(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…
###
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)”
###
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.??
###
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.)
Hi Tim.. I started the 4-hour body almost 4 weeks ago. Last week I had blood work done and today received the results. I am diabetic but turning my numbers totally around. 3 weeks in not counting this week, I have lost 13 lbs total and a total of 10 inches off my body… for my blood work, my A1C is now down to 5.5 and my bad cholesterol levels were dropped in half back down to normal levels.. I want to thank you for all the research you have done, I told my physician about this because I had to tell him that I was not taking his medications he prescribed except actos and neurontin .. I have been taking other vitamin supplements and fish oil too… I am a 40 year old mother of 3 finally able to lose that weight that was gained over all the years. I am now down to 186 and my goal weight is 130 or lower.
I looked it up in the book,and just to clarify,I can eat cottage cheese,right? I dont eat any other dairy but it was suggested to me by a health professional since I’m female and we need calcium.
Thank you!
Yes, but don’t neglect your magnesium. (Your body needs a balance between magnesium and calcium to keep strong bones)
I still don’t quite understand whether or not whey protein shakes are okay or not. I have trouble first thing in the morn with real food.
Whey is fine. Says so in da book (somewhere:-) Stick to the straight stuff w/o allot of added ingredients.
Good and welcome aboard.
Etienne Taylor
It is ok and listed as an option in the book, like Ettienne said. From my interpretation it was not ideal, but a good second best for people in exactly the situation you are in where eating a full high protein meal first thing is hard. I use an unsweetened one sometimes (mine is by Jay Robb I got from The Vitamin Shoppe). From unscientific epxerimentation it seems to work but not as effectively when I eat my eggs and curried spinach+cauliflower+lentils. Try it for a week and see what happens :). good luck.
My biggest problem with this diet has been increased levels of flatulence and almost constant feeling of being bloated. I cannot even tell if I lost weight (in measurements) because I started looking like I am 5 months pregnant with my insides full of gases. I am following the diet strictly, I exercise …it’s been 3 weeks and I am just starting to feel really frustrated.
Really need help … I truly want to continue the diet, as I have realized how bad carbs affect my body and I dont want to go back to them. A bit more info:
Age: 26
Weight: 126 pounds (a decrease of about 3 pounds over 3 weeks)
Height: 5’6 or 165cm
Waist: size 28 or about 72-75cm (no changes)
Body Fat (according to biggest looser scales): 17.1%
Biggest problem areas: stomach and love handles (other than that – I have pretty skinny and muscular legs and arms)
Diet: as described by Tim Ferris – regular meals, eating breakfast within 30 min of waking up, drinking a glass of icy water beforehand, eating a few spoons of sauerkraut beforehand;
Cheat days on Sundays (my weight jumps to 128 and then goes back to 126 over next few days)
Supplements: Magnesium, Potassium and centrum vitamin complex. Just ordered PAGG online to see if that will help.
Drinking: coffee, tea, water and occasional red wine in the evening
Exercising: almost every day I do a 10-15 min cardio; 20 min pilates; some weights; occasional 75 min of hot yoga; regular walking
Sleep: sleep 8 hours a day regularly.
Concerns: very high flatulence (tried organic beans, tried lentils, tried beans in vinegar, tried rinsing and washing them – no changes); belly bloated almost every day – especially in the evening.
Really need some help in overcoming those problems and continuing this diet!!!! Thanks in advance!
Hello Glee,
Have you tried “Bean-O” or just making sure that the beans you consume have been soaked over night – 24 hours in water with a tablespoon or so of baking soda? Even if elating beans from cans is more practicable on a day to day basis try making your own from dried beans for at least a week.
Have you lentils instead?
If all else fails try skipping the beans (legumes) altogether for at least a week. Then reintroduce them a little at a time settling perhaps at a reduced quantity that doesn’t cause gastric upset.
Personally I have stopped eating beans and all other legumes altogether and just follow all the rest of the diet with great results. (Makes me eat lots of fresh greens)
I’m guessing one of these tweaks will work for you in the end.
Keep it up. Good luck!
Etienne Taylor
Hi Etienne,
I have not tried “Bean-O” yet. That would be my last hope as I have tried everything else – from different kinds of beans, to pre-soaking them, to various cooking methods and using lentils instead. In fact, I am not 100% sure it’s because of beans… I used not eat a lot of meat at all – only seafood – so this diet might be just a big shock to my digestive system.
I dont think skipping beans is an option – that’s pretty much my only source of carbs and if i stop eating carbs completely, i will go into ketosis – bad bad for the body…that’s why Atkins diet failed…
thanks for your reply!
