3 questions, if anyone knows ?
– how much water i need to drink ?
– twice a week, i do kendo and it’s really hard for the body, i usually eat rice or pasta before, what can i do now ? i don’t want to pass out 🙂 (sometimes when i don’t eat normaly, i’m feeling bad)
– i’m worried about gas, nobody is in trouble with that ?
Hope this diet will be a miracle for me…
I’ll start monday, i’ll give news (actually i’m 169lb for 168cm, just need to lose 11 to 15lbs)
Thanks a lot !!!
It is also very important to eat right for your genetics. Humans have evolved in different parts of the world on different diets – the native north americans on a very high meat and fat diet, whereas native people of southern america had a diet that was much more plant based and much less meat. Some people will respond better to high protein, low carbohydrates, others to low protein, high carbs and some people are mixed. This is extremely important because if you eat your foods in the wrong ratios you can experience all kinds of negative consequences e.g. hungry and tired very soon afterwards, or full but not satisfied etc.
I would also strongly recommend that people include weight training in their fat loss program, whether you are a man or woman. If you lose weight through diet along you tend to just become a smaller version of your original shape, so pear shaped people become smaller pears, apples become smaller apples etc. Weight training will enable you to change your body shape, add firmness and increase your metabolism.
Best wishes to you all
David Godfrey
I lost 22 pounds in 4 weeks, 276 lbs to 254 lbs. I started on a Sunday, cheat day was Saturday, and I weighed myself the Friday before my 4th cheat day.
Total exercise for the 4 week time period was around 4 hours of running as I’m preparing for a 10K.
I was mainly attracted to the diet because of the simplicity and cost-effectiveness. I typically eat Tim’s spinach, egg, and lentil breakfast every morning and I batch-make my lunches for the week with canned beans (low sodium Wegmans brand), frozen vegetables, and grilled burgers, chicken, and pork. Typically takes me less than 30 minutes to make 10 lunches.
As a treat during the week, I love the Old El Paso spicy refried beans. I don’t eat them all the time because they have a small amount of added sugar and a lot of sodium, but they’re great jalapeno flavor works when I want to wake-up my taste-buds: http://www.generalmills.com/corporate/brands/product_image.aspx?catID=23361&itemID=3468
Additionally, I typically marinade my meat and chicken portions for added flavor. I stay away from marinades with a lot of sugar.
The biggest challenge I had was after my cheat day. It took my body a day to recover on most weeks where I felt sluggish and sometimes got headaches (although, I think the headaches may have been from caffeine addiction). If anyone else is having this problem, I’ve found that some light physical activity (I went bowling) on my cheat day helped a lot with how I felt the next day (along with some coffee- black of course).
Question: Anyone have any good recommendations for accurate and inexpensive ways to measure body fat at home?
Thanks Tim! I’m planning on riding this all the way down to 200 lbs and getting on your weight-gaining plan. I can’t wait for the new book!
… now I just have to get this Muse thing going…
Taylor, since when do vegetarians eat fish?
I had the same question about fish, but Tim is apparently too busy writing a book to answer questions anymore. I did see he made an appearance though when he needed input for his book.
@kem the gas is bad for a few days when you first start this. The reason why people get a lot of gas is because their bodies aren’t used to all the fiber. Once your body adjusts to it you will have less gas than before. Everyone at work asks me this question all the time! lol Just buy some gas X and use it the first week.
@Taylor I think the fish would be fine honestly.
I’ve said it a thousand times….this diet is awesome!!!
Fats? I add palm oil or coconut oil to my everyday beans! I’ve lost 14 = pounds since I started.
Saturated fats used to be strictly avoided. Now, it seems as though = they may be beneficial for weight loss and circulatory health.
=====
George “jorge” Tate
Violist, Halcyon String Quartet
Principal Violist, Clear Lake Symphony
Immediate Past-President, TODA
Member, TMAA
Educational Consultant
= = = = =
“The true measure of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” – = Albert Einstein
“Animals are my friends . . . and I don’t eat my friends.” – George = Bernard Shaw
i am so fat now ?my wait is 95kg ?i dont know how to lost my wait plz i want come done plz tell me?amin
Started today. Stats: 6’2″ 260lbs.
