(Photo: Felipe Morin)
Holy crap. The 4-Hour Body (4HB) has ended up producing an avalanche of questions.
There are definitely a few gems hidden amongst the rubble, and more than a few typos were unearthed in the process.
This post — mostly how-to with a few bits of entertainment — is purely for tying up loose ends. I hope it helps.
Covered in this post:
The blog moving forward: 4HB content vs. 4HWW content vs. random topics
4HB Bonus Materials – If You Missed It
4HB Tools and Tricks – All Online!
Contest winners
Slow-carb clarifications
4-Hour Body – common questions and Q&As
Audiobook PDF downloads
4HB reader-generated goodies: desktop wallpaper, etc.
Media samples
4HB corrections and typos…
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The blog moving forward: 4HB content vs. 4HWW content vs. random topics
Some readers have expressed interest in more business-related posts, instead of physical-focused posts. Not to worry — there will continue to be both on this blog. In simplest terms, I write about what I’m most interested in (or passionate about) at the time. If you don’t find a post interesting, skip out for a bit and then check back in. I don’t expect anyone to read all of my posts.
4HB Bonus Materials – If You Missed It
The 4-Hour Body bonus materials have been up for a while now. If you missed them, all can be found here. Enjoy!
There are a number of forums and message boards for 4HB, including this blog and the reader-generated 4HBTalk.
For those interested, I’ll be experimenting with a private, paid forum (probably $9.95/month to start, but not sure) for 4HB. I’m going to test it with 100 people first. If you have any interest in being one of the 100 for $9.95/month, please fill out this form. My hope is that this forum can be a central troll-free and spam-free gathering point for people who are willing to test, gather data, and contribute to each other. I don’t want participants who ask others to Google simple questions for them. The price is a simple mechanism to separate out those who are most serious.
Regardless, information wants to be free. There are a ton of free resources and communities online, not to mention a 600-page book, that should be enough for anyone to make exceptional progress.
4HB Tools and Tricks — all online!
Ever wished all of links in the 4-Hour Body “Tools and Tricks” were online? You asked and I heard you — all of the resources links are now online here. Enjoy!
Contest winners!
CONTEST #1
Blog post: Have a Good Eye for Ads? Try the (Lucrative) 4-Hour Body Experiment…
Date: October 13
Winner: Salman Sajid (Congratulations!)
Prize(s): North Face Prophet 65 Trekking Pack (Retail: $319), A round-trip anywhere in the world Star Alliance airlines fly (or $1,000 cash), All 4-Hour Body revenue via ads on my site for two weeks (potentially every post ever written), using your Amazon affiliate code.
Notes: Here is Salman’s winning ad (he also won the smaller banner), based on click-through rate. I’ll be doing a longer analysis in a future blog post. The genius “Eat Like Santa, Look Like Jesus” ads, which I also used to great effect, was designed (visual and copy) by Conway Anderson. Amusingly, he and I randomly met on the Embarcadero sidewalk on the SF waterfront. He gave me his card “just in case” and here we are.
CONTEST #2
Blog post: “The Land Rush: 48 Hours to Claim $4,000,000 in Prizes” + “The 4-Hour Body is NOW OUT – Live Q&A Today, New Trailer, Free Books, and Much More”
Date: December 2010 (sadly, there were some great submissions who posted too late, like David Batchelor)
Winner: Camille. Runner-up: Roger P.
Prize(s): Free trip to the person who promotes The 4-Hour Body best this week. If you are the best promoter, judged by me and a panel of friends, you get to pick one trip of a lifetime… for free. I will almost definitely be in attendance: 8-Day Argentina Snow Adventure in Patagonia, or 10-Day Private Tour of India, including Miss India. Includes roundtrip economy airfare from and back to the U.S. Addendum: I’ll give the runner-up a round-trip anywhere in the world that Continental flies (or StarAlliance). Camille, you can also take this, if you prefer. No expiration date.
Slow-Carb Clarifications
I’m currently getting at least 500-1,000 questions a day via the blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. about the slow-carb diet. Let me clarify a few things:
Do not eat the following, except for cheat days:
Yams
Sweet potatoes
Quinoa
Dairy (this includes cheese and yogurt of all kinds)
I mention cottage cheese at one point as a last resort. It is low in lactose, which is what you need to avoid. Ghee and cream (for coffee) should contain little or no lactose, hence you can use them. The same goes for effectively lactose-free, unflavored whey protein, etc..
[Note for the PubMed readers: It’s true that whey is partially (or wholly) responsible for the insulinemic response of most dairy, but avoiding lactose seems to be more directly correlated to faster fat-loss in the diet subjects I’ve tracked. Needless to say, avoiding all dairy is the simplest solution.]
SUPPLEMENTS: There is NO need for supplements on the slow-carb diet, besides magnesium, potassium, etc. in “Slow-Carb II.” PAGG is NOT necessary, so if you find it confusing, just omit it.
Post-workout carbs – If your goal is fat loss, and assuming you are not training for endurance competition:
– If you male and not 12% bodyfat or less, no post-workout carbs.
– If you are female and not 20% bodyfat or less, no post-workout carbs.
In the end, the point of 4HB is intelligent and responsible SELF-EXPERIMENTATION. I will not answer all of your questions, precisely because I want you to think for yourselves and figure it out. Hundreds of you have already done so. It’s not that hard.
The following will address 99%+ of confusion:
– If you have to ask, don’t eat it.
– If you haven’t had blood tests done, I don’t want to hear that the diet doesn’t work.
– If you aren’t measuring inches or haven’t measured bodyfat % with an accurate tool (BodPod, etc. and NOT bodyfat scales), I don’t want to hear that the diet doesn’t work.
– If you’re a woman and taking measurements within 10 days prior to menstruation (which I advise against in the book), I don’t want to hear about the lack of progress.
– On the critical 4-6 week window:
For people over 40 and women (especially after two kids), it’s quite common that the most dramatic fat-loss and weight change comes after 4-6 weeks on the diet. I have no explanation for this. Needless to say, if you haven’t done the diet for AT LEAST four weeks, please don’t post a comment about plateauing and panicking. I can’t give you meaningful advice without a ton of other supporting data (blood tests, etc.), and it’s physically impossible for me to respond to each person.
To reiterate: The entire goal of 4HB is to make you a self-sufficient self-experimenter within safe boundaries. Track yourself, follow the rules, and track the changes if you break or bend the rules. Simple as that. That’s what I did to arrive at my conclusions, and that’s what you will do — with a huge head start with the 4HB — to arrive at yours.
Do it for 4 weeks and then troubleshoot if you’re plateauing.
If you post a plea for help anywhere, include at least two FULL days of your meals and snacks so people can actually help you.
Most of those saying they’re “following the diet to the letter” are doing nothing of the sort. Reread “Slow-Carb II” in 4HB.
Last, I’ll repeat the basic approach to the unknown: If you have to ask, don’t eat it.
4-Hour Body – common questions and Q&As
Most of the questions you could possibly ask about 4HB or slow-carb have been answered, whether related to carb-loading for endurance, orgasms, or other. I’ve done a few Q&As over the last few weeks, and I encourage you to check them out — lots of good questions:
4HB Presentation and extended Q&A at Twitter Headquarters [VIDEO]
4HB Presentation and extended Q&A at Twitter Headquarters [AUDIO] (after clicking the link, just wait 45 seconds to download the file for free)
Presentation and Q&A at Google Headquarters (the preso is the same as Twitter, but the Q&A is different and starts at 18:00)
Audiobook PDF downloads
The PDFs that accompany audiobook downloads (which I have nothing to do with) are apparently really hard to find. Please note: on Audible and elsewhere, there should be a small download link on your purchase confirmation for downloading the PDFs.
4HB reader-generated goodies: desktop wallpaper, etc.
Just for the fun of it, here is some desktop wallpaper created by Cole Morgan.
Media Samples
If you’d like to see how you must compress your sound bites for television, here is a brief clip of me from The View. I REALLY want to get Barbara Walters huge on creatine. She’d look amazing with killer forearms:
I will also be on Dr. Oz this Monday (Jan 24), and it should be a much longer segment and worth seeing. Find your local times here. I’ve been on his radio show twice, and we’ve always had a good time digging into the details. He doesn’t hesitate to challenge.
4HB corrections and typos
Through the editing process, which included more than six passes of the manuscript and a team of copyeditors, typos inevitably ended up in 4HB. I’m thankful to you, my readers, for pointing most of them out. Here are those we’ve found so far. These are my notes sent to the publisher, so forgive the odd formatting, and most bolding has been removed:
1) HUPERZINE DOSE TYPO, PG. 280
“As I double-checked pg.280 of your 4-Hour Body book, I see that you indeed recommend 200 milligrams of the extract, however, the reader suggested that … it should, in fact, be 200 MICROgrams.”
TIM: I’m not sure how this happened, but he’s right. It should be “micrograms (mcg)” NOT milligrams. Please change to “micrograms (mcg)”
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2) IODINE TYPO and add to biotin, PG 524
“Hello,??I noticed two typos on page 524:??* Iodine does not have a USRDA value of 1,500 mcg…it is actually 150 mcg.”
TIM: This is correct. Please change to 150 mcg. I don’t know how this happened, as it was accurate at manuscript stage. Needs to be “150 mcg”
“?* Biotin does not have a USRDA value of 30 mcg…it is actually 300 mcg.”
TIM: He is incorrect here, I believe, but we should still update, as Biotin does not have an USRDA. Put “(no USRDA)” next to biotin like a few others.??
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3) CINNAMON TYPO, PG. 101
“Under DAMAGE CONTROL you state that during your binge you consumed 1 tbsp cinnamon in your coffee. However under THE GLUCOSE SWITCH, when explaining types and quantities of cinnamon you stressed the importance of not exceeding 1.5 teaspoons a day. Which would mean you had consumed double that “safe” amount during your binge. Can you please clarify?”
TIM: “1 tbsp cinnamon” on pg. 101 (under “12:45pm”) is a typo and should be “1 tsp cinnamon”
###
4) PG. 26
“That is, if you’re a critical intervention patient, such as a morbidly
obese type 1 diabetic.”
Should be changed to “type 2”:
“That is, if you’re a critical intervention patient, such as a morbidly
obese type 2 diabetic.”
###
5) PG. 116, PAGG
The end result was PAGG.
Policosanol: 20–25 mg
Alpha- lipoic acid: 100–300 mg (I take 300 mg with each meal, but some
people experience acid refl ux symptoms with more than 100 mg)
Green tea fl avanols (decaffeinated with at least 325 mg EGCG):
325 mg
Garlic extract: 200 mg
Daily PAGG intake is timed before meals and bed, which produces a
schedule like this:
Prior to breakfast: AGG
Prior to lunch: AGG
Prior to dinner: AGG
Prior to bed: PAGG
Should be changed to (changes in bold):
The end result was PAGG.
Policosanol: 20–25 mg
Alpha- lipoic acid: 100–300 mg (I take 300 mg with each meal, but some
people experience acid reflux symptoms with even 100 mg)
Green tea flavanols (decaffeinated with at least 325 mg EGCG):
325 mg
Garlic extract: at least 200 mg (I routinely use 650+ mg)
Daily PAGG intake is timed before meals and bed, which produces a
schedule like this:
Prior to breakfast: AGG
Prior to lunch: AGG
Prior to dinner: AGG
Prior to bed: PAG (omit the green tea extract)
6) PG. 120, PAGG PARAGRAPH AND TOOLS AND TRICKS
[SECOND PARAG]
“Until further research concludes otherwise, I suggest using an
aged-garlic extract (AGE) with high allicin potential that includes all constituent parts, including S-Allyl cysteine.”
