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
The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.
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If 1 cup of cooked white rice is estimated to have 200 calories, then how on earth does a 1/2 of cup of rice have 350 calories? BRO, YOU’RE CLUELESS. SMH
Hi, Richard –
Tim’s approximate calorie count of 300 calories per half cup is for uncooked white rice, and I think you were looking at cooked.
Best,
Team Tim Ferriss
Thanks
What if i dont eat beef or pork what can i eat instead?
And does it matter how you cook the protein
Tim I need help! I’ve been doing your 4 hour body diet for close to 4 years and have never been in better shape. However this winter, which has been very brutal in the northeast this year, I noticed my body not maintaining but rather starting to store food. My activity level is pretty high, I run 4-6 miles 2-3 times a week, I walk to and from work and back (4 miles ) 3 times a week and throw in at least two hit Crossfit like workouts a week. I have now gained over 20 lbs since my target weight last summer of 198 without breaking the diet. I have tried decreasing beans increasing veggies, postponing a cheat day to every other day or just having a cheat meal on my cheat day but nothing is working. My caloric intake is very low for my size (6.0 athletic build) yet I gain belly fat. I even went to see a thyroid specialist but levels are normal.
Don’t know what else to do, I hope you can find some time to give me some advice.
Thanks,
Tom
Try serious lifting. Not CF style but serious, intensive resistance training. With all that cardio you do, over four years maybe you have whittled away a lot of muscle as well. Keep good protein levels and add in a serious resistance training workout every week. give it two months and see what happens.
I know this is probably a crazy question and I have looked in the book and can’t find the answers anywhere …. can you eat mayonnaise, bacon and sausage on the diet?
No. Mayonnaise, bacon, and sausage are full of fats. Stick to lean protein.
Thanks Cookiepants143. I figured as much. Just thought it was worth a try. This is my third, well really 2nd week. The first week was filled with several events and lots of temptation, so I did not complete a full “stay on the diet” week.
I Know this might sound dumb but I can’t lose wieght I just can’t I need motivation….I excersice for three weeks and I give up esaliy do you know anything that can help me or somewhere I can go to lose wieght ? Plz
I stuck with this down to the letter for 4 weeks and a few days, to my horror not only did I not lose weight I gained it! I’m so upset, I took this very serious and did not stray even taking the cheat day once a week. I looked for trouble shooting answers in the book and saw common mistakes such as not eating enough food. I even incorporated the ice packs on my shoulders and neck before bed. I made sure to drink lots of water and only water except for the cup of black coffee in the morning. I ate within 30 minutes of waking up, I followed this exactly! I’m at a loss, I really wanted this to work and I’m not sure what to do at this point as I’ve strictly applied myself to the diet in the book. I’m feeling defeated and like there”s no hope at this point. I’m 5’4″ and 242lb and utterly miserable. I desperately need to loose the weight.
I would say stick with it. My progress was slow for the first month too because I already ate relatively healthy. And remember it’s not about the weight but about inches that you lose because you will be building and retaining muscle while losing fat. Weighing yourself will only dishearten you ,try measuring key areas chest, belly arms thighs etc instead. You will see movement.
By the second month 30 lbs literally vanished seemingly overnight. Even skeptics admitted they thought I was wasting my time but saw the results come out of nowhere.
Thanks this encourages me 🙂
I had the exact same experience with this diet. Sounds great on paper failed for me. I have high activity level had gotten pretty lean doing insanity and eating paleo. Thought I would give this a try to get last few pounds off. Went exactly the other way started gaining weight and fat like crazy.
Sarah, I hear you. I am having a similar problem now. Maybe consider cutting all cheese. That did work for me and I eventually lost 20 pounds. It took about 4-5 months though. When I added back cheese, my weightloss stopped. I even tried modified cheat days by only having a cheat meal and my weight stayed the same.