Vegetarian, so will supplement vege meat for meat in the protein section.
Will also be working out weights + cardio 3-5 days per week.
Will give weekly progress updates.
HI,
I have been reading alot of these post and comments…and im wondering why is it not okay to eat brown rice, red rice wild rice…anything other then white rice?…just like lentils and beans then all have alot of carbs, and fiber as well…my other question is, i see you include alot of lentils and beans in your meals..what is your intake on calories…i mean the atkins diet was based on no carbs , eat all the fat and protein you wantes…they didnt care about calories…so how do you feel about calorie intake, b/c beans and lentils contain ALOT of calories..anywhere from 80 to 390 calories per serving…even though they are very healthy for you, even to much of something healthy can make you fat, if your not burning it off…btw this is my first time on here…i was trying to find another way to lose weight, i already eay looooots of beans and lentils, i just wanted something other diet other then chicken, egg whites, and beef…the atkins diet sucks…whats your intake on beans soups..i usually use barely, lentils, black bean, red beans, and a little wild rice, and peppers, onions, cilantro, carrots, lots of tomato, and 2 bullion cubes….its very filling…what do you think?
OK, this is day one for me on this diet. I am 5′ 9″ and weigh 232.2 lbs as the scale (omiron) reported last night. I am 40 years old so let’s see how this diet will work out for me.
The first benefit is how easy it is to shop for this stuff as well as how much it saves on money. The other benefit is the easy preparation of foods. I hate to cook!!!
I will have to admit that breakfast tasted better than it looked. I had mixed veggies, white eggs and pinto beans. I thought about gagging when eating the pinto beans but it actually went good with the eggs.
I’m assuming that I will need a lot of Beano as this looks like an explosive diet??? Good thing that I do not smoke or I will blow up when I light a match. Black beans and a colon can only equal one thing?? Molten lava with methane.
I will try to report weekly with the weight results. I don’t know why but the low carb diets failed to reproduce the awesome results that a initially gave me years back. I am hoping that a slow carb diet like this one will produce those same awesome results.
Are sweet potatoes allowed?
I enjoyed your read…just wanted to say Thank You! I’m going to give this method a try, never had any luck with others!
Hi
Its me Sarah again….well i tried to start today with one egg yolk and one egg white, black beans and barley…..but then came lunch, and i was at the mall with my boyfriend, and so hungry, “MCDONALDS”….ugghhhhh…i am so mad at myself that i have gotton to this point, before i met my boyfriend i had lost 35 pounds, and im 20 and 5’1…i am now at my heaviest…more then i was before i lost all the weight…155…The problem is he can eat whatever he wants and not gain weight..we have been together 3 years now, and we have gotton so comfortable with each other that we just dont care….i know he is happy with how i look, and he tells me and shows me everyday, but when i look in the mirror i just feel so disgusted…and today he took me shopping for winter clothes, and UUGGHHHH THE HOOORRROOORRRR…. my sixe went up again…the sad thing is im paying for “2” gym memberships right now, and i get this motive to go for like a month and then STOP…..the good thing is my boyfriend is salvaldoreno so he looves beans and eggs…my problem isnt when im at home, it when we go out, and if we are like 45 min away from home, i eat whatever is cheapest and fastest….on top of that i loooove coca cola…i am addicted….whats worse…my skin has broken out horribly from my bad eeating habbits…i always had clear smooth skin, and the past month my forehead looks like a pepperoni pizza….my weight and looks concern me, but so does my health…my family is so over weight and unhealthy, i just dont wanna end up with all these cancers…and i dont want it to take something horrible happening to me to finally realize i gotta buckle down and stop eating crap food….there is no excuse, im unemployed, i got layed off 5 months ago..i should be in top shape rite now…im paying for these memberships and dont even use them…….well thanks for listening, and comments are appreciated…
@ shannon…vegetarians eat fish, its vegans that dont eat any animal at all……vegans are very strict…my best friend he is vegan…
@ chunky, do you do this diet, or have you made this a lifestyle?
