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 900 million 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.
Well some of that info is true anyway, except a few. Here’s some other great advise – I only eat lean fish or chicken, 1 glass skim milk before bed, manipulate carbs, lots of water, all the veggies I want, and of course egg whites whenever I want, I also eat fat free cottage cheese. I’ve lost a lot of body fat and look much leaner after I started to cycle carbs. Also your cheat day is fun- just stay in your calories – do not go over !!!!
Amanda and Lauren,
Remember, this isn’t a diet. It is an eating plan to maximize your body’s natural abilities.
And the beauty is, if you actually eat protein in the morning and lunch, you won’t be hungry for sugar and carbs.
I started 15 days ago and lost 16 lbs to date. Including throwing in about a bag of peanut M&M’s at work because for some reason, I just can’t say no!!!
I found out that I don’t snack or eat if about 3:00 I have a protein powder smoothie. But I use the Diet V8 Splash drinks that have no carbs or sugar (sucralose). But that protein boost (Whey protein vanilla bag) has 120 calories, and only 2g of carbs. I treat that as my “late” lunch. And I found that the sweetness satisfies my sweet tooth, And because there’s no sugar or carbs, I’m not hungry an hour later.
Remember, it’s not a diet.
Read the blog entry about a calorie is a calorie or is it? It will explain why the low fat diets are impossible to stay on because the mind can’t handle it. But when you can eat as much as you want of some foods, you end up eating the same amount of calories and don’t go crazy with cravings.
Hey everyone, I’m Mark from PA (19 years old). About 6 months ago I weighed 320 pounds, and now I’m down to 249 pounds. I cut out all sugary drinks, greasy foods, and some lady in my apartment was throwing away a stationary bike. I fixed the chain and began to cycle on it 30 to 50 minutes a day.
My diet mostly consisted of grilled chicken salad with ranch dressing. After reading books, I discovered that I may have been putting my body into starvation mode, because everyone has a basic metabolic caloric requirement. You CANNOT restrict your calorie intake severely less than your basal needs for a prolonged period of time. Otherwise your body will go into starvation mode.
The “Dieters gone wild idea” from Tim is wonderful, if you exercise with this program, YOU SHOULD(at least 20 minutes of cardio a day), it will ensure that your metabolism doesn’t take a huge blow.
Right now I hit kind of a plateau with my fat loss, I hope this diet can help me. I’ve read all the comments from the people, god bless you people for helping each other! I’m starting to lift weights, my poor college self, and my roommate bought a bowflex together also.
I’m trying to follow this diet to the best of my ability, I’m a poor college student, so buying foods off the college meal plan is somewhat expensive. I’ve also been taking whey protein and using green tea fat burners
Hey sorry for double posting but I have a few questions.
One, is fish ok with this diet? I eat a lot of grilled chicken and sometimes I substitute with tuna. I get a lot of protein a day taking whey protein also, and lifting weights.
Two, you said you have a post workout pizza. The crust itself is a lot of white carbs? Is this something you can do almost every workout?
Three, what is your take on green tea fat burners? I’ve been taking them for about 3 weeks now and I seem to be noticing some results.
Hey everyone, I’m Mark from PA (19 years old). About 6 months ago I weighed 320 pounds, and now I’m down to 249 pounds. I cut out all sugary drinks, greasy foods, and some lady in my apartment was throwing away a stationary bike. I fixed the chain and began to cycle on it 30 to 50 minutes a day.
My diet mostly consisted of grilled chicken salad with ranch dressing. After reading books, I discovered that I may have been putting my body into starvation mode, because everyone has a basic metabolic caloric requirement. You CANNOT restrict your calorie intake severely less than your basal needs for a prolonged period of time. Otherwise your body will go into starvation mode.
The “Dieters gone wild idea” from Tim is wonderful, if you exercise with this program, YOU SHOULD(at least 20 minutes of cardio a day), it will ensure that your metabolism doesn’t take a huge blow.
Right now I hit kind of a plateau with my fat loss, I hope this diet can help me. I’ve read all the comments from the people, god bless you people for helping each other! I’m starting to lift weights, my poor college self, and my roommate bought a bowflex together also.
I’m trying to follow this diet to the best of my ability, I’m a poor college student, so buying foods off the college meal plan is somewhat expensive. I’ve also been taking whey protein and using green tea fat burners
I have a few questions:
One, is fish ok with this diet? I eat a lot of grilled chicken and sometimes I substitute with tuna. I get a lot of protein a day taking whey protein also, and lifting weights.
Two, you said you have a post workout pizza. The crust itself is a lot of white carbs? Is this something you can do almost every workout?
Three, what is your take on green tea fat burners? I’ve been taking them for about 3 weeks now and I seem to be noticing some results.
Hi there,
I was thinking about starting the diet beginning Monday!! I’m very excited!
I was wondering if it’s Ok for me to make Chili? Making it with tomatoes and ground chicken ?
Hope to hear from someone soon.
Thank you
Manon
hey is it ok if i do the cabbage diet along with this plan together?
Hello Everyone,
I am back after 2 weeks on this plan with my results.
I am 30
Female
Have 4 kids
Starting weight was 166
Todays weight 159
Total loss in 2 weeks: 7 pounds
I have been doing this plan for two weeks, without any real workouts. I went to the zoo one day with the kids and was walking for like 5 hours but other than that no working out. I also have not been taking any supplements. I eat bean and eggs in the morning, sometime I substitute meat for the eggs. For lunch I eat a big salad with two tablespoons of ranch dressing with some beans or meat. In the evening I eat a normal healthy meal with my family with a carb…like tacos or spaghetti. Also if I just can’t stand not having something sweet in the evening I will eat a very small bowel of whole grain cereal with unsweetened Almond milk on it.
The almond milk has really helped me because it is high in potassium which I was lacking since not eating potatoes and fruit. I was have terrible leg and foot cramps but since I started havening a bowel of cereal every now and again that has stopped.
I personally have been enjoying this life change and plan on keeping it up well past the 30 days. I also am planing on starting slowly on workouts this week.
I picked Sundays for my day off and it has really worked out well. I noticed that I can eat all I want in one day and it still would not add up to what I would have eaten if I had of cheated all week long.
I love it.
Thanks Tim!
Carrie
What about fruits with a white flesh like bananas, apples, etc.?
I love garbanzo beans/chick peas, especially when used to make hummus. I think someone asked in an earlier comment whether or not we could use them and Tim responded that they should only be used only occasionally and in limited quantities, such as for topping a salad, because they have too many calories.
I just returned from the grocery store in preparation for starting this diet tomorrow and did some comparing of the calories in different types of beans.
Here’s what I found:
Hanover Black Beans – 1/2 cup serving has 120 calories
0 grams of fat
21 grams of carbs
Goya Garbanzo Beans – 1/2 cup serving has 100 calories
2 grams of fat
20 grams of carbs
The black beans, which we are allowed, actually have more calories and carbs than the garbanzo beans, but the garbanzos do have fat…… so I guess this is why we are not allowed to have them in as great a frequency/quantity as the black beans?
I have no problem with the black beans…I just like other types of beans, too, and want to know the proper justification for not having certain types when shopping in the grocery store because this will aid me in determining which ones are the best to buy.
Tim or anyone care to comment/offer insight? Should we just get the ones that are fat free even though they have more calories per serving?
I know this is a diet where you don’t count calories.
Thanks!
One more question….regarding fruits. I know that Tim has answered that they are now allowed (nor is fruit juice of any type) because of the high sugar content, but what about on the cheat day? Are fruits allowed on the cheat day? And I also remember reading something about being able to eat an organic orange at night instead of wine? How often is this allowed? Thanks again!
Steve,
Fruits in general are not part of this diet if you are sticking to it all the way. However, if you read some of the past posts (I know there is a ton!) you’ll see people have had success even if they added a food or two each day in moderation that wasn’t originally part of the plan … I think as long as you mainly eat veggies, protein and legumes and have an occasional apple a few times during the week you should be fine.
And remember, Tim says white carbs are okay as long as you have them within 1.5 hours of working out.
Best of luck … keep us updated on progress!
Kaitie
Who even knows if someone starting out on this diet will read down this far in the comments, but please keep in mind that this is about potentially losing 20 pounds of BODYFAT, not weight. So if you weigh 200 pounds, you will not weigh 180 in 30 days. Even in Tim’s own example, he goes from 180 to 165.