Etienne. How do you keep your calories up? That would seem impossible without beans.
My family is a bunch of bean eaters and I don’t seem to have a bloat problem, so works for me. My question to Glee would maybe be about proportions. You’re not very specific on what kind of foods you are eating…how much protein and such. Might be helpful to see a more descriptive menu.
Hello again Glee,
While I am not a doctor and I know less then others about this particular diet, I am fairly certain if anybody who eats nothing but beans legumes and meat can expect gastric distress. It sounds very much to me that your are suffering from inflammation due to insulin response perhaps caused by eating too many beans. Beans are great and there is probably no reason you can’t continue to enjoy them.
First you need to get to the bottom of what ails you. In order to do that you simply need to change portion sizes and food ratios. This alone is 84.7% sure to straighten things out for you.
I was suggesting skipping beans for just a week for diagnostic purposes. You certainly can start by eating fewer of them and increasing your veggie intake.
>I dont think skipping beans is an option – that’s pretty much my only source of >carbs and if i stop eating carbs completely, i will go into ketosis
Veggies are of course very high in carbs so you can’t possibly go into ketosis if you just eat a few portions a day.
Stick to grass fed beef, chicken and only wild caught fish. (Because commercially raised meat, fish are feed gain. This could also be causing some trouble. )
Finally white beans are thought to be the only variety, at least after soaking whose gut irritating properties (anti-nutrients I believe) are not serve enough to cause gastric upset in people who do not tolerate beans well.
Hang in there and I am sure this will work for you too.
Gook luck.
Etienne Taylor
Glee- Have you tried cooking beans with baking soda? I haven’t tried b/c I haven’t needed to however it is supposed to greatly reduce gas/bloating issues.
Also, pressure cooking beans is supposed to make them more digestible. Last week I under cooked my beans that I had pre-soaked, thrown out the soak water, and cooked with fresh water. They really upset my stomach. Maybe starting out with over-cooked beans in very small portions would help.
One last thought is raw spinach. Are you eating much raw spinach? This has given me a lot of gas type of problems in the past. That in combo with beans could be giving your system a hard time…
Hi Alison,
thank you for your reply. I have not tried adding baking soda. Can you give me more information? Do cooked beans cause less gas?
All of my beans come from the cans and I do warm them up or cook them completely before eating.
This week I actually haven’t been bloated yet and my flatulence decreased. There could be a couple of reasons for that – I really started working on eating slower and chewing better; I started taking PAGG supplements (once daily on regular days and 4 times a day on a cheat day); I had a colon cleansing procedure done on Monday and started taking probiotics on Tuesday.
Or maybe my body finally got used to the diet…
I have started losing weight again too which i am excited about. Makes me think that I was over working out when I was going to the gym every day… this week – no exercising at all and see results…so weird and counter-intuitive
thanks everyone,
Glee –
First of all, you are at your ideal weight and should be ecstatic! I would be and I am an inch taller than you. At your size, you might be losing a little weight and replacing with muscle. So go by how your clothes feel rather than the number on the scale.
Secondly – I think you figured out a solution with the beans, but I did read somewhere that one of these comments mentioned mixing the beans with tomatoes. You might try searching for it.
Good luck!
Logic behind eating every 4 hours? I would like a clear explanation of why Tim recommends eating every 4 hours – is there a metabolic benefit to be gained from your body constantly being asked to burn off stuff that outweighs whatever calories/carbs you consume in that 4th meal, or is it just to keep from being hungry?
I have never had the issue of always feeling hungry, and really don’t feel like shoving a 4th meal into my body if I’m not hungry, but absolutely will if it will help lose weight faster because of whatever logic is behind the “every 4 hours” structure. At the moment 3 good meals a day is what i am doing, with occasional 10-15 almonds once a day between lunch and dinner.
Can anybody clarify this issue?
First of all with your snack you maybe already effectively eating 4 meals a day.(The following was copied from a simple Google search)
Adopting a pattern of eating smaller, more frequent meals provides a number of benefits to both your health and weight loss goals. You’re less likely to overeat, and you’ll have a regular influx of energy to help keep you active. All the while your body will be burning calories more efficiently.
Think of your body as a fire. When sparking a fire you add a little tinder to get it going. Soon the fire consumes the kindling, with it needing more fuel to keep from burning out. So you add one or two logs until you have a crackling fire. At this point, all your fire needs is a log every hour for it to keep burning brightly throughout the night.
Analogies aside, the moral is the same for dieting. The more food you put in, the harder your body works to digest it. Our bodies have a very clever way to handle too much food by putting the excess into storage. Translation: fat.