Should be changed to [changes bolded]:
“Until further research concludes otherwise, I suggest using an
aged-garlic extract (AGE) with high allicin potential that includes all constituent parts, including S-Allyl cysteine. If AGE isn’t available, unaged garlic extract appears to work at slightly higher doses.”
[CHANGES IN TOOLS AND TRICKS]
I currently use the following products. I have no financial interest in any of them:
Vitamin Shoppe— Allicin 6000 Garlic, 650 mg, 100 caplets (www.fourhourbody.com/garlic)
Mega Green Tea Extract (decaffeinated), 725 mg, 100 capsules (www.fourhourbody.com/greentea)
Vitamin Shoppe— Alpha- Lipoic Acid, 300 mg, 60 capsules (www.fourhourbody.com/ala)
Nature’s Life— Policosanol, 60 tablets (www.fourhourbody.com/policosanol)
Should be changed to (please just copy and paste the below):
I used the following products for my testing, but I’ll update links based on availability and reader feedback. I have no financial interest in any of them:
Allicin 6000 Garlic—650 mg, 100 caplets (www.fourhourbody.com/garlic)
Mega Green Tea Extract— 325+ mg EGCG, 100 capsules (www.fourhourbody.com/greentea)
Vitamin Shoppe—Alpha-Lipoic Acid, 100 mg, 60 capsules (www.fourhourbody.com/ala)
Nature’s Life— Policosanol, 60 tablets (www.fourhourbody.com/policosanol)
###
7) CHANGE “Heinrich” to “Henrik” on pg. 256, parag 3
###
8) PG. 15 — “500 scientific citations” needs to be changed to “300 scientific citations”
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.
Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That’s how we’re gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)
Tim,
Slow carb does work. I’m 3 weeks in and down 10 pounds and my wife is on week 2 and she too is down 10 pounds. Found a gym with a Bodpod close to where I live.
We love Saturday’s more than ever. Cheat days are fantastic. Just finished a piece of homemade peanut butter pie!
Great book!
Is there any way to tell whether my testosterone levels are rising without having to get a before and after blood test???
Jim,
elevated libido and strength performance could be a hint but isn´t necessariliy so. Only multiple blood tests will give you reliable results.
All the best
Peter
Hey Tim
I just wanna say thanks man. I have been doing the slow carb diet with no training for 3 weeks now and have taken off 5 kilos and about 4cm from my waist … that is just.
In the past I have done really tough dieting and training from books and articles with very disappointing results for the effort i put in.I had actually given up on reading articles and books but your marketing got me to even though I did not really wanna give it a go. I’m glad I did and I am just plain excited at the prospect of maybe reaching my genetic potential in 6 months,
Thanks again Tim you are the man 🙂
Hey guys,
Where is a good reliable website to order Brazil nuts from?
There are many and I’m an extreme skeptic. You have no idea how skeptic I was of the 4HWW when I first read about it.
Thanks 😀
Trader Joe’s carries raw Brazil nuts if there is one by you.
Hey Tim, great work with this book, Im loving it and following its principles for losing weight and cough.. sex since it came out.
I have lost 9 lbs since then after being in a long plateau with keto.
I have one question and maybe it has been answered somewhere but the information is spread in a lot of sources (forums is a great idea):
monterrey Jack Cheese has cero grams of carbs. And I did some research and it seems is very low in lactose : http://bit.ly/eDvJlM
Have you tried this cheese? Would you recommend it? This cheese is a great addition to the diet but have been avoiding it because Im following the book recommendations
Thanks in advance!
Tim,
Awesome book! I may have missed this, but could you recommend a good protein powder? A lot of them seem to have artificial sweeteners, etc. I found one, BiPro Whey Protein Isolate Supplement, which looks like it is free from anything artificial (Ingredients: Whey protein isolate (from milk), less than 1.5% soy lecithin added to aid in product dispersibility). Thoughts?
Thanks.
Jarrow makes a great unsweetened plain whey powder.
Tim, I’m slightly allergic to most raw nuts. Is there a difference between raw and roasted in terms of nutrients/benefits/calories? Also I want to purchase them raw and then somehow roast them myself, as I know many nuts you find in the grocery store that are roasted also have a lot of salt. Any suggestions as to roasting your own nuts (no pun intended) would be beneficial.
Cheers
Stick them in the oven for about 10-15mins or until golden OR if they are slivered you can put them in the frying pan, no oil needed and keep turning them until they are golden
Wow, this is major: I found pasta and chips made of beans (black or mungo). The ingredients are water, beans and salt. Sure, they probably existed since the Creation days but I only found them now ;p
But…I am afraid to eat them…i don’t want to spoil my amazing results so far…
So, has anyone had these on the SCD and managed not to became Cartman overnight?
Tim, any thoughts on these? It seems too good to be true….
Hi Tim, I have a question:
Where did you get the fact/quote that Matt Mullenweg did polyphasic sleep?
I ask because I couldn’t find any evidence on the web or his blog on that matter.
Thanks!
He’s a friend and told me directly.
Just thought I’d drop you a line
Really appreciate your generosity in fixing up B&N’s bull**** with international orders, even though it wasnt your responsibility
Muchos Love
Dan
Amen to that
B&N do it really wrong with intl orders.
Tim,
I have been in underweight category naturally since I was a kid. Some people mentioned it is due to genetics factor. Both my parents are very healthy and look young compared to their age such that I was even told by many that they thought my father is my younger brother..Sigh!
FYI, I am an Asian(Indian) who typically consumes lots of rice almost for every meal. I like also to consume fenugreek, pure honey, black seed, olive oil, vegetables on daily basis without fail.
So my question for you : I would like to know whether your newly launched book is suitable for me? If you would recommend me , then I would buy it.
I am little bit skeptical whether your book is suitable for my way of life; almost-typical indian way of eating.
My aim is to have a strong and high-endurance body ala Mark Twight without sacrificing my rice-based meals. Very important for me!
Apology, if you problem understanding my English.
Aj,
I live in Singapore. I’ve just put on 2.5 kg in 2 weeks eating Chinese, Malay and Indian rice-based meals.
If you pop over to my blog you’ll see a bit more detail about what I’ve been eating — but it’s all Tim’s Occam system that’s making the difference.
Finished my first week (today was CHEAT DAY! Beer me!) of 4HB and was about to panic when I didn’t see the scale move (insert 8am lip tremble) – but then brained up, consulted the “manual” and ahhhhh- I forgot about my pesky uterus and what havoc it and it’s cycles might wreak on my progress! Since Mother Nature is about to re-visit me right…..about……..now… I will climb off the ledge and cowgirl up! Thank so much Tim for all the wacky experimentation and your swell book- onward and upward!
Im heer in Iraq at the moment and my goal while here was to get my body “back-on-track”. Im 40 so I wasnt trying to fool myself it would be harder then ten years ago, but in the first tw0 months I dropped about 16lbs and leveled out. I was a little frustrated to say the least since I was really working hard.
Well I was chomping at the bit for the 4HB since I had already read 4HW.
Long story short, I dropped 3 lbs in the first 4 days and had a wonderful cheat day for the first time in two months (which, honestly, felt more like a year). Whats more, i didnt wake up the next day feeling bloated, as I had consumed alot of water, as the book said to do.
I look forward to the next couple weeks to see what I can get done.
I appreciate the simple approach. It’s refreshing.
Hey Tim
Just googled a bit and found a interesting site (Siousxcountry.com) where overmuscled women are bashing your book saying they “feel bad for the people who try to follow through his program”.
Th best thing :What shocked them most was the SEX part and the pictures
“didn’t even touch the sex stuff- I was afraid to go there! ”
” the sex stuff was way over the top. No need for the pics he put in there”
I guess they didn´t read the intro chapters carefully…
Anyway I can´t wait to do my own version of Geek to Freak.
I have damaged the radiushead in my ellbow when snowboarding when I just was 2 wrkouts in the First attempt. From that allone I put on 3 kg.
I´m sure that I can get to over 10 kg in a month when I do it again in March.
I love your book but was a bit disappointed by the Sleep chapters.I expected much more content and details.
I would really like to hear your experiences with polyphasic sleep.
🙂
Finally expressing my gratitude for all your work and creative genius…Thanks for bringing to the forefront such great resources!
For anyone who’s considering ART for shoulder injuries, etc. DO IT! It saved my shoulder in 1999, one year short of the Sydney Games. Treatment hurts like hell, but the pain is well worth it!
I’m blown away at how much the cold showers reset your energy, metabolism and hormones (also great, by the way, to clear body field of nasty Electro Pollution from the day!) 5 minutes of freezing your ass DOES pay off!
Hugs!
Energized Cat 🙂
Tim,
Thanks for the 4HB, I got it for my parents so and it’s been on their coffee table for three weeks. Considering my mom cleans frantically, it’s a worthy accomplishment.
I had a question about sex drive:
Before reading your book I ate around 1lb of red meat a day, six eggs, and healthy fats here and there, but I had a very low sex drive. Now, in addition, I take the vitamin D + butter fat combination+ fish oil (not cod) before sleep, I eat sauerkraut daily, I take one cold shower daily, and I lift weights (2xBW squat). But, I don’t feel any improvements
I’ve narrowed it down to two things: as you were, I could be selenium deficient, or it could be because the meat I eat, isn’t organic. Both of these are that way because I don’t have the money. Brazil nuts are expensive, but I think I can manage the initial money for some worthwhile testing. Organic meats, not so much with how much I eat. I know it’s important, but do you think it could be the limiting factor in my sex drive? Any other suggestions?
Tim – I am 41 year old male, father of 3 young (all under 12 years old) children, had gotten fat and out of shape over the last several years… started to “self-experiment” with diet a couple years ago after doctor’s solution to chronic heartburn was a pill… “next patient please”… I was able to totally eliminate the HB with food modification – bread, grains, flour, gluten, all that bad stuff were the culprits… I can eat grass-fed beef, salmon, other meats, spicy stirfry with chilis meat and veggies (cooked and raw) tons of spinach, salad, etc and never get HB (I kept good records of what I ate and when and paid attention to what worked and what didn’t)… tossed prescription for “Acidwhatever” in the trash… Have followed the slow-card diet strictly since New Year’s… in a word (2 really) IT WORKS. Have shed 12 pounds since Jan 1st. Thanks… keep writing… I’ll read it all.
Hi Tim,
When you say, with regards to the Slow Carb diet: “If you haven’t had blood tests done, I don’t want to hear that the diet doesn’t work,” what specific blood tests are you talking about? The glucose monitoring? Or was there something else I missed?
Tim,
Above you say cream for coffee is ok because it doesn’t have lactose. I thought cream is high in lactose (and carbs!)? Can you clarify?
Hi Tim (re:cream) have a look at http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/49/2 to see what’s in cream.
There’s about 4g of carbohydrate per 100g (make sure you select an appropriate serving size from the pick list at the top) but 0g of sugar. I don’t know if they class lactose as a sugar or not.