@ sarah – I have been on this “diet” since August. I have lost 20 pounds, not as much as Tim says can happen, but honestly I think those rules apply to men. My husband has lost 30 pounds, men just have higher metabolisms. I am happy with the weight i have lost and my energy level is awesome! I will eat like this until I lose 40lbs all together then I will have 2 cheat days a week…but maybe not go as crazy as i do on normal cheat day now. Then i will gradually add in some fruit and other slow carbs like oatmeal. If I gain weight from doing that stuff then I will stay on this eating plan forever! lol I would say that this is a lifestyle, i dont want to be fat anymore or ever again. The way I have to think about it is that i am not eating for happiness, it’s for survival. That’s what eating is intended for, the happiness that you get from eating something only lasts 5 minutes….then makes you sad everytime you look in the mirror. It’s a no brainer! Good luck with your choice
hey i will start this diet AFTER tomorrow 😛 i need my cheat day to be every wednesday or thursday not every saturday.. because i dont live in America and over here in middle east our vacation dates are different. am not sure if i will start tomorrow or the day after 🙁 i am REALLLYYY craving sweets now so i knw i will mess it all up if i start tomorrow. okay i made up my mind =D am starting after tomorrow…
current weight is 120 pounds and am 164 cms tall.. my goal weight is 95 pounds. oh by the way i already lost 30 pounds in two months XD
Sarah, authentic vegetarians do not eat fish. The difference between vegetarian and vegan is that vegetarians eat dairy products whereas vegans eat/use no dairy and no byproducts that come from the meat industry at all.
A person who eats no meat except fish by definition is a pescatarian.
Please, i need help. I am a fat 17 year old kid with no friends. I am sweaty all the time and want to lose wieght. Please tell me how i can do it.
Reporting back…1st week results!
Last week, I weighed 162 lbs. My body fat was 38.5.
This week, I weigh 159 lbs. My body fat is 38.8.
My goal is to weigh 130 lbs with a body fat count of 23.
@ chunky…WOW THAT IS GREAT…I GUESS IT WOULD BE ALOT BETTER IF MY BOYFRIEND ATE HEALTHIER AND IF HE TOLD ME I LOOK HORRIBLE..LOL..THEN ID BE LIKE OK IM HITTING THE GYM…BUT WE ENJOY GOING OUT AND EATING, AND HE ENJOYS MY COOKING EVEN IF ITS HIGH FAT OR CARBS, AND HE LIKES ME HOW I AM, BUT LIKE TODAY, SORRY FOR TMI, I WENT SHOPPING FOR NEW BRAS, AND I WAS LIKE WTF, MY BAND SIZE WAS TIGHTER AND I COULD SEE MOORE BACK FAT…I AM LIKE 35-40 POUNDS OVER WEIGHT FOR MY HIEGHT, IM BARELY 5’1….OKAY SO THIS HAS WORKED FOR YOU…DO YOU ALSO WORK OUT?…BECAUSE WHEN I START A REGIMEN IF I ACTUALLY STICK TO IT I GO FULL THROTTLE…SOOO…HOPEFULLY I CAN LOSE 20 IN ATLEAST 5 WEEKS…BUT MY QUESTION FOR YOU…HOW DO YOU PREPARE YOUR MEALS..I MEAN MY BOYFRIEND AND I EAT EGGS AND BEANS FOR BREAKFAST…THE PROBLEM IS LUNCH OR DINNER…WE END UP GOING TO THE MALL., OR JUST AWAY FROM HOME WHERE I GET HUNGRY, AND WE GRAB WHATEVER…WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOUR OUT…ITS NOT LIKE YOU CAN BUY EGGS AND BEANS IN FAST FOOD…AND I LOVE FRUIT, I SNACK ON PINEAPPLE, BANANAS, APPLES, ALL DAY…BUT IT DOESNT FILL ME UP…WHEN I LOST WEIGHT BEFORE, IT WAS FAST…35 POUNDS IN LESS THEN 2 MONTHS…BUT I KID YOU NOT…I ATE NOTHING…AND WORKED OUT 3 HOURS A DAY…IT FELT SO GOOD TO BE SKINNY, JUST SINCE LAST SUMMER, IVE GONE FROM A SIZE 5 BACK UP TO 11/12…ITS SO DEPRESSING…TODAY MY BOYFRIEND AND I WENT TO CI CI’S PIZZA…AND I STARTED