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
Tim, I gotta ask… how is one supposed to drink black coffee? I love coffee (edit: LOVE coffee), but I have to have sugar and cream. I have, in the past, been a sugar fiend if-you-will, but have been able to ween myself off for the most part. The exception of that is in my coffee. I cannot stomach artificial sweeteners, and have even tried coconut palm sugar (due to its low glycemic index) but can’t seem to stand it all the time. Any advice? I can easily follow the diet listed above, but cannot seem to find the happy median with a sweetener.
You could try using coconut oil for the creaminess. As for the sugar, there are so many new, great products out there that have zero calories and taste just like sugar. Anther weird trick I do is I add a capsule of tumeric to my coffee. I heard this and I tried it. It makes the coffee taste like some exotic foreign rich flavorful coffee that you’d have to aquire a taste for, but GOOD! And, good for ya! Is this diet 100% no dairy? I did not read the book so I don’t know all of the rules. I ordered it but it won’t be here for “2 Amazon Day”.
Trey…sooo with you on that. I’m starting monday and going to switch to a less healthy but compliant sugar free red bull for my morning hit. Also doubles as a pre workout…
Hi. This diet is amazing! It’s the second time I try and it works every time. I’ve been doing it for 4 days and I’ve went from 133.3 to 130.1. Tomorrow is my cheat day and I’m almost scared to eat junk food and gain the weight back. Have you tried to keep going just straight with the diet? Do you stop loosing weight if you do or you simply keep losing about 1lb a day? Another question: I am not exercising at all because I’m afraid it will be too little calories to pair with exercise and I might stop losing weight. Have you tried this duet with exercise at the same time? Thanks again for sharing it.
Monique I think the cheat day is essential – otherwise your mojo slows down and you go into ”starvation mode” and hold onto fat
What are your thoughts on Vegan Slow Carb? I’ve been getting into a vegan diet lately and it’s pretty difficult to get high enough quality of protein and calories i feel like, mostly bean and avocado recipes. I’ve read your post previously about the vegan female and male diet, both of which are good but they included fruit.
So my question is, do you think that eating a primarily vegan based diet, but also including the fruits in the morning smoothies would jack up insulin enough that you’re body wouldn’t maintain ketosis properly? For example, I’ve been doing slow carb for about 4-6 months now on and off, pretty regularly maybe 2 weeks or three weeks off here and there and I’ve gotten some pretty good results but vegan slow carb has been a big issue with lack of nutrients and calories. Any ideas or recommendations?
Question for Tim: Vegan Slow Carb, is it possible without consuming tons of fake soy products, I don’t think soy is very nutritious to eat in such quantities. You had a pretty detailed post where you interviewed two vegan athletes and had them list their daily food purchases, etc. But what about the fruit that was included in their breakfast meal, would those frozen berries in the man’s breakfast smoothies interfere with his slow carb diet?
Looking for the Phil Libin spreadsheet – the link from the book does not work..
you can find it on scribd 😉
What about the 5th rule, where you state don’t eat any fruit, is that okay now?
I’ve been on no sugar no carb except what I get from fruits and veggies for going on 6 months. I am down 33 pounds and still need to loose 30 more. I have lost a total of 25″ went from a size 16 to a 10. It’s been 2 weeks without dropping any weight!!! I have added the treadmill daily this week prior I was walking outside daily. I’m sick of meat I now tend to eat just fruits and vegetables. How can I restart the weight loss???
Debbie you probably aren’t getting enough overall calories if all you’re consuming is fruits and vegetables. Your body will not know where its next meal is coming from and will hold on to fat. When the body is stressed it releases stress hormones which cause you to hang on to fat and burn everything else for energy instead (including muscle). I’m a PT so I know a little about this but Tim is the expert 🙂
Food create share
Hi Tim
I think the slow carb diet is genius. Question: Have you ever considered finding an analogous way to “hack anxiety” – specifically obsessive compulsive disorder? There are so many people who struggle with this debilitating disorder. There MUST be some simple, powerful way to re-wire the mind so that the outward experience of the sufferer completely transforms… What would the “minimum effective dose” of action for OCD recovery be? Thoughts on this?
Just curious how this slow carb works for women….I’m want to try it, but I usually do the no carb thing so it appears to be similar….,I struggle non stop with weight and am always looking for something that really works. Thanks =)
On your regular diet do you give yourself a calorie maximum for the day? Same on your chest day?