There’s less than 1g of carb in a tablespoon (again, use the serving size) so I wouldn’t worry about a couple of tablespoons of cream in a coffee or two.
Cheers,
Andrew.
Hi Andrew,
Precisely right. This is why I subbing 1-2 tbsp of cream instead of milk can have a strong cumulative effect. Thanks for the comment.
Best,
Tim
I just started the plan this week and I’m doing pretty well so far. 3 pounds in 4 days. I’m not hungry or tired. I’m totally psyched for my day of indulgence…. I miss bread and cheese.
I LOVE this book so much that I’m talking about it to everyone I know. I even got my coworkers into it. We’re all women in our 40’s with families to feed and ‘whole health’ minded. One of the things I’ve been trying to figure out is whether or not soy milk is OK? It seems to have quite a bit of sugar in it, so I’ve been avoiding it, but I do miss it in my coffee. If soy milk is not good, what about almond milk (commercial or homemade)?
Since I have to cook for my family, I’ve been looking for recipies that are family friendly. I’ve made quite a few delicious dinners (all family members agreed) and become so inspired that I’m going to start posting them, possibly even put together a cookbook. Is there another site you’d recommend recipies supporting the 4 hour body diet?
If it has sugar in it, don’t use it. So for soy or almond milk, the unsweetened should work. Personally, I get a soy creamer from Trader Joes that has ZERO sugar and is super creamy, and it TOTALLY does the trick!!
NO SOY! page 523
Today I made a delicious chili in minutes by using my black beans that I boil by the cup every couple of days to use in my low carb meals. I started with 1/3 lb extra lean (9% fat)100% grass fed organic ground beef
1/2 teaspoon of butter
1/2 teaspoon of Spicely brand organic chili con carne spice (Whole foods carries it)
1/2 teaspoon of Spicely organic ground chipotle
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano (I grind my own in a coffee grinder I keep for spices…well worth the $20 for the extra grinder and can be easily cleaned by grinding a piece of bread, a good use for leftover bread purchased for binge day and then follow by wiping with a damp cloth to remove spice residues)
1/8 teaspoon cumin
after the meat was browned I added 2/3 cup of cooked black beans two tablespoons of tomato based salsa that included onion, mild green chilis, jalapenos and cilantro. I followed that with a few chopped pickled jalapenos with a dash of the brine from the bottle because I like it hot and Viola! it was spectacular, didn’t diverge from the diet and I topped it with 1/4 cup cottage cheese to replace the sour cream and cheese I used to top my vegetarian black bean chili I used to eat before. Next time
I love to cook and experiment with spices to suit my tastes and this was so quick, easy and delicious I figured I needed to share this with Tim’s readers. Feel free to include it in your cookbook and I will post recipes as I make them up. I am a fiend for fresh organic produce and meats and the easy fix. Enjoy!
Hi
is there’s plans to publish in spanish ?
Santi.
Tim,
I noticed in a few of your speaking engagements you mention Vitargo S2 as being a good carb source for endurance athletes. You refer to it as being a Waxy Maize Starch product. I just want to point out that it in fact is no longer a waxy maize starch carb source. Currently it is made from barley and is loaded with gluten.
It used to be made using waxy maize starch but as far as I know that product no longer exists in the US.
Great work!
So I’m wondering when the second package of bonus stuff from buying 3 4HB books is going to be sent out?
Thanks for the mention Tim. I had a lot of fun working with you.
Cheers,
Conway
Tim,
Thank you so much for all the info. Great updates. I will say, as someone over 40 who has had minimal changes being on the diet for two weeks, and as someone who has purchased the 4HWW first and second ed as well as 4HB, that your comments ending with “I don’t want to hear that the diet doesn’t work.” makes me less inclined to recommend your blog or products to many more people. I understand the response has been overwhelming, but wasn’t that your desire? Isn’t there a responsibility on your part to move from a place of compassion, when people, like myself who are tracking measurements, who are following the recipe to the T, feel stuck and frustrated. We need your calm reassurance, not “I don’t want to hear that the diet doesn’t work.”.
In rereading both chapters on the Slow-Carb Diet, I see nothing addressing those over 40 specifically. So your update that for someone like me it might take 4 to six weeks to see results to show up, seems like an important nugget of information. Glad to know that now!
Be the leader that you are. Lead with your heart. If you feed our frustration with more frustration what do you imagine that will lead to? If you feed our frustrations with compassion what’s the result there?
Have a great week! I’ll be posting my measurements tomorrow.
Steve
Steve, I think Tim was maybe hearing from people who were pointing fingers and saying the diet wasn’t working, but were the same people who were enjoying their third “cheat day” that week (just a guess). I WILL say that I am a 45 year old male, and the diet has worked amazingly well for me (lost 10 pounds in my second week). Having experience in the physical fitness career, I will say that each and every person is different, and bodies especially will react differently with age as metabolisms go through extreme changes during that time. Hang in there!
Hey Tim,
I have possibly made a kettlebell out of a dumbbell.
http://twitpic.com/3sstcm
The idea is to hold the upper disc on both sides (acting as the handle) and to use the other three discs as the volume to swing.
You reckon it might work?
Thanks!
I love the idea, but the problem is how fast you go up in weight.
I bought a friend of mine a 35 lb kettle-bell for his birthday last year. Within a week he had moved up to the 45 lb version. After a month, the 45 lb one was a joke.
The dumbbell idea still works well if you’re going for high reps and endurance.
But trust me, you’ll want more weight very soon 🙂
Time to start swinging both two handed. The asymmetry will energize the core. Just switch hands between sets.
Dude, I think you are forgetting the E part of DEAL and failing to reduce your own book down to it’s essential message. You’re going to spend the next 10 years answering questions if you keep this up. The only question I would answer is “Where do I find more information about X?” Am I wrong to take this book as merely an insane idea generator for the potential of the human body? It’s not an all-encompassing encyclopedia, in fact it seems like you barely scratched the surface on most of the subjects simply because the book is big enough as it is (it’s a big f*cker). That’s how I’m using the book – am I alone on this one?
Just wanted to report:
Boyfriend and I have been on the slow carb plan since the end of December. I’m down 5 lbs, which puts me almost under 20% body fat and also past an annoying plateau that seemed impossible to break. My energy levels and moods are higher and more stable than usual. Boyfriend is down over 10 lbs and has an emerging six pack (and yes, that does dovetail nicely with my higher energy levels.)
Tim and Alll,
I’m not sure if it’s been mentioned by any, but my favorite results from the slow carb diet are not actually the trimming effect (though it’s stellar, too, believe me.)
MY SKIN looks sooooooo much healthier. I marvel at it daily. Before it was so ashen, pasty and uneven? It glows, looks younger, not dull, etc. Wow!!! I have naturally very pale skin, so I thought it was just bad genetics prior and my attainment of the age 30, but was it really instead a reaction to Wheat/Gluten/Grains that was making my skin look so horrible – palid, uneven in color, translucent, etc? Is it possible that removing Grains has made my skin so much prettier? (I eat more sugar now — cheat day— than I did in the previous months, so I don’t think it was the removal of sugar from the diet that had this instant effect. Although, I am vastly interested in the ways that sugar ages the body, etc. and believe that it truly does a lot of bad things including immune system suppression, inflammation, aging, etc…..)
Anyhow, curious if anyone else has had similar results w/ skin on the slow carb diet.
Also, I feel a lot better than I ever did before. Cheat day actually makes me sick. 🙂
Tim Fan #99,999,999
Cyn
PS. I’ve been on the diet for seven weeks. I started realizing I had nicer, prettier skin on week six.
Hi Cynthia,
Same here for the effects of the diet! I have oily skin – which is good as I have few wrinkles at age 40 – but I no longer have micro break outs. Also, only wash your face with baking-soda as it’s super cheap and has micro-exfoliants. Toss out any expensive facials scrubs you’ve ever bought as they’re all a rip-off! Baking soda also controls skin oiliness for a few hours longer than anything else out there, without drying it out.
Cheers,
Indris
Congratulations, Cynthia! Yes, this is thankfully a very common effect: markedly better skin.
Glad you’re enjoying it 🙂
Tim
My friend the med spa owner said it’s because of the ALA, it’s known for really helping your skin. I’m entering week 4 and noticing things looking a little dewier 🙂
@Tim, I’m very thankful! : )
@Lisa, thanks for the info — I did not know about ALA prior to googling it in regard to your comment. Do you know anyone who takes ALA and likes the results? (Not that I believe that I need to while slow carbing!) Is it ever applied topically in the spa?
For anyone interested, I’m fairly* certain we’re discussing Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA).
@Iridis, that’s very interesting. Will have to remember that.
Better and nicer skin are probably also the merit of drinking liters of water and eating loads of vegetables you never ate before.
These two changes will probably have huge favorable effects on your health on long term (along with lower fat-% and lower sugar- and other crap-intake).
Slow carb seems to be an effective diet, and a healthy lifestyle.
A votre santé,
Anouar
Hi Tim,
Must be frustrating to feel like such clarifications are necessary. Very thoughtful of you to compile this post.
I live in Dallas but am leaving for SF first thing in the morning and will be there all week. Any suggestions for tasty dining while experimenting with slow carbs? My go-to’s in the bay are usually A16, Barbacco and The Slanted Door but my most of my fave dishes are out of the question (oooh maybe not the shaken beef…). Any recommendations you would have for breakfast or dinner would be great.
Thx!
[…] of these points were brought up by Tim Ferriss in his latest blog post with a bunch of insights, corrections and tips for the 4 Hour Body. He […]
Please clarify the Eric Foster’s Chipotle diet:
There’s no mention of having black beans with the Fajitas meal but you include having cheese and sour cream everyday in this meal. Is this correct?
Omit the cheese and sour cream, while adding in beans.
Hey Tim, love your work! I kinda get the feeling you are already working on the second book from a few hints you’ve given away through seminars and interviews. Do you think you could add weed to your testing methods. I would love to find out some real answers about the drug as you obviously have the means. I do not smoke weed but used to. I stopped because i thought it was unhealthy even in moderation which i think is questionable.
Love and light
Shaune
Hi Tim and All,
I can’t drink black coffee so I measure 1-2 Tbl spoons of heavy cream in it.
I’ve read up on “Almond Breeze” and “Trader Joes” unsweetened almond milk and it seems compliant with the diet and has lots of nutrients at 40 calories per cup. Unsweetened “So Delicious” brand coconut milk seems compliant with the diet also to use in coffee or for making scrambled eggs. Both available at Target for best price.
What’s your take on these as they seem like a good substitute for dairy for moderate use? (I know…don’t drink your calories)
Thanks,
Indris
Indris & Tim – I also wondered about Almond milk. I bought some unsweetened as well and was going to try it in my coffee. It’s only 40 calories per serving – can’t imagine that a little in your coffee could be a problem.?
Tim,
I am almost 5 months post-partem, 3rd baby. I am starting week 3, and have lost 10 lbs, pretty easily. I am not planning on doing any supplements as I am nursing, and tend to nurse my babies for at least a year. Thanks a ton! Have you collected any data on lactating mamma’s?
Hi Laura,
I haven’t, but I might stick to a less aggressive fat loss program. Please speak with your doctor. If your body is releasing toxins from stored fat, I wouldn’t want that to get passed to your child.
Thank you for your comment!