CRYING IN THE CAR, I TOLD HIM THAT IM TIRED OF BEING FAT AND I WAS AFRAID THESE EATING HABBITS WOULD LEAD HIM TO FIND SOMEONE ELSE…HE TOLD ME THAT HE IS TIRED OF SEEING ME STRUGGLE TO MAKE MYSELF SKINNY AND NOT EAT WHAT I REALLY WANT TO MAKE “US” HAPPY, WHEN HE SAID HE LOVES ME HOW I AM…THEN HE SAID LOOK AT THIS FAT ROLL, YOU’VE GIVEN ME WITH ALL YOUR GREAT COOKING. HE SAID DONT YOU KNOW A WAY TO A MAN’S HEART IS GREAT FOOD. LOL..HE SAID I DONT CARE ABOUT IT THOUGH AND YOU LOVE ME THIS WAY, AND I THINK YOUR BEAUTIFUL…I HATE WEARING JACKETS WHEN ITS HOT TO COVER MY BACK FAT OR MY TRICEP FAT…..IVE GOTTON TO THAT COMFORTABLE STAGE…I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO…
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for the comment, but please take of CAPS lock. It makes it difficult for people to read and respond to your contribution.
Best,
Tim
@ CHUNKY, I WROTE A REALLY LONG COMMENT RESPONSE AND IT DIDNT POST, ITS 1AM, I REWRITE IT TOMORROW..
PS: GO TO http://WWW.BODYROCK.TV …THIS RUSSIAN GIRL HAS SOME GREAT SHORT INTERVAL WORKOUTS…SHE IS RIPPED!!!!!!
What about soy milk? I’m a vegetarian and drink soy milk but not regular milk. Is this OK? Or is it better to get soy protein from solid foods and stick with unsweetened teas and water for drinking?
Hi everyone ! hope you’re fine
I started sunday this diet, and – wow – i lose 4.6lb ! it’s a miracle for me… but i’m really nervous about saturday, i’m afraid to gain on weight again !! nobody has this problem ?
Other question, after finishing the diet, nobody gains all the weight loss ?
Thank you !! i’ll post soon 😉
ps : i forgot to ask if it’s ok to eat normaly fruits, vegetables, pasta, rice etc after the diet ?
I started this diet officially on Monday but I now believe that I possibly goofed up on weighing myself. I weighed in at 232 Sunday evening. I believe that weight was due to eating a heavy meal because it is only 2 days later and I now weigh 227. I weighed myself this morning after breakfast and that was my weight. I’m going to assume my original weight was 230 or 229. Who knows but at least some weight has come off right away.
I am beginning to feel a lot better. I don’t feel so anxious inside as tons of carbos are not running around going crazy inside me any more.
I will make weekly reports as to how much I lost. I really doubt I lost 5 pounds in 2.5 days, so I will be careful not to weigh myself after a large meal.
hi, I’m a woman age 30, 140lb, height 5’4 and want to loose 20lb by christmas. Starting this diet tomorrow. Will post an up date next week.
whish me luck.
TIM,
Sorry i didnt realize, keep that in mind..hey i noticed your dance picture with that women, are you a ballroom dancer..i saw judges behind you…my parents are professional ballroom and latin dancers, they travel all over…
I am 55 years old, female and desperate to lose 50 lbs. Am craving sweets, carbs and chocolate all the time. Is this diet hard to stick with? Will I be hungry? I have lost and gained many pounds over the years. Your plan seems simple and healthy. I am going to give it a try.
I’m starting this diet today and I’m going to start off with egg white, mixed vegis and kiddney beans. Are kiddney beans ok with this diet??????????
This diet is working especially fast for me. I am still questioning if I did something wrong initially but the scale has new batteries and is a top notch one too. I weighed myself Sunday night (10/18/09) after a big meal and weighed 232. I weighed myself yesterday and I was 227. I jumped on the scale this morning and weighed 225.6.