Hi! I see a lot of posts from 2007. Am I too late? Does this science still stand true? Are there any updates? I have gained 25 pounds since January. All in all I need to lose about 60 pounds (Not sure of my goal weight just yet). Anyway, I’ve lost 100 pounds twice. Both times I cut calories down to about 500-900 per day. The first time was on FenPhen in 1997 and the second time was with the Lap Band in 2007. FenPhen went off the market (bc it worked too good $$$!!!) and my Lap Band created dangerous amounts of reflux and I would wake up choking in the middle of the night. I had a spinal injury in 2009 and was able to stay at my goal weight (168) for a long time. However, after surgery in 2012 and being on a ton of pain medications, I’m back up to 226. Again, 25 of those in the past few months. After reading this blog I cooked 2.5 pounds of chicken (baked, plain) and portioned it into 5 separate containers with some broccoli in each. I’m figuring if I have a two hard boiled eggs for breakfast and use those containers for other meals, it should last about 2 days. I’m just experimenting and I need to go to the grocery store… but, I don’t mind eating the same thing every day. I usually do anyway. I used to manage Chipotle Mexican Grill and ever since I always have all of the fixin’s in my refrigerator to make burrito bowls. Most of it is all vegetables, but I guess maybe the cheese and rice I should have left out. I also need to work on portion control. Thus, I am also going to be logging my diary and food into fiteness pal, a cool website and they have a neat app too. It’s not the most efficient, but it works. Any advice to someone who wants to drop 20 pounds, has a broken spine and a fractured rib? I’ll push myself to walk. I will bnring my dog, but how many calories do I need to burn?
What about organic fish? Like halibut, roughy, Alaskan salmon?
(I prefer fish to poultry, hence the question.)
Fish works great: tuna, salmon, halibut, tilapia, and sardines are best. Keep shellfish to a minimum, as they are high in cholesterol for some reason.
I would really like for you to give me your idea of good breakfast lunch and dinner ideas. I like simple stuff nothing fancy. Tell me what you eat.
He does: eggs, black beans, and veggies.
Does this actually work? Has anybody else tried this diet? I want to make sure before I go on it because I don’t have time to waste on a useless diet plan that doesn’t work…
Yep. Lost 33 pounds at around 5 months. It’s so easy, and tastes great!
Wow! This is interesting, Tim. I’ve family members who want to lose some nice fat. Would recommend this article to them.
Cheers! 🙂
I’m coming to this post rather late, but I did manage to find it in a list of google’d results matching “health blog weight loss”, because I can find a Weight Loss blog, but I want one that talks to health. I’m going to be aware of what I’m making this Sunday (I make many meals in advance) of your Rules. Thanks for the post. I’ll get back to you.
I’m a 61 year old white female… I weigh 180 pds, I’m 5’7″ tall. My downfalls are sugar and Starbucks.. I’m from Texas so I’m a Meat and Potatoes kinda girl. I want to lose 30 pds. Can you help?
Follow the diet he posted, and walk/do cardio 30 minutes/day, 5 days/week.
Thanks for sharing your plan. I already eat like this, being consistent is the key. Can’t wait for my trip to the grocery store to pick up these items.
Was talked into trying to stop 5 small my meals a day gained 25pounds went back to 3 coffees and 1small meal at supper yesterday for supper I had a cup of vanilla yogart fresh fruit on top and a sprinkle of granola should I drink anything like green tea or supplemental vitamins help got bamboozled by so called helpers need to lose weight?
Can you do a part 2 to this article where you elucidate about snacks?
This is very embarrassing, but I’m a 13 year old weighing 134lb and I’m trying to loose some pounds, does this diet really work? Because I’m trying to loose about 18+ before August, if anyone with experience could tell me that would be great!
I need help someone please help me..How do I stop my coke drinking I have been drinking it for a long time I cant go a day with out it Can someone tell me away thank you
Everyday never close to learning “SOMETHING/ANYTHING”. Not to open yourself to knowledge is accepting to leaving the earth.
My biggest problems losing weight are the fact that I hate a lots of the foods we should eat while trying to lose weight and low back pain that restricts some workouts. Can anyone give me suggestions on foods that will fill me up and are good for me?
Thanks for the Great article.
After having my two daughters I had gained a lot of “mom weight” as I called it. And it wasn’t until my 14yr old called me out on my FUPA that I started to make changes.
The problem with many programs is that they say to cut out the carbs. But I had found that if I cut back versus eliminating them all together worked so much better for me.