I think some people are insulin resistant and their bodies store even the slow carbs. Have you researched ketosis? Ketogenic diet, Jimmy Moore
I just listened to a podcast on Sean Croxtons blog talk radio and here are my notes:
Glucose test before and after eat. Should not be over 140. Find baseline.
Ketosis is good. Mental clarity, no hunger, sense of well being. Better sleep, less inflammation …Watch too high of protein. Raise the fat and veggies, not the protein.
Could be about 30 grams of protein.
80 grams is 4-6 oz meat and 2 eggs.
50 grams of carb a day.
Ketone level over .5
Need breath ketone meter.
I’m going to try reducing protein, raising coconut oil and avocado fat, and keeping up with my big salads.
Best wishes and I hope you can figure out why the pounds are not coming off.
After an intense workout for one hour I can eat whatever I want within 1.5 hours after?
How does that park work?
Re: No fruit. I take Cranberry Extract every day. Will I need to stop on this diet (except for the “day off”)? I’ve done research and have not found an answer. Thanks!
Thanks so much! This really simplifies things. I make myself nuts by trying to reinvent the wheel. By the way, it’s perfect the way it is. Don’t even try doing it! I’ll definitely update on my progress. I’ve lost 100 lbs and I have 50 to go. I’ve hit a brick wall and definitely need to do a 180 in exercise and diet. This is such a big help!
This sounds legit and safe enough,i’m gonna try it starting tomorrow. I will be back to share results or lack there of. I REALLY HOPE THIS WORKS…oh thanks for the info 🙂
Is there a vegetarian version of this?
You can make one. I’m vegan and I’ve tweaked it to work for me. Just keep in mind to stay away from Tofu or other processed soy products. I eat extra beans, spinach, soy beans (shelled edamame), and broccoli (protein rich veggies). Good luck!
I did this diet for 4 months along with p90x and lost 45 pounds. Gained 10 in muscle. Went from 250 to 200lbs. Started it again recently to cut another 20. My point is, this diet truly works.
This diet sounds great. I will start this tomorrow and see how it goes. I really want to loose around 28 pounds by November 2014
Sorry, but I am REALLY getting tired of this diet. I started it 3 weeks ago. The first week I had several events which involved lots of yummy bad food and drink, so I really shouldn’t count it. So I was true to the diet and lost 5 lbs with hardly any exercising except for walking. Any words of encouragement out there? And BTW where’s Tim in all of this?
add to my previous comment ….After the first week I was true to the diet…
Can you eat fruit
Tim,
How come some diets like whole30 are strict on legumes? [Moderator: link removed]
Seems like a lot of the popular diets have conflicting messages…
Thanks!
Hi Tim, its been 5 days now that I am fallowing to the letter the 4 hours body diet, I feel great, I am not hungry and I can feel already that I am losing weight, you motivate me a lot Thank you, I will keep you posted on my results ( my plan is to lose 20 pounds, and get fitter… I always did workout but never got the results I was hoping so it got me really frustrated) I am 43, I presently weigh 156 pounds…. I recently gain 15 trying a diet that was completely the opposite of what you tell in the book… ( hight carbs low proteine and lots of fruits) go figure!
I am glad I found you!! Thanks again
Josee
I would like to know how much of each food must be weighed or just eat and eat?
and can we eat fish?
Lose 40 pounds in 3 months. It was easy at 47 years old, a bad knee so running is out and some luxurious habits. DIET: Start cooking my own good. 5 egg omelet in the morning and 2-3 lunch boxes which would include broccoli and steak/chicken/fish, big hefty servings to be full. Steak/chicken with brown rice and veg for dinner and a bottle of wine. Yes, one bottle every night. TRAINING: 2 hour walks in the evening before dinner. Walks, that’s it. After the first month I began ending the walks with walking up long flights of stairs at a nearby park for 2, then 4 then 10 sets as my cardio improved. I also went to the gym twice a week and did an intense yet controlled circuit workout: no heavy lifts as I had a hernia rupture five years ago and have a bad knee to boot. Just isolation moves. SATURDAYS: A party every week. Lots of wine, scotch, cigars, rich French and Italian food etc. Usually involved drinking for hours and hours with friends and getting utterly blitzed. RESULTS: 40 pounds lost, incredible erections achieved (due to the cardio and blood circulation?) and compliments literally from everyone not to mention out right jealousy. People had gotten very comfortable with me being a fat drunk and enjoyed that as it made them feel better about themselves. It’s amazing how many butt hurt “friends” I had once I took my shirt off at a party and took pictures with several girls my daughters age last Spring! Just do it; it utterly changed my life.