I’m thinking that the reason I am losing so much weight so quickly is due to not eating huge meals anymore. My breakfast was 2 McSkillet Burritos and one Sausage McMuffin with Egg for breakfast from McDonalds. Break was often a yogurt and some string cheese. Lunch often was 2 slices of pizza. Dinner was often a big meal followed with ice cream. Yes, I was a total slob.
I tried the Protein Power diet before. It’s initial results back in 2004 were outstanding. I lost 22 pounds in my first month. Of course quitting the diet brought all the weight back on plus about 5 more additional pounds. I tried going back on that diet several times but struggled to lose 10 pounds in a month after that. I think our bodies must have some computer system inside that recognizes that old diet and immediately adjusts to it making it less effective.
This slow carb diet has been extremely beneficial so far. I haven’t taken my meds all week for acid reflux as I seen a dramatic improvement in digestion. It also made me very regular in a good way. I feel better too. Meals are quick to whip up that I find to be a huge bonus as I hate cooking.
Tim, I know that you are swamped with questions but when you have time please share what diet you follow exactly today??? I know you follow a slow carb diet but are you following some slow carb cookbook or adding anything additional to your diet??
I did enjoy reading an article on WEBMD that confirms that a slow carb diet is very healthy:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050518/low-carb-out-slow-carb-in
I feel so much safer on this diet than I did when I went on the low carb diet.
Hi Tim
Could u please suggest vegetarion diet in place of non-veg as i am vegetarion.
thank u
geets
@Brendan – it takes time and dedication but follow Tim’s plan to the letter and you’ll see results quickly!! good luck
@Kem if you go back to doing what you did then your body will return to the way it was before. So like many others have said it’s not a diet but a lifestyle. If you get in great shape you can probably be a bit more liberal but you still need to be focused. Obviously if you can put on some muscle you’ll burn more calories all day long so in turn you can consume a bit more…
@ Sarah – Don’t take this the wrong way but I think you are making excuses not to lose weight. My husband loves me no matter how I look also but it is me that is uncofortable with myself, and hate buying bigger clothes and feel uncomforatble in everything, not him. Like I said, good luck in YOUR choice.
About going out and what I eat…I don’t put myself in a situation where I will get hungry and have no choice but to eat out. I make my dinner every night and make extra for lunch the next day. I have not been working out because my job is hectic and I don’t really have time. I work in a warehouse and I make it a point to take a walk every now and then and walk like im on a mission, other than that no I don’t.
Please don’t take offense to anything I have said. We all struggle with our weight or we wouldn’t be here. Most people here have accepted what we have to do to make this way of eating work for us. That’s all you have to do…follow the rules and you will feel great after you lose those first few pounds. Good luck
Seeing as Tim has abandoned us, at least for the time being, can someone explain why milk is ruled out? Is it because of the carbs, and if so, is there a substitute? I’m thinking of making curry lentils and what would be a good substitute for milk for making the curry? Yogurt seems to be banned as well.
Hey Tim,
Thanks for a fantastic book and for following up on your website with information you could easily have charged for such as this diet.
I’m living proof it works. I am typing this clocking in today at 162 lbs. I was around 187 a month or so ago when I decided to actually do this. I’m 6′. I was familiar with the diet from when I got the book earlier this year, but finally worked up the motivation and courage to do it recently. And MY GOD does it work so well! You are THE MAN! Thank you. Really, THANK YOU!
I haven’t seen these guys in almost a decade! *grabs newly visible six pack*
I still have a little bit of fat and lose skin to shed and I’m going to start hitting the gym hard to get to seeing those veins pop out over my abs. I’m just floored by how fast I got results from this. The first couple of days were the most difficult, then I think my body must have gotten used to it because now I don’t want to go back to the way I ate before.
Oh and btw, SATURDAYS ARE NOW INCREDIBLY FANTASTIC! They were good before, but OMG are they INCREDIBLE now! Last Saturday I woke up to a bag of Back to Nature Chocolate Delight which was simply amazing with full milk!
I’ve also noticed the amount of, well there’s no better way to put it, crap that I can consume on Saturday has been getting less and less. I now get full after consuming a lot of carbs in the morning and don’t feel like eating until late.
