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
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.)
Wow! This is my diet to a tea. Accept the pizza. I get a thin crust with no cheese an tons of veggies. I lost a lot weight from it years ago. Cool! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hello,
I followed the Slow-Carb Diet to the letter while recovering from knee surgery. In 30 days, I lost 19.5 lbs without exercise. It definitely works. The only tip I can offer for those who may have hit a plateau…adjust your bean intake as the weight comes off and only weigh yourself once a day, preferrably around the same time each day. I went from eating approx. 3 cans of beans per day the first week to eating 1 can per day by the fourth week. If my weight loss stagnated for a few days, I reduced my bean intake and increased my meat/poultry/fish and vegetable intake. I also used the calorie deficit symptoms outlined in Tim’s book as my guide, reducing the beans gradually as long as I didn’t feel hungry at night or got a headache. I didn’t use any of the other weight loss techniques (like cold showers) or supplementation Tim recommended because of the recent surgery or I probably would have lost more. Once you get accustomed to the repetition, the Slow Carb Diet is the easiest diet to stick with that I have ever followed.
I started this about 4 weeks ago, but altered it a bit after the second week. I found myself drained the first week. I was cranky and just craving a bit of sugar. Few mixed trail mix nuts fixed that up though. I’ve lost 18 pounds and still going! I started using MyFitnessPal on my iPhone to help me along with calories as well as doing this diet and I have to say it’s also been a great help. Tracks everything you eat with a few keywords, I highly recommend it for anyone needing a little help organizing what you’re putting into your body.
Thanks Tim!
I am going to try this diet. I have not eat bread and sugar for 2 days and lost 4 pounds already.
What about eating fish?
Just started the diet this morning and I’m already scraping my stomach because of strong cravings for pasta,burgers,pizza, and candy :(. Any thing you recommend to satisfy it a bit. An for some reason I am super full after eating a meal but 2 hours later am starving
Nick,
The first 2-3 weeks, after I had breakfast within 30 minutes of waking, I had an identical “second” breakfast 2-3 hours later: beans, spinach, 1-2 whole eggs with 3-4 egg whites. I would alson recommend eating more beans with some turkey as a snack between meals. As I progressed, the cravings went away and I progressively needed less and less beans to feel satisfied. First day is always the hardest.
Rob
This may be against the whole diet that this guy took, but snack on fruit and nuts. Thats what I did. Ive recently lost a lot of weight. Drink a glass of water or two before big meals. That will supress your diet. The first two weeks of any diet is going to suck regardless. It’s just getting used to a different lifestyle. Give it a month and you’ll feel like you have never ate crap food in your life and the craving will go away.
Hi David,
I really love your comment. I have written about my personal experience with this diet (which to be honest I’m struggling with, but persevering) and I’m probably going to transition to something more like you are suggesting which I have done before, but wanted to make sure I give Tim’s diet a good shot first (I’m now on week #9). In fact I wrote 2 posts, one which kind of mirrors your last comment – i.e. the one really good thing that has come out of this experiment for me is the adjustment to how I think about food. I also wrote about my experience with Tim’s diet here. I would love to get your views in particular on the latter, perhaps the former too (which is referenced in this article anyway).
Hey Party People! Day 1 for me! I need to lose 20 pounds. I am 5’7, 140, feeling a little chunky monkey. I am committed for 30 days.
Tim, If you’re out there…..call me. 🙂
Hi, really would appreciate some advice here.. I am 44, weigh in at 154 pounds. I have the most shocking diet habits and generally just graze. I cannot abide the taste of water. My daily diet generally consists of 4 cups of coffee white 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar, maybe i’ll grab a sandwich or some toast at some point, a bag of crisps or a small (generally) healthy meal in the evening. I know its completely wrong, i know i need to change it and with 21lb to drop in 8 weeks i need some advice! I don’t exercise much as i find it hard to get time. Any helpful info you can give this sagging, middle aged mum of 3 ???
Where is fish in this diet?
How about protein shakes and bars?
Cottage cheese?
Brown rice?
This is good, but I feel like crap when i don’t get a good workout
Hi Sarah,
Your weight loss is inspiring! If you don’t mind me asking…..what weight did you start at? What meals are you following? Are you foregoing the cheat day or embracing every moment of it? thanks
I have never commented on a blog a day in my life.
But, I feel obligated to right now.
I have been working out and *attempting* to eat right for years. I have been 192lbs. for I don’t know how long. I have tried so many things to lose the weight. I’m an 18 year old female and I have hated my body for the longest time. One day, while doing a google search I found myself on this post. I wasn’t excited…at all. I decided to just do it, exactly how it’s worded here and the worst that could happen would be that I didn’t lose any weight, something I’m completely used to. Yesterday, I weighed myself in for the first week. In one week, I’m down 5 pounds. ALL FAT POUNDS! I can’t believe this…I cried so hard because I have been at 192 for so long…to see 186.8 on the scale brought joy to my heart. I check my body fat once a week and also weigh that day. I have been doing that for about a year and I haven’t seen any results. For the first time in my life…I’ve seen results. Wow.
I just want to say thank you so much, Tim.