>Etienne. How do you keep your calories up? That would seem impossible >without beans. JeffW
In general its allot more work with no cans to open. I do sometimes feed inappropriately on things like nuts. (My first week w/o any nuts in the house)
You must prepare (cook) three meals a day featuring veggies you like enough to eat quite allot of them. Breakfast w/o at least some veggies in egg whites is a no-no.
Next most important is coconut fat. I prepare my whey protein shake breakfast with coconut milk [vanilla flavored unsweetened almond, milk, cinnamon, coconut milk + lots of super refined $$$ fish oil + leftover coffee + ice]
I also use coconut oil for my high temp frying.
Question to all, is corn beef okay for the slow carb diet?
Yes but only with cabbage and a quality mustard…(Grass fed lean meats are always best but corned beef should be just fine as part of your diet)
I can see my belt buckle! Thanks Tim!
Hi everybody !
I need some troubleshooting and re-motivation please !
I’m on week 11 today. I’m doing the slow carb and I think I do it well, but I still didn’t see the “dramatic weight loss” yet and it’s harder and harder to maintain the diet 🙁 I will try to give the details and if you have any suggestions I will be pleased to try it :).
1) I eat 3 eggswhite + 1 whole egg (cooked like scambbled eggs with a splash of olive oil), between 30 minutes and 1h upon waking, with green salad and tomatoe’s white beans. I know it’s white but the breakfast is really hard for me to change…
2) on diner : turkey or chicken breast with spices (paprika or 4 spices for example), red beans with paprika and mixed vegetables.
3) collation : green salad, lentils and tuna with light lemoned seasoning.
4) on souper : same as diner.
5) occasionnally I eat beef or pork usually grilled.
6) for the meds I take magnesium and calcium and as I had to troubleshoot the dose already I think it’s correct. I try to take the AGG and PAGG BUT was not able to find the right concentrations for each pills so I take the daily recommended dose in the book but not as AGG and PAGG. Moreover, As I didn’t see any difference between before and after the meds (I began to take them on week 4 I think), and as I really don’t like to take pills everyday I slack a little on them.
7) In the beggining I was doing the ice pack thing but I stopped. Not that I have decided to but well…maybe I should do it again…
8) I must say that, I have 3 kids so I was waiting between week 4 and 6 to see the “dramatic weight loss” as Tim said. But I didn’t see it at all.
9) the more dramatic weight loss I had was the first week and I lost 1.7 Kgs.
I’m not losing weight every week and when I lose weight it’s between 0.5 and 0.9 Kgs.
10) As I’m not doing sports I assume that I’m not doing muscles.
11) I measure the inches loss, the 3 first week I lose about 12 cm each week, after that I lost between 0 to 4.5 cm a week.
12) my bodyfat dropped from 45.6 % to 43.7 % only.
13) I drink around 3 liters of water per day I experienced less weight loss when I’m not drinking 3 liters and not really able to drink more in one day…
14) still drinking 3 cans of diet coke a day…can it be the only reason of my slow weight loss ?
So what do you think and can you help me out ?
thanks,
I’m really so excited that i had to share my progress on 4 hr body.
I started with weight watchers in Sept and lost 13 lbs. I’m 5’1 and at that time weighed 158.
In Feb. I started 4 hr body – loving the way i feel, feeling a little like I should be making better weight loss , even though friends and co-workers told me I needed to get a smaller size of pants.
I took meaasurements Feb. 1st and yesterday March 19th I took them again.
Since Feb. first I lost 1.5 lbs and the amazing thing—–20 inches.
I didn’t know I could lose inches around my neck but I lost 1 full inch there.
The hips and belly button area are my biggest loss in inches at 4 each.
I have a lot more to go but I feel so much better and have so much more self confidence. I am 53 and have had 2 children so I’m in that hard to lose category.
This is a great blog and I gain new knowledge every day. i’m going to keep on with it, not only because it works but because I think it is a lifestyle I can keep forever.
I didn’t mention that i have high BP, high trigs, high chol and a high sugar going into this. I will be having blood tests done in a couple weeks and can’t wait to see the results.
It is unbelievable to me that I lost 20 inches and only 1.5 lbs in a month and 1/2. This proves to me that it works!
Hello Misryane ,
I’m not really sure because your diet looks pretty close to spot on. (White beans are fine, in fact for other reason they are close to perfect)
My guess is that PAGG’s effects are subtle in the short term and may be noticeable over the longer term.