I am a housekeeper. Everyday I am lifting objects and trying to handle Harvey bedding linens.last year during the winter, I gained 255. Mainly not getting around on food @nd riding in the car and eating comfort foods. This summer, I have been craven raw veggies, fruit, pasta, grilled chicken and fish, rice. I do eat my junk, but not much. The doctor weighted me and I was 220,the next week 216 and now 212. I walk everywhere, my doctor said that it was normal. I am comfortable being at 220lbs. I am 5711/2.and 41 years old
Hey Tim,
Good post and I can attest to the “cheat days” working. Doing a low-carb (Atkins-style) diet, I lost about 20 lbs. (10% of my body weight) in two months. During those months, I had two massive cheat days where friends made high-carb meals. As not to be rude, I ate battered fried food, beer, dessert, all kinds of crap — more carbs in a day than allowed in a week. Yet, the weight-loss did not appear to slow down.
By Atkins-style do you mean it’s okay to drink an Atkins shake? Please reply to my other comment asking if I can drink one Atkins shake a day while having eggs, beans, and veggies for lunch and dinner. Another question, you said you lose 20 lbs, is it just the weight or both weight and fat? Like is there a obvious noticeable difference of your body shape?
Julie,
I did not use and Atkins shakes or bars because they have unnatural ingredients I try to avoid. However, I did have dairy — cream and cheese — just no plain milk because it has too many carbs. That extra 20 pounds is very noticeable on me as fat around my midsection. Note that my wife did not have as much success, so it may not work for everyone. Hope that helps.
Is it okay to drink an Atkins shake once a day? I don’t have time before school to make breakfast so I just get an Atkins shake, I thought it was completely okay, but then Tim says not to drink milk, and an Atkins shake contains milk. What do I do? My diet is in the morning and Atkins shake, and then for lunch eggs, beans, veggies, and same for dinner. Help me out please, I’m really trying to lose all this fat..
Does anyone know anything about water weight. I drink about a Gallon a day sometime a little more. Is that to much. And how much weight does that useally put on someone. Because 2 days ago I gained 7 pounds and this morning I lost that 7 again and I think that the water weight. Does it go by how much you drink. Maybe I should cut down alittle on water
Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading correctly.
I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different web browsers
and both show the same results.
This is great tips to lose weight, I eating my rice but with moderation and for my vegetables my favorite broccoli, celery and spinach, and me also I do not drink milk even a soda. This is a great tips to lose weight by eating right
Nice post! The only thing I might critique personally is the suggestion that diet sodas are ok… For calorie purposes that is true, but they are the equivalent to a plague for health purposes. Thanks for the other information though, I especially liked the suggestion to stick with basic, regular foods, that makes sense.
What additions / modifications, if any, should be added to the slow-carb diet for people that maintain a regular weight lifting routine?
I have been on the slow-carb diet the past few weeks and found it got me down to my regular weight of around 190lbs (I’m fairly muscular and have never been too much overweight but a cross-country move and few months away from the gym had me around 203).
I haven’t seen any reduced performance or really felt tired during workouts (pre-workout crack-drink might have something to do that) but I’m wondering if I should add any foods in such as brown rice (mentioned that it was force fed to Neil Strauss in Occams Protocal chapter).