Maybe I didn’t lose the weight as fast, but it helped curbed the cravings and I steadily lost weight …and my fupa (if you don’t know what a fupa is you can google it…)
Thanks again
Hi, just wanted to ask. I am traveling quite alot and sometimes the only thing I have in my car is a 30% protein bar (Stacker Go pro). It should be ok as it should prevent blood glucose spikes. On the other side it is still just P:C:F is 30:40:20. Anyone can help me – in case of eating one, two a week, will this diet still work? Is there any amount od carbs it starts not to be considered as low carb diet? Thx Adam
Hi Adam, just tapping in here…protein bars are usually full of all kinds of nastiness, but check the carb content – any carbs in there are likely to come mostly from sugar – which is white stuff, which is on the naughty list. I don’t know where you are the world but when Im travelling I usually stop and buy ready cooked chicken for a snack. It looks a bit weird travelling down the M25 gnawing on a chicken breast but does the trick !
Chris,
Like other people said, you’re very young. And you are trying to look after your health so good for you!
Rule 1: Can you still have white carbs within 1.5 hours of an at least 20 minute resistance workout or has that rule been updated?
Hi, thank you for sharing this. I give you props for sharing a diet, for free, that actually works! I’m a mom and after having my first daughter I did this diet and lost 54lbs going from 244 to 190. Now I’m preggers with my second bundle and I plan on getting to my ideal weight of 145 with this diet. I can say this is the only diet that gives you energy, you feel full, and works to lose the weight. The only adjustments I made was including protein shakes and juicing in place of meat or veggie.
Eat the right food at the right time one of a few super easy steps to follow to lose weight fast and effectively.
Hello, name is Sonya and will be 50 yrs old in Oct. I’m a diabetic 1. I weigh around 190. I would like to exercise, like running, sit ups or something like that. But I can’t cause I also have the vertigo. So it’s kind of hard for me to go on a diet without exercise, even though my doctor said I could just walk as my exercise. I love sweets. I didn’t gain weight until I was pregnant with my third child and had a c-section and thirteen years later my fourth child and a c-section as well. The only part
Hey this is Sonya again. The only part of my body that is really fat isy stomach. When I wear a loose dress, people thinks I’m pregnant but I’m not. Please give me some advice on how to lose my stomach weight and tone it.mainly keeping it off.
Good article & very useful for all of us. Thank you for posting great blog…
i’m wondering if anyone can help with questions outside the book (4HB). i’ve read it twice. i’ve read the slow-carb chapters multiple times. my fat loss is so minimal and frustrating. i’m 42, about 20-21% fat (195lbs) and want to get to 12% (175lbs) ultimately. i’ve done the diet for three months straight only to lose about 5% body fat (got down to 19% from 24% last autumn only to gain it all back over holidays when i took two weeks off!!). i travel a lot, i am a musician on tour exposed to massive irregularity of dietary options, hence finding occasional days where i can’t follow the diet to the “T”. does one day of slipping slightly alter the diet to reap zero results (maybe 4 glasses of wine every once in a while rather than Tim’s prescribed 2 haha)? are “BulletProof” coffees allowed in the morning? can i add heavy cream to the coffee? (tim says one-tbsp is ok but i’m not seeing results so i have to ask). Tim also mentions his dad did protein shakes for his “30 in 30” in the morning; i do shakes also. can cheat days without air squats be effective?
i’ve just started the slow-carb diet again (one week in) and adding cold stress (cold-warm-cold showers) and some of the cold exercises tim and Ray Cronise discuss. hopefully this will reap some benefits. i’m remaining positive cuz i read about so many people who’ve had success. i’ve stopped drinking, outside the cheat day, to see if this is the one factor causing the stall in fat loss. thanks to anyone who can steer me in the right direction.
~CaliforniaMike
Hey Mike – how often are you eating on plan in a week? You said your lifestyle makes it hard to stick with it, but I guess it wont work unless you;re pretty rigid 6 days a week on what you put into your body. I’m starting on Monday and will track progress. I now have a cupboard full of lentils and black beans….sooo not looking forward to eating those every meal for the forseeable lol. …
Do you track everything you eat? If not, start writing it down. When you review it you’ll probably see why its not working. I always think I’m being really good until I start tracking, then that extra spoonful of peanut butter, or handful of grapes each time I walk past the fruitbowl at work starts to add up!! I’m a PT and now training for my first powerlifitng competition (as a 42 year old female with a bionic hip I kinda left it late to start lol) Im hoping this diet doesn’t slow my gains!!