How much beans and/or lentils do you consume? I would try cutting back on the beans and increasing the protein and veggies if you need to make up calories you could try skipping all beans and legumes for a couple of weeks. If that works you can just keep going or add some of them back a little at a time. the lost calories.
the ICE treatment terrifies me. (I bought all the ice paks but I am saving these for the summer or when I get desperate)
The diet cola needs to go away and go away completely, (Anything sweet fools your body into behaving much like it had eaten sugar. It get much worse when you dig a little. You have a great diet. You shouldn’t top it off with anything that artificial)
Since your diet seems so close to perfect I bet you are only a few tweaks away.
Hang in there!
Etienne Taylor
Etienne – somebody on this list wrote about the ‘James Bond shower’. Start with a hot shower and then at the end go to a cold shower for a few minutes (or as long as you can stand). MUCH easier way to get into cold water therapy than starting with an ice bath! Tim
I’ll have to be careful not to get any water in my vodka martini (shaken not stirred, a little black pepper) but 007 showers it is. I’ll report back in a few weeks to see if it accelerates my already amazing progress.
Thanks for the book.
Etienne
Thank you very much for your answer.
I know you’re right for the diet coke…I will work on that point !
for the PAGG do you think that I should try to find the good concentrations as in the book to follow th AGG, AGG, AGG PAGG pattern ? I’m not able to find the Athletic greens neither in France…
I’m not quite sure (somebody please chime in if I’ve got this wrong) but I think that the PAGG stack is a safer saner alternative that is supposed to replace the thermogenic (sp?) Ephedrine based stacks that were popular a few years ago. I think that they are supposed to raise your core body temp. a very small amount. Over time this can add to weight loss.
The ratios in the PAGG stack are designed to be the least or smallest effective dose. If your dosages are a little higher but not too much lower it should work just fine for you. (I understand what a pain it is trying to buy supplements in France. I am always helping friends smuggle vitamins into France. I’m sure Interpol has my picture)
Athletic Greens looks like a great product, but it is a just in case sort of thing best suited for someone like Tim who doesn’t enjoy cooking quite as much as you and I do:-)
Instead of diet soda try fresh lemon, maybe with some crushed mint leaves over ice with a splash of soda water. Not sweet but so tasty your tongue might forgive you.
Although initially skeptical, particularly after reading through the reviews on Amazon (They seemed ‘TO’ positive … I actually went to buy the book two or three times but didn’t)… then I was desperate for something to read so downloaded the book … Tim is a very engaging writer, it is an easy read additionally, I am amazed at the results. I started reading the first week of January and have reduced my waist measurement by 3 inches (Just over 8 weeks). I wish I had taken Tim’s advice and taken more baseline measurements. I feel better than ever! (I achieved these results with two days off per week … thinking I will get serious for the next 8 weeks)
This week I started the Policosanol, ALA and aged garlic protocol (waiting for the decaf green tea to arrive still) … cant wait to see what the next 4 to 8 weeks bring.
Great book … good advice … Thank you!
some health food stores in LA out of stock for Lipoic Acid, i thought because of 4 Hr Body, its because of Nuclear Reactor accident in Japan.
End of week 6 and my best week since week 2 with 0.9kg off the scales for a total of 4kg over 6 weeks.
The changes I made over the last 2 weeks seem to have sped things up – yiippee! Only 6kg or so to go.
Slight reduction in measurements again all round. I am now in the “limbo” period where my clothes are too big but some of my “previous” clothes (you know the ones you keep because you’ll get back into them one day) don’t fit yet but it won’t be long. I did find a couple of pairs of jeans and pants that now fit beautifully, however.
How are other 40+ women going?
I ordered the SCD cookbook too. It really helps to keep finding variations to the meals. In the last fortnight I tried the “mash” of cannelini beans and cauliflower and it was fantastic, as was the discovery of ready-made dahl (no additives, salt or sugar) in the supermarket – heaven!!
Can you link what cookbook you bought ? I made a search and only found plenty of unusefull books for the 4HB 🙁
I am a 5’8″, 135 pound female who is pretty fit & watches what I eat. Although I am not following the slow-carb diet I do eat healthy & try to avoid HFCS & trans fats. I lift heavy weights 3 days a week & either walk, run, or do HIIT type training 3 days a week. I don’t need to lose weight but have been trying to lose bodyfat in my stomach & love handles. Nothing seems to work, but I started using PAGG about 6 weeks ago. Haven’t really seen any changes. Loved Ephedra when a person could use it – was doing the same types of workouts then as I am now, lost weight/body fat & felt great. So my question is this: even though I’m not following the slow-carb diet is it worth my time & money to use the PAGG to try & lose body fat & on average, how long does it take for someone to start noticing a difference with PAGG use?