Part of any good diet is setting realistic goals for yourself, or rather, not setting unachievable goals that you can never reach, and cause you fall off the wagon.
So just maintain that perspective. 20 pounds of bodyfat, not overall weight. It’s harder to adjust to, because most of us don’t have the technology available to us test our body composition accurately…so yes, use your scale or self-test calipers as a guide, but also look at how your clothes are fitting, and how you look in the mirror.
Hi all!
I decided, with my hubby, to turn a new leaf & try this approach to eating healthier. I’ve got 40 pounds to shed…hoping to have 30 gone by July 17. I just started today and as of right now, I could go nuts for sugar/carbs (I have TERRIBLE eating/exercising habits).
Could someone please tell me, did anyone else get a headache or feel irritable the first 24-72 hours from lack of crap in their system? I’m not whining, just making sure that this is normal.
Thanks again!
Lauren,
I have always had very bad eating habits (a lot of junk food snacking and very few well balanced meals) and when I first started I felt very deprived and irritable. After a day or two this passes. I used to have very strong cravings, usually in the evening. Your body will probably crave junk the most during the hours of the day that you are least active and usually eat junk. After a few days it will readjust itself to your new lifestyle and it will get easier from than on. I used to eat candy bars all the time, sometimes even 2 at a time for lunch, and it was rough at first but I can say that it’s been over a 2 months since I’ve had one and it’s gotten to the point where turning one down isn’t tough at all. When you have a craving, do something to occupy yourself. I read that cravings usually pass after about 15 minutes. And get rid of anything not good for your diet so that if you do have a craving you can’t just get junk food out of your cabinet. I stopped buying carbs and junk food and stocked my cabinets full of beans, canned vegetables, tuna, and other foods on Tim’s list. On my diet day off I always eat out, but never get a doggie bag for my leftovers unless I know I can finish them that day.
Doing this with your husband is great! You can support each other and cheer each other on. You should consider going out for evening walks together or joining a gym together, and the not only will you spend quality time together, but you’ll look and feel better too.
If you feel groggy or irritable, do some exercises. Even taking a 5 lb weight and doing some bicep curls will get your blood pimping and give you some energy. Plus exercise, even as little as this, will produce endorphins, which are hormones that make you feel happy. And once you begin to see the results, you will definetely feel much better 🙂
Lauren,
When you have a craving, that means you need to eat. Just eat smart and your craving will go away.
I keep fake sugar drinks (diet soda, diet V8 splash) around to satisfy my sugar needs. But usually, I drink a water and snack on carrots etc..
Thank you Kaitie & Crofoot!
You’ve both given great advice. I will definately hang in there because it sounds like the benefits FAR outweigh the crumminess now. I’m just keeping my goal in mind, which is not just weightloss/inchloss, but better self esteem, better health, & FINALLY after almost 10 years of being 20-40 pounds overweight, being able to walk into a store and not fret if a size 12 will fit or not.
Here’s hopefully to 20 pounds gone in 5-6 weeks!
Take care & thanks again for being an inspiration!
Lauren
Hi All,
Today is my first day to healthier eating. I feel a little overwhelmed! I’m use to eating junk all day long but it’s time to think about my future and also the weight is packing on!!
I’m not sure what meals to make?? Tim mentions to Mix and match, and construct each meal with one from each of the three following groups.
Could someone give me an example of what they eat and how they break it up during the week? Do I eat the same food over and over again. Today I made Lentils and chili with ground chicken, would I eat that all week along with veggies? I think I’m just confusing myself! So please for give me.
Thanks for your help!!
Hi All,
Today is my first day to healthier eating. I feel a little overwhelmed! I’m use to eating junk all the time but it’s time to think about my future and also the weight is packing on!!
I’m not sure what meals to make?? Tim mentions to Mix and match, and construct each meal with one from each of the three groups.
Could someone please give me an example of what they eat and how they break it up the three groups during the week? Do I eat the same food over and over again? Today I made Lentils and chili with ground chicken, would I eat that all week along with veggies? I think I’m just confusing! So please for give me.
Thanks for your help!!
Sorry for the double blog. I didn’t think it went through the first time. opps!
Is this for real? Because it seems to good to be true..You don’t have to exercise??? Now that really doesn’t make sense, the only way to lose 20 pounds in such a short amount of time is to exercise and eat healthy. Well at least thats what I thought.
what about when an entire meal isn’t available?
what to carry around as a snack?
nuts?
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Hi Melissa,
Mixed nuts (no peanuts or macadamia) or almonds are great.
Tim
I eat a lot of salad, so how about lettuce? Also, no cereal? Not even special K? I also thought rye bread or whole wheat was ok.
If not, I am thinking this is like atkins.
I am 33yrs old and female and have found out 3 monthe ago that i have some severe back problems and will have to have surgury.. i have been insructed not to exersize until full recovery after the surgery. well in the meantime i feel horrible out of shape and i have put on about ten pounds. I didnt change my diet when i had to stop exersizing and im deffinetly paying the price . i have many months to go before i can go back to my pilates and kick boxing. I need to know that this diet is gonna cut my body fat down and help me loose about 15 pounds before i try to go at it..i think my body fat is 22-25 bpercent right now.. ayear or so ago it was 15 to 17…im very unhappy and scared on how to fix this with not being able to do cardio or weights..when i follow a diet i need structure. a meal by meal plan ..is this in abook some were that i can buy to begin…..please help me
Hello again,
After a Cinco de Mayo party I have tons of salsas and pico-style dips left over. One in particular works well for this diet and is very versatile.
This is a colorful, crunchy mix and can be eaten as a side dish, added to salads, used as a topping for grilled chicken or any lean meat, or cooked with eggs/omelets.
I don’t cook much, so I make a meal out of this mix and a few rolled-up slices of deli turkey:
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 green fresh bell pepper, chopped into little pieces
1 purple onion – chopped
1 bunch of fresh cilantro – chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white vinegar (I make mine with more vinegar)
salt and pepper to taste
optional:
fresh chopped garlic
fresh jalapenos
Mix it all together and refrigerate!
The original recipe also calls for a can of whole-kernel white corn, but I would leave this out…tastes great, but the corn is not conducive to this diet.
I recommend chopping the onions and peppers really small.
Not sure how long this keeps. I imagine the vinegar helps maintain the freshness…I would guess 5-7 days in the fridge…
Hi Manon,
Yesterday was my first day too! Basically, I am pre-making meals & eating the same ones in repitition. This way, if I am strict with my variety, I should be able to stick with this. I made a batch of salsa chicken in the crock pot. I threw in 6 chicken breasts, 1.5 cans of salsa, beans, cooked for 8 hours on low & it turned out delicious! I also pre-made chicken with peas & carrots, using chicken stock as my baste, seasoned with “fake” salt (I hold water like a camel), pepper, & garlic…toss it all in a crock pot & 8 hours later, lunch & dinner for the day. Now carrots are high in sugar compared to most veggies, but I added them for my husband.
I’m feeling kinda crummy because I know my body is detoxing from its unhealthy addiction with fried, fast food & sugar. I can’t wait for Saturday! I am planning on making a pig of myself…I can hear the chocolate calling my name…
Well, best of luck to you! I hope we’re both as successful as this plan states it can be!