On a side note, since you have a lot of experience with outsourcing to the Indians. I have an unrelated question for you. How does the outsourcing work with intellectual property? Have you ever been worried about it being stolen? I’m thinking about getting some software development done using your methods. Please let me know what you think.
Thank you and keep up the amazing life!
Sincerely,
Warsam
Love all the comments, my fave post!!
Siempre con Fuego
– Jose Castro-Frenzel
I’m going to make tomorrow my first cheat day since I prefer to have it on a Saturday. I started this diet Sunday (10/18/09) and weighed 232 lbs. I will admit that my weight was taken a little bit after eating a big meal, but my weight today (10/23/09) was 224.8 and that was taken after eating breakfast. I believe I will have no problem losing 20 pounds in 30 days.
To SARAH
I am just done reading your comment above.and i feel kinda sad for you.You wanna loose weight so bad but on the other hands, your b/f keeps taking you out to eat and always tell you I don’t care the way you look.
Honestly and first of all, Body is you. It don’t belong to your b/f. You gotta take care of yourself before you can take care of somebody else. You will have a health problem if you keep eatting this way. I just want you to be healthy,, look pretty and stay happy forever with your b/f. So first of all, you gotta TAKE CARE of your body. Looking good not only makes you feel better, it also make you more confidence ! And the truth is, all the mens 99.9% like slim and good shape body type of girls.
Talking about eatting habit, the rule is really simple – STOP EATTING CARB ( anything white, like rice pasta bread even whole grain bread). and stop eatting fruit, drink tons of water or unsweeten tea. Trust me, give yourself 1-2 weeks you’ll be surprised! and besides you can eat whatever you want once a week ( you can eat carbs on that day but try not to pig out)
I’m kinda person who likes to go out to eat too, but i try to control myself and wait till Saturday ( my pig out day). If you and your bf are in the middle of the road and need to grab something to eat, then eat something that has no carb, like if you want a hambuger, give your b/f the bread and you just eat the meat and veggie !!! so simple and still tasty ! By the way, don’t drink soft drinks too, it will stop you from loosing weight. Just drink water or unsweeten tea.
Last but not least, you really have to work out in order to burn more calories, i take a slow run almost everyday for 30 mins its been couple months now, i feel so great and my legs are getting firm and i’m very happy.
Don’t give yourself excuse not to change.
Today is my first cheat day!!!!!!! I was getting tired of eating all of those pinto beans. I wish that I didn’t weigh myself initially a short time after eating back on 10/18/09. My weight was 232. I woke up this morning and my weight was 223.0 without food. I almost feel guilty to cheat on my diet but will continue to follow the rules. This diet seems to work the best. My other diets would cause me to gain weight for some reason when I would sleep. I would always weigh a pound or two more first thing in the morning. They claimed that if you are not eating every 2 to 3 hours then your body starts storing fat. I went to bed last night and my weight was 225.0 and woke up to 223.0. I’m beginning to think that this diet is superior to all the diets I have tried so far. Only time will tell.
This diet has done wonders for my acid reflux. I haven’t taken my meds all week. There was one morning that I woke up with a little acid in the back of my throat but it has not been bothersome. I haven’t had the painful stinging in my stomach all week. If I did notice any stinging then it was brief and often relieved after eating a meal.
heyy
is it okay to eat baked beans? or fruits? or brown bread?
oh and how bad is it if i ate the “bad” foods both friday and saturday instead of just saturday? it is just still too hard for me to go six days on diet ( i BINGEE a loooott! so five days without binging is a HUGE improvement for me). so how much weight could i gain from two sad binge days? =(
I posted 6 days ago, and today is my cheat day. I must say I am completely astounded at the results. I have lost 13 pounds going from 260 to 247. I mentioned in my earlier post that I work out 3-5 days a week. I’ve noticed that I lose about 2-3lbs on the days following a workout and about 0.7-1.0lbs on following the days that I do not work out. I attempt to drink over 2.5L of water a day as well. Thank you Tim. I can’t wait to see what next week has in store.
hey, can the above list is applicable for india also ?? can u plz guide , wht to eat & wht nt to eat ???