Tonya,
Have you considered being trained in kettle bells? They make fast work of extra belly fat. I have been doing PAGG and can’t say I’ve seen a ton of difference. However, I am like you and not doing the entire slow-carb diet. I follow Fleur’s diet, where she eats 30 grams of protein in the morning and does that particular workout.
If your neurotransmitters are out of whack then you won’t lose excess fat easily. It’s worth going to a Naturopath and having your neurotransmitters tested. It checks your adrenal glands and finds imbalances.
You might also look at your plastic usage. In men exposure to pthalates (what makes plastic bendable) is linked with excess belly fat. It’s mostly men because pthalates affect the hormone testosterone. However, women have testosterone too so it could be affecting you. If you currently drink out of disposable water bottles stop. Buy stainless steel or glass and start taking the ALA at least (the C and E surround the cells and block the pthalates from coming in and wreaking havoc with your cells). There is also a vitamin called ACES+ Zn by Carlson which my Naturopath had me taking when I was being exposed to plastic (I had to wear a splint in my mouth which was made of plastic 24/7 for months- one of my main symptoms of plstic exposure was being really tired.)
Anyway, hope that gives you some ideas of things to try.
Alison,
Thank you so much for the information. I have included dumbbell swings into my workouts but haven’t done them strictly for a workout. I know they are a super exercise, but am afraid to “drop down” and do only those when I’ve been doing full workouts, intense workouts, for sometime now. I know more is not always better, but I’m worried about not burning as many calories in a 15 min. workout as opposed to 30-40. Did you just start working out & starting with KB swings or had you “dropped down” in your exercise regimen as well?
I am currently going to a hormone specialists. I have had my cortisol levels tested which were indeed low during the day, pointing to adrenal gland fatique & also a cause of my tiredness during the day. I haven’t used plastics for some time – just any food items I need in the store that come in plastic. I don’t think that would be part of my problem, but who knows!
I don’t have my book handy but on Fleur’s diet/workout does she eat the protein BEFORE that workout? Isn’t she the one who does the 3 exercises followed by 50 KB swings? So is that the only workout you follow?
Again, thank you for your information! I was wondering if anyone would respond to my questions!
BTW – am really getting a lot out of your book. My son is a freshman and has football testing regularly. The advice on the 40-yd dash & vertical jump has helped tremendously. Tim, any you-tube video on how you actually perform the vert. jump? We’re not quite understanding the definition. Thanks!
Dear All,
I’m on the PAGG and found a supplement cheap at Holland & Barrett:
It is Green Te Extract 315mg
it contains 15% polyphenols but no mention of EGCG? Does this mean I’m taking the wrong thing?
Please help as I don’t want to waste my money…
Questions about grapefruit juice and sauerkraut (fermented foods). WHEN are we supposed to drink grapefruit juice and HOW MUCH are we supposed to drink? In the book, we can only find that Tim drinks grapefruit juice before his second meal on binge day. Is that the only time? What is everyone else doing? Regarding sauerkraut, which we both like, Tim said in the book that he eats five forkfuls of sauerkraut before breakfast. Is that every day? Is it once a day? Thanks in advance.
I think Tim means that he eats it everyday. Typically Korean’s eat kim chee with each meal. You can’t overdo sauerkraut. I often eat it before every meal. Bubbies is my favorite brand.
Tim – My husband & I have been using the PAGG stack as one element of our 4HB plan. I have a history of PVC heart palpitations which come in clusters, but I’ve been able to trace them to something in my diet both times it was happening….once it was Tylenol PM to get sleep in college & once it was guarana. I used the PAGG stack for 3 weeks, and then at the end of the 4th week (during which I didn’t take anything) I started having my palpitations again. Is there anything in the stack which could be the culprit? It’s the only thing I can find that’s changed, but thought it was strange that it happened after the week of NOT taking anything. Thanks!
ok in my search for ideal protien shakes for the slow carb deit i found unsweatend whey protien. It would be very helpful if there were brands or a site didicated listings of protien powders or snacks like the tim ferriss 33 bar that are ideal for the slow carb deit. Im trying to cut and gain the most muscle as i can.
I started kettle bell training 4 weeks ago. Tim doesn’t recommend it in the book, but I have learned that kettle bell training with an RKC (Russian kettle bell certified instructor) is essential to get the most benefit.
Yesterday I went to see my chiropractor as I have a lot of back and jaw issues. He asked what I’d been doing different. I told him that I’d been doing KB and he was so impressed with the way my body had responded that he is now going to get KB training!