And also the other commenters, your comments taught me so much and I’m just so ecstatic right now I don’t know how else I can thank everyone.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
Hi Everyone,
I have a few questions regarding approved food. Having recently started this program, I am currently consuming large amounts of black and pinto beans, tomatoes, peas, broccoli, spinach, salsa (no sugar added), avocado, water and the occasional glass of wine. I am a vegetarian. I do not consume fish or eggs. I would like to add a few other items to my regular menu.
Yah or Nah?
Hummus (no sugar added)
Pasta sauce (no sugar added)
Refried beans (vegetarian)
Tim, If you’re out there, wanna weigh in on this?
thanks guys
I think these tips you give may be very helpfull. I’m gonna send them to my aunt who is trying to lose weight. Hope that it can help her out.
I have a lot of stomach issues and can not tolerate chicken, beef or pork…currently the only “meat” I can tolerate is fish so I have an abundance or ahi and salmon. Would it be ok to substitute those meats with fish? I have a severe knee and back injury and can barely tolerate walking and have always been extremely athletic, so, putting 15 pounds of weight on in a matter of 6 weeks is severely hurting me as well as starting to depress my body (making me extremely tired all of the time).
hello,
I am a female , 33 years old . My height is 154 cms and I weigh 70 kgs . I gained weight with pregnancy and now trying to lose weight . I have to lose minimum 10 kgs if not more .
Please help.
i am a vegetarian from India. What do i substitute for Proteins:
“Egg whites with one whole egg for flavor
Chicken breast or thigh
Grass-fed organic beef
Pork”
Also , I wanted to know if i can eat semolina and sago(sabudana in hindi )-both white in colour .
Any help will be appreciated .
Thanks
Hello again,
Also i want to know if i can eat brown bread and wheat pasta .
thanks
This type of diet is so interesting !
First of all it do work for real.
Second, it allows us to test our willpower
Last but not least, it allows and encourages us to try and eat crazy one day a week (which is 52 days a year !!!). Doing so we are able to keep a social activity 😉
Thank you Tim !
Etienne
I’ll give a try on this diet, i’ve lost around 75kg of fat and gain around 20kg of muscles in the last 3 years, only 2 things. at breakfast i usually drink a protein shake with 0 fat milk, it is ok or i have to take off the milk from my diet? And last thing, i usually use 0 fat yogurt for lunch or dinner (10g protein for 100g) it’s ok or i have to change it too? ty for any answer and sorry for bad english
You know, I have been working at weight loss for the past 3 months, and 3 months and 40 lbs later I’m 10 lbs away from my goal weight. (I went from 230ish pounds to 190 pounds) I think what did work best for me were some of the things mentioned in this article.
I personally ate 6 meals a day, 4 of which were small or snacks less than 250 calories. Drank 5-10 glasses of water a day (especially at first, it GREATLY suppresses your appetite before meals) Then ate two actual meals, either breakfast and dinner, or lunch and dinner, etc. From what I hear this is supposed to keep your metabolism going and it actually works. And even on cheat days ( I also had it once a week every Friday) I didn’t really gain any weight.
I did not however, watch out for carbs, which is why I am researching this diet strategy. And I also worked out 2-3 hours a day. But even then, half an hour of cardio a day will keep your weight in check under a healthy-ish diet.
My best advice to anyone trying to lose weight, just try to remain active as possible, and eat healthier and avoid fast food and restaurants if possible. And also eat numerous small meals throughout the day. And try to avoid eating 2 hours before bedtime. Theres no secret to weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight, diet right and remain active.
The obesity problem today with almost one third of the population obese is a big concern. A major factor causing obesity is processed foods. I lost 73 pounds by eliminating packaged foods and planning out my diet and fitness routine. Today’s population is getting a majority of their food from cardboard boxes and plastic containers. We are getting way too much highly processed foods, stripped of their natural ingredients, and pumped full of unnatural ingredients that make us fat and tired. It is about detoxing and replacing processed foods with real food and you will lose weight.
I also used a weight loss goal sheet to help me plan out my diet and exercise workouts and this helped alot. It kept me on track. This on line weight loss site provided it and I am so thankful.
http://shrinktheplanet-weightloss.com/members/gettingstarted3.php
I just wanted to report the in my first , week I lost 6lbs. I skipped a meal on Saturday morning, pig out Saturday evening, went back to dieting on Sunday. I only gained 1lb after Saturday’s off day
So you can have brown carbs?
So if you’re supposed to avoid all white flours what’s in your pizza crust?
Hi all,
Today makes two weeks in: I have lost 8 pounds! This is somewhat amazing, considering my weight-loss efforts and lack of results in the past.
I am now 132lbs, hoping to drop 12 more. My pre-pregnancy weight was 120, so I don’t feel this goal is unattainable.
David…props to you!
Hi,
I am a mother of two. I am 23 years old. I weight about 143 pounds. I want to get down to 120 and lose all my body fat. I try to eat healthy, cut out white carbs. I exercise 3 times a week by playing basketball. I would like to do more exercise but I find it very difficult. By the time I get home from work and put kids to sleep, I am just too tired.
I have about 2 months till the summer and I want to get down to 120 by July.
I want to know can I do anything else that will get the process of losing body fat much quicker.
Can I cut down and only eat 600 calories a day? Is it healthy, possible just for 2 months?