I’m sure some form of this question has been asked at some point but rather than scroll through hundreds of comments I figured I’d just ask.
lose body fat with no exercise its possible
Fitness coaches also always recommend diets that go with exercise and so even if you just go with diet …it can reduce weight ,even tho with exercise it becomes much faster. [Moderator: link removed]
thanks ‘
jeff
Very helpful post! I really want to lose weight but because of my busy schedules, I find it hard to do some workouts. Upon reading this article, I can now able to lose weight through the food I will be eating. Thank you Tim!
This diet sounds really good! The only problem for me is that I have IBS (irritabel Bowel Syndrome) and normally I try to follow the low fodmap diet, which means I cannot eat any kind of beans, lentils or stone fruits (avocado!) – are there any substitute for these things? Am I, for instance, allowed to eat chia porridge with coconut milk and berries for breakfast?
Since I have IBS (Irritabel Bowel Syndrome), I cannot eat any kind of beans, lentils or stone fruits (avocado!). Are there any substitute for these things? How about fish and nuts? Am I allowed to eat chia porridge with coconut milk for breakfast? Thanks!
Should i avoid. Tuna and peanuts …i eat alot of Albacore. Tuna is that gonna help me lose lbs???
I have done this diet twice and experienced great results. I have gained some weight back after some medical problems but am healthy now. I am doing the diet for the third time and have lost almost no weight over the course of nearly a year. Can anyone give me advice?
I read the book and have a question on corn, is that considered white?
I get the ‘no white foods’ thing. But what about whole grain breads or pastas? are they out too? Aren’t they ok versus white breads/pastas?
NO white foods means no pasta, potatoes, bread. Onions and garlic are okay, however.
Where are you getting your calcium from in this diet? Please don’t tell me a supplement….
Broccoli, spinach, and legumes = tons of calcium. Humans are not built to drink milk except their mothers’, and not past infancy. You can always take a calcium supplement if you like, but too much calcium = constipation, anyway.
you eat dinner at 10pm? you must be Polish lol
What about fruit, can I still eat fruit and get the same results?
If you want to lose weight, no fruit! It has natural sugar which interferes with this lifestyle. You can have it on your cheat day, of course. 🙂
Hi can i lose weight only by dieting? I work from 8-8 and can’t get time to exercise so can i lose weight only by dieting? I am planning to lose atleast 10-15 kgs pls suggest
What about quinoa and steel cut oats?
what about milk for protein shakes? Even this is not allowed?
Hi Chris, Great advice!Thank you for your healthy diet. I will have a try.
I am wondering if I have to do the PAGG/AGG supplements for this to work? if so this something you do forever.. or should i stop when i reach my target weight?
The Chicago summit and the famous lecture of Swami Vivekananda became a
turning point with the introduction of Yoga to the Western world.
“Breathing is how you let your body know that what is happening is okay. Aromatherapy and herbal medicines are also other examples of the methods you can use in getting pregnant help.
good tips about vegetarians.
I have been jogging approximately 2 miles 3-4 times per week, watching what i eat, and drinking tons of water, but i cannot drop any weight!!! I’ve been at this long enough that I should have seen some progress, but nothing. I’ve been stuck at 150 lbs, I’m 39 years old, and 5’4″. I’ll try eating only the foods you talked about, fingers crossed, but is there any other advice you can give to help me? I am trying to get to around 135 lbs. I want to be healthy as well as look healthy..;.but can’t seem to lose a pound…
Mistakes To Avoid With Cardio
– Not Eating Before Exercising
Some people seem to believe the not eating before they do cardio
training is a great way to burn as much fat as possible. While this may be
true for some, the vast majority of people should not do this. Your
performance will decline, and even worse, you will end up losing muscle
as well.
– Cardio Alone Will Not Keep You In Shape
Cardio should always be an integral part of everyone’s workout routines.
Yet many believe for whatever reason that this is all they need to do to
burn extra calories and stay fit. Many times this leads to overtraining,
exhaustion and injuries.