Is sugar free jello ok? I don’t know how gelatin works. I may be asking the most ridiculous question, but I’m an opera singer, not a nutritionist, so does anyone know if a daily treat like that is ok? (I can’t believe I am calling sugar-free jello a treat!)
hei dis is nit ..4 losing weight …a diet is necessary ..if required a strong diet and lose ur weight tremendously …in the morning u hav 2 get up nd drink lot of water and den ur breakfast must consists of only salads ..no matter hwo much u eat ..no limits on that nd same for the lunch and dinner u can hav a soup ..and in between hours u can have lil bit of stufss or dirinks juz to chill out ..and the most imp thing is that 6 ltrs of water is minimum requirement coz the toxics which form in the blood due to dieting must be removed …althought it might sound stupid silly but get used to it to get ur shape ..and i day u can keep ur dieting off liek sundays …..ur dieting can be contain even fruits ..liek aple ,water melon .lemon juice .aplle is the best as it supports in burning calorie …never go for banana coz it increases weight …nd do drink glucose as ur dieting sum people may not be able to sithstand it so glucose can be takes as its gives eneryg wont be resposiibel for gaining caloris or weight …nd for a normal diet juz hav anything in ur breakfast nd lunch but instead of dinnner juz go for apples coz its deh best for losing caloreis ..nd do contain fibres ..while do inga diet exersise is not needed a cardi can be ok ut juz 10-15 minutes of jogging thas it ..if u want a betr result …hey also wanted to say that if u wantto get 6 pzck aabbs those crunches wont giv u them only dieting coz crunces will make ur inner ,inner muscles of ur abdominal strong but it wont be able to seen unless and until the layer of fat above ur waiist is not removed so dont be an indiot of making 6 pack abbs with crunches nd if u hav flabs on ur waist only a cardio exersises can help and please dont forget to drink a lot of water a lot anyways the results of strong diet can be seen in a month of half itself nd a normal diet as mentioned above wil show its effect in a month anyways …..take care hav fun..
hie once again ..did forget to say is that cold water or chilled water can also support for giving a lil bit of effect to ur dieting coz wen u drink cold or chilled water ur body gets cooler and to keep it warm it burns up the body fat …and hence can be used to lil help ..but if ur haveing any problems from chilled water liek infections cough cold than better drop this idea please…those who can handle this stuff can handle it ..remeber drinking only chilled water wont help u it wil support a lil bit but for sure it will ..but a diet has to be included …seeyah ….
Thank you Lauren for the recipes they sound so good!! I’ll try making them next week. I’m feeling a little crummy too do to the lack of sugar, I think? So when I’m craving sugar I have a diet pepsi, it some what hits the spot!!
But for the rest everything is good! I can’t wait till Saturday either!!haha! I’m planning to eat like a pig too!! Only 4 days away! By any chance do you know if were allowed to eat nuts? I snacked on carrots last night but as you mentioned there high in sugar. I wonder if it’s ok to eat? Good luck Lauren and keep me posted on your results!!
Thanks again!
Hello Tim (and everyone else)!
I happen to come across this site (am glad I did!), and thought it was really interesting to read. I took time to read what Tim wrote, and what everyone else (who are trying this new diet), wrote on here. I was like,thinking, “This is too good to be true!” After reading everything (which took me almost an entire day), that night I couldnt sleep. I kept thinking about all that I read on here, and got up, saying, “That’s it! I cant stand it anymore! I have to exercise, and diet, now…or else I wont lose weight…my body will never look good. I have to do put some effort into it, to make it happen. I will give this a try, and see what happens. This may be exactly what I am seeking…because I didnt even attempt to try anything else, except for this one.”
What interested me the most about the diet, is what is contains, and how much. I love beans, and vegetables! I guess I was eating too much of it, because this diet is very small and simple, which I love, too! I love eggs, too…but I dont eat them often, fearing I’d get fat and high cholestrol, from eating them. I was kinda bummed, about the fruit part, but I didnt know that fruit can make one gain more weight (ei, fat)? I thought fresh fruit was considered healthy, but that fruit juice wasnt, cause of all the sugar. I guess I will have to eat fruit Sat., on my diet day off…in a smoothie or with ice-crean, lol. I am aware of the info. about white carbs, and sugar…makes one gain weight (thus, any carbs not burned, will store in the body, as fat) I guess I love everything about this diet, so I will be able to stuck to it, no problem. Its just the exercising part, that I have a few questions about. Will this diet work effectively in losing weight, without exercise…like the title of this site, claims? Or does it need some exercising, to have the weight loss become more effective? I am willing to do some exercising, if that what it will take to shed alot of fat, and gain more muscle…to make my body more fit. If I do exercise, do I do it gradually?…by brisk walking, or slow jogging, 3x a wk, and weight-lifting 3x a week? My goal is to lost alot of fat, and gain muscle, but I dont want to do too much..to where I am muscluar-bulky, like a guy. I just want to do enough, to where I have lean, muscluar look.
Also, some questions about the food. Is it ok, to add some bran cereal and reg. oatmeal (for fiber), or no?
I like to mention, something I found quite odd, about this diet, though. I started it, today (this morning)…and felt some strange changes to my body, later today. I ate egg whites w/ 1 whole egg, beans and spinach for breakfast and lunch in sm portions. In the afternoon, my muscules in my thighs began to tighten…feeling strong, but sore. I didnt exercise on the first day I did the diet,..so I know this could not be from exercising. I started to feel this odd sensation, not only in my thighs, but even in alttile in my arm muscles, too. After the first day of trying this diet…I felt very postive changes, with my body. My head and body felt more clear, energic, great, but most importantly…quite strong. I felt strength, that I never had before! It was a wierd feeling, but a good one. It is just me, or did anyone else exeperience the same of their muscles feeling very strong, but sore, when trying this diet out for the first time? Just wondering…
Well, I have a feeling…this diet might do wonders to giving me the fit, healthy body I always dreamed about! I cant wait to see the results, within a month! I am so excited about this dieting and exercising (the postive feedback of the people on here blogging, really inspired me…giving me the encouragement I need, to do it.), that I am organizing my life better, because of it! And, I see that as a good thing! lol
P.S. Tim, or anyone else on here, could answer my questions, I’d greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
Greetings Manon & Angela & Everyone!!!
Well, here I am day 4, and would you believe, I’ve almost lost 3 pounds so far! I’ve got at least 35 to lose before I am a the top of my weight range, but at least this is a nice start even if it IS all water.
I think the biggest point to this eating style (which I have kinda done before for my wedding…I lost about 25 pounds of fat and added 10 pounds of muscle in about 3 weeks!) is repitition, repitition, repitition, which is why you’re supposed to limit the kind of foods you eat. Also, sugars found in fruits & dairy (yes, most dairy, esp non-fat) convert quickly to stored fat which is why they are prohibited during the “weight loss” phase if I am not mistaken…and breads/rice/noodles (anything with flour or gluetin) is very hard for the body to break down…good to add when you’re nearing your goal weight or are diligently working out with weights/vigorous trainging schedule. So, while adding a handful of nuts, carrots, & low-fat cheese once in a while is permissable, incorporating those daily gives you a little too much freedom…which may cause you both slower weightloss & more occasional “cheating”.
What I love is that this eating style is designed to help kick your body into fat burning mode, while being fairly cost effective, & best of all, highly nutritious, ESP if you use your cheat day to incorporate the healthy foods your diet has been lacking. Natural sugar is always one up on processed anything.
I haven’t lifted a finger as far as exercise goes & I’ve still noticed 2-3 pounds gone in 3 days of healthy eating. BUT, I know my body…as an ex-competitive swimmer, I put on muscle like a camel does water (for a chick), so the LAST thing I want to do is potentially bulk (which I can do easily thanks to my German genetics, ja!) I am reserving hitting the weights or a heavy workout routine until I begin to plateau from this eating OR I start looking to flabby. I am hoping to weigh 170 by Memorial Day (I weigh about 179-180 now). Once I get there, I will start working out in the mornings (Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds and Hip Hop Abs) & add 1 packet of reduced sugar oatmeal after my workout in lieu of the eggs. I will keep the rest of the diet the same.
You’re body will begin to feel tighter because this particular eating style is akin to the Atkins & South Beach programs. Basically, it goes after the fat right away because you’re not ingesting carbohydraytes, so it has nothing to burn but your own fat. You may even notice that your breath could be different or saliva taste sweeter. I was told that it’s because your body has kicked into burning it’s own fat, so yes, in a way, your muscles are burning your own fat for fuel right now, so I wouldn’t see why it would be unreasonable to feel your muscles in a different way.
I have to ask everyone else though…sorry for the caps…HAS ANYONE ELSE BEEN INCREDIBLY BLOATED & “BACKED UP” ON THIS PLAN? I am noticing without my oatmeal that I have suddenly become very irregular (for the first time ever) and it’s quite uncomfortable. Does anyone have advice on this?
As always, thanks a bunch & the best of luck to all!
Lauren
What about putting the foods/ingredients Tim mentions in a crock pot with water and making a soup? It would be easier for a couple meals a day and you could still prepare a non-soup meal or two.
Angela,
You don’t need to exercise on this plan to lose weight. You can and will see better results if you do, but if you don’t then you’l lstil lsee good results.
You cannot add bran cereal or oatmeal or anything like that. If it isn’t lean meat, vegetables, or beans, then you simply can’t have. If you do, you probably won’t see any weight come off. That’s because the foods you mention are not slow carbs and your body won’t be able to go at yoru stored fat if you eat them.