Tim
How would you modify this diet during pregnancy? I am currently on the SC diet and hope to make it a lifestyle change instead of a temporary diet. With that being said, I also plan on a pregnancy or two in the future, but loathe the idea of abandoning the diet altogether. Any suggestions?
Just the question and answer I was looking for. I am 4 month postpartum after 2 children fairly close together. I have heard that the body wants to hold on to about ten pounds until nursing ends.
Tim,
Thanks for the corrections, there were a couple “whaaat?” moments … but first editions always have oversights.
I had a specific question about green tea, either for you or anyone who can answer it:
LOVE Green tea – unsweetened and iced … somewhere in my daily doings I’ve I got wind of a little bit of discouragement about green tea, and that was: “Green tea dehydrates you” … I was hoping this wasn’t true, as I was psyched about getting at least half of my daily water intake from Starbucks green tea.
Say it ain’t so.
Caffeine is known to cause slight dehydration for the short term. However, recent studies have found that there is no noticeable effect on hydration over the course of 24 hours.
Hey Tim, just wondering… what were you drinking during your presentation @Twitter? Scooby Snack? ; )
He mentions in one of the videos it is green tea. Not sure of brand.
Hey Tim,
couldn’t help but notice all the surfing references in the book. I’m a sports chiro backstage at alot of the pro surf events.
Surfed Ft. Point yet?
If you’re ever in orange county looking for some waves I’ll show ya around!
Hey Tim,
I saw a comment earlier where you said this:
“For height, just focus on strength and you’ll be fine. Rock it!”
Do you think this would work for a male who is over 25? More specifically 33?
Thanks!
Hi Tim,
Quick comment on the 10 days post-menstruation for accurate measurements for women. That might be the bell curve but it’s not true for everyone (like me). A better way to put it is for women to measure themselves on their “skinny” day. We all know what that means. For me it’s two days after my cycle. There’s really such a range with menstruation that it needs to done on an individual basis I think. 🙂
Thanks,
Lisa
Great recommendation. Thank you, Lisa. I’m still learning about such things 🙂
Tim,
I’m still on the 4-hour Work Week, haven’t made it to the 4-hour Body as yet and have a question.
You said you challenged some students to ask 3 questions of someone famous, what were the 3 questions?
Thanks
@indris: I use the almond milk in a protein shake I make & it’s been stated that’s OK to use.
Personally for me seems to be OK as I’ve gone several days without it at times and don’t see any major differences. YMMV of course, but a tablespoon or two shouldn’t hurt.
(Can’t see why you can’t drink the coffee black; I’ve been doing it since nearly day 1 and love it. Actually now I and you can also try this…put some cinnamon in it)
Thanks for clarifying about almond milk as I enjoy the taste of it and it gives coffee that satisfying “mouth-feel” along with cream added. Similar to when you know you’re drinking a sugar-laden soda as opposed to a diet soda that doesn’t leave a sticky mess when spilled. I have had black coffee many times while climbing mountains and I just don’t enjoy it, but admire anyone hardcore enough to drink it. 🙂 It feels like I’m drinking liquid cigarettes, plus my stomach gets irritated regardless of chasers.
I add unsweetened vanilla-flavored almond and/or coconut milk in the mix of my scrambled eggs with cinnamon and it makes an appealing custard-like breakfast. For variety I mix in non-fat buffalo wing sauce (Safeway) and/or green tabasco sauce. Your pulse will go up and you’ll notice some sweating.
Some of my cheat day items:
For resistant-starches I switch in a big can of Bush’s or B&M baked beans during the day – with the brown sugar sauce.
I like the pancake batter in the Readi-whip can that you spray on the skillet pan. (Sold next to eggs in most grocery stores) Top off pancakes with a few spoons of warm Nutella and cut-up banana.
IKEA sells the best pickled herring, which is lots of protein, Omega fats followed by some sugar….careful to anyone sodium sensitive. If you like sushi you’ll like pickeled herring.
I grill chicken thighs and wings 1-2x a week and pull skin off after grilling, but on cheat day I use dip them in a small pyrex glass bowl of Curley’s BBQ sauce or O.T.’s at Safeway. I have tried almost every BBQ sauce around and Curley’s is the best value for taste and quality for the buck. (sold at Barbeques Galore for best price, otherwise order online)
I’ll post my weight loss results soon. I just turned 40 and am on week 6 of the diet. I didn’t weigh myself the first three weeks, but was 250 before Christmas. (I’m 6′ with a good build and when leanest at 190 lbs.) I have yo-yo’d from 244 to 250 this Sunday 1/23/11, but have added muscle over the past three weeks. My forearms are well-developed and firm, my chin doesn’t droop, I don’t see sockline marks on my ankles when I take them off (bloating gone). From using the diet I actually lost 2 lbs over the holidays instead of gain 5-10 like all other years. Like I stated before I’m yo-yo’ing, but my pants are getting looser and I’m phasing out the 36″ ones as they’re getting annoyingly baggy (Goodwill donation!)…and pulling out the smaller waistline ones from storage. I could care less what the scale says, because the belt never lies! I’m using the tape measure now.
In a nutshell, my two cents are: “The belt never lies!”
Great suggestions on food ideas! I’m going to try those pancakes this weekend.
42 year old male 5′ 10″.. 273lbs 4 weeks ago….started SCD and lost 11 lbs 1st week…..4 the 2nd week…1 the 3rd week and 4 this week for a total of 20 lbs in 4 weeks (weight 253 now)…..loving this diet and I am someone who was running 4 miles every other day at 273 lbs and couldnt lose a pound(bad diet)….my exercise has slowed dramatically due to SCD but i dont care cuz i am losing weight….I have found that I get the most energy to exercise after my cheat day so that when I do most of it (hope this helps someone else)…excited to hear about 40+ getting best results after 4-6 weeks and cant wait to post numbers…..Thanks Tim keep the data coming bro
tim,
love the book! how much potassium and magnesium should i take per day?
thanks
You know you’ve nailed it when you’re getting The View of creatine loading cycles! So excited to see you getting all the traction you are Tim. You deserve it!
Scott
If you’re planning on getting rid of a couch there’s a certain guy in college needing one for his apartment.
Thanks for considering! 🙂
Chase
*Or a nice blender, OR a couple tubs of protein powder.. you know.. just whatever :).
It’s working – 5 kg lost in the first 2 weeks. Starting out at 132 kg so I’ll have some dramatic before and after pics for you.
Stuff I’m doing “wrong” but am doing it anyway as a little goes a long way in taste. No doubt it’s costing me but whatever gets me through.
– A little onion in with the eggs. Onion burns a little in cooking to caramelise/sugarise it.
– Mushrooms. They are white but I’m eating lots.
– Spicy cooking sauce with less than 5% sugar. One or two tablespoons goes a long way.
Stuff I need to work on
– Too much Diet Coke. Fruit tea. Sugar free chocolate. Zero is NOT Zero.
– Bacon and sausages. The good news is they are so salty I now don’t want to eat them
– Nuts. No more than 20 a day.
Congrats, Alex! To your points:
“- A little onion in with the eggs. Onion burns a little in cooking to caramelise/sugarise it.
– Mushrooms. They are white but I’m eating lots.
– Spicy cooking sauce with less than 5% sugar. One or two tablespoons goes a long way.”
The first two are fine. The last one could hurt progress. Just minimize the sugar.
“Stuff I need to work on
– Too much Diet Coke. Fruit tea. Sugar free chocolate. Zero is NOT Zero.
– Bacon and sausages. The good news is they are so salty I now don’t want to eat them”
The first will hurt you more than the second. Good luck and keep us posted!
Tim
– Nuts. No more than 20 a day.
Alex, Tim’s advice re: the cooking sauce is spot on for me. That little bit of sugar hit somehow messed with all of the other good stuff I did during the same week that I had the fascination with Thai stir fry sauce. I need to be especially careful as I am 55 and full-compliance seems to be the only way for me to get results.
Tim, one a few occasions you had said in the reference to the clit and the location that it was on the left side at 1 o’clock. I think that you had that wrong and meant right. I will have to check the pages but pretty sure you mentioned it a few times.
Your or her right? I had to think about that one
Brad – and all the other guys out there. As a WOMAN, I can definitively say that if you head to HER left – Clit is 12, go to 1o’clock and keep it very, very soft. She will thank you eternally!
Love it man – I’ve been thinking about and acting on some things to help people upgrade their understanding of their brains, and how that relates to their lives directly.
Dude.. Barbara Walters with Killer Forearms!
Hey Ferris,
Bought the book(congrats on its success) the day it came out. I’ve read through it a few times since. Being a fitness studies major I have a high degree of understanding with the content and I’ve since had to question much that my courses have taught me over the past few years. I’m now even more intrigued by the idea of self-experimentation then I have ever been.
To make this blunt, I have been out of the gym for almost two years because of my so called “incurable” Achilles Heel(AH). I gave up on my goal of gaining lean muscle mass becaue my AH makes eating food like playing Russian roulette, sometimes eating one thing triggers it and other times it is’t triggered. Not only am I affected physiologically but emotionally as well. I literally haven’t been myself for two years; I’m devoid of all desire to live my life to the fullest.
My AH was unknowingly aquired from having protected sex with only the second and last woman I have been sexually involved with in my 22 year life; it is HSV-2. I refuse to believe there is yet no cure for this disease, as my doctor and big pharma would like all to think. I see it as just another disease that big pharma uses to make money at the expense of human pain and suffering. So this is what I ask of you Mr. Ferris, is there a potential cure?
I already have the small pieces to the equation out of the way. I’ve purchased several of the supplements described in the book as well as joined a fitness facility. Without the last piece of the equation, a cure, I will not be able to put it all together to get any results for my small 150 lb frame.
To be honest with you, I’m at the point where I would give up everything I own for a cure. This is the first time I have approached someone, besides my dr., with this question and for help. A few months back I purchased a 50 day mineral detox that claims to push out all disease, it put me back for a few hundred dollars. I have yet to fool myself into starting the detox and hope that I don’t have to resort to it. Any suggestions/ help would be beyond greatly appreciated.
Allan
Hi Allan,
Thank you for your candid comment. I am not a doctor, but here’s what I can say:
– Professional athletes, males at least, tend to fool around on their wives and sometimes contract things like HSV-2
– There are a few docs out there whom these athletes go to
– The doctors generally try and eradicate the disease with high-dose IV vitamin C, which is sometimes combined with lower dose oral l-lysine (8-10g/day)
WARNINGS: Vitamin C is not something to take lightly when administered via IV. High doses can cause rapid hypoglycemia and you can die. For that reason, if you’re going to look into this, you need a credible MD to assist who specializes in such things.
I don’t want to get your hopes up, but the above is what I’ve heard (very anecdotally) looks promising.
Hope that helps — don’t do anything IV without a good MD,
Tim
Much appreciated Tim. I will certainly look into this asap. I live in the Indianapolis area so hopefully I can find the type of MD you are describing so I can set up a consultation. Let it be my first of many successful self-experiments.
Thanks again,
Allan
My doctor also recommends a simple blood test, G-6-PD, prior to Vitamin C IV treatment to check for a genetic mutation which can lead to hemolytic anemia.
http://www.g6pd.org/favism/english/index.mvc?pgid=intro
Indeed. You absolutely need to work with an experienced specialist.