This weekend Tracy and Mark Reifkind will be in Seattle giving a workshop. Tracy on the swing and Mark on the lats. I’m all signed up and can’t wait to go! If you’re in the area let me know and I’ll send you the link to sign up (I have no vested interest BTW).
Ladies, don’t let the KB intimidate you. I am 36 5’2″ 114 lbs and I swung a 53lb bell the other day ( I usually do 35). I feel stronger and healthier than I have since I was a gymnast back in the day (only 100 years or so ago. ;)).
I’m thinking stopping eating around 5-6pm is as good if not better a weight loss helper than all the exotic fringe stuff in 4HB. If readers are having a problem duplicating Tim’s results for whatever reason (age, sex, dishonest with quantities) they should *maybe* make sure they aren’t eating late at night or before bed.
There is some science to the fact that insulin blocks growth hormone and that most of our growth hormone is released by out pituitary gland an hour and a half after going to bed.
I am really interested in attending one of those workshops. You tube videos don’t do it for me. I am worried about potential injuries. I have tried using it and back starts hurting right away 🙁
But I am hoping to find one in Vancouver instead of driving to Seattle.
thanks for the idea though!
A workshop would be a good idea, hopefully with a knowledgeable instructor. I started by myself just over a month ago and did fine until the end of my second session.
I’m 77 and had not factored in my osteoporosis which doesn’t seem to care if your form is correct or not. Apparently 40# was too much for mine as I gave myself a compression fracture at T12.
Otherwise, everything is doing fine.
Glee- Don’t wait for a workshop. Just go to dragondoor.com and search for an RKC (certified Kettle Bell instructor) in your area. They’re all over the place and well worth the $.
@Alison
Hi I live in bothell WA and I am interested in the KB im a quick learner and would like the info to see if I should attend or learn by other means. Thanks
Hey Everyone!
Just a quick question… has anyone done the last mile yet? I am going to start it tomorrow as I am only 8 lbs to my pre-pregnancy weight (prior to that I had lost 100 lbs and now wishing that this book was out then!!!). The last few are for real the hardest to lose. Just wondering if I should be taking the PAGG stack at the same time?
Any thoughts or advice would be welcomed.
Thank you
Me again… I also forgot to ask if there is any harm in taking the PAGG stack with other supplements such as calcium/magnesium, iron and vitamin B?
Starting the “Last Mile” diet tomorrow am. I am really looking forward to it. It will be tough I am sure for the first few days at least – but I am willing to make the sacrifices to get these stubborn pounds off!!!
Once I reach my goal, is it recommended to stay on the SCD for maintenance?
Thanks in advance for your advice and input everyone!!!
@Ann-Marie
hey I wanted to ask if theres a sight were you have pics of yourself to see where you are to beggin the last mile. See im 20 im not quite sure how much body fat I have its ranges to 12% but I want to get abs I was bulking up before I started the SCD but i dont feel like I have lost the fat I thought I would cutting all my carbs, dairy, fruit and sugar.
Can anybody help I can provide more info and post pics on my Facebook.I have taken pics of my meals and have this scale brand TANITA that measures muscle fat and water percentage
@ Jesus,
No, I don’t have any photos up yet. Lets wait and see where I end up with the last mile first. Measuring BF is pretty tricky I would say. I used the body composition scale that they have at the gym, and supposedly it says that I am at around 30% BF (roughly, I forget the exact number and don’t feel like going to look it up) but then when we put the setting on the scale from standard to athletic it took me down to 25%. I don’t think anything is really reliable unless you do the water test (forget what it is called).
If you want to see your abs, you have to drop your body fat for sure. And to do that, you need the last mile plan… I don’t think you will get there with the slow carb diet… experiment and see what happens. This is just my opinion.
Dear Tim;
Thanks for the great book. At 45, it took about a month for the diet to kick in, but the workout tips were the best immediate gratification ever. If I could kick my 40 year english tea w/ milk and force myself to eat a bit more I think things would go faster… but still, this is fun. And that’s important, as a medical engineer I love doing experiments on myself. No clinical trial permission required.
Now – some cool recent publications that go to your suggestions about thermal regulation. A very recent paper suggests that brown adipose (BAT) is inversely proportional to obesity – i.e. the more fat you have, the less good fat you have. It also points out that only those with detectable BAT increase energy expenditure in thermogenesis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21390318
As you note, scientists only found BAT in humans when they looked for it in 2007. So it goes – we learn by failing and trying again in the sciences, which is half the fun (grant applications are the other half?). Here’s a great summary from late last year, “… the tissue (BAT) may be a major organ for glucose disposal.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21375707
Some interesting signal factors here – FGF21 induction is part of the activation. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21373720 – FGF21 stimulates glucase uptake in normal adipose and is additive to insulin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FGF21 (it’s slightly out of date) – it would be a great target except that it can also stimulate the growth of cancers (not a good drug, eh?) BUT increased blood levels correlate with lipid excretion. But you can kick this one yourself just a bit, since it is like the rest of the FGFs and is increased in response to sprints and hard workouts as part of the healing/recovery process.