What can you suggest for my situation!
Thanks!
Lisa
I started this on Monday 4/13/12. I am eating a meat (turkey, pork, chicken, tuna) all grilled on the grill, not fried or with anything but ms. dash, beans, a veggie (green beans, peas) and lettuce for each meal. I am eating three times a day. I am having about 4 – 6 mini-carrots between breakfast and lunch and again between lunch and time to go home. I drink one cup of coffee, nothing in it, and water. I also eat two pickle spears for dinner (the sour helps the sweet tooth).
I will keep everyone updates on the progress. My start weight was 243.8. I will tell you that I was able to get into a shirt by Wednesday that I couldnt two weeks ago. So I imagine at least 3-5 pounds…..
Well, week 1 down. Cheat day today. Weighed in today. down from the 243.8 to 237.2 I think I am very excited!!!! 🙂
Update 2…Down another 3.6 pounds. For those keeping track, that is 7.6 pounds in two weeks.
hey i am 142 pounds and i am in 7th grade is it ok to exercise and get skinny at this age and if it is ok please help me i am 5.2 inches and i want to loose at lease 5 pounds in a week please help someone
What I will tell you is in the 7th grade just eat right and stay active. Avoid eating a lot of junk food. I have an 18 year old daughter and a 15 year old daughter. They have different body types, but both eat healthy. They do eat the pizza nights and such, but they stay active. Always consult a doctor on your health before doing anything.
Remember, you are still young and your body could be getting ready to grow. Just eat healthy and stay active and see what happens.
Hi Everyone,
Come Friday I love my beans, knowing that cheat day is just around the corner! So, today is a glorious day.
Lisa,
I am no expert. However I have followed healthy eating and consistent exercise most of my life. I maintained a 120lbs, 5’7 frame my entire adult life until pregnancy that is. I gained 40 pounds, dropped 20 after giving birth, and was stuck on the scale at 140 for three years.
I have now been on the beloved bean diet for just over 2 weeks and have lost 8lbs! Have you tried it? If not, I say give it a go. As to your question of consuming 600 calories a day for 2 months, don’t do it. You will most likely encounter some setbacks, such as moodiness, slow metabolism, and possibly little in the way of fat loss.
You can certainly reach your goal through healthier means……beans, beans, beans. 🙂
Daniel,
Way to go!
Lala,
It does sound as though you could lose a little weight in order to live a healthier life with a healthier body. With that said, there is no need for you to focus on “getting skinny”.
Have you spoken with your parents about your concerns and desires? At your age I was extremely active; I ran a lot. Maybe with the help of your parents you could find some form of exercise outlet.
As for diet, I am not sure this one is for you. It is working for me, but I do not know enough about the long term affects to advise someone your age to try it.
Here are a few healthy tips:
drinking water is key, and at your age I would also drink fat-free milk, don’t drink anything with added sugar
eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, again, not the ones with added sugars, such as fruit cups
protein is key, I get most of my protein from beans (I am a vegetarian), other good sources of protein are lean meats and greek yogurt
avoid highly processed foods, such as, donuts, cookies, cake, candy
Please speak with your parents or pediatrician prior to making any huge changes, good luck.
Windy, am a vegetarian too. Can you please share what you eat for bfast, lunch n dinner? Thanks so much!
Hi Shawna,
My current SCD is anything but exciting…but here it is:
0600 – 1 can of black beans with peas and tomatoes
1100 – 1 can of pinto beans with cauliflower and broccoli
(twice a week I replace the pinto beans with home-made hummus)
4:00 – 1 can of refried black beans with a low carb/zero sugar pasta sauce
6:00 – 1 or 2 glasses of dry red wine
I will post my week four results in a few days. Week three I was down 12lbs. I am 5’7, last weigh-in 128lbs. My goal is 120, pre-pregnancy weight. By the way, I completely indulge on “cheat days”, mostly with Starbucks, lol. Good luck.
Hi Windy,
Thanks for your response. I know, the pregnancy weight sucks. I am trying to get rid of the last 15 pounds of my baby weight too. What about exercising? Do you do any at all?
Hi Shawna,
I do 45 minutes of yoga, 6 days a week.
On cheat day I run for 60 minutes, no yoga.
When did you start the SCD? Any success?
Hi! That was very useful but what about fruits?
They have calories?
My understanding so far is it is not about the calories as much as the type ofcarbs. I actually am avoiding the fruits until my cheat day. I am subbing sweet veggies like carrots as my snacks. Or I also do a sour, like a pickle. Just a thought.
This diet seems easy and accessible and after seeing all the positive feedback in the comments, I have decided to give it a try. I’m starting tomorrow and will check back here Monday morning with my perspective.
is it sure that we can have whatever we want on saturdays..? and it is said in the menu that if we take our preffered food on saturdayz,it wil increase lbs from 4 to 5 and wil reduce it in the next 2 to 3 days..? so does it mean that we have to spend those days just to burn the fat we’ve gained on the saturday..? please do reply
Hey All,
So I have been doing this diet for about four weeks. I would have to say overall I feel better and have more energy throughout the day and dont seem to be hungry in between meals.