@Allan, how’s the HSV-2 experimentation coming along? I live in the Indy area, too. I’ve had the herp for almost two years now, and I’ve only ever had two short, painless, tiny outbreaks. Another commenter above mentions nuts leading to outbreaks. Interestingly, my second outbreak was only a few days ago and occurred after bingeing on like four bags of cashews! Haha, watch this turn into a herpes forum…
Tim,
What’s your opinion of Kombucha tea? I see you frequently mention tea and eating fermented products but have never heard you mention Kombucha.
Thanks,
DD
I’m guessing Tim is pro Kombucha seeing as how the book mentions it in his entries on fermented foods and he has it in two of his food logs.
Tim,
Poliquin and many others are in favor of BCAA supplementation for both mass gain and fat loss. How do you suggest incorporating them?
What doses and form? Powder or Capsules?
Most of the powders contain sucralose so capsules are looking better, but that many caps seem a bit like a bit much. Thanks again!
Hi Tim,
I was wondering if Barnes & Noble will re-ship a signed copy of 4HB if the first one hasn’t arrived?
I’ve placed a pre-order back in Sep ’10, and the book has been shipped on 14 Dec ’10 to Australia, but hasn’t arrived yet. From conversations I had with BN, I was told that if it doesn’t arrive by 25 Jan ’11, it’s considered late and only then I’ll be able to ask them to re-ship (or ask for a refund)…. if it’s not what I’ve ordered (signed copy), there’s no point in getting it from OS.
Cheers.
Ok, I’m so pissed off with B&N.
Spoke to them today after not receiving the book. They can’t re-send the book as it’s an international delivery, so was asked to re-order it while they refund the original order.
Ended up asking for a refund… might order it from somewhere else or get the eBook.
Miki, Having the ebook on my computer is great as it’s searchable, I also have a hardcopy, & the audiobook…I use the ebook the most and would recommend getting one as it’s not that expensive.
Just to clarify, I would recommend you keep your hardback book on order, the physical book is useful to refer to when you are doing the exercises…so what I’m saying is-get both! A lot of the answers to questions people ask on this board can be found in the ebook using the search feature.
Master Tim!
First and foremost, I’d like to thank you. I honestly think that i’ll be able to stick with this new lifestyle you’ve introduced me to for a good, long while.
I have just one question, and it’s not imperative if you answer it, because I know I can make up the difference later on, but i was just wondering how bad cheat MEALS were. i just came off a successful cheat day yesterday (2 hard boiled eggs and grapefruit juice for breakfast, followed by a gigantic deli sandwich, a couple dozen chicken wings, and enough ice cream to freeze a penguin), and i was starting up my SC week again, when my girlfriend asked if i wanted to get crepes to help her relieve some of the stresses of college. I obliged, and i pre-empted the banana-nutella crepe with air squats and an espresso, to try to limit some of the damage. I was just curious how much this could potentially set me back. Again, i’m not WORRIED, per se, since i know i’ll be below my binge-morning weight by mid week anyway. If you have the time, i’d love a response, if not, thanks again.
Looking forward for the mail to get here this week so i can start PAGG, and continually reading and re-reading 4HB.
-Ryan
So Tim,
What one factor is the cause for most failure on your plan for waitloss. I thought I had been following the diet, but so far not really moving the needle much. So before I tighten things more I thought maybe you might list the top thing to look at.
Thanks.
I’m currently reading the 4HB. What about the 4 Hour Mind? A book on Nootropics and natural ways of increasing cognitive abilities?
Hi Tim,
My wishlist (from Facebook) if you happen to purge these:
BodyMetrix ultrasound body fat measurement device (I will be happy to help and share with others in my area if they want to know their body fat% using this device), therabands or minibands, the DexCom seven Plus or WaveSense jazz, Bosu ball, the MiR weighted vest, a 16kg and/or20kg kettlebell, any material from Charles Poliquin, the UV-B/F lamp, the iphone pong case, the Zeo sleep coach device, the Philips goLite or the Nightwave, any unwanted Anatomy or physiology books, Gray cook bands, high speed camera recorder… non 4HB stuff that would be great: Fujitsu Scanner, Macbook…if books are big part of your purge then I would welcome them e.g Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger. Finally, if you happen to have any round the world tickets lying about, I would love one to use to get back home to New Zealand for the rugby world cup in September (cheeky I know, but as has been said, you don’t ask, you don’t get :)).
Hey Tim,
I’ve been enjoying the book a lot. Not only is it delivered in a more easy-to-digest way than regular health books but it makes me laugh too.
Examples:
a) the first MED example you gave (about tannning) made me laugh so much… at myself.
I just came from the Philippines a few weeks ago and while there (spending 4-5 hours every day in the sun) I had the feeling that I was doing something “wrong”… you just confirmed that to me.
b) many of my friends go to the gym 3-4 times a week and waste themselves for around 1 hour each time. Their progress is not bad but when I learned I can do more with 2 exercices (Occam’s) each session you again made me laugh… at my friends, this time.
Don’t want to get into the usual bootlicking mode, here. Want to say that regardless of the occasional critics (including mine) some do to you, you have been breaking a lot of the status quo crap going on. To say the least: you’ve been responsible for a few thousands of headaches of corporate managers (will continue to be) and will be now responsible for even more headaches of doctors and such. You force people to question themselves and that’s a bless. You don’t have to be always right to make society evolve. Thanks Tim.
Last note: your tone in this post is slightly different from the one less than a month ago where it was all about “THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU… “.
Relax brother.
Tim,
I would love to see a blog post from you on the topic of blood testing – what to test and how to interpret results.
Thanks, Peter
Hey Tim,
Your two books have been life-changing. I’m currently a Senior in college and everyone in my fraternity is addicted to your book…pretty awesome! Anyway, I’ve been experimenting with different supplements for overall well-being, mental performance, etc and I’m wondering if you’ve ever experimented with any of the following products and if so if you have any feedback on them:
-E3 live with BrainOn (http://www.e3live.com/all_products/e3_brain_on.html)
-Cell Food (http://www.amazon.com/Cellfood-Liquid-Concentrate-1-Ounce-Bottle/dp/B000F4F9JS)
-Raw Maca powder
Thanks for everything Tim! You work affects more people than you know!
Hello Tim !
It’s been the 3rd week on the slow carb and everything is doing well !!! Thank you SO MUCH for this book.
You mentionned that for “women (especially after two kids), it’s quite common that the most dramatic fat-loss and weight change comes after 4-6 weeks on the diet. I have explanation for this”. As I just gave birth to my 3rd kid I’m really interested in your explanations…Do you have a link or sommthing where I can find them ?
Thank you, Tim! For everything that you do and everything that you are, thank you! I sincerely hope this has eased up the volume of questions for you [and let’s face – the whining!]
Also, wanted to share that I am having a blast with 4HB! As healthcare provider, I frequently give into oversight of taking care of myself. During the holidays, I came across 4HB while delayed in the airport for hours upon hours and unwittingly begun an experiment! BTW, want to confuse an airport full of passerbys and people awaiting a flight, just practice some boleos and the like! Haha!
At any rate, it was a wake up call; It was a reminder that it was okay to take time to care for myself. So, after carefully reading through specified goal oriented sections, I kicked off my new year with a restored attitude about life and started the SCD. Easy enough, one week, 6lbs gone. Now, I haven’t taken any measurements since then due to that pesky menstruation deal but I am certain I have continued to have significant results as evidenced by the following, some of which are quite atypical, events.
During the past two weeks: (1) I feel awesome! (2) I have been nearly felt up no less than 6 or 7 times by my female dance instructor and fellow female dance friends as they commented on how much slimmer I appeared, (3) I have had to carefully maneuver around the advances of a couple of patients and coworkers, (4) Amongst friends, I have earned a new nickname, perky, as in “check out that perky posterior,” and (5) Apparently, my inner most sensual/ sexual subconscious has been freed and is confidently shining through [particularly in my dancing by way of a few dozen or so individuals disclosing FYI – There is no pole involved here! It’s all west coast swing, baby!]
Honestly though, the measurements really don’t matter, I just plain feel good; Perhaps more importantly though, the message I took away from this experience is about optimizing life through trial and error whether that be professionally or private matters. Bottom line: You’re awesome & thank you! Oh, as far as your purge goes, I will again plead with you to not purge your dance shoes! Instead, I say take up west coast swing!
Best Wishes, ~Bethany
P.S. For all the guys out there -> If you want serious game with the ladies, learn to dance! You do not even have to be all that good at it. Seriously, I repeat, you do not even have to be a good dancer to have ladies throwing themselves at you. Ex: There is a man that is part of the local argentine tango community; Although this man’s personality is very attractive, he is not the most physically attractive man or even close to being the best dancer. However, on several occasions, it has taken every ounce of my inner strength to NOT drag him out of the ballroom and have my way with him. Can you guess why? This man has figured out to perfectly execute manhandling – It’s confident, it’s assertive, it’s balanced, and yet somehow gentle. In other words, I feel he is in complete control and I am completed resigned to his control; I don’t have to fear an arm fracture or any other injury though b/c he’s just the right amount of gentle at the same time. Manhandling = HOT = Instant Magnetism = Ravaging of Man What are you waiting for fellas? Get dancing! I recommend argentine tango and/or west coast swing.
Haha… love the comment, Bethany 🙂 And TOTALLY agree on the dance recommendation. Gents, for real. No exaggeration.
Pura vida,
Tim
I’m liking all these Q&A’s. Starting to feel so good from the diet that binge days are a turn off. Until the first bite of chocolate, of course…
For those who are looking into blood testing etc. I believe Tim has the latest and greatest on that mentioned in the book. I would ALSO inquire about neuroscience (health via your nervous system). I have found that http://www.neurorelief.com is at the leading edge for finding and addressing imbalances in brain chemistry, hormones and immunity, which are often are the cause for failed weight loss, stubborn binging and addictive patters.
Check it out and find a practitioner that uses these tests!
In regards to 4HourMIND, Brain-Body is SO connected… 4 Hour Body will transform your mind too! 🙂
Off to that cold shower! Ouch.
Ok, off to my morning cold shower! And it’s going to be a COLD one this AM!
Hey Tim
Loved 4HWW – loving 4HB too
2 weeks 4 days into the fat loss stage – lost 4kgs in weight, 7cm off chest, 5cm off waist and 3cm off hips- this shit works!!
Still have sugar cravings though, especially at night after evening meal. Been having sugarless jelly to fill the need
Saw your comment on 10g of BCAA’s and did in fact google it – most products talk about mcg of the AA’s so just wanted to check your recommendation – any chance you could clarify? Do you have a favorite?
Thanks mate
Tim
Thanks, Tim. I use Dymatize BCAAs. I do mean grams. 1,000mg = 1g. Check it out here:
http://www.amazon.com/Dymatize-Nutrition-BCAA-Complex-Caplets/dp/B000GOUAQE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296021329&sr=8-1
Thanks so much Tim
And I can get it in Australia which makes it even better!!!
Dr. Mercola mentions 4HB in his newest posting and recommends the binge day for fatloss:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/01/24/8-tricks-for-boosting-your-metabolism.aspx
I am happy to see so many people succeeding on the diet- well done! Did any of you have problems during the first few days?Today is day 4 for me on slow-carb and feeling like crap.