Forgot to mention I used this diet to loose the 9 stone… it changes the way you thing about food
I’m curious if let’s say you lose all the weight and go of the diet but eat calories at maintenance if you will gain back weight. I did zero carbs for three years just pure meat no seasoning and black coffee and water lost 50 but maintained at 200. before that I was 330 but lost 80 the normal way cutting on calories but was walking for six hours a day so i lost the weight fairly quickly but you know weightless ceased. So then I had to start eating carbs because of pregnancy witch made me super hungry and i gained 130 in 8 month no joke. now I’m 360 so in the last two years i gained another 30 so i was wondering if it would be safe to go off it after weight loss or somehow i get pregnant again if protection fails. kinda sick of looking lake a whale.
I know this is an old post, but question, do you eat sweet potatoes on this? Or just the above foods from the list.
I have hit. A plateau for two months I eat only clean. I want this plateau to end. Any suggestions? Cheat.day perhaps.lol
can i eat quinoa
I’m 48 and have started going through menopause, I’ve gained around 30 lbs in the last year and my eating habits haven’t changed. Plz help, I’m desperate. I’m worried about my health.
Hi, I’m male and I understand there is physiological differences between men and women :-). I’m 54 years old and I managed too loose 25 lbs during 4 months and I’ve been keeping that weight for a year. I followed the advices in The 4-hour body, the 5 basic rules for rapid weight loss. The 2 things that had a major impact on me was the cheat day to handle the cravings and measured my weight and range at my upper arms, abdomen, rear and thighs. Obviously you have to change something, those 4 chapters did it for me.
Any recent success stories? And when I first came across this the other day I seen a menu of what he ate over and over again everyday ect and now I can’t find it
Does this actually work?? I am going somewhere in 2 weeks. Can I lose 18 kg by then??
I hope this works I am going to try this tomorrow
Thank you for this wonderful tips about losing weight without the need of exercise. I will definitely try this.
hi
i saw your diet plan .sorry i am bit confused as you mentioned you lost 15 pounds pluse 10 punds muscles what does it mean can you please explain in details as i want to follow it.i am female.Regards sam
Hi Sam – he means he gained a load of muscle and lost a lot of fat at the same time – bodybuilders holy grail! The book is awesome and well worth the investment 🙂 x
Ive read the 4 hour body with fascination. I love your scientific approach. Ive been on a bit of a bulking phase (nothing too extravagant ) and I want to lose some fat without losing my precious muscle (Im a 42 year old female so these guns were hard to gain!). So I’m going to give it a try from Monday – I was going to try CKD but this seems less extreme and if I can eat chocolate and pizza on Saturdays before my Sunday squat session then I am IN!! Wish me luck – if this works and I end up ripped then I will personally fly out to wherever you are and kiss you. Right on the mouth.
Certainly, to the point stuff and loved it all the way. However, I was wondering as I was going to through some posts and I found that beans are what causing extra fats. Though, you have notified that beans are what needed to be set in a routine to lose extra lbs.
I have tried it after reading your Book… But I was Paléo for 3 years and I became so sick that I had to stop legumes… How can I replace it?
Hey can anyone confirm where fruit lies on this diet for me? Is it classed in wit white carbs? Cheers, any info will be really appreciated
What if you don’t eat meat? Vegetarian. I will eat some tuna or salmon.
hello,
first of all thanks a lot for your excellent info.
i want to know can i use fruits & if yes which kinds is perfect?!.
aslo can i replace white carbohydrates by brown rice?!
thanks…
I don’t think you can. In Tim’s book, he talks about eating brown pasta, rice etc, and suggests that it’s a resounding ‘no’ to all of that and gives some compelling reasons.
Dinner at 10pm? Alcohol at 12am?
Crazy!
HI please let me know about 2ns smaller lunch. what should i eat?
hello ,i started this diet last monday ,i don’t really see any difference i m still the same weight ????No sugar No bread etc..
1/2 cup of cooked rice or beans is 100 calories,, not 300.
Gonna get started on this.
Tim, I’m veggie, What do I do to replace meat in this diet?
Hey Soni – I am a veggie / vegan too and have been wondering the same thing. Have you found an answer? If so, please share. I have come across ‘Seitan’ do you (or anyone) know if this would be a good meat and egg replacement? I am wondering if it breaks the ‘no white food’ rule as it’s made with wheat gluten. Thoughts anyone?