I think everyone will start thinking with this one, which I will oversimplify: Being comfortably warm indoors all winter long is making you fat. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21261804 All by itself this may correlate to Europeans being thinner. I’ve adopted habits from my German neighbors, one of which is opening the windows of the house even in winter – because fresh air that’s cold beats stale air that is warm. Not only do energy bills stay a lot lower, but I sleep better.
One of the great things about really interesting scientific studies is how understated we have to be. Here’s an example, and anyone reading this should DEFINITELY think through what this means in simple terms: “Cold exposure drastically accelerated plasma clearance of triglycerides as a result of increased uptake into BAT, a process crucially dependent on local LPL activity and transmembrane receptor CD36. In pathophysiological settings, cold exposure corrected hyperlipidemia and improved deleterious effects of insulin resistance. In conclusion, BAT activity controls vascular lipoprotein homeostasis by inducing a metabolic program that boosts TRL turnover and channels lipids into BAT. Activation of BAT might be a therapeutic approach to reduce elevated triglyceride concentrations and combat obesity in humans.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21258337
As I type this, the windows are open, it’s about 16C (60F) in my apartment with a breeze blowing through the windows, I’m wearing only sweat shorts and a ripped flannel shirt, and just to max out have an icepack on my back. Once you adapt, you don’t feel “COLD” or shiver, you just kinda notice that it’s comfortably cool. Oh – I found these articles a week ago, decided to push it a bit, and shaved 2 cm (3/4 inch) off the waist. Gonna KILL those last bits of bulge!
Ok, and now, back to work.
Scott, thanks so much for the EXCELLENT comment with references! Love it 🙂
All the best,
Tim
Tim – I’ve got a growing collection of these, your comments in the book got me drilling down in the literature. BAT turns out to be some pretty interesting tissue. I just didn’t want to dump a 6 page literature summary in here… I’ve noticed a few others here doing chapter and verse from medline & elsevier, it might be good to set up a space for those discussion, let us geek away, and see what spins out. For instance, I’m getting really curious about some of the dopamine agonists and their “side effects” (and yes – I’ve been doing tests on myself and results are quite interesting). A buddy of mine is looking at some possible uses for some of the neural growth factors now available. Etc.
My favorite comment yet. Thanks for all the references. (And yes Miss Moneypenny that was me yelling in the shower)
I
Hey Scott,
When you say “some of the dopamine agonists and their “side effects” are you referring to something like deprenyl?
I’d love to see BAT research questions spun off into another forum or branch too.
Thank you.
Etienne Taylor
Has anyone heard of or tried using Hemp Hearts, which apparently is a brand name for shelled hemp seeds?
No, you can’t get high from eating them, but reportedly, added to a protein shake, it helps reduce hunger, etc., etc.
I don’t think it would violate any of the SCD rules, but may be something that could “super-charge” it–a la the Shangri-La Diet flax oil or ELOO.
Thanks, –Barry from Maine
NEED HELP!
I have been on SCD since the book came out. Before I started, I was 5’8 and hovering between 151-154 lbs. Before the diet, I always ate very healthy and consider myself quite active as I have been doing P90X for nine months prior to starting SCD. However not having enough knowledge I was loading up on fruits and nuts thinking it has to be good. In the quest of finally getting the abs, I started SCD and my bf% went down from 16% to 13% (using Caliper) and my weight went down to 144. Even though I was not following the diet fully as I did not drink 1 ltr water first thing in the morning, I ate greek yogurt and fruit in protein shake on workout days.
Recently I had to travel to Europe and could not continue the diet fully. Since I have returned (three weeks now) I have regained some of the weight (148lbs) and bf%1%. My overall measurement in inches has also gone up and feel quite bloated. Here is what I have changed since returning:
-started drinking 1 ltr water first thing
– added beans to breakfast and legumes to dinner
– removed greek yogurt
– removed fruits and coconut water from protein shake on exercise day
I don’t understand why I have plateaued even though I am stricter with the diet since coming back from Europe. Just 4% of body fat to go, but it seems so distant. Any advise appreciated.
I would suggest that you follow the “Last Mile” plan to get to your goal. Be very stick about following it to the LETTER, and I am sure you will drop your BF%. Once you have achieved your goal, get back on the SCD. This is my plan. Good luck to you!