I’ve been eating organic veggies, organic salsa, hand-gathered eggs and the finest grass-and-bug fed “pastured” chicken. walk around feeling terrible. what is the deal?
I’ve been having a multi-vitamin every day and enzymes just to help me adjust.
Also, this is the first time in four years that I’m eating meat. Maybe that has something to do with it…?
did you try to stop the multivitamins every day ? They can give nausea to some people like me…
and maybe the “meat thing” is a point yes…
Hi Heyward,
It doesn’t sound like you’re eating enough calories. I know Tim doesn’t want us to actively calorie count but it’s important to get an idea of where you are if you’re feeling like crap. Try something like fitday.com and just input the numbers, because it really sounds like you’re not taking enough in. Also I notice you didn’t say anything about beans/legumes. Since they are the largest bunch of calories you’d be eating every day on the slow carb diet, make sure they’re in there. Otherwise you could, as I said, be eating way below what you need.
Hey Heyward,
I re-introduced meat into my diet just over a year ago after being all raw/vegan and going down a road that wasn’t conducive to long term health, for me… Meat can create fatigue at first, but, from my experience, it does get better.
That said, I also found it VERY beneficial to find out my genotype and eat mostly foods that are superfoods for my genotype. Example, I do great with lamb and turkey, not so much with beef and chicken. (That’s for my “Explorer” type). For those of us who have sensitive systems or a history of chronic disease or stubborn weight issues, I think it’s wise to experiment with Dr. D’Adamo’s Type and Genotype testing and recommendations.
I’ve been doing the 4 hour Body with Genotype superfoods for my type and feel the best I’ve felt in YEARS! I don’t think I’d have the same results if I was including foods that I know don’t work for me, like beef and tomatoes for example 🙂
Heyward,
do you know your makro nutrien intake carbs/protein/fat. Maybe your total energy intake is to low or you need more fat to facilitate the change from glucose to fat for fuel.
All the best
Peter
Yo! I had trouble too, so I looked up carb stuff online and found out about the carb crash, which I just mentioned below before I saw your comment. I don’t know Tim’s stance on it, but finding out about it helped me, cause I was also feeling a bit dodgy but learning it’s normal helped me want to stick with this diet! I’m not a dieter, by the way, but I thought this might make sense as a lifestyle change, for multiple reasons…
and okay, I’m like 3.9 pounds from my goal weight, dangitt!!! So I wanted to test if this diet (plus slow motion weightlifting) would speed it up!
I think you might want to crank up your bean/legume intake. Also tons of water. I remember Tim mentioning a women who was struggling as she was focused on the veg – when she changed her focus to the beans here energy was up.
Also make sure you are eating enough. Tim also mentions how a cup of rice does not equal a cup of spinach!
Keep up the good work – you will feel better.
Hi Tim!
Normally I just lurk and read the articles and comments but I felt the need to tell you how much your work has helped me over the years. A few years ago I had a bunch of major life changes and went to the book store looking for some books on how to “sell”. I had just started a sales job (which I hated) and needed help. But someone had left your book open on the shelf and I started browsing through it. I spent the lunch hour reading it and then bought it to devour in a single night.
That same job I believe is the reason I gained a bunch of weight (they brought candies, fried and crappy food, etc right to your desk. It seemed great… until my weight started to creep up. And the stress of meeting the deadline or you’re fired probably didn’t help with cortisol and fat gain). I’ve been out of that job for 8 months and slowly my weight was dropping without me doing anything.
But I started your slow carb diet a little over a week ago and have already seen a weight loss of 8 lbs. I believe a lot of that could be water weight, but still. I’m the type of person who gets anxious if I don’t see results quickly and this has given me that boost I needed. I’m looking forward to having more dramatic results and to post my blog with the journey of all of this and more when I am finally done the experiment!
I sound like a highschool teen gushing about their latest heartthrob boy band but I’m just so thrilled that I found your work and thought I’d relay that!
Thanks Tim!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Jen. Made my evening 🙂
Tim
🙂 Well that’s always good to hear!
So in reading your book, I have a question for you. I’m sure you’ve been asked it before. But… *drumroll* What has been the best day of your life and why? I specifically ask this because with all of your experiences you could say any of them, but I feel it will likely be something unexpected.
So, Tim, this is probably a stupid question, given the fact that we’re not supposed to have yams, but:
Can I eat konnyaku on the slow carb diet? When I lived in Japan for a month, I fell in love with the stuff. It is basically a jelly-like substance made of yam starch, but has little to no nutritional value (1-2 grams of carbohydrates, 6-15 calories at the most per serving, and no sugar).
In case you’re curious, Tim, or if anyone else wants to know what I am talking about:
http://www.justhungry.com/2007/01/konnyaku_and_shirataki_ojftmhy.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konjac
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirataki_noodles
Quick question about activating Glut-4 and directing nutrients to muscle by using muscle contractions. I understand that this is an effective tool for binge days, but for someone who wants to gain muscle, would it make sense to do some form of this before every meal, so that nutrients are constantly being directed towards muscle?
@Ben
I do it before every meal, just to be on the safe side. So, I got yer back!
@Peter
“more fat to switch from glucose to fat burning.” You know, that was my feeling earlier. Body may be switching over to fat burning. In any case, I said went and made a glass of yerba mate and green tea, drank ’em BOTH, and am feeeeeeellllling gggllooooorrriioouuss.
Tim,
Have you by chance ever tried egg whites in powder form? I’m in BsAs and can’t find liquid, and am hoping not to have to separate them myself. :-S Apologies if this question has already been asked.
Saludos,
Nate
Hey Tim…
I am a vegan and I am trying to implement the 4HB diet. MUCH harder I think without being able to eat meat because I am having to really focus on loading up on protein without getting all the carbs.
I am losing weight but not very fast and I am wondering if it is because I am drinking protein shakes to get my protein (usually Pea or Vega brand protein) and those often have sweeteners in them to make them bearable such as Frutafit Inulin or organic coconut palm nectar.
So two questions.
1. Any vegans giving this a go and having success? If so how?
2. What do you think about the protein shakes? I am not sure I can handle the shakes without the sweetener. They are bad enough as is.
Thanks SO much for your help.
There is a raw vegan protein powder you can use. It is Sun Warrior protein powder, but you have to get the “natural” flavor. It doesn’t have any sweetener in it. It doesn’t taste the best, but Tim has suggested using vanilla extract and cinnamon or unsweetened cocoa powder in it to give it a little flavor.
Hope it helps! My sister has been a vegan for 7 years, I am used to having to be aware of ingredients. You can get a lot of protein in a meal with split peas and lentils, as well.
ALSO – Check out the book RAWVOLUTION by Matt Amsden. You will have to be careful but it offers a lot of creative ways to eat veggies, in particular a boy choy salad with namya shou and almonds that would offer extra protein for you.
Checkout the meatless section in the back of the book. Tim gives some specifics, including which protein drinks don’t taste like gack.
Enjoying the book, and had a great cheat day yesterday, hahahaha…. gotta say, it DOES get it out of your system, getting it out of your system! ALSO, it helped me though the week when I had a craving… of course, on cheat day, I could only eat so much!
I had intense carb cravings, I gotta say. Apparently, there’s such a thing as the carb crash… I’m still reading the book so I don’t know if that’s mentioned anywhere… but they do discuss it on the web…
Anyway, thank you, Tim!
My computer absolutely hates me today – but I am going to give this one more try!
Simply stated, Thank you, Tim! For everything that you do and everything that you are, thank you! I sincerely hope this has eased up the volume of questions for you. Thought I would also add that I am having a blast with 4HB! In fact, most of the people in my life are jumping into 4HB b/c of my rave reviews.
As healthcare provider, I frequently give into oversight of taking care of myself to instead dedicate time towards continuing education and fulfill the commitment I have made to my patients & co-workers; Yes, I know, shame on me. During the holidays, I came across 4HB while delayed in the airport for hours upon hours and unwittingly began an experiment! BTW, want to confuse an airport full of passerbys and people awaiting a flight, just practice some boleos, gauchos, volcadas and the like! Haha! It’s a wonder I wasn’t tackled and patted down by TSA!
At any rate, 4HB was a wake up call; It was a reminder that it is okay to take time for myself. So, after carefully reading through my specified goal oriented sections, I kicked off my new year with a restored attitude about life, and started the SCD. Easy enough, one week and 6lbs gone. Now, I haven’t taken any measurements since then due to that pesky menstruation deal but I am certain I have continued with significant results as evidenced by the following, some of which are quite atypical events.
During the past two weeks: (1) I feel awesome! (2) I have been nearly felt up no less than 6 or 7 times by my female dance instructor and fellow female dance friends as they commented on how much slimmer I suddenly appeared, (3) I have had to carefully maneuver around the advances of a couple of patients and coworkers, (4) Amongst friends, I have earned a new nickname, Perky, as in “check out that perky posterior,” and (5) Apparently, my inner most sensual/ sexual subconscious self has been freed and is confidently shining through [particularly in my dancing by way of a few dozen or so individuals disclosing ! FYI – Just to be clear, there is no pole involved here! It’s all west coast swing, baby!]
Honestly though, I’m in a place where the measurements just really don’t matter at this point b/c I just plain feel good and have a renewed sense of self, of life; Perhaps more importantly, the message I took away from this experience has to do with remembering the goal is aimed at optimizing life through trial and error whether that be professionally or private matters.
Bottom line: You’re awesome! Hope you are really enjoying your success and getting some sense of how grateful so many are to you. Oh, as far as the purge goes, I will again plead with you to not purge your dance shoes! Instead, I say take up west coast swing! I suspect you’ll end up loving it.
Best Wishes, ~Bethany
P.S. ATTENTION MEN! – Want to easily seduce women with minimal effort? Learn to dance! You do not even have to be all that good at it. I repeat, you do not even have to be a good dancer to have ladies throwing themselves at you – Seriously!
Ex: In local argentine tango community, there is a particular man who could easily seduce any woman in the room [Now, whether he knows that or not is another question]. Although this man’s personality is very attractive, he is not the most physically attractive man or even close to being the best dancer in the community. However, on several occasions, it has taken every ounce of my inner strength to NOT drag him out of the ballroom by his shirt collar and have my way with him [but, truthfully, its really only a matter of time, right?]. Can you guess why?
This man has figured out how to perfectly execute the art of manhandling – It’s confident, it’s assertive, it’s balanced, and yet somehow gentle. In other words, I feel he is in complete control and I am willing to be completely resigned to his control; Yet I don’t have to fear an arm fracture or any other injury though b/c he’s just the right amount of gentle at the same time. Need more? How about a simple formula:
Perfected Manhandling = HOT Dancing = Instant Magnetism = Ravaging of Man
Please note: This formula maybe modified to whatever may be your expertise: [Insert Expertise] = HOT Dancing = Instant Magnetism = Ravaging of Man
So, what are you waiting for fellas? Get dancing! I highly recommend argentine tango and/or west coast swing. For the sake of women’s toes everywhere, please wear proper dance shoes! I thank you kindly!