How do I lose 20 lbs in 3 weeks. Please suggest
start reading from the top of this page… and follow it to the dot…
Tim,
Have you looked into the veracity of the health claims of the alkaline water industry? I’ve found economy that seems radically beyond the others, Amphora Water, run by Codi Betts. [Moderator: link removed.] However, while Amphora seems AND TASTES amazing, I have no clue as to the veracity of the science…..theirs or that behind alkaline water in general.
I’d love to know if you have any knowledge this topic.
Love to know more,
Doug Teitelbaum
(BTW- Eric Weinstein and I have been friends for nearly 40 years!)
Seem like a great plan
You don’t gain 10lbs of muscle in 6 weeks unless:
1. You are on the juice
or
2. You are a skinny teenager who just discovered pubic hair, protein and weight training simultaneously.
2lb/month is considered the upper end of what is feasible. Sensible diet though.
Why does it say in your title lose weight without exercising but then in the schedule it says 1 1/2 hours of sports training…..that’s rather contradicting.
I’m going to try your diet. Sounds sensible. Thank you.
I used to be slim in my high school days, but since college I have been gaining weight, so much so, that I now look bad, and everyone around is commenting on my weight. I did try some weight loss programs but honestly could not stick to any for too long, none of them showed results anyway, and my problem is not solved a bit. Please, please can anyone suggest me a good way to lose weight? Thanks in advance.
if I add exercise to that will I be able to lose them in 9 days atleast?
plz answer fast 🙂
Is there an updated my diet 2016 somewhere available Tim/anybody? Interested to see how this has developed over the last few years. Thanks
tim you’re a genius! thanks for this.
Love it! Most realistic plan I’ve seen.
Thx! Will try it!
Isn’t a plant based diet the healthiest and best way to lose weight? Haven’t we known this for decades?
Why bother with fad diets??
I have read the book but could not figure out what the exact training plan was he used to gain 10 lbs of muscle during this diet. There are methods mentioned in other sections of the book but I could not figure out which one he was using while cutting. I want to exactly do the same as he did.
I have been eating eggwhites 30 per day and 3 cups of cheese and all the coffee i can drink and i lost 11 lbs already and 4 inches off my waist i will try this for 30 days and let you know what happens
How does this eating plan, and others discussed on Tim’s podcast, reconcile with the famous China Study? That study found, in a pretty conclusive way, that the mere presence of animal products in a diet increased cancer rates, heart disease, and the like. Any thoughts?
I have recently started your “diet” and absolutely LOVE it ! Years ago I was on the low carb diet and lost 40 lbs in 2 months. When I tried it again last year I lost very little. What you say about not eating enough was my problem, thank you for bringing it to my attention. I will eat the way you have described for ever. Thank you !!!!! It is 100% the very best way to eat,
Thank u so much, for changIng my life . I lose 12 kilos in less than 5 weeks by eating the same food you recommend. Thank you and god richly bless you.
I have tried so many method but it always fail but when I read about your story on Google and how we can lose weight by eating in your, then I say to my self, l will try this for the last time and if it doesn’t help then I will give up but when I tried, already day 3 I can feel light and smart and when I step on the scale my weight was droping down and that motivate me to go on, and you motivates me alot. Thanks alot. I think everyone should order for your book.
I lost 9 stones in under a year and held it off for the following 5 years, however going back to it as I have changed jobs which means being out on the road so weight is gain due to bad choices. Any one have any meal ideas for traveling workers?
Hi – anyone figured out alternatives to eggs and meat which still fit within Tim’s diet? I am becoming more vegan, I have come across making Seitan (which I now make at home) as a meat substitute which is high in protein, however, is this sufficiently good, or does Seitan break the ‘no white foods’ rule of Tim??
Thoughts and advice welcome please. Raouf.
I’m 3 weeks into this diet and I’ve lost 12 lbs at a steady rate of 2 lbs every 3 days. I haven’t been hungry at all so it hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be. There has been some boredom with meals as expected and decreased energy. I certainly can’t complain about eating as much as I want, taking naps every day and not working out but still losing a considerable amount of weight in a short time.
What would be a good vegan swap for the proteins listed?
I have a question. I’ve been hearing about a drink called kombucha that’s supplied to be really healthy. Would that be permitted with this diet?
Protein ideas for vegetarians? I also don’t eat soy, so no tofu. Does hummus work?
Hi Tim! I have lost like 28 lbs (13 kg) following your advises. Thank a lot for changing my life for good!
I started this diet 4 weeks ago and I had just come off of the 3-day military diet. I lost 10 lbs and begin the slow-carb diet. I weighed myself today and the scale says I gained 10 lbs. Is there any reason why someone would gain weight on this diet? I’ve been following it and having my cheat day on Sat as well as working out 3x’s per week…any insight is helpful.