– Change Up Your Cardio Routine
This is in line with the previous mistake on this list. Variation is essential
to a well-rounded workout. Even if you don’t like running, you can still
hit up and elliptical machine, cycles, or even a stair climber!
This is such an exciting concept. I started this morning.
Sounds pretty simple and easy to do. I am 5″10 and 202 pounds which is the first time I have ever been at over 200. I was weighting 173 about a yr ago and I just feel lazy and slow. That’s why I want to lose at least 25 to 30 pounds. I am 64 yrs old and in good shape except for my weight. If there’s any other tip you can suggest please let me know. I would really appreciate your feedback on this issue. Thanks…
I was your weight, too. I lost 42 pounds in 3.6 months on this. You cannot make any exceptions to this diet if you want to kick the weight. I maintain by eating this same diet still, only now walk/jog up to 3 miles a day on the treadmill (one television episode, at 3.4 – 3.6 MPH), and do some light weights 3x/week (upper body twice, legs 1x). Good luck!
In this blog post it mentions that you can eat white carbs within 1.5 hours of finishing a resistance-training workout of at least 20 minutes in length. However in the book it is only 0.5 hours. Which one should I be following?
i am 52 and a newlywed. Within one year i have gained 30 pounds of fat right in middle. I am going to give this a try.
Awesome post.
You can read other cheating stories when you already know what the other’ s infidelity feels like.
Yet, when men are the cuckold in the cheating stories,
they suffer all the more, because they have a bruised
ego besides a broken heart. This is unlike other relationships where you are limited
to the experience and the pleasures of your partner only.
trying to let you know that on a combination of raw spinach lots of it, beans and protein, my sister got oxcalic acid toxicity….low hematocrit,low,magnesium,low calcium,total loss of energy…you should maybe warn people….she does everything hardcore…like our whole family,thank you for great info otherwise
I’ve been following this diet for the past 3 and a half weeks and have lost a grand total of… 6 pounds. It’s ridiculously frustrating that after 3 weeks of eating nothing but eggs, black beans (and the occasional spoon of refried beans), salad (with a little olive oil and vinegar), lentils, and occasionally grilled chicken, I have next to nothing to show for it. In fact, some days I’ll gain half a pound and spend about 2 days losing that, and then not lose anything. I’m also exercising every day, so I don’t know what else I can do.
Thank you great stuff
What if I don’t eat any kind of beans (unless you count hummus) and also, what about fruits?
Hummus is actually carbohydrates (chick peas are not protein-based), and if you don’t make it yourself, it’s probably chock full of other other chemicals (except organic). No fruit except cheat days. Good luck!
Sorry, but I really don’t think that gorging myself once a week with loads of ice cream and a mountains worth of snickers bars is going to help me lose weight.
He is not RECOMMENDING that you do that; he is using his own sweet tooth as an example of a cheat day!
Cheat days are necessary in the beginning, as you cannot completely deprive yourself at first of your favorite unhealthy foods or you will fall off of the wagon. And it really does work to “jolt” your body so that it doesn’t plateau too early. So have something else: pizza? Bread? A fast food day? A fattening soup? Sandwich?
After a while, your body will NOT like cheat day; I love fried chicken, and will usually have it on my cheat day (Saturdays), but I still get a “fried chicken hangover” and my body wants to go back to the good stuff.
I’ve lost 40+ lbs. and have kept it off– I am very grateful that he shared this plan for everyone–and for free! He even included one of my turkey casserole recipes in his cookbook.
Either way, don’t knock it until you try it. It’s a life-changer! 🙂
How many ounces of
Chicken
Veggies
Carbs
Should be consumed in each meal to lose weight
Thank you
I know that soy products can mess with your metablism but as a vegetarian, what are some good subsituations for all the meat?
What are some acceptable protein substitutes for vegetarians (i.e. yes, fish and chicken are meat! lol)?