Oops! Dear Moderator, Please delete this message & the message I am replying to… It seems my internet connection is a bit hanky [as I kept getting connection error problems when iwas trying to submit my initial comment] and it ultimately led me to creating duplicate message. Deeply apologetic for the hassle. Best wishes, Bethany
Help! I’ve been on the slow-carb diet for 3 weeks and haven’t lost any weight. Plus, no significant signs of fat loss. Am I eating too much or two little? I’m 28 years old, 6’1 and 206 Ibs., and between 20-30% body fat. I’m testing the diet without exercise. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Typical non-binge day meals:
Wake up – 10:00am
1000ml ice water
3 Brazil nuts
Breakfast – Between 10:30-11:00am
1 can of drained 365 Organic black/red/pinto beans (around 300 calories)
3 eggs cooked in 1 tsp. of KellyGold butter
1 cup of loose-leaf green tea
10 apricot seeds
Lunch – Around about 5pm
Either:
a) Chipotle
Burrito bol with no rice, more black beans, vegetables and meat. Meat is usually Barbacoa or Canitas.
500 ml bottled water
A few dabs of original Tabasco sauce
Or:
b) Whole Food Cafeteria
Southwestern salad/Cuban Brisket/Tandoori chicken (Thin sauces. Confirmed both do not have any sugar, dairy or fruit in the listed ingredients.)
1 cup of Spinach
2 hard boiled eggs
1 cup of black beans
500 ml bottled water
Dinner – around about 10pm
500 ml of water and:
a) Steak dinner
About a 1/2 Ib. grass-fed rib eye steak garnished with a little salt and pepper, fat removed, cooked in 1 tsp. Kellygold butter.
1 cup of spinach
1 can of lentil beans or black/red/pinto beans
Cholula hot sauce
Or:
b) Chicken dinner
1/2 Ib. of chicken breast garnished with a little salt, pepper, thyme and basil, cooked in 1 tsp. Kellygold butter.
1 cup of spinach
1 can of lentil beans or black/red/pinto beans
Cholula hot sauce
Before bed –
3 Brazil nuts
1000ml water
In addition, I’m doing PAGG, Cod liver, Vitamin D3, and Aloe Vera supplements, 2 cold showers (in the morning and before bed) and getting about 7 hrs. of sleep a night.
On my binge days, I got all out, eating cookies, bread, almond butter, fries, cream soda, etc., although my first meal is high protein like my non-binge days, and I have Kombucha at lunch. I also have Yerba Mate with Cinnamon and no more than two insulin spikes. By the end of the day, I feel like a gross pig and never want to eat sugar again, if that’s any indication.
Okay, that’s about it. Any advice would be great appreciated. Thanks!
forget the 1000 ml ice water and 3 brazil nuts upon waking and eat your breakfast instead…
Ravin,
maybe you have too much legumes seems like 150 g to me, even after subtracting the dietary fibre.
All the best
Peter
When are you weighing yourself? There could be fluctuations based on that.
Are you also taking measurements? This might tell more of the story.
I would stick to the diet to complete the 4 to 6 weeks and get your body fat tested. You might be surprised. Since you mentioned a wide range of 20% to 30% body fat I’m guessing that you based this off of the pictures in his book. It takes a little while before a loss of body fat becomes visually noticeable.
When are you weighing yourself?
@Ravin
So I had a similar problem myself when I started the SCD about 4 weeks ago. I’m 5’10” and weighed 206 lbs. For the first 3 weigh ins, I lost a total of 2 lbs and no changes in any of my measurements (waist, thighs, arms). Instead of getting discouraged, I focused on the qualitatives like my general mood and feelings of well-being. Also, as you will find out from reading comments, we are not alone in our apparent inability to lose weight while following the diet strictly. Luckily, now in my fourth week I lost 4 lbs and am now under the 200 lbs mark for the first time in years.
My diet looks eerily similar to yours, down to the supplements and testosterone protocol. Keep your chin up and stick with it. If you are doing exactly as you say you are, then there is no reason you shouldn’t start seeing results soon. One other thing I would do is to make sure to take those waist, thigh, and arm measurements so that even if you can’t weigh it, you can measure some changes in body composition.
Best,
-Michael
6 hours without food is too long
try substituting ghee for the kelly butter. could be a lactose issue.
Hey Tim,
Notice one thing that fall through the cracks in the corrections.
The Allicin 6000 Garlic should be 350 mg, 90 caplets. They are not produced at 650mg caplets in quantities of 100.
Tim,
Above you say cream for coffee is ok because it doesn’t have lactose. I thought cream is high in lactose (and carbs!)? Can you clarify? I’m moderating a group of 4HBers, and want to make sure we’re steering them in the right direction.
Kevin
(Down 45lbs in 4 months. Stronger than ever! Thanks, Tim!)
Please see http://www.nutritiondata.com — full-fat cream. I recommend cinnamon instead, of course.
This may seem trivial, but I’ve been putting cinnamon in my coffee and it doesn’t melt or mix in. It turns to sludge at the bottom of the cup. Is there a certain kind of cinnamon? I really want a little (3Tbs. of vanilla soy milk, but I want reults more).
okay – I’ve seen this at least 2 times now so while you can put it in your cup it is much better when brewed in – this is how I make cinnamon coffee. Fill the pot with water, fill the filter with coffee…then add 1 tsp (that’s teaspoon) to the GROUNDS. Let the coffee maker do the rest. The only time I add cinnamon to a cup is for my tea, then it is for heat (holistic healers know that if you are cold, use cinnamon in your tea to ward off chills) I also use 1/4 tsp tumeric (helps relieve achy joints) and 1/4 tsp ginger powder (helps with digestion) I grate ginger into my protien drinks and when I cook. The site I use is asianhealthsecrets.com by authur Letha Haddady. I have several of her books and have successfully used her remedies, many of which are already in your kitchen.
Tim – check out the site – I’d like to see a collaboration of you and Letha. That would be a phenomenal book!
Hello, Tim,
I love your book, and have already lost 7 pounds in two weeks…not bad!
So, to keep me motivated and others, I have started a group on facebook for people to post their results and questions so that we can help each other.
I hope that you don’t mind…
The group can be found for those that want to excel in this diet at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_103604729716668
(copy and paste the link in your browser if it is not active)
Please join so that we can all keep up with Tim’s latest news. You may post your results or any new findings or interesting story you see about his book.
Not many of my friends are doing this diet, so It would be great to have all of you join so that we can discuss the diet and progress.
Also, did you mean “sriracha” instead of “srichacha”? Thanks for turning me on to the kettlebell!
Is it normal to feel high (like a crazy sugar high) on the cheat day? Every cheat day I have had I feel like I have been eating Pixie sticks all day. Although I am eating a lot of really good stuff, it really is not a lot of sugar. Has anyone felt this way? Is there anything I should do to keep it at a minimum?
I had my first cheat day yesterday since that is my husband’s day off from his resident manager job and had the same rush even though I was trying to stay away from too much sugar and opted for high calorie meals…I started with my usual scb breakfast. I don’t eat a lot of sweets as a rule. I had my grapefruit juice followed by a sweet potato, 2 Barbara’s organic shredded wheat bisquits (no sugar or, added sodium)l with berries ( and a little milk, My homemade eggplant spaghetti sauce with whole grain pasta (my husband eats the rest during the week) with lots of grated Romano and Parmesan cheese, cheese is my all time favorite food…explains the need for the diet. I also ate out and had a japanese bento box with gyoza, beef teriyaki and california rolls with low sodium soy and wasabi. I had 1 cup of Haagan-Das 5 Vanilla ice cream after dinner with fresh peaches and drank green tea and ice water all day. I was sooooooo full all day and don’t think I could have force fed myself any more, but I had a floaty feeling all day and this morning I was crabby and had trouble waking up. I had dizzy spells mid morning which concerned me but they disappeared after and extra cup of coffee with cinnamon. Could be I need to add a little more caffeine on my binge day or, do more squats after meals. I haven’t read the entire book so there may be other things I need to add to the process. I couldn’t imagine doing the sugar consumption Tim mentions. Anybody out there with suggestions?
Hey Tim,
Really been into 4HB and 4HWW and would love the opportunity to bring you to Columbia Uni for a speaking engagement. Let me know how we can this happen via Email or twitter @MOPFresco. Hope you see this.
Tim,
You may have saved my life, or I should write prevented my early death!
Based on suggestions in the Four Hour Body, I had a comprehensive blood test, which identified excess levels of Iron in my blood (Hemochromatosis) . Turns out this is pretty serious if left untreated.
I don’t have any symptoms of this and would never have found it without your book and recommendation to pony up for the “mac daddy” blood and urine test.
Just wanted to say thank you and recommend others consider having the blood testing, too!
Rob
Great work, Rob, and so glad you made the find. Everyone, please get blood testing done. It’s invaluable.
Hey thanks for summarizing some of the common slow-carb issues. I lost only 0.2 lb and almost zero total inches last week. Looking back, maybe it was due to an increase in Cheese Meals. I’m trying to do this as a vegetarian and figured a bowl of cheese cubes or a layer of cheese dip on my broccoli had to be better than a loaf of bread. I’ll have to back off on the cheese and see what happens.
In the long term, if it’s me or the animals, too bad for the animals. But I want to try it the no-meat way first. Which means I’m also breaking the no-soy and no-gluten rules in my favorite imitation meat products. We’ll see how things go for the next few weeks.
I might have gone too far with almonds and other nuts too… Maybe I should just go back and re-read the relevant chapters.
I’m not offended at all by the apparently curt attitude. There was a section in 4HWW where Tim did something similar with outsourcers to empower them and take himself out of the information flow. This feels similar. I’ll consider myself duly authorized to self-experiment and RTFM.
Note that, even with gluten/soy based fake meats and the occasional dairy products, I’m still down about 8 lb in 3 weeks. On “Dorito Day” I can really feel the difference in blood sugar & insulin levels. I could be doing better, but this is still an improvement.
Hey, Tim: so eating 30 grams of protein has been a challenge–my body rejects that much food in the morning– and though i’ve lost about 12 lbs in a couple of weeks, i’d like to give it a 100% go. any pointers on the best shake i can drink in the morning–as in, doesn’t taste like hell and doesn’t include a million extra calories? Anybody?
I love Vega protein shakes. Produced by vegan triathalete, Brendan Brazier. Highly recommend it.
Hey Meghan-
I know it’s been awhile since you (and others) posted about looking for a shake option. I’ve been giving the slow carb diet a try and wrote a bout the smoothie I make for myself every morning. http://healthnutnation.com/2011/02/09/the-4-hour-body-breakfast-shake/
It’s really good!
Tim or anyone else…whats a good resource for slow-carb food/meal alternatives. The cookbook is very short, and I dont eat several of the things mentioned (tuna, etc) Or, shoud I simply be using the “no white carb” rule-of-thumb?
Google palaeo recipes and besides the ads for a book, you can find some great ideas – or learn to cook mexican – just do the substitutes Tim talks about.
Cheers
Tim,
Great book, I’m really enjoying it. I’ve been doing the SCD for two weeks and have already lost 18 lbs!! Did I mention that loss is without exercise? It is! I have a question about muscular contraction on binge days. Your Dr. Oz segment reminded me of a question I had. My guilty pleasure is Ike’s Place in SF, afterward I walk back home to the Mission.
Do you think that a brisk 1.8 mile walk (mostly flat/takes about 30 minutes) is sufficient to activate GLUT-4 content, or should I be doing air squats once I arrive home?
Thanks again, I hope to continue to make progress and will add in exercise to this end!
You rock,
Vince
I did the Ice packs last night and drank ice water with my protein shake this morning and lost a kilo since yesterday!