My question is this…I have not loss a pound or an inch since I started and after four weeks Im starting to get a little discourage. I was wondering if any one had any suggestions, maybe less beans and more veggies, or meat??
I am 5’3, 38 and right now wieght 120, about 10 pounds more than normal. Also im six to seven inches off my normal measurements. If anyone has any ideas I would certainly appreciate…
I tried out the slow carb diet in the months leading up to my wedding, and I can confidently say that it works! I have great wedding photos to prove it!
so I can use fruit in this diet!
This is my 9th day on Tim’s diet. I am following it to a T but I have only lost 1lb. I don’t have a lot of fat to lose, but I after reading other comments and other people’s results, I really thought I would have lost more in the first week after making all these changes.
Is there anybody else who doesn’t seem to be seeing the big results that most people are?
I lost another 5lbs this week. I cut down on the beans though
Hi , i’m Italian and if you take away from me my pasta i’m going to die! But i think you can eat even white carbo as long as you eat them in alow quantity ( no more than 200gr. a day ) and not after 1p.m. in the evening i use meat like chicken breast and salad ( always with natural olive oil ). i’m 60 years old now and i’m doing good ( forget the pizza and the melted cheese…) sitting to long on my pc but eating cool and not drinking beer.
I find it hard to stick to low carb because of the reasons stated above! I think that the beans might cure that carb crave? We’ll see, I’m starting today! Has anyone done both low carb and this slow carb? If so, which worked better for you?
I have lost 20 lbs. I look great even though I’m still 140 lbs. I am 61 and wish to lose 10 more. You think no bread at all is better? I eat for breakfast a half pita bread and 50% less fat cheese. Is this diet a NONO with dairies?? Still I lost a lot of weight, actually 5 lbs. a month, since January. I don’t want to slow down…what should I do?
Yes, it is possible to lose. But,the only thing that is required is you should know what you are doing. Let me tell you about my experience. I was 86kgs 3 months back and i lost 19 kgs in two and half month without change much in my habits. These are the things I have done:
1. I completely stopped eating white rice and started having brown rice
2. I started taking appetite suppressant pills
3. I started cycling for 20 minutes a day
4. I maintained at least 6 hours a day sleep
5. Normally I drink lot of water and that helped me a lot in this.
6. The only thing i have done which i didnt like is, I started eating fruits, and you know what, I started loving them.
7. I replaced my regular tea with green tea
My suggestion to the people suffering from obesity is, please do not go for unnatural methods like liposuction or other things. If you lose weight in natural methods, it is good for you and more than that, you can maintain it if you lose weight in natural methods.
I am on a similar diet, commonly refered to as the “paleo” or “Primal” diet. I eat alot of lean meats, eggs, butter and some leafy greens. No grains, starches, sugars or beans. I lost 10 pounds in 8 days and that included a cheat day on saturday. I can assure you it was not water weight because I am drinking 75-100 OZ of water a day in order to superhydrate. This is no longer a “diet” it is a lifestyle and one that will make you healthier and better looking. try reading “good calories, bad calories” and watching the documentary FAT HEAD!!…the truth is out there.
hi Friends
my age is 20 and my weight is 96 KG, which is too much , and now i really want to lose my weight, as much as possible, but my Question is, is it possible to lose my Weight with Diet Plan, so my dear friends please help me, and tell me the best diet plan, what should i eat what shouldnt i eat, and also about Exercises and Drinks,
Waiting for your nice comments and Diet Plans,
Regrads
im 33 years old i dont eat a hole alot of food i like i use to i use to all the time i dont no more thats were i gained alot of my weight at i lost ten pounds but i just gained one pound back
My husband and I have just started the slow-carb diet and have a question about the cheat day. Before starting this diet we were healthy eaters – no processed foods, no refined grains, lots of fruit and veggies, etc. My husband says that on cheat days we need to eat nothing but junk food, none of then “healthy” stuff we used to eat counts. I have no desire to eat junk food ever! I look forward on my cheat days to stuffing myself with the fruits, whole grain baked goods and dark chocolate that I’m not supposed to eat the other days of the week. He says those foods don’t count as cheating — comments??Suggestions??
Hi Roberta,
I can relate to your healthy eating lifestyle. Cheat days are for indulgence, that can equate to donuts and candy or whole grain cereals and an abundance of fruit. Either way you go about it, they are necessary.
If your husband wants to indulge with processed foods, try not to rain on his parade. You should spike your caloric intake with the foods that will keep you in line with the upcoming 6 days.
I tend to spend the day Starbucks! Good luck.
I love this post i’m a mother of 3, so not much time to work on losing weight, but I found a great site with free weight loss offer. with nothing to loss I tried it and it. Ladies do give up and loss the weight I did. Thanks
What about a Monster Energy drink for breakfast and then follow the meal plan for the other two meals. The monster gives me sooo much energy in the morning.
Hi I’m a 13 year old kid who weighs 198. i want to lose lots and lots of weight for football, I want to lose at least 10-20 lbs if possible. I need lots of help I just researched this website and I DON’T WANT TO BE 200 lbs at all because if I do I will probably have major health problems. So please help me I really need this weight loss and I need to boost my metabolism and it will really take the weight off my mos shoulders.:(
i mean moms shoulders. oops
Is Quaker healthy…such as their oatmeal and ancient grains snack bars?