Hi all,
I gained about 2,5lb since friday. I ate beans, beef/chicken and vegetables all the week, and saturday oisters, 200g of meet, 2 glasses of coca cola. Saturday night : salmon sushi (12), miso soup and salad.
Is it too much for saturday ? did i make a mistake ? i’m desperate, really. It means when i’ll eat normally after the diet, i’ll gain all that i lose.
Thanks a lot !
Hello Tim, I’m impressed that this post is still being discussed! I had tried your diet plan a year ago (but hit a plateau). By reading recent comments, I’m motivated to give it a try again. Also, it’s a good thing that you have time to check comments now and post your personal reply from time to time. I noticed that you have mentioned “garbanzo beans (chickpeas)” are out of this diet. Good Lord, chickpeas are the only legumes I love and now I wonder if it was the reason that I hit a plateau last time. I used to have lentils in the morning and chickpeas for lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. I’ll appreciate to have your comments. Thank you for inspiring people all around the world. Good job man!
Kem, assuming you don’t have any medical conditions like diabetes or kidney problems, I would seriously suggest you take a look at Atkins. For your height I think you can safely shed about 30lbs and look and feel great. It is especially great for females because you don’t need strenuous exercise, brisk walks and house chores are fine. I don’t mean to hijack Tim’s thread here, but it’s just a thought for you, you should see results very quickly and it doesn’t have a “cheat day” because you might lose control very easily. If you are interested i suggest you buy the new 2002 book and read it thoroughly. I followed it to shed off excess fat very quickly and easily, and i’m thinking of switching to Tim’s slow carb plan in the next month or so, while i pursue my long awaited goal of 6 pack abs. Good luck
Ken,
Don’t mean to disagree with you here, but I am not a fan of the Atkins diet and do not believe recommending it anymore. I did the Protein Power first, and I followed the Atkins plan at another time. The initial results were very good years back but it had too many problems that went along with it. Constipation is one real problem that you should take a supplement for on that diet. Get a potassium supplement as well as I had some severe cramps in my calves and muscle fatigue. Also, your body can only handle being on that diet so long before you start eating pizzas, cup cakes and everything else that is wrong for you. If you have strong willpower then OK but the longest I could hold out was about 2 months. You might lose 20 pounds but will often gain 30 back putting your body in worse shape than before as was my case and others that I have talked too. The last two times attempting to do the low carb diet produced some scary heart palpitations. I had it for 3 days before it stopped. The authors of Protein Power suggests to slowly go on the low carb diet so as to give your body time to adjust as some fatal arrhythmias have been reported. Also, the diet did not produce the same affects for me a second time around. I only lost 10 pounds in a month instead of the 22 pounds I lost initially. I believe the human body learns to recognize old diets and immediately adjusts to them. Also, If you count the calories in a typical day from an Atkins diet then you will see that it is really a very low calorie diet.
I will have to say that I have seen better results with the slow carb diet than the low carb diet very early on. The one benefit is that my problem with GERD is doing far better on the slow carb than the low carb diet. The low carb diet did give great relief to my GERD problem where I could go 3 without taking a pill, but the slow carb has allowed me to go a full week without taking any and I am still not experiencing any problems. My digestion is much better on this high fiber diet. The fact that I do not strain going to the bathroom like I did with the Atkins diet is another plus.
I think that Kem might do good to share all the foods and liquids he is eating/drinking throughout the day to see why he is gaining weight. Even on a low carb diet you can still gain weight by eating too much as Protein Power authors taught. You have to be careful about huge portions or too much snacking in-between.
Kem, I too gained 2 pounds from all the garbage I ate on my cheat day. It came right off again as my weight this morning was 224. In one week I dropped 8 pounds total. The cheat day was not meant to cause you to lose weight that day but to keep your body from adjusting to your current meal plans. You will find this same concept taught in the Abs Diet book. Eat enough food to feel satisfied but do not eat until you feel your stomach bulging out is how I am eating. I also eat 4 meals a day. I eat at 4:30am; 8am; 12pm and 5pm. I eat a big breakfast to hold me over. I eat about a cup of egg whites. About 2 to 3 cups pinto beans. I have about 2 cups veggie mix. My 9am break is a grilled chicken and about a cup to two cups pinto beans. Lunch has been grilled chicken, full can of black beans and veggies. Dinner is grilled chicken, lentils (lots) and veggies.