Oh, and you’ll probably feel lots of weird things on this diet. This morning, for instance, I was so dizzy I could barely walk. While an hour ago I was so energetic that did more cleaning of my house than I have done in six months.
Lauren,
I haven’t been back up on thsi plan at all, but I am eating a lot of fiber. I mean A LOT. A typical meal for me is 200 calories in lean ground turkey with 200 calories of peas. Half the time I add in beans, but I’m getting most of my carbohydrates from the vegetables. Do that 4 times a day, and I’m eating something like 50 grams of fiber a day. So, my cycles have been quite regular, though not large by any means.
Everyone-
My only problem with this diet so far has been avoiding losing the weight to fast. Even with a slight amount of cheating I can lose a pound a day. It’s a bit scary. I’ve only been on the diet about 6 days, so maybe that won’t be such a big deal later, but right now it is. I just don’t want to lose any muscle from dieting excessively. (What a strange thing to say when you are eating about 1800 calories a day!)
Derek,
I don’t see anything at all wrong with making a soup. Myself, I mix the vegetables, meat, and a few beans in a (deep) frying pan, using only Pam to prevent burning. It’s been working great so far. After a week my abs are more defined and my body fat is down a little.
Hey everybody. Timothy, as an ultra-vagabond can you give us some tips for eating while travelling. I stick to my low-carb/high protein diet when I’m at home and in a regular routine but find it challenging on the road as the food in airports, train stations, hostels ect. tend to be processed/high-carb. I would love to see this as a future post btw, how you manage sleep, diet and workouts while travelling.
Thanks and all the best for Sydney. Hue
This sounds really interesting. I think I’m going to try it myself and I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m going to be doing this with the muscle building exercises you mention on the other entry.
I like the tips presenting in this post, and even as a carb-loving vegan ironman triathlete….I can appreciate the guidance to lay-off the “white stuff.”
However, I think everyone should keep in mind that perhaps the best way to manage your weight over the long term is just stop shoving so much food into your mouth! People massively overestimate their need for food when should be drinking water. Eat when they are bored instead of going outside to play…or snack incessantly instead of getting work done.
In addition to implementing some of these techniques, try to reflect on how you could be more moderate in your diet, and if you are using food an an escape….and if so….address that problem head on!
Ravi
You could always supplment a couple meals with a meal replacement as well. Make sure its high quality and no or little sugar. I did a 12 program with 6 meals a day and lost 22 pounds of fat while gaining muscle. There’s lots of things out there.
Hello everyone!
Hey, David…I have been on this diet, for 5 days, and I am losing 1lb, a day, without exercising! I decided to use the 3 meal plan, instead of 4.This diet is amazing! I have lost 4 lbs already! I am almost close to my ideal weight, of 110lbs (Right now I am 118 lbs; at 5’2″) By watching what I eat, and how much before…I began to become fatigued..even though I lost 10lbs, from my other diet. But, as soon as I heard about this diet, I decided to immediately try it, the next day. then. Boy, am I glad I did! This diet is giving me the extra energy boost, I need to more stuff done during the day, within the home, as a homemaker, and stay-home mother. When I was on my other diet, I would take a short nap to refresh myself, to get thru my work days, but not anymore! With this diet, I cant nap! I have way too much energy! lol Its also helping me shed the last 10 lbs, that I was struggling to lose, before.
My body is responding well to this diet. It’s giveing me way more energy than I need, to get me thru the whole day (without coffee or caffiene, stimants, etc), but I am not complaining! It is helping me keep up with my active 2 yr old (I am as energetic as my son now, lol), while losing lbs. at the same time! And, I am so happy to about this! It’s even is helping me regulate my body well, on a daily basis. I dont have a problem of being backed up. Sometimes, I am alittle gasy, if I eat mixed beans, lol. Other than that, my body doesnt have any major stomach problems with eating these foods. I am strictly following the diet (without exercising, but I am moving around on a daily basis, during the day), everyday, but was alittle less strict on Sat. (I ate some cheese snacks, fruit and some pasta on Sat, but that was about it).
The follwing are the foods that are in my 3 meals that Tim suggests (one of from each group: protein, legumes and vegetables), are:
2 egg whites, with 1 whole egg, scrambled, spinach, refried beans (mashed pinto beans) red kidney beans, fish (like canned tuna in water or canned salmon w/ bones), split pea soup, mixed bean soup (this may give you gas; it does with me, alittle, lol), mixed veggies, sparagus, gr beans.
As for drinks, I drink only water, nothing else. I dont drink any soda, flavored fruit drinks, coffee, etc. I dont drink milk, period. I dont consume too much dairy, like cheese or yogurt (only have some on Sats.) Although, I believe women should have enough calcium/nutrients in their daily diet, I take 1-2 calcium supplements, and 1 multivitman/mineral supplement (like Centruim), daily, along with the foods I eat that Tim recommends, to ensure a complete, balanced diet, I dont recommend consuming too much dairy, especially milk. (I read some studies, that daily (especailly cow’s milk) isnt healthy, for the human body, that it is hard for humans to digest, and can cause some harmful damages to it later in life, such as causing infections and other health problems. Wonder why so many older people (and even some young babies/children, who have highly sensitive digestive systems) are lactose intolerant? Its because of all the cow’s milk they consume. Some who are lactose intolerant, end up drinking soy milk, instead. I tried that, and it tasted yucky, to me. I’d rather take a calcium supplement, like Viactiv, any day. I dont consume ANY cow’s milk, or eat too much that contains it. I can not remember where I read an article about cow’s milk, but it shocked me to read it and discouraged me from drinking it (or consuming too much daily products), ever since.)
Anyways, so far, I am very satisfied with the results of this new diet, after doing it for 5 days. Losing 4 lbs, out of 5 days, is..great results, to me! At the rate I am going with this diet, I believe it is possible for one to lose 20lbs, in 30 days, with this diet…just like Tim said, WITHOUT exercising!
(I believe some exercising, will improve it, more so with a combination of both weight-lifting and cardio exercises…which I plan to start gradually, once I reach my ideal weight.
SOME ADVICE: If you stick to the diet Tim recommends, and not add anything else during the week, except eating a few things you love (I said a few), on Sat. (this is without exercising), you will see great results. I dont binge on foods I love on Sat, but just am alittle less strict on the diet, by eating some foods I crave for, but not to where it makes me sick. I still maintain eating the required foods, from the diet, because this has helped me keep losing the lbs, steadily, on a daily basis.
I wish you all great success!
Oh, I forgot to say…I will keep you posted, on my results…a week from now. And, I will let you know of any changes I make to the dieting.
So far so good!
Ravi,
With your comment, about people stuffing their mouths with food…there is a underlying reason why people do this. I realized, many people today, are eating for food, for comfort. I find this to be true, because I have caught myself a few times (not lately, but in the past), doing this, myself. And, I began to understand why.
Its mainly has to be with being bored (unhappy with what one is doing in their lives), or thirsty. Many people think, they are hungry, when they really are thirsty. And, many tend to eat junk/fatty foods, because they are really and unhappy (bored), with their lives, and so they eat good-tasting food, to bring them comfort in their life situation, but its only temporary. Once I realized, the underlying problem, of me eating junk food (ei like ice-cream or a candy bar), every once in awhile, its mainly because I am feeling depressed, or unhappy about something in my life. And, I realized that I tend to snack on junk food, thinking I am hungry, when I am probably thirsty. NOw that I am aware of the reason behind these bad habits, I am now working on stopping this bad habit, by dealing with stressful moments in my life, a better way, and drinking water or eat a small, healthy food, as a snack, instead of snacking on junk food..when feeling hungry. Sometimes, this habit still creeps on me, but being on this diet, is helping it go away. I believe, its mainly because of me actually eating ony food that is healthy for the human body, by maintaining a strich diet like this one, on a daily basis. It helps demonstrate self-control, when it comes to food. If there is less creativity (less thinking about food) and variety with food (less options of tasty food), our minds wont be so focused on stuffing our faces with food! lol Just eat food, for what it is for…fuel for the body, to keep it going…much like gas for a car. This may sound crazy coming from my mouth,lol, but I am sure you get the idea. Once I started on this diet, eating a variety of foods or junk food, isnt on my mind anymore. I just pick any foods from the 3 groups, to make a meal, heat it up and eat it, without thinking about what to make, how to make it, or to make it taste good. The meals that I eat, I know, will look unappealing to others, but I have become immune to my bland-looking meals, lol. My mind knows this food is good for my body, so I just eat it…thinking about how happy my body will feel. hehe So, I dont really crave for alot of junk food, because the foods I eat on this diet, keeps me satisfied (full), and energetic. The foods in this diet, makes me feel good, to where it helps curb my cravings for them, which is great!!! As long as I am feeling great (by eating food that is good for my body), I am happy. And, if I am happy, I wont stuff my face with junk food! Problem, solved!