How fast can you lose weight with these tips??
Waiting for a reply,
Melanie
Great article especially your thoughts on carbs and protien which everyone should abide to .My ideas are similar,check out my blob sometime thanks les
Hello Sir,
i am a 24 year old guy,my weight is 135 kg,i have too much problems in my life,i want to loose weight but i don”t know how i can..i am in very big trouble plz advice me what i can do?
i will be very thankfull to you for your good advice..
Thanks
Regards
Qasim Ahmed Khan
Hi guys, been on this diet for just over 2 weeks now and have lost about 12lbs with no exercise! I have recently (last few days), been taking Whey Protein powder with water to get my 30g protein in the morning. I find it easier to do it this way rather than making food every morning (very lazy I know 🙂 ), so I was wandering if this is ok for the slow carb diet?
Thanks!
i am almost 45. i have been on this diet for 5 weeks. i never cheat except on my 1 day a week cheat day. i have lost only 2 pounds as of right now. tomorrow is my cheat day, and i always gain 2 pounds back on cheat days. i am doing four 1-hour long zumba classes a week and strength training 1-2 times per week. i started the exercise in beginning of january. The diet i started on april 2. i have lost 7.75 inches total if i always measured accurately.the first week i lost 4 pounds but then gained 2 back on saturday. The weight i gain back on cheat day doesn’t come off till friday and saturday morning weigh-in.Then i gain it right back! What am i doing wrong?! !!Every single morning i eat 2 or 3 eggs with no sugar salsa,with peppers and onions on top. For lunch, grilled chicken breast cut up with 1 tablespoon mayo and curry,2 packets aspartame(equal),half a cup carrots cut up and cashews maybe (15-20),a little lime juice and a pinch cayenne pepper that is my chicken salad which i eat every day. Dinner is chicken breast or lean steak marinated with oil and vinegar and spices, and grilled with peppers and onions and guacamole or i have turkey chili or 96% lean ground beef chili with white, black and red beans. then for “dessert” around 10 p.m.,1-2 tablespoons almond butter, and 1 diet cherry pepsi. The only thing i can think of that i might be doing wrong is drinking about 4 large glasses water a day (not enough)-right? Also, 2 cups sometimes 3 cups coffee a day using 3 packets aspartame per cup (=9 in coffee +2 in chicken salad) Could this be the problem? + a diet pepsi maybe that is too much aspartame although tim says in the 4-hour body, aspartame does not interfere with fat loss. i am so frustrated and on the verge of giving up although i really don’t want to. Does anyone have any advice on my situation? i would really appreciate any help/advice anyone has to offer!!!
Hi Cheryl,
I can’t offer you any advice apart from to say your experience is very similar to mine in case that is any reassurance. I have written about it on my own site in a few recent articles. The thing that has kept me going with this diet is simply that I find it intriguing and a challenge, and the fact that I am not getting any worse – I do see a little progress in terms of weight loss but very very little and certainly nothing like the claims about the diet Tim makes in his book.
I also appreciate that everyone is different so maybe that’s something to do with it.
I’m on about week 13 or 14 and want to be sure I’ve given the diet a good chance – I think I have now. I don’t even drink diet sodas, just tea and water. I basically stick to the diet but don’t see huge results – just some (minimal and relatively slow) results. I also don’t do as much exercise as you do, but then the diet and this blog post specifically claims you don’t need to.
Come by my site and say hi if you want to compare notes more – I’d be very interested in your take on my experience as I think it’s very similar to yours. I think I will transition into allowing fruits back into my diet, taking more exercise and making drinking plenty of water a more fundamental part of the diet too.
take care & best wishes,
Alan
Cheryl/Alan,
Cheryl – I read you post and couldn’t help but note a few things I have avoided. The first is Mayo, cashews, and onions all add carbs. The second is artificial sweeteners. I have been on this for three weeks with no artificial sweetenrs, no mayo, no cashews, and no regular onions. I also only eat green onions. I only use Ms. Dash as seasonings. I have lost several inches and at last weigh-in, which is the day after my cheat day, I have lost a total 7.6 pounds after two weeks.
Cheryl/Alan,
One of the things I have noticed about the posts from othrs with a lack of success is their weight when they start. I was rather over weight, I weighed 243.8 when I started and am down to 236.2. If you have less inches and less weight, this would be a more maintenance diet. THese are all observations I have made. Further, the calorie count I am running into is between 1200 and 1600 depending on bean quanity and carrot snacks I eat.
Alan,
I think I will go ahead and check out your site. I know you were not condemning the diet. I have a co-worker doing this with me and she is down 3 inches in one week. So, I respect the admission that it at least helps you maintain.
hey, what about pure veggies…..are only beans(all types) enough for the diet plan and can i have beans all day 3-4times a day???
Jenny,
3-4 meals. On each of them you want to have beans, veggies, and a meat for each meal. I am 3 weeks in and am now down 10.8 pounds. in between meals I snack on carrots, pickles, or cucumbers. I also have a glass of wine every night. The post says to have red, but do white zinfadel and have had no issues.
On the cheat day I pretty much do what I want. I drink beer, eat chips, eat ice cream, I do whatever. good luck and if you have any questions, post them. I check in once to twice a day. I am very serious about this. I have gone from 243.8 to 233 and am esctatic.