I am a very efficient dieter while the weather is comfortable. Then from the end of October to late Spring, I find it difficult to eat light. Too many holiday meals, and the cold midwest weather. I just crave hot soups and stews, and carbs. Any suggestions to get back on track while surviving the winter?
Could you possibly incorporate smoothies in this diet
Hi
I have been reading your diet, my cuestion is : I have hiv , but my c4 is very strong, can I do this diet?
Thank
i am 190 i have never weighted this much besides when i was carring my kids i want to loose at least 30 40 pounds can any one help me out please i want to look sexy again
Hi Tim, I have some questions about the diets relating to my situation:
1. I am not a fat girl (based on what my friends told me) but not slender. I started this plan 3 weeks ago to cut off fat from my big thighs to look nicer in my jeans (my hip size is OK). Is the plan effective for me? I haven’t seen any change so far. I do think it works but it may take long to take effect, just need your confirmation. I ate a lot of crackers, sweet stuffs on my cheat day.
2. Is eating nuts such as fresh/fried peanuts on daily basis OK?
3. If I succeed in cutting off my fat, could I stop the diet? Does it make me gain weight again? Because returning to my old diet mean that I will consume rice every day
Thanks Tim.
read the book. not sure about fat intake amount, just that guacamole, avocado, nuts ore permitted. but how much? – keep reading elsewhere that fat intake should be about 20% ?? also is dry popcorn allowed for a snack?
Trying to lose weight I’m 17 and I’m 220 need help
How do u get your grains??? What if u do work out 3 times a week?
I have a very close friend, like a second daughter to me, who has been working out very hard with an in-home personal trainer since March, 2014, she also does Intensity classes /&or any class offered anywhere through Athleta stores or even the Blue Cross office nearby even in the same day.!
She walks & runs her dog twice daily. She uses her eliptical @ home when time & energy allow. Her diet is precisely as you’ve described above! Additionally, she has added ‘fat burner’ supplements, including using cinnamon or cayenne pepper on all meals.
She has lost 60lbs. (has maybe 20 more to lose), has great endurance & works out very hard (90 minute sessions) every time she’s at the gym, warming up with cardio (30 minutes), then working with weights. She joined a gym as she had gone as far as she could w/ her trainer’s weights.
This past weekend she had her gym eval. The male trainer put her on the defensive right away by ignoring the 90 minute workout she’d just done, telling her she has 35 more pounds of ‘FAT’ to lose & then making her do pullups which have now left her feeling injured in her shoulders. She came away totally defeated!!
My question: (this woman has been a ‘large girl’ her whole life, though ‘athletic’ in build)—What more can she do to see more results? Just keep up this pace? Expect it to take another year? She’s down multiple pants sizes, is wearing clothes from her ‘thin’ mother’s closet, yet she hasn’t achieved the definition in her arms nor legs (except while she’s lifting) that she feels a “thin” her should have. Help?? .
Thanks for the info. I’ll be looking for your book this week.
Can I reduce the normal quantity of food i take in in order to burn fat cause am not good in exercises
Quick question…what about quinoa? I’m not a huge fan of lentils and wondering if I could replace them with quinoa once or twice a day instead…would the diet still be effective? If not I can always eat lentils and such I would just rather not :/
Hi I need your help I have been on so many diets I fail them all I am emotional eater not able to do much exercise my legs don’t work like they should . I am female age 53 5 ft tall and weigh 170. Please help me don’t know where to start.
Just stated the diet above. Will keep you posted. Unless I missed it, you don’t mention fish. Would you include fish in this diet?
I’m 5’5 weigh 400 and I’ve tried everything I ate less walked more cut out all sugars drank 8 32oz glasses of water I have no money so can’t buy the good stuff help me
Hi, I’m 15 and I am 265lbs. I’ve been ,ain’t volleyball since I was in second grade. We work out 2 times a week for 2 hours. One is practice one is running. I cannot seem to lose weight, I just gain. Someone help!