“Eat to Live, NOT Live to eat!” (Learn to enjoy the little food you eat, that your body needs to live on.)
I don’t know how far this is from the truth but is has been said that Chromium Polynicotinate and I quote from this website”… can cause mutations in the DNA of those who ingest this ingredient. It is said to cause significant chromosome damage at a non-toxic dose.”
the source of this information: http://www.ablog.ro/skinnyondiets/2007-04-10/e-mc2.html
Tim,
I’m thrilled that to have read that you love our fresh egg whites as much as we do.
Like most people in the health food business, and cardio junkie triathletes- I read everything that comes available regarding nutrition and diet. Your book is the first to make diet/nutrition coincide with a realistic lifestyle.
You did a first rate job, and thank you again for promoting Eggology.
Brad
Chief Eggsecutive
Eggology, Inc.
Wonderful! I’ve been following an 80% adherence to this diet and it set me in enough of a good shape to make the top 32 in USA Men’s Epee (Fencing)…
This is all while I live next to a micro-brewery and drink 20 to 30 pints of craft beer a week. At 29 y.o… God, imagine only if I also ate crap…
Good morning from NJ, all!
Well, it’s been a little over a week for me & both my husband & I have had quite a bit of success, despite the fact that our entire weekend was a dietary wipeout! We had his entire family over Saturday (I catered with Honey Baked Ham & it turned out great) & then my family had us over Sunday from brunch, only with them to them come over to my place Sunday evening for dinner!
I do have to say after structuring our eating patterns over the course of a week according to Tim’s guidelines, neither one of us “over” indulged at any one time. We were satisfied with eency helpings of the “good stuff” compared to how we’d normally eat. I’ve gone from about 183ish to 177ish, even considering those 2-3 cheat days. THERE IS NOTHING ELSE OUT THERE THAT COULD MAKE ME DROP 6 POUNDS WITHIN 9 DAYS!!!…2-3 of which were complete cheat days & NO EXERCISE!
I can finally start getting back into my old clothes without the seams being ready to burst. Thank you, Tim, for such an incredibly easy & well-designed program! I decided not to wait to get to 170 to add a little weight training & cardio, so I did a Walk Away the Pounds video with weights last night. At this rate, if I keep going, I should see my goal of 170 by the end of the month. Then hopefully another 10-15 pounds through June.
Continued blessings of good health & happiness to each of you! I will continue to update during my “transformation”. Good luck!
hugs,
Lauren
Angela from VA,
Hi! Congrats to you on your success & thanks for the insightful post. My mom & sister are emotional binge eaters & so am I. My dad’s ENTIRE side of the family loves to eat & drink richly, so there’s virtually no one in my family that isn’t AT LEAST 25 pounds over weight (except for my sister who got the freak recessive gene…at least she’s lucky…5’8 and a size 6 & at my thinnest 5’6 weighed 140 because I am built more like my dad’s side of the family…curvy & all muscle). My mother-in-law & sister-in-law are also recovering over eaters.
One thing we all have in common…depression/mania. We are completely ruled by our emotions…something that doesn’t go our way, we get upset & angry, either internalize it or take it out on loved ones, & then feel bad, look at ourselves & feel worse, & then go find the nearest McDonalds, pizza shop, or candy store. & repeat up to 6 times daily.
Other times, there is no other food available, so we resort to “quick, cheap, & easy” simply because we’re not putting aside any time for ourselves (or our family) because we crave acceptance from others (because we don’t accept ourselves) & are so busy trying to please everyone else or worrying what someone else thinks of us that we stop taking care of ourselves. Again, & repeat.
It’s a terrible cycle, but I am at a point in my life where I can’t accept that this is the only path I am destined to follow…I’ve put a stop to a good portion of my more undesirable traits, which I personally attribute to my belief in God, now it’s just taking it the next step further so I don’t become complacent & stunt my personal growth.
I’m just wondering how many other people feel this way??? I forget the specific statistics, but if 1 in 4 (or 3) Americans are overweight/obese, then there is something seriously lacking from our society that we are using food to fill the void. As Cher would say “Snap out of it!”. I think I finally may have?!?!
Lauren,
Thanks for responding to my post. I understand where you are coming from with your life situation. You are not alone. I believe many are going thru the same, as you and your family..because the signs are clear, that many Amercians are suffering from depression. I, too suffered from depression, several times in my life, and have been struggling to find a natural cure for it. And I have. God, thru believing in the Son, Jesus Christ (as Lord and Savior), was the One who did. I became a Christian, because God proved to me that He is the answer to many of our life problems. He has helped me overcome many. So, I was so happy to hear you say that you are placing more faith in God, to help you overcome the problems you are struggling with in your life (ei, such as depression, anger, etc.). You are on the right path, and on your way to recovery. God will cure anything, as long as you believe (have faith) He can.
When I became a Christian, I have learned alot from God. He helped me understand much of why things are happening in this world, even about many health problems that Americans are facing, today. I am not a doctor, nor do I have a college degree, but I believe I have gained much wisdom (intelligence) from God, Himself…because I desire to seek it. I wanted to understand and be able to help others, with what I learn and know, from God.
I believe depression is a sin, caused by the Devil, himself…and those who dont believe in God, will suffer. I had, as an unbeliever. Depression (an evil (or sin) caused by the Devil), is the underlying cause to why many people in America, as well as all over the world, are struggling with bad health habits and/ or stressful lifestyle habits, which are making people become bored, unhappy, and lazy. Most only know only one way (mankind’s ways) to find comfort in dealing with this, and that is by using food/drink as a way to escape from their life problems. Thus, they become obese, or have other health problems, over time. But, there is another way…and that is God’s way.
Lauren, it is good that you are becoming aware of this problem in your life, and are seeking a way you believe will cure them. You are right. God is the answer. He will cure you, from them. He did with me, and He can with you,too. Much of my ablity to show self-control, with food (as well as many other things in my life), has alot to do with God (by His mighty power, thru the Holy Spirit), being in my life…as a Christian. Ever since I accepted God, in my life…He helped me view food, and many other things, a whole, new way. I believe its good to enjoy the foods you eat, but eating food and worrying about how our bodies look (by exercisng so much), shouldnt be our primary concern, in Life. I believe there is much more to be concerned about in Life, than this.
The main reason why I found this diet appealing, is because I, pesonally.. really find exercising takes up too much of my time. Its not because I want to be lazy, its just that I rather be doing things, that I find useful/helpful towards mankind, rather than exercising alot, everyday. I was looking for a way to change the way I eat, so that I can perform well throughout the day and not gain fat (but lose it), in a natural way. Alittle, is fine. And, I am so glad I found Tim’s site, because this is EXACTLY what I was looking for!
Thank you Tim, for sharing this with all of us. You are making a positive difference, in changing people’s lives, health-wise..that is quite effective, as is (with little or no exercising). I thank God for sending you in my life, because I was struggling for a long time to lose weight, naturally. This diet IS making it possible for me to me shed the extra, stubborn lbs, safely and naturally..that I wasnt able to do, before I tried it. May God bless you! (Angela, from VA)
“With God, all things are possible!”
David,
I just wanted to thank you for answering some of my questions, to a previous blog, that I posted. I understand what you mean, about not adding anything else, but protein (lean meats), beans (legumes) and veggies. Thanks for reminding me, to just stick with the simple meal plan, lol. Now that I know, will do!
Appreciate the help,
(Angela, from VA)
One question, i am an over weight mexican who loves his refried pinto beans. are these ok with this plan? If so, any particular way to prepare them and still be healthy? Anyone’s comment is greatly appreciated.
I’m down 19.2 in 30 days – sticking w/ it…made a couple adjustments to suit me but not much – after 2 weeks, I began taking a 2 mile hike 3-5X per week.