Update to my mission. Just to recap: Initial weight was 243.8. I am now three weeks into it and I have lost, as of today, 10.8 pounds.
I weigh myself the morning after the cheat day. Week one had a 4 pound loss and since it has been 3 pounds per week. I am about 4 inches down in pant sizes and back into a lot of my old wardrobe.
Another update on my status next sunday.
hey i weigh 136 and im 5’3 and tryin to get down to 130.
but i dont know how. vive tried things, but they simply dont work.
can you make a list of foods that are good for vegetarian diets. I just want to loose weight and i dont have time to excersise everyday.
hi, can someone tell me if we are allowed to eat guacamole on this diet, i know tim says he eats it on one of his meals but i just want to double check if guacamole is ok to eat. i know dairy products are not allowed on this diet but i know guacamole has got cream in it, or do i have to eat a certain low carb guacamole and if so please can someone confirm this for me
Guacamole is just a smashed up avocado with some salt. Make it yourself. I never heard of guacamole that has cream in it. Yeah, you may add tomatoes, onion and lemon if you want that taste. So just buy the ingredients (basically avocados) and you got clean guacamole.
I like the time elements but some of the food listed is kinda UCK! Lentils?? Are there more mainstream foods that can replace some of these? I am going to try it and I will let you know. Cross your fingers
I’m 14, 110 lbs and trying to lose 15 lbs so I can be under 100 again. I was looking for a diet that hopefully I could use for the rest of my life to stay skinny, but this diet doesn’t seem to have enough variety nor does it include any fruits. And fruits are my favorite food! I’m also a little skeptical of the cheat day thing because, although I understand that indulging in a treat once in a while is fine, pigging out completely just doesn’t sound healthy. Can someone tell if this diet actually works? Thanks
@Namisha – you’re 14!! You have 5 to 10 more years where your body is going to continue growing, even if you think you’re fully grown now. During this point you will store fat, gain muscle, grow bone, and go through many changes that will just keep you discouraged if you focus on weight. Unless you’re less than 4 feet tall, you’re not going to be under 100 pounds as an adult and that’s perfectly OK. You should take care to eat healthy- it is unhealthy to be focusing on weight loss at this age, especially at 110 lbs. Skinny can actually be gross. Most of the time it is.
You can use this diet to focus on eating healthy. Stay away from white and processed foods. Stay away from fruits, or have them on your cheat day (and yes, cheat day works, but where it fails is most people’s self-discipline, when they feel like they can continue cheat day into a portion of the following day. That’s a no-no.) Spiking your food intake load isn’t unhealthy, for several reasons that you can read about elsewhere. The unhealthy part is doing that spike for more than one day a week, which is the trap that most people (including me) have fallen into.
For you, I would use this diet it as a way of healthy eating and not a means to lose weight. I used to love fruits so it was hard to give them up, but now that I have, I don’t miss them. After having been on 4HB for a long time, I’ll allow myself a banana or some fruit right after a workout, but really I don’t bother.
But here is the truth, as laid out in Tim’s book: There is no such thing as a “balanced diet”, ANYTHING Processed is bad for you, sugars are bad for you, Low-fat is bad for you, grains and other animal feed are bad for you. If you want to take care of yourself, focus on eating food and not food-like products. Read the ingredient labels and don’t eat food with anything chemical in it. High fructose corn syrup = garbage. Take a walk around the supermarket sometime and take a look at ingredient labels and look for that infernal stuff. It horrified me when I found out how much it’s in everything.
Again – you’re too young to be focusing on weight loss. If you’re only 110 pounds, then it sounds like there is a bigger underlying problem as well. No matter what weight I have been, I have always seen and STILL see a fat guy in the mirror. Even when I was super lean and skinny. You need to build up numbers and data so that you can know that what you see in the mirror isn’t real. You can do that by taking photos, taking circumference measurements of yourself, and clocking things like mile-run time, or weight lifted, or body fat percent. The scale is like a realtor. It will not tell you the whole story.
Another one of the many ways that you may be able to achieve fasts weight loss or rapid weight loss is with the use of a cleanse. These cleanses are commonly referred to as colon cleanses or weight loss cleanses. Cleanses work by removing toxins and extra weight, actually waste, from your body. It has been said that most individuals have at least seven or eight pounds of waste stored in their bodies. A weight loss cleanse or a colon cleanse should help remove those toxins from your body. Like, please visit me.
i am 49 and un able to lose any weight tried for 30 days with all that has been told why pl help me to lose 20 lb of weight
I was on this diet for about 5 months. It was awesome that I lost so much weight so fast but limiting myself to only eat meat, beans, SOME vegetables and cheese (no fruit, no carbs, no sugars) was torture. This is the most difficult diet I have ever heard of. Grocery shopping made me angry because there is almost nothing that doesn’t have carbs or sugar.