Loved the article, going to dive into 4 hour series to do my best to get at least 10% of the success Tim achieved (at least in fitness, ’cause I can’t really believe that there is a man who is this kind successful in so many spheres. I mean, c’mon, dude, do you actualy sleep? 🙂 ) This post really got me fired up to try it. (Im hungry allready, bowels making noise) also cant wait to find out about your traveling. Have you ever been to Zante, Tim? You deffinitely should try, it’s great.
Do I have to eat these specific foods, or can I substitute foods from within the listed food groups as long as I don’t eat the white carbohydrates?
Hi!
I’m 13 years old and way too overweight for my age!! It’s my cousin’s wedding in two weeks and I really need help with my current situation!! Can anyone help me because I am very desperate!! I’ve tried 5-6 diet plans but none of them work, instead I ended up gaining more weight!! If there is anyone out there who can help please do as I already mentioned, I am highly desperate!!
Rameen Mashhood
Lahore, Pakistan
I just realized I too have recorded all my workouts since the age of 18. Is that a thing now? 🙂
A year ago I weighed 147 lbs, but I quit smoking due to extreme health issue, I had died…brought back last january so quit…I have only 27% lung function left, and over this year my weight went to 206…I have never gone that high ever.. Certain food which I should avoid produce imflammation, and its recommended exercise but only what I can do…also breathing exercises..do you have a plan for people like me? Will this plan help?
I really like this information, I have been loosing weight since last year I have succeeded 21.6 pounds, I eat 2x less then I used to since I started working, my muscles have built up and yet my stomache area too is becoming more thin and toning, still this information seems to supply information of what level I am at within doing so, right now I am cutting back on extra sugars and carbs, more also the sodium, I am so thankful to be in a comfort area of my ways of changing my figure and weight,i am thankful to not be depressed anymore about how I look, but I will not stop caring.
and I am not looking for the weight I have lost, it is gone and rid of.
Followed your rules and got results! 30lbs loss, total Cholesterol 151, Blood pressure 113/69, glucose 80 (fasting) from my last health screening. Thank you Tim!
Hi Tim and the team
How do you overcome if you want to have something sweet or a piece of fruit?
Thanks a lot for making me think and learn again. I’m really enjoying it.
Take care and all the best
Great post, I agree with most of it especially cutting out “white” carbohydrates. As far as not drinking your calories I would also avoid diet sodas. Studies have shown that drinking them will cause an increase in hunger.
I would caution people on the Saturday cheat day. DO NOT start this after midnight on Friday and keep it up until you go to bed at 3AM Saturday night (Sunday morn). KEEP YOUR CHEAT DAY but cut it to max of 8 hours. Tim even talks about going on a protein fast on Friday night and then eating his first bit of protein later in the day on Saturday. I suggest eating a non cheat breakfast or if you are lucky enough to be one of those people that sleep in just skip breakfast and shoot for a noon or 1PM brunch to go crazy. Look at the clock when you take your first bite of doughnut and be sure to stop your cheat day 8 hours later. Like a brunch snack and dinner combo. ENJOY THIS FOOD WITH NO GUILT!
I have also experimented with 2 cheat meals a week on Saturday and Wednesday and this had similar results.
Tim, thank you for this post (from 2007 haha, I know I am late)
For those of you that have not read 4HB this blog is a crucial part of what is taught. And 4HC will have most likely changed what Tim is eating slightly but he maintains the slow carb principles just in a much tastier way!
This is what I have learned from my experiences. Do not quit the slow carb awesomeness or cheat day if it is not working for you. Experiment with what does work and let me know of your findings 🙂
This is an AWESOME blog post!!!!! I am doing my best to get back in shape. I recently had major surgery and before that I was paralyzed due to complicatons during childbirth. Now I am walking but I’m wayyyyyyy out of shape. Reading information like this really encourages me in my pursuit of healthiness!
good post but…THE AUTHOR RECOMMENDS DRINKING DIET SODA. DO NOT DO NOT DRINK DIET SODA! DO NOT DRINK DIET SODA!!!! DIET SODAS CONTAIN ASPARTAME, A NEUROTOXIN THE THUG FDA SOMEHOW ALLOWS IN OUR FOOD!!!