Finding that on my “free day” I really don’t enjoy the junk that I used to scarf down – & neither does my body…eating breads, sweets, soda, cheese, etc on that day but not craving it. Primarily lean meats, veg, beans, almonds, & a spoon of peanut butter here & there. Keep you posted –
one more thing – I don’t keep the bad foods in the house — shop 1x per week around the perimeter of the store – I go out to eat on my free day, & don’t bring it home…i do bring lunch w/ me to work, drink lots of water & black coffee; actually spending much less on groceries in general — it’s a mind set, once I got past week 1, it got much easier – now it’s the “norm”, keep it simple!
Any suggestions on how to handle a sweet tooth?
I was wondering if splenda was as bad as I’ve been hearing. I love tea, but hate it without sugar! I was also needing some advice concerning body sculpting. I have recently lost 17 lbs…yay! And need to lose ALOT more. I would like to compete in a body sculpting competition (not body building) and really need some direction as to where to get started. I am really pumped and ready to get going…help!!!
Can I eat fruit?
Hey Alex, refried beans work fine with the plan. Now mine are from a can because I don’t have time to prepare them but most of the beans I ate on this diet were refried and I lost 20lbs in 30 days.
I began the diet on March 24th and the diet worked great for me on the first 30 days while following it strictly and fully utilizing my free days. The weight loss has slowed down quite a bit though because I have only lost about 5 lbs since then so at least for me it appears to slow down over time or maybe it works in spurts.
I did not exercise much during the first phase (some pushups and situps 2x per week) but I am going to increase it and see if I can lose that last 25lbs.
Good luck everyone.
Tim,
A lot of comments, and i didn’t have the time to scroll through all of them – here is my question – with this diet, what kind of workout do you recommend to go hand-in-hand with the diet? I am 207lbs, trying to get down to 180 so I can enlist into the military. Thanks!
– Joe, Colorado Springs, CO
Hey Alex, refried beans work fine with the plan. Now mine are from a can because I don’t have time to prepare them but most of the beans I ate on this diet were refried and I lost 20lbs in 30 days.
I began the diet on March 24th and the diet worked great for me on the first 30 days while following it strictly and fully utilizing my free days. The weight loss has slowed down quite a bit though because I have only lost about 5 lbs since then so at least for me it appears to slow down over time or maybe it works in spurts.
I did not exercise much during the first phase (some pushups and situps 2x per week) but I am going to increase it and see if I can lose that last 25lbs.
Good luck everyone
What about soy nuts? I am not fond of the beans this diet requires. Is a soy bean a legume? Pardon my lack of knowledge on this. Soy nuts are really good, so I hope that eating them will be a good thing, and I’ll still be able to lose weight. I have a family reunion on June 21, and want to lose 20 pounds of fat by then. For exercise, I walk, do yoga, Nia and bellydancing, and lift light weights. Hope it works!!!
Hello all,
I read the all the posts a while back and decided to give it a shot. I’m male, damn near 40 and have a crazy work schedule (aka not conducive to a healthy lifestyle). I started this routine and exercising (2 times per week, semi-HIT similar to Tim’s other post) at the same time. Long story short, I was tired of feeling like a piece of crap and Tim’s posts inspired me to get off my butt and try to do something about it. (Thanks Tim – read the book too…keep up the inspiring work.)
I stick to the routine fairly closely 6 days a week and go all out on the cheat day. (I mean all out.) In 4 weeks I dropped 10-15 pounds and put on a fair amount of muscle. Nothing crazy, but the net results are better/faster than any other routine i’ve tried including when i used to work out more often (3-4 times per week for 90 min – 2 hours) when I was younger.
A couple of things I’ve learned:
1. If you are going to start working out at the same time, TAKE PICTURES before you start. (I did not — probably because I did not want to memorialize my failure in photos if it did not work.) Once you start lifting weights, the scale becomes fairly useless…I was sure I was loosing fat, but after about 8-10 pounds the scale did not budge. Took me a while to figure out that it was working (fat reduction) but weight was staying flat due to muscle gain. Pictures would have been helpful to look back and confirm progress in moments of uncertainty.
2. Its easy to tell yourself you need to eat more than you really do. It took me a week or two to dial in on how much I really need to eat. if you are a big eater (and I have been for many years) your mind may tell you to eat more but your body does not need it. Be sure to track how much you are eating and tweak it if you don’t see results.
3. Do prepare meals, even when in a hurry. I find that if I grab a bit of this, a bit of that (all within the rules) as I am working, cleaning up, whatever – I end up eating more and feeling like I ate less. When I prepare a plate and sit down, its much more satisfying. (Stick to the basic menu like everyone says!)
4. The cheat day: like I said, I go big. Last saturday included an old fashioned doughnut, one of those tollhouse ice cream and cookie sandwiches (damn I love those things), a blended coffee drink (loaded with sugar I’m sure), fish & chips w 2 pints of guinness for dinner and some candy after. Could/should I eat less – probably – would I lose fat more quickly – probably. Can I eat all that and not feel guilty for the first time in about 15 years…you bet. By midnight sat. I feel a little sick but that’s ok and it helps me make it through the week. By not entirely denying myself the food I love to eat, it’s much more likely that I’ll be able to stick with this type of approach for the long term.
5. Carbs really cause my energy level to spike and fall. I notice that I now have more energy, sustained throughout the day. That alone is a big plus.
End result is that I have definitely seen improvement — not so dramatic as Tim and others but enough that I am continuing to follow the routine. Once I’m satisfied with my progress (got to try to get rid of the handles) I’ll add a few items back to the menu in moderation.
Hope this helps someone else. Good luck all…
Well, I have for the past 5 hours read every single message posted here and I am convinced and ready to start this eating plan! I am 55 years old and I have never in my life had a weight problem until I turned 50. From age 20-36 I was 126 pounds and from age 37 to 45 I was 138 pounds and from 46 to 50 I was 148 pounds and now that I am 55, I was 171 pounds until I joined Curves 11 days ago and I am now 168. I am truly shocked by my weight gain. I have been a vegetarian since I was 19 years old, I was on the Atkins diet for most of the time when it wasn’t very popular in the 1970’s, but I have found it very hard to stick with now. I tried the vegetarian version of the Fat Loss 4 Idiots,(which is similar to this plan) and I was somewhat successful, but after the 11 days on and 4 days of eating normal, I gained back all the weight I lost. I am a serious vitamin supplement taker and I believe in eating healthy, but I cannot for the life of me, understand my weight gain. I have tried so many diets in the past 5 years and I have just gained more weight. The only thing different in my life is that I retired from the Army 8 years ago. I still exercise and do all the right things that I had been doing all my life, so I am praying that this will work for me.
I am very eager to get started, as I have all of the foods listed and all of the supplements here at home, and I am ready to begin. I will return to post my progress as it happens. Thanks for the support!
Joseph. If you read Tim’s last post at the top you will see that he is not responding to this post anymore. I believe he felt like he answered all of the questions with his responses and book suggestions. Check out the posts. They are not that long. Might try using ctrl-f to find key words to speed up your search. BTW I think Tim would tell you to do weight training instead of a cardio work out but I am not sure.
Dylan you cannot eat fruit on this diet except on the free day.
neverhere: Great post. I agree on taking pictures at the beginning. Just curious. How long have you been on the diet?
Good luck everyone.
I’m two weeks into the diet now, I’ve gone from 170.5 to 164. I’ve had way more than 2 cheat days, otherwise I’d be much lower, but I’m more than happy with it so far. But I’ve started introducing other foods into my diet now to make things easier so I cheat less. I’m only adding other foods with a very low glycemic Index, much like stage 2 of the South Beach Diet, and finding out what works well for me. Adding the right foods doesn’t seem to be affecting my weight loss at all, that is to say, I’m still losing weight fast on days I behave.
Hi everyone ./waves
I have been reading everything and I had a couple questions, I know Tim is busy so I do not mind if the group answers them.
1. Pasta is okay but can we use pasta sauce, or butter/parsley? What, if anything, can go on the pasta.
2. Is there any reason the beef has to be organic?
3. Are low-glycemic foods (low-glycemic bread for one) okay?
4. Is Catsup and Mustard okay? Healthy butter spread?
5. I read somewhere I thought on this forum that cans beans were not okay, did I read that wrong?
Well, as I wrote at the top, I welcome anyone to answer/point out the answers for me, and thank you Tim.