Thank you! I am needing some guidance.
From a health perspective, one would be better off sparingly adding whole grains to this diet plan while eliminating the meat and eggs from daily regimen because they are full of saturated fats. Even a skinless chicken breast contains 20% of its calories from fat. Add the meat and eggs to the weekly crazy day if you feel the need.
Does anyone know if corn or corn products like corn tortillas are allowed?
Are there any substitutions you’d recommend? I’m a student at University of San Diego and I really want to shed a lot of weight. Cafeteria food is very difficult to manage with. Any recommendations? im also at 190 pounds wanting to get back down to 160-65. My eating habits have been poor recently, really trying to change that.
I have a question can you still do this diet right with only eating once a day? I’m doing IF 20/4, a 4 hour eating window plus I’m drinking 1 gallon of water a day plus working out,
I’m 300lbs and very depressed.My weight has stop me from living. I dont work or go anywhere. Im sad because I dont know how to rev my metabolism. So many yoyo diets messed me up. If I dont see fast results I get depressed and stop. My family wont try to help me Im the largest one in the family. I ask for help all the time. I need a diet plan that wi) ahow me fast results. Plz help
Hi Tim, thank you for the post. Your 4HWW book brought me here.
I am planning to start the Slow-Carb routine next week and want to get some advice from you.
1. I want to add some juice in the routine. Is a glass of freshly made carrot juice or cucumber juice a day ok?
2. When it is a day off, does it means we can take as much as white-carb we want? or there is actually a limit?
3. I did low-carb diet (Atkins diet) before and had constipation problem. Did you have this problem? Or how to avoid constipation with intake of protein mainly diet?
Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you!
George (a chinese from Hong Kong)
I’m 37 yes. Old….
I’ve been way over weight since I was in high school & now am the equivalent to 2 & 1\2 people 470 pounds !
I’d like to get help to lose at least 200 pounds and can not do so on my own living at home around all the food that the rest of my family can eat !
I know it’s hard, I used to weigh 330 pounds…I cook stuff for my family all the time and just have to make myself something better. It sucks, it’s hard as hell, but hold tight and you can do it, I promise!
Hello,Tim. My name is April🙋.. I am really gonna follow your advise. I know its a few years later. Iam just know looking at your site. Iam really really serious trynna lose about 30-40 pounds actually by my birthday which is in 22days. But also by the beginnig of the summer. Any tips please feel free to let me know. Thanks.
Tim, Do you move your Cheat Day around when you have a special event that will be too tempting? I am thinking I can push my Sat out until Tues and then assume my regular schedule again the following week…
So does the cheat day include beverages? It says “eat whatever I want” but does that include drinking? Are sodas, juice, frappes and/or alcohol allowed on your cheat day bender? (I confess, soda and frappes would probably be my vice of choice).
Also, does eating your high protein breakfast 30 min after you get up mean 30 minutes after your feet actually hit the floor? Or thirty minutes from the time you first open your eyes?
Just curious if anyone on this has eaten small amounts of cheese while on it? When doing taco seasoned meat with black beans, I REALLY want a little cheese, like a pinch between my first 4 fingers kind of freshly grated cheese…we are going to Jamaica in 34 days and trying to drop as much as possible between now and then to be closer to beach ready although won’t really be…lol any advice is appareciated.
I used to be slim in my high school days, but since college I have been gaining weight, so much so, that I now look bad, and everyone around is commenting on my weight. I did try some weight loss programs but honestly could not stick to any for too long, none of them showed results anyway, and my problem is not solved a bit. Please, please can anyone suggest me a good way to lose weight? Thanks in advance.
I been going on this diet for almost 4 weeks now just lost 5 lbs. I been following all instruction 30/30 plenty of water, etc. Don’t know what’s going on, any recommendations? Still trust the diet.
Dear Tim, Chances of you replying or reading this is low. However, I would absolutely love to get your thought on this. http://roryvaden.com/blog/cheat-days-never-work/
When on the Slow-Carb diet, you’re suppose to eat at least 30 gram of protein within the first 30-60 of waking up. If you are a morning workout person, is it better to eat the 30 grams of protein first or workout first and then consume your first 30 grams of protein? Thank you. Big fan of the books and podcast.
Jake
I’m now 27 and my weight is 64. I want tobe slim, if i obey all of your advice, can i be a slim girl?
Please suggest me.