I’m a vegetarian. Please–this isn’t something I just decided to do 10 years ago; it’s life long. I was born to a vegetarian. Point: I can’t eat meat. If I just use extra legumes/eggs, will this still work? Thanks!
I just want to ask I started this diet from 3 weeks ago i only lose 3 pound i want to know why where is the problem why this diet is not working with me ????? Some answer please
How does working out play a part in the slow-carb diet? The book says you can have some carbs but not any amount. I want to do the slow carb and still workout. Any advice?
Hi. I am 17 and I am close to 200 lbs. I really want to lose weight by may for prom. I have been trying to keep a straight diet since January, but havnt seen any results. How can I boost my metabolism high enough so that what I eat doesn’t just turn to fat? Thanks!!
You have to seriously obtain the minimum amount of calories a day from carbohydrates WHILE you exercise consistently. Don’t run 5 miles or any miles at all. Walk briskly to warm up and then do leg exercises with light weights (as in, weights that you could do about 25 – 30 reps with) and do 3 sets. Don’t do the sets too close together. Allow your breathing to go back to normal between sets. Then, if you really wanna lose quick, do chest and back exercises too. Ask someone to help you at the gym or something. I know its weird, but its the way. Low weight high rep will shred fat off of you as quickly as possible. Eat lots of vitamin C.
Yo. I’m using my gf’s profile. My name is Cody. I’m 6’2″ 165 lb. I am fairly active, like as in when I get a pump from exercising with just a 25 lb weight I kind of look meaty. But – to my concern – I’ve lost 5 lbs in 2 days. I am supposed to eat about 3150 calories a day baseline. I think I may have had approximately a 2000 – 3000 calorie deficit in those 2 days. (maybe 2000 calories the first day and 1000 the second). I seriously feel like eating is a task. Should I be concerned? I don’t think that 3000 calories is worth 5 lbs. Unless that is, my muscles are deteriorating somehow from the lack of caloric intake? IDK, I just feel like I need to eat 5 boxes of donuts to get back to a normal weight.
Check out Tim’s article on here about putting on weight. It’s great info and gives a possible answer to your concern
A huge portion of the comments here are completely contradictory to the article. It’s like most of the people didn’t even bother to read it. A gigantic portion of advice is regurgitating(vomiting up) the same old unworkable diet theories that have Failed millions of people for decades. I am begging that people stop trying to force the old calories in calories out mantra.it’s not true and it doesn’t work. The human body is So much more complicated than that. It’s not a car, and you are not putting gas in. Everything from hormonal imbalances to hydration effect how the body metabolizes and absorbs food and nutrients.
Please people, coment specifically to the article, or better yet the book (which is fantastic and fun and works wonders). Telling people asking questions about this specific diet to ignore the diet suggested, and to just continue to do what doesn’t work is unfair to the person questioning and the author.
Thank you
As a Hispanic tortillas is a must at the table is that ok or should it be cut off?
TIm, Ive done this for about 5years, it has become my lifestyle. I went down from about 250 to 180 and have remained there until recently. I posted in June but never got a response. This year my weight (fat) has been steadily going up. At first i though it was the winter weight (20lbs) but since july i added an additional 20, i have almost regained everything i lost and i still follow the diet religiously. What else can i do. i even tried intermittent fasting It seems my body has become used to this and still wants to be fat no mater how well i eat or at what caloric deficits. I am also very active. Please help!!!
This is the most real “diet” I’ve seen in a while. I can totally consume at the times what you have suggested, and the wine in the evening satisfies everything else in my life. Starting this now. I’m old enough to know what gets the weight off and how to eat, this just makes it seem real. Thanks.
Is it recommended to keep “cheat day” the same day of the week?