Hi Dave, and thank you for your post, it’s very instructive 🙂
Here is a classic day :
8am :
1 full egg + 1 white. Can’t eat beans for breakfast… but if it needed i’ll do
12am
less than 1/3plate meat (chicken or beef with low fat), 1/3 vegetables (green peas, peas, spinach etc), 1/3 beans (red/white/green beans or lentils).
7.30am
same as lunch
I drink everyday 1.5L of water / japanese green tea, and i don’t eat any sugar.
Perhaps i misunderstood something…?
I still continue to see if there are changes.
Thanks all !
Geets – I’m a vegetarian (vegan)…
Instead of chicken, fish or other forms of meat, just use tofu, rice protein shakes, seitan, and tempeh. It’s easy and it works. I’ve lost 15 lbs and hope to lose about 10-20 more.
Good luck
Hi can i take usn pure protein shake in this diet its low in carbs
ok….now is my time to break down. I did not lose any weight the last two weeks. I do NOT really have time to work out and I dont know what else to do. I am desperate to lose at least another 15lbs. I have a dead line to lose 10lbs by christmas before I go back to ireland to see my family I havent seen in 3 years. I know they are going be be like “oh hey!!!!” Look at me and then say “Oh bummer!!” All day I have been craving apples and oatmeal, these are things I usually dont crave. Is there some kind of vitamins in there i am missing out on?
Im sorry for this but i needed to vent. I am tired of fighting this fight. I am 28, been married for 6 years and we are ready for a baby but wont get pregnant until I lose another 15 to 20lbs. Some one please give me some motivation. Some suggestions. Something.
Thanks
Chunky,
Are you sure you’re getting enough water? I had a similar problem of craving carbs when I started the diet and I found that if I just had a 16oz cup of good quality hot tea (green or black or whatever), the cravings would go away. The point is if you’re not consuming enough water with the diet, the cravings for carbs is worse…
Also, it’s not a good idea to stress yourself out about reaching a target weight. This diet works best when you slowly make it a normal way of eating rather than trying to use it as a crash diet solution…
One thing I don’t understand, why only one full egg and then the rest egg whites? What harm would the extra yolk or two (i usually eat two egg breakfast) do? Extra cholestrol? or something more sinister?
And also, what’s bad about milk? Would skim milk or low fat milk be acceptable? Thanks!
Warsam – Thank you for your feedback. The only thing is that I drink at least 3 litres of water a day, a couple cups of coffee (at least 4) and 2 cups of green tea. But im not going to rule out that there could be a problem with my liquid intake. Only this week have I given up diet sodas, I will see if this has an effect on the situation. I have been eating this way since August and have lost 16lbs. I am happy with this its just that I get impatient, especially when i think about going back home. I feel better about the situation today. 🙂 Thanks!
Chunky – No problem. Yes, diet sodas are definitely a good idea to give up. It sounds like you’re doing fine otherwise. I recommend adding some sort of workout to the diet if you want to see quicker results. Don’t stress yourself about it, just do something light that you feel good afterwards. If you feel worn out after working out in a bad way, then you pushed yourself too hard and you should scale it back. It sounds like you’re feeling better about the situation attitude-wise and that’s very important. What I’ve done, which has given me the results I want, is to have a very specific body image of how I feel I should look. I don’t force it, I just believe I’ll get there sooner than later. With that mental frame, everything else is easy and whenever I make little progress I look at my body in the mirror and smile that I’ve accomplished something and encourage it to continue. The key is I’m happy and thankful for my body no matter what and I encourage it to cooperate with me so it can achieve its best performance with our combined effort. So mentally my body is my partner rather than my enemy… This may sound silly but the mental frame is very important to both your overall happiness in addition to getting the results you want. You can actually do this sort of exercise with many other things. It’s not really the body you are communicating with, but your ku.. your subconscious. Check out Mastering your hidden self by Serge King if you want to learn more.