Thanks Tim!
Quick question though:
I’m doing the cinnamon and lemon juice and the muscle contractions before and after EVERY meal during the week, even when I’m not binging, am I overdoing it? Will this added effort brink quicker results?
Seeking advice on the ice baths.
I’m working my way up to 10 minuet cold showers (because I’m a wuss.) Five minuets currently. What are the rules for warming up afterwards?
For example. Can I immediately wrap myself in blankets and get some coffee or do I need to bask in the crazy cold until my body gradually warms up?
Tim,
Amazing book, I blasted though it, dropping weight like it’s cool. Saucy cocktail dress hanging on the fridge as inspiration. PLEASE tell me you can convince a guinea pig to assist in a second edition that helps us lady folks with things fifteen minutes of fun, some of us ladies would like to improve our skillz too, besides, who doesn’t appreciate a little gift giving? Also wondering if you had any pointers on female fertility improvement, granted, weight loss and some healthy fitness and sleep quality are a huge move in the right direction, but if there’s pointers out there like a handful of almonds that anyone knows and would share, it would be greatly appreciated.
~m
Four Hour Body for Women would rock.
I realize there’s plenty of information for women there now, but it would be cool and inspiring to have a women’s book with more examples from the gal’s side of the fence. Also, please don’t make it pink.
My wife is pretty jealous.
I’ve been on the diet. Slo-Carb and the Testosterone Boost plan for about a week. The difference is noticeable. I lost an inch off my waist. I’ve even had to go the basement to dig out the old college pants.
Problem is my wife is pregnant again and can’t get on the diet or get into the exercises like Kettleball. It’s a bit too strenuous you
You have any lower intensity work-outs she could partake in?
Nice work on Dr. Oz! Just watched it online. That was more like 3 months worth of binge food… 😉
Thanks for the clarification section. Its been really helpful. A friend and I have been challenging ourselves with the plan, and we’re both doing good. I’m loosing weight, but the biggest thing is very little sugar cravings or hunger at all! Love it. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Hi Tim,
I just read your book and love it.
Once again, you make me thinking about the common believes and questioning them.
I am overweight and would like to change that. Therefore I will try out the slow carb diet.
But I am a little bit skeptical. Usually a diet is only temporary. Is the slow carb diet also meant to be temporary (until I have lost the weight) or is it meant to be a longtime nutrition plan? If it is meant to be temporary, what should I do after diet? I kind of am afraid to of the jojo effect. Should I eat only certain food after the diet?
Alex, this is meant to be a way of life, as far as eating goes. There is no reason to go off of the SCD. The only time you would change it a bit, is if you were to try the Geek to Freak/Occam’s Protocol, as you would need more calories. However, the SCD would still be the base for your eating.
One thing I can tell you, is after the first week I no longer craved the “crappy” foods. Today is cheat day #2. I’ve had a piece of cake, and an apple so far as my crappy foods(after a good breakfast, of course), and it’s weird. I wanted them, psychologically. Not physically. After eating them, I was almost disgusted with the taste. Well, on the cake, anyways. The apple was okay, at best.
So, by all means, try this diet. However, be honest with your effort, and don’t be overly critical. Today marks the end of week 2, and the scale never changed from last week’s 7lb loss, HOWEVER, last night I was able to put on an old pair of 36″ jeans. Before starting the SCD, I was wearing a 40″ jean. In 2 weeks, I lost that much arse and waist!!!! And I’m not even that fat. Fat, yes, but not obese, and I made that kind of loss.
Give it a go Alex. If you don’t like it after a month, you can always go back to what you were doing before, right? 🙂
Tim,
First day on the program (20lbs in 30 days) — I’m getting pretty intense headaches. In the book you mention the most likely cause is insufficient portioning … I don’t think that’s the case. I know I’m not supposed to post my website, but if you click on my name above my user icon, you’ll see the portions I’ve been giving myself, I’m photographing everything I eat as you suggested. I’m not being shy on the portions.
I’ve consumed about 6 glasses of water today, could it be a lack of hydration? Could it be a withdrawal symptom of not eating carbohydrates?
Any input you could offer, even if it’s just copy and pasted from the book — maybe something I missed — I’d be grateful.
Thanks,
Tanner Campbell
Your problem might be the corn. It’s a grain. Eliminate that and see what happens.
Hi Tanner,
first of all your website looks great. How big are your glasses of water? 6 glasses doesn´t sound that much anyways.
Your protein intake seems low to me, even when counting in the protein from the lentils. My girlfriend eats more than double the amount of meat at 120 lbs (funny coincidence: I lost her weight in body fat).
Is this around 1 cup of cooked lentils with each meal or less? How much oil or butter do you add to your meals?
On the other hand I would leave out the corn, as it is a grain and will give you around 30 g of carbs per cup with only 3 g of fiber and 4 g of protein.
All the best
Peter
As Peter said I think your not eating enough. I agree for the corn too 🙂
At Least 8 glasses of water is a minimum to keep yourself hydrated.
Good luck !
Peter,
I hadn’t considered a lack of protein. To be honest I wasn’t all together sure what an adequate amount was. Perhaps you have a suggestion as to the total amount of protein I should be looking to ingest?
I overlooked the fact that corn was a grain, you’re 100% correct. I’ll cut it immediately.
Misrayne,
8 glasses at least, check. Perhaps you could clear something up for me — I haven’t been able to get a definitive answer. Green tea: does it dehydrate you? I’d have a much simpler time drinking 4 glasses of green tea and 4 glasses of water than I would trying to choke down 8 glasses of water.
Thanks guys, I appreciate the hand holding.
Yes you can drink the water as green tea no problem…BUT be careful about cafein AND NO SUGAR 😉
Misrayne,
When you say “be careful of the caffeine … do you have a daily limit in mind? Thanks for the input!
No I don’t have a strict limit, you’ll have to test to find how much you can drink without having any troubles (like sleeping problems…)
From my experience, it could be withdrawl symptoms from sugar but I would also try and drink more than you are.
Hey Claire,
Appreciate the comments. I have been trying to drink more water, and I’m sure lack of sugar has SOMETHING to do with it … today the headache has been minimal … perhaps I’m adjusting? Thanks again.
Tanner,
at your weigth I would shoot for at least 200 g of protein. I tried up to 400 g and felt great.
Also upping the fat intake made starting a weight loss phase a lot easier.
I´m drinking around 50 ounces of green tea and 50 ounces of mate every day without problems. You could also try putting some lemon juice and cinammon in your water.
Peter
Peter, can I ingest that additional protein in pill form? Does it matter? Thanks for your help.
Hi Tanner,
you could try shakes it would be a mountain of pills to swallow.
Peter
Tanner,
Maybe someone else already mentioned this, but the other thing you could do if you find yourself hungry and light-headed is add some more legumes–beans, lentils, etc. I didn’t see a lot of these in your pictures. I know some people don’t like them, but I’ve found that adding a half cup to a cup per meal makes a huge difference in how long I stay feeling full. That, in addition to what Peter has already noted–making sure you get enough protein–may make a big difference for you.
I think in the book Tim says make sure you have a minimum of 20g of protein per meal. That means 20 OR MORE grams is good.
Good luck!
Hi Tim,
A big congratulations on your success; I just watched you on Dr. Oz, and he looked pretty impressed!
Two things I want to say:
THANK YOU for your respectful yet discerning attitude toward vegetarianism. As a vegetarian, I was thrilled to even see mention of this way of eating, as most athletes positively laugh at anyone wanting to be fit without including meat in their diet, and this attitude is simply ignorant. There really isn’t one health author out there who can discuss vegetarianism without being self-righteous and condescending, no matter what side they are on. Your call to sanity in discussions of the topic was just so refreshing. For someone who reads health stuff all day long, it was a relief. I truly hope more will follow your example.
I want to point you toward just one very interesting article–a letter, actually, written by Dr. Gabriel Cousens to Dr. Mercola on the subject. You might find it interesting. http://www.gabrielcousens.com/SACREDSPACE/SPARKTHESOUL/GABRIELSBLOG/LETTERTODOCTORMERCOLA/tabid/525/language/en-US/Default.aspx
You mentioned you have searched for an indigenous culture that was truly vegetarian. I would say even if there weren’t any alive today, it doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty at one point of time. When humans find something that tastes good, whether it’s meat or refined sugar, they’ll eat it, whether or not the body is equipped to handle it.
Number two: Thank you for the 15-minute female orgasm! That chapter alone was worth the price of the book. It was beyond gratifying to actually read USEFUL advice on sex for women. Not to mention just personally validating. I’m really tired of our reputation as just being weird, impossible to figure out, or just “needing too much to be happy” in the bedroom. It ain’t rocket science! Finally, the “mystery” has been broken down–for the male and female mind. I don’t have to try your suggestions to know they work. THANK YOU for giving us some attention!!!
Tim,
I have loads of respect for your work. But I’m genuinely curious, are you not afraid that some of your recommendations, predicated on case studies rather than submitted to peer reviewed journals, might actually be bad for some people? Are you concerned about this legally and / or ethically? You had a bunch of typos in the book, but the consequences of that aren’t somebody’s life. I would hate to hear of someone suing you because of some allergic reaction or unintended effect of some of your more unorthodox prescriptions.
Cheers
Builder
Hi Tim,
Thanks for the follow up points on the Slow Carb Diet. I’m planning on getting a DEXA Scan and BodPod done. You recommend getting a blood test done if I’m not seeing results with the slow carb diet. What kind of blood test should I ask for? It seems my body adds on the belly as soon as I eat any carbs regardless of the form they are in (starch, fruit, wholegrains even legumes). Thanks again.
Ali
I ate tape measures. My weight is is my stomach and my back, but I dont look at my back. So yesterday I went in and purchased Jeans in waist sizes 42, 40, 38, 36, 34, 32 and 30. The cashier thought I was a little strange. I am. I have lost 70 lbs twice and gained it back 3 times. Its getting too hard to do at my age, 56, so Im going to do it Tim’s way. Except no tape measure. Jeans measure.
Awesome!
Can anyone tell me…can you boost your metabolism, if you do not have a thyroid and take synthroid?
See “Science Daily” for research results on enhancing levels of adipinectin: exercise , taking resveratrol and African mango (Irvingia) increased adiponectin levels.
The tone of all you write in this blog seems addressed to men. Can you speak to that? Wish someone would do for female breast enlargement what you are doing for weight loss and heath. It would be too dangerous to experiment on one’s self, though.
holy cheesecake batman,
congrats on the dr. oz show
Hey Tim! Congrats on all the appearances!
Question: Since I’ve read Dana’s comment on the black bean pasta…I was curious and researched this myself…
I’ve stumbled upon black bean flour…Ingredients: Black Beans.
Though I know the bulk of the meal shouldn’t be BEANS BEANS BEANS…I was wondering
is this new-fangled “Black Bean Flour” ( And some other friendly bean flours )
Could they be used to make a pasta ?
and therefor my question is ( as is Dana’s ) Is there something awful and unheard of in black bean flour that we should be aware of ? Or do you think we should be able to count it like any other bean that we add to our plate?
P.S: I love the idea of self experimentation, which my question MAY fall under, but I wanted to run it by you and see if you’ve ever heard of using such a thing.
Thanks so much! Best wishes and Congrats with the new book!