~ J
Edit: corrected typos
Hello
I just wanted to leave a short comment about my success with this diet , I have been on this diet for about three and a half weeks and i have lost about 15 lbs and by the end of may i know i will have lost around 20 lbs . I am most thankful for the information provided on this blog page , I have tried many things for many years since having my child in 2004 at a constant weight of 200 lbs . I combine the meals listed , and a 20 minute pilates workout , and about 15 minutes on my exercise bike , and I keep active all day either taking walks with my family after dinner or cleaning the house , or playing outside with my daughter. With a womans daily vitamin and sticking with everything else , it seems to be working well, i feel healthier , look better and have more energy then before . I plan to stay on this diet for about three months total , in order to be swimsuit ready in august , so hopefully I keep having the success I have already began to see . I wish everyone else luck !
This is worth a try. I’m a former college hockey player who never had to worry about putting on weight until the 7 days per week of ice ended.
So, out goes the beer and in goes the beans. Thanks Tim!
(I posted part of this over 24 hours ago – hopefully this is not going to be a dupe…)
Thanks David C. – I’ve been on the diet for about 5 weeks. I started around 200 LB and am now at 183. Its going fairly easy so far so I am going to stick with it until I lose a bit more fat (not sure about the weight given some muscle gain — at this point I’m going more by how I feel than what the scale says).
Joseph – see Tim’s other post under the topic “The 4 hour body” (See upper right on this page) titled “From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks “.
JL Street:
1. Pasta is okay but can we use pasta sauce, or butter/parsley? What, if anything, can go on the pasta. —- It’s not ok unless within 90 minutes of resistance based exercise. Pasta sauces are problematic if they have a lot of carbs/sugar, etc.
2. Is there any reason the beef has to be organic? —– Not specifically – Tim mentioned that he prefers it because lack of growth hormones, etc. and the grass feed beef includes other health benefits – but any lean beef is ok from a ‘diet’ perspective.
3. Are low-glycemic foods (low-glycemic bread for one) okay? —- Hm. Did you really read the posts above? 😉 Low GI is the name of the game but the premise is no bread, flour, etc. Keep it simple. Once I hit my target, I’ll add some of these back to the menu in serious moderation but not until then. (Or the cheat day of course.)
4. Is Catsup and Mustard okay? Healthy butter spread? —– Catsup no, mustard yes. Not sure about the butter spread…
5. I read somewhere I thought on this forum that cans beans were not okay, did I read that wrong? —— Don’t think that is the case, I eat them every day…
– NH
thanks.
I did read everything and took the diet as a more low glycemic diet, that was the reason for the question about the bread, even if there was no bread, but a special bread made for low GI values was available, and the bread had the same glycemic index as say, black beans, would it be okay (does it cancel out the no bread rule?) Just wondering.
Hello JL – Similar questions have come up around steel cut oats and a few others…long story short, I think Tim’s theory is to keep it simple in line with the basic rules outlined in the original post based on the premise that the more complex it becomes, the more variety, etc. the more difficult it is to stay on target. Hard to go wrong when you are eating only a few items with a lot of repitition.
Someone more knowledgeable about nutrition would need to say if the bread will be processed by the body in the same way as the beans, etc. For me personally, a utilitarian approach to eating (same stuff, many times repeated) is fine and it makes it much easier for me to prepare food in advance, shop in advance, etc. given a hectic schedule…and easier for me to stick with it overall.
Maybe start without it, see how you do, add it in and see if you continue on track, etc.?
Hi Everybody,
I found this cool site and wanted to share it.
http://www.nutritiondata.com
Really thorough breakdown of all kinds of foods-even fast food.
Shows glycemic load, glycemic index, amino index, completeness.
4-star site -in my opinion
Started on the plan yesterday. Starting weight 297lbs. I will keep you guys posted. Thanks for all the comments and advice. hearing all the success stories and good advice makes it so much easier. Wish me luck!!
Hello All,
I have just 1 question for anyone who has had success with this diet. I travel everyweek for work any suggestions as to how to stick with the same food while on the road?
Thanks Craig
Hi, I’ve been doing the diet for a week or so and it’s been good.
Out of curiousity I looked at the results people had reported and stuck them in a spread sheet. The average rate of loss reported was 19 lbs / month but doing a kind of regression analysis there seemed an intial drop of 6 lbs or so and then an ongoing rate of loss of about 9 lbs / month.
That kind of matches my own results – I can swing 6 lbs or so depending on whether I’m dehydrated of have just had a large meal and my ongoing rate is something like 9lbs/month.
Hi guys.
I went on this diet for a month and lost a stone. However, on leaving the diet the main benefit was I did not have the cravings for sweet things such as Coke or chocolate bars and eased off the carbs. I couldn’t be so disciplined about beers and curries – that is too ingrained in British culture.
When doing the diet I saved time on preparing meals by making them in large batches. This even meant I had remainders from supper for breakfast. It saved time and money. It felt a bit scabby at times and it turned a negative of my low standards into a positive!
I didn’t get the energy buzz that people talked of and felt drained towards the end when I started to swim.
I ended because of personal issues and being fed up of a restrictive diet. It was ideal for a while but too restrictive as a lifestyle. Most importantly, it made me change my eating patterns, end my cravings and made me think a little more about what I put in my mouth.
I am interested in following the eating plan. Is the diet strictly what you listed? Can I add different veggies? What about cheese?
hey,
eating while travelling is definately tough. the best thing I could recommend from experience is packing some meal replacement bars or shakes and then stopping by grocery stores and buying easy to make meals rather than fast food. The only other thing is watching what you eat at restaurants and keeping it to the healthiest foods they have, although this can be tough when the menu is full of tasty foods. so it depends how bad you want good health!
Matthew,
Thanks for the info on travel. I have to figure something out that would make this gig work.
Craig
I noted that you mentioned Eggology Egg Whites in your post. They have a great blog (see the address I put in the website box) that features healthy, yet not boring, recipes using egg whites. Also they have extra tidbits in there about uses of egg whites, etc., A fun blog to visit and easy access to good recipes.
Just thought I’d share, back in 2005 I was 116 kg (255.2 lbs) after continuously putting on weight since 2001(end of high school) when I was about 70 kg (154 lbs).
I spent 6 weeks eating only canned tuna in water, low fat mayo, zero carb mustard, and a dash of salt and pepper. Whenever I felt hungry, I just popped open a can of tuna.
It was practical, I just kept tuna at home, tuna at work, packed tuna on weekend trips. Obviously the most boring diet you could ever think of, but it was simple and convenient and left no room for deviation so it was clear if you were or were not still on the wagon so there’s no space to kid yourself (something that really helped me).
The first couple of days were bad, but no worse than the first couple of days on many of the other diets I’ve tried, most of which have already been mentioned in all the great posts here), and then I just got used to it. Don’t get me wrong, I love food, but whilst I was on that diet, food just didn’t appeal to me (except for the first couple of days, but like I said, just like any other diet).
At the end of the 6 weeks, I lost 25 kg (55 lbs) and my weight was 91 kg (200.2). I bounced back a couple, and ever since I’ve been hanging around 93-95 kg (204.6-209 lbs), eating regularly and back to loving and enjoying food. I certainly try to have a more healthy lifestyle than I did in college and post college when I put on all that weight, but nothing drastic that I don’t enjoy life. The point is those 20 or so kilos (50 or so lbs) stayed off permanently. My target weight is to be back at about 75 kg (165 lbs) and feel that I’m starting to have enough inspiration to do the same 6 week tunafest again.
I only have one question to anyone knowledgeable, is this unhealthy? To lose 25 kg (55lbs) in 6 weeks, that’s 4.17 kg (9.17 lbs) a week on average, 0.6 kg (1.31 lbs) a day on average, by just eating almost literally zero fat zero carb canned tuna? I had always thought that over just 6 weeks the lack of nutrients and vitamins and other essential oils and acids and whatnot that I know nothing about would not be that big of a deal, although I did take some multivitamins everyday just in case. But I always hear people saying that losing that much weight that quickly can’t be good for your health, so I’m just wondering if there are any solid evidence or reasoning behind those words of warning.