Though I was so happy about losing all of that weight, as soon as I went off the diet I immediately started gaining it back. It’s been a year since I stopped the diet and I now weight more than I did when I started it. I know who few people who have gone on this diet and they all had the exact same thing happen to them.
m a mother of a 8 months child.my weight is 77 kgs height 5’5 inch.want to lose 15 kg
This is fantastic information. I have been going throught the ups and downs of weight loss in the last couple of years. There are some great tips in this blog. What I found from reading is the disgusting amount of garbage that is in our processed foods nowadays. I just try to stay away from them and eat 5 times a day instead of 3. Please come visit my site if you get a chance…there’s some great information on there.
all these diets are totally misleading. After reading the nutrition section of the wiki article on carbohydrates, I realized that carbs are not an essential nutrient. That means that they are not used in metabolism. Also, in hospitals, feed tubes do not dispense carbs – just proteins and fats. researching how digestion works (max 8 hours) and how long material stays in your system (up to 3 days), I formulated this plan:
Eat whatever and however much you want EXCEPT up until 8 hours before going to bed. Within 8 hours of going to bed, avoid carbs and eat as much GOMBS based meals as possible. After dinner, only have water (no teas or others). Losing 2 pounds a week is easy on this, and you still get to eat all your favourites for breakfast or lunch.
What’s GOMBS base meals?
I love this diet its my 5th day and have lost 7 lbs already !
I love the foods that you prepare but anyway after reading your post here all i can say is you have made a lot of good points in here. And I think the good thing about avoiding eating anything white is it also keeps you away from sugar 🙂 .
I’m going to try a diet like this. I am a growin teenager and every Friday will be my cheat day because of youths group. In fact today I had a bag of popcorn, so much chocolate, and 4 slices of pizza. Duh, I’m still hungry after this but naw I’m good 🙂 but really, this diet doesn’t seem harmful. I’m scared because losing to much weight at a time isn’t good for you. Yes, I eat 4 small meals a day and my daily calorie intake (average) is about 1,900, but with activity? About 1,800. I eat fruit, and veggies daily and as a Vegetarin eat protien every meal too. I hope eating fruit, limiting carbs, exersising much much more and joining a sports team as well. and I also hope that this summer in Quebec I will be able to eat healthy and lose weight as well. Summer vacation will be filled with healthy salads and lots of vegetables. Please reply and help me come up with something 🙂 I’m 15 a girl and yeah, I’m a bit overweight, and i weigh around 130 but I really wanna go down. 5”5 small boned.
PS I eat protien powder every morning.
PPS screw calorie calculators, I’m activer in the summer.. In fact I’m going for a bike ride right now. but I use them just to keep my limit
One of the best ways of managing our body flexible, fit and fat free is introducing effective exercises into our daily life. To reduce weight the exercises should be in the way such that whole body will be benefited with it as body parts are fully functioning inter-dependent ones. One who wants to diminish weight is provided with the most successful and motivating exercises namely Swimming, Pilates, Yoga, Kick Boxing, Power Walking etc.
One must also reduce stress to lower the effects of hormones on weight retention. Really like the Idea of repeating the meal recipies because that will form a habit and once embeded that subtle conditioning will be hard to break.
Can the food be flavored? For example the black beans, can I purchase ones that are already flavored? Or do you recommend only purchasing fresh and cooking them myself? What types of flavoring can I use?
Since 2004 I work as wellness coach and coach people to a healthy weight. I have a blog with FREE tips. Send me your email and I will send you the FREE tips
Does anyone know if there is a list of recipes for this diet anywhere?
Thanks
Tim
This a great article and site. I also am working on losing weight and created a blog and website. With my resources I found that drinking water, good nutrition, workout and a good sleep you can have a very fast weight loss. I go for losing 45 pounds in 2 months.
you said rice is bad. Is that all rice, or just white rice?
Because of the popularity of natural diet pills, more and more people are choosing them for losing weight naturally. And we can pick some reasons that why we should go for them. Natural ones are useful in increasing metabolism, therefore when it is so, metabolism works faster thereby we lose big amount of calories, which in turn loses weight.
Usage of products made of organic fruits, berries herbs and plants are the natural ways of weight lose. And products such as fruits and plants are very for good for health as we know. Food items that contain fruits are rich in anti-oxidant. Anti-oxidants keeps the body lose weight and to the skin to look healthy and beautiful. Hence we can come to a conclusion that natural weight loss pills are safer because they are natural.
IM GUNA TRY THIS, starting this week!! woo hoo!!
I just wanted to clarify something.. muscle does not weigh more than fat.. one pound of muscle is exactly the same as one pound of fat… it just looks differently on your body.. muscle is tight and contained.. fat is just all over and jiggly.. but a pound is a pound!
Hi all,
My question is if anyone has any experience about wether an “extended” cheat day would be a great problem or not.
I think this slow carb diet is more of a lifestyle than a diet to be maintained for a month or limited time. As a european-mediterranean guy, the restrictions are not difficult and included meals are easier to find out of home than in the US, with lots of recipes everywhere.
But my problem is social & family life. I can’t skip some family breakfast, some dinner, and so on with 3 little kids I can’t see often in the weekdays… So I could do Saturday my cheat day but would need to maybe extend to sunday morning -sunday lunch… Has anyone read or know anything about the effects of 1,5-2 days of cheating per week???
The first step to keeping your weight off for good is exercise. While each person will respond to exercise differently, it is recommended that individuals get at least 30 minutes of some kind of exercise each day.