Thanks, ming
Your a saint, ok well i’ve tried just about everything under the sun, trying to just lose a simple 20 lbs, and now i only have 1 month to do it (I’m going to travel abroad to England and don’t want to be chubbs)
I did veganism for half a year, which lost me 10 lbs, but then of course I got gall stones from that, and I gained it all back anyway -__-
I’ve now been exersizing daily, and dieting like crazy, I literally can go a whole 24 hours without feeling hungry, so I don’t have to eat, the problem is I want to! D:
But I’m definately going to try this… A) Because I’m losing ope doing it by myself B) I’m running out of time and C) The whole thing about binge for a whole day on CRAP is AWSOME thats normally why my diets fail, because I do eat like a bowl of ice cream, then get very upset that i broke my diet, thus making myself ‘quit’ but it never really ends does it, its a lifelong battle against the fat cells .
So anyway, I’m going to follow this thing very strictly for the next month starting now, and ill get back to you with the results. ;D
I like the ideas here…however, I’m a little dismayed that there are so few – if any – vegetarians here. I don’t plan to eat eggs, bison, chicken or turkey. I hope that tofu, tempheh or seitan can work. 🙂
For all the vegetarians out there, there is hope.
Organic brown rice and organic beans, eaten in the same day, will provide a low glycemic index, complete protein.
No need to eat the bodily fluids of cows, chicken ova, or the flesh of dead animals.
If you base your diet on rice and beans with salad and vegetables, you should be fine. (Go easy on fats and sugars. Be realistic.)
Have a little more time and want to really lose weight fast? Buy a proper digital scale that has a tare function. Keep a good calorie counter, a calculator, and a pad and pencil next to it. Weigh everything you eat, write down the weights, then go through the calorie counter or if using packaged food use the values on the nutritional information on the package and calculate all the calories you eat. You will quickly see why you have gained weight. It is so easy to kid yourself about how much you are eating!
You need exercise. I recommend a gentle form of yoga if you have not worked out in awhile or are way overweight or out of shape. You do not need to strive to do the postures the way the experts do but rather have a mental image of what the posture strives for and gently try to move your body in that direction. Never strain or push if you’re out of shape. Being there is enough for a beginning.
Meditate. This is not a religious practice but an exercise in focus. Sit quietly for 5 minutes and focus on your breath moving in and out of your nostrils. Fill your belly, then your chest with air, and then empty your chest and then your belly of the air, and repeat. As you find your mind wandering, do not judge yourself, but simply return your mind to the breath. You will probably find your mind wandering more than not but this is absolutely perfect and is the way it should be. As you do this each day you will find that your mind wanders less and less. As this occurs you may notice that you have better control over focus in the rest of your life and things are going your way a bit more. (This is not magic, but because you are acting in a more focused way and doing things better!) You may also find your health improving, as meditation and focus help reduce stress.
Enjoy!
Re vegitarians, I’ve been eating mostly cottage cheese for protein. It seems to work fine. (Cheap too in Tescos).
UPDATE: after dropping 19.2 lbs in first 30 days, weighed in last night after another 13 days (6 weeks total) & dropped another 4.8 for a total of 24.1 (average of just over 4 lbs per week) – I was a little dissapointed initially (my expectation was 9 lbs in that 2 week period) but am now OK w/ it – my “free day” isn’t as important as it was the first few weeks, my habits have changed dramatically, spend less $ on food, aerobic exercise 3-5x a week, … sticking w/ it for a while & we’ll see how things progress. feel better overall than I did 40+ days ago —
hi tim…. i eat a mixture of rolled oats ,protein powder,low fat yogurt all mixed with water …..is this a bad for me ….they say oats lowers colestorol help
Hey guys
I’m 18 and just started this diet 2 days ago. I’m going to the gym tomorrow so I’ll weigh myself in (last I checked a couple weeks ago i was 267 lbs) and I’ll keep some updates here. I think the main problem I’m going to have is breakfast, I don’t eat it. It’s summer and I just graduated from high school so I usually sleep till noonish and wake up for lunch.
Currently I’m eating a grilled chicken breast, black beans, and green beans for lunch and dinner and have some egg whites and stuff here just incase I can wake up that early.
Also, anyone that snacks at all during this diet, what do you eat?
Thanks,
Kyle
Kyle I can relate to your situation, I’m a male, 19 years old, 6’2″ in college I used to weigh 320 pounds! I went down to 260 pounds before I started this diet two months ago, now I’m down to 242 pounds! I want to get around to 220ish, I’ve been lifting weights and gaining muscle, so the scale weight can’t be trusted. I suggest you take pictures of yourself in boxers flexing, every month compare the pictures, it will scare the hell out of you in a good way 🙂
I’ve been using my bowflex and exercise bike everyday, and so far it’s been paying off.
I’ve been eating four times a day, mostly pinto beans mixed with hot sauce, and boneless skinless chicken breast with mixed veggies. For breakfast, I eat egg whites, salsa, mixed nuts, and turkey bacon. Sometimes for lunch I’ll have a grilled chicken salad with vinegar dressing.
For snacks, I eat carrots and celery with ranch dressing, almonds, and low fat yogurt (mix the nuts in the yogurt). I also take a whey protein shake.
My only cheat day is Friday, and it’s usually chicken wings and french fries, and maybe some candy.
Hi all!
Here’s an update:
Today is day 25 for me & I must say I am impressed. Between Mother’s Day, family functions in between, & Memorial Day, I’ve maybe followed the diet perfectly for maybe 5 or 6 days. I have lost 11 pounds in 25 days, with no exercise & treating myself to an indulgence almost daily. If I stuck to the once a week “cheat”, I can easily see where losing 3-5+ pounds a week would be completely attainable. I will keep going with this, but will be little more regimented for the month of June & will report back mid-way through June. This is an absolute miracle for me! My husband has been doing this with me (and he has more discipline, I must add)… here are our results:
Lauren (starting May 5) 185 (lbs)
Lauren (May 29) 174 (lbs)
Gared (Starting May 5) 215 (lbs)
Gared (May 29) 197
There ya have it! Our goals are 145 and 185. I know Gared will make it before July 17. I’m just hoping for 155 by then! Wish us luck!
Good luck & much health & happiness to all of you!
Lauren
could a sixteen year old do this
Tim I just wanted give a good protein rich breakfast sugguestions.
Lentil pancake
I get yellow mung beans from Indian store. Soak it for few hours and grind it to smooth pure. This can be kept refrigerated for four days after first use.
Just like you would pancake.
Pour a scoopful and keep spreading it in a circular motions until its a thin layer. You can add also add green chilies and ginger when grinding it. This can be used as a tortilla also and wrap eggs and add salsa.
Hi my name is Donna I’m 42 years old and started Tim’s way of eating May 19th. I did not weigh myself because I’m a freak about the numbers not moving on the scale. I have followed his plan to the T except the supplements I think I experienced some bad side effects so I stopped taking them. Anyway I have followed his suggestions to a T and I can honestly say in 2 weeks my clothes are baggy and I have more energy then I have in a long time. I own a horse farm and work full time so I get in alot of activity. I love this plan and have been telling all my friends about it. Tomorrow is my cheat day and I can’t wait. Thanks Tim.
Donna
Hello Everyone,
I’ve been on the diet since May 5th and I’ve been very strict with myself. I never cheat throughout the week, only on my cheat days and I’ve been doing boot camp 3 days a week and we pretty much just cardio . I weighed myself this morning and I’ve only lost 10 pounds. I thought for sure that I would have lost close to 20 pounds. I’m not sure what it is that I’m doing wrong? For breakfast i eat egg whites, mushrooms, zucchini, and beans (brown beans in tomato sauce, black beans, refried bean) for lunch I eat chili with ground chicken and for dinner I eat chicken breast, beans veggies and sometimes I have almonds for a snack.
Maybe my body is getting use to the foods I’m eating? Maybe someone can give me some recipes of what they eat for lunch and dinner. If anyone has any suggestion’s that would be great!!
Thank you so much
Sharon,
What have you been drinking? And just check the sugar content of everything.
Remi,
Technically, yes, a 16 year old can do this. However, a balanced diet and exercise is probably your better bet. A 16 year old body can quickly adjust. It is better to train a young person how to live a healthy lifestyle.
Maybe for a month or two to drop quickly, but at 16, you need to make lifestyle choices and kill bad habits. Older people didn’t pay attention during all the health classes and now changing habits is impossible.
Hi Pat,
Thanks for responding back! I only drink Coke Zero, Tea and LOTS of water!
I never drink sugar. So I don’t know what the problem is???
Hi Pat,
that last message was from me. I had my sisters name entered there instead.
Hi Sharon,
As far as I can see 20lbs in 25 days seems exceptional. After the inital drop 8-10lbs /month seems typical so stick with it!