Since a few years I advise people to give them a better life, with health, Fast weight loss is obviously ineffective and even injurious to your health. The good news is that there is an actual way to lose weight and feel good while doing it! Here’s the part most people don’t want to hear: It takes time. Real weight loss takes time. Here are some FREE tips.
Since having three kids I have found loosing the excess weight really difficult, I was 9stone before having my kids and a dress size 10 now my weight has crept up to 11 and a half stones and I am dress size 14, it doesn’t help that certain members of my family make a point of making fun of my weight gain which makes me feel more depressed and down and so I end up binging on biscuits or chocolates. But now my cousin is getting married in August and I want to loose the weight, I have started eating a healthier breakfast, wholemeal toast(no butter) two eggs scrambled, lunch can be tricky if I am at home then I will eat healthy, fruit or tuna salad but if I have been out shopping with my three year old I will come home famished and end up eating a couple of biscuits and a snack size chocolate bar, the evening meal I prepare from scratch if I cook a chicken curry or beef or lamb curry the meat is always lean and I add onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger,corriander. I still dont seem to be losing any weight, is this due to eating in between meals
in fact some of the clothes I could fit in to last year now feel rather snug. HELP!
Well,
I started at 243.8 and 6 weeks later on this I am down to 227 and almost 6 inches smaller in my pant size. So, if nothing else I wuld say this is a successful way to live.
I am averaging almost 3 pounds per week.
Haha, Al – You have dominion over your children too – that doesn’t mean you should eat them (or does it?).
It appears God cannot make up his mind as he gave us only the “seed bearing plants” and then after the great flood decided we should just “get everything,” then later revoked pork….so, yeah.
But seriously, my question is probably a no brainer – but what of alcohol? I’m under the assumption beer is adding to my love handles. Do you have a suggestion as to what is a safe amount of alcohol to ingest? I mean, are we talking vodka and diet tonics here, or is it mandatory on your diet to just go dry?
(if possible!)
Thanks 😀
How do we feel about olives? Too high in salt?
Hi, Thanks for the tips on weight loss. I gained up to 200 pounds because of a medical snafu. I am dealing with diabetes, and I have always had a metabolic weight problem, so I’m always fightin it.. I lost 50 pounds…just by adding tap dancing and ballroom dancing which is great exercise! It is a little embarrassing to be tap dancing at almost 200 pounds and over 40… lol … but you do what you got to do! Then I got in a car wreck, I ended up back up 15 pounds. I’m 60 pounds from my goal, what I feel a comfortable weight for me would be. I was looking for some tips…Yours are good ones, thanks!
Hi,
Since 2004 I work as wellness coach and coach people to a healthy weight. Maybe these FREE tips help you to get the right results.
Since 2004 I work as wellness coach and coach people to a healthy weight. Some approach to weight loss is obviously ineffective and even injurious to your health. The good news is that there is an actual way to lose weight and feel good while doing it! Here’s the part most people don’t want to hear: It takes time. Real weight loss takes time. Maybe these FREE tips help you to get the right results .
Some approach to weight loss is obviously ineffective and even injurious to your health. The good news is that there is an actual way to lose weight and feel good while doing it! Here’s the part most people don’t want to hear: It takes time. Real weight loss takes time.
Since 2004 I work as wellness coach and coach people to a healthy weight. hat sugars are unhealthy, we knew already for a longtime. Only now we even know better how unhealthy. Sugar helps for an accelerated aging and increases the chances of cancer.
Hi,
Since 2004 I work as wellness coach and coach people to a healthy weight. hat sugars are unhealthy, we knew already for a longtime. Only now we even know better how unhealthy. Sugar helps for an accelerated aging and increases the chances of cancer. If you’ve tried countless fat diets and have not obtained the results you want, try making a lifestyle adjustment instead. If you’ve just lost weight and you want to keep it off, make sure to exercise regularly, eat the right kinds of foods and maintain a balanced diet.
Hi,
That sugars are unhealthy, we knew already for a longtime. Only now we even know better how unhealthy. Sugar helps for an accelerated aging and increases the chances of cancer. If you’ve tried countless fat diets and have not obtained the results you want, try making a lifestyle adjustment instead. If you’ve just lost weight and you want to keep it off, make sure to exercise regularly, eat the right kinds of foods and maintain a balanced diet.
HI,
Looking at the magazine section in the grocery store can be depressing. “Lose 20 pounds in two weeks!” “How Jane Celebrity lost fifty pounds in three months” “Sexier abs can be yours when you use this one miracle ingredient”. If you’ve ever tried any of these “diets”, you know how frustrating the cycle is.
Jean,
I hope you get blocked
What would you recommend for someone that has a slow metabolism and can not excercise due to a serious back injury
thanks for this advice actually my weight was 50 kgs after 30 days it exactly became 30kgthanks
Hi all,
To be completely honest, it is possible to shed pounds through diet alone. It is difficult but possible. It is also possible to be physically fit and have a few extra pounds hanging around. To a large degree we are what we eat. If we consume a high fat low substance diet our bodies are going to lack the fuel required to burn the fat. At the same time if we aren’t providing our bodies with the tools it needs to build muscle it doesn’t matter how many weights we lift. Regards, William bridges.