This forum is fantastic – it has answered loads of questions, so thanks. But I still have a couple of outstanding questions and hope someone can help; I’m sure you can from what I have seen so far. I have also added a table for comment so apologies for a long post.
1. I have a toddler who sometimes wakes me in the night or, worse still, about 45 minutes before we normally get up. Do I have a protein shake within half an hour of GETTING up or within half an hour of WAKING up? I assume the latter. And in the night, I assume I just go back to bed and try to get back to sleep.
2. I have found a table of proteins on the internet and have added a column for how much makes 30g of protein. Is this correct?
Meat Protein (100 grams) Protein Weight for 30g protein
Venison 34g 88g
Pheasant (roast) 30g 100g
Chicken Breast 30g 100g
Partridge (roast) 29g 103g
Pork Chops (grilled) 28g 107g
Turkey (roast) 28g 107g
Corned beef canned 27g 111g
Rabbit 27g 111g
Pork Leg (roast) 27g 111g
Chicken (average) 26g 115g
Beef (average lean) 25g 120g
Hare 25g 120g
Bacon (average rashers) 23g 130g
Tuna 23g 130g
Fish (average) 22g 136g
Duck (roast) 20g 150g
Beefburgers (average) 18g 167g
3. I have been advised by my chiropractor to use undernatured whey protein for my morning protein shake. Unfortunately, this contains milk. I take it from many comments that this may not be the most beneficial protein shake but is undernatured protein better than denatured protein?
Thanks for your comments – I will keep checking this forum for inspiration and answers.
@ Ann-Marie
Thanks for the advise. Yea I agree they can body composition they have at the gym is tricky. For that reason I’m gonna try and get the most accurate readings using BODPOD if I can find one near my area. I’m also going to start getting blood tests and writing down what I eat to know my quantities I might be eating to much legumes hahaha I love them grew up eating them every day. lets compare results in a month
sounds good. Good luck to’ya
I read the book 3 weeks ago and started this program almost 2 weeks ago. I am well versed in the Atkins diet and so it is hard for me to eat all of the veggies and beans I want however I am sticking to it to a tee, I lost 4 pounds my first week but after my cheat day (Tuesday) I gained back 5 pounds and have not been able to get it back off. My measurements are slightly down but I need to be patient. The book is amazing and I love the diet so will stick to it. I need to lose 30 pounds by August so I have 5 more months to do it. Wish me luck!
Maybe make sure you stick to lean meats during the week. On your cheat day try starting off with a normal SCD breakfast, and a shot of fresh lemon juice with your cinnamon.
Stick with it and get it things dialed and I bet you will do just great.
Good luck!
I am a semi-professional cook on the SCD. I have many recipes on my site that are very good (and tasty) for all of us on SCD. Most all of them use products I sell, so I have not wanted to post them and appear duplicitous. I am creating some recipes that are good for SCD and require no specific products, including my own. Here is the first…
http://bluestarspices.com/2011/03/27/fresh-asian-salad/
The salad and dressing recipe can be made from off-the-shelf stuff at most any store. The dressing works great as the marinade for the fish & shrimp before grilling. I hope you all enjoy and I wish you the best on our journey to a better body & lifestyle.
I’m wondering if there might be an oversight in the statement that brown fat and it’s effect on
metabolism wasn’t discovered until 2007.
In Durke Pearson and Sandy Shaw’s book, “The Life Extension Weight Loss Program–Lose Fat Without
Dieting, Hunger, or Exercise!” Published 1988 [19 years before 2007], they reference brown fat on page
146:
In their chapter on Thermogenesis [the get cold stuff–sound familiar?]
“A little brown fat can burn a great deal of stored white fat; when stimulated, brown fat can burn it’s
own weight in regular white fat about every 12 hours. (Morgan, 1981)” [notice the date of the study].
“Evidence supports the idea that brown fat is the site for much of your body’s thermogeneis, the
production of heat by burning fuel (calories). This important function is carried out near your spine,
and on the upper part of your back from your neck to your shoulder blades, around your kidneys, around
your heart and aorta, scattered through your abdomen, and in your armpits and groin region. (Morgan,
1981; Stock, 1981).” [there are those dates again — earlier than 2007]
“Your brown fat may be only 1 percent of your total body tissue, yet produce roughly as much heat–that means burn as many calories per hour–as the rest of your body.(Elliot, 1980, quoting Bray).” [1980 is 27 years before 2007]
There is more, but I’m done typing.
Maybe I’m off here, but there is no new exciting discovery to some.
I don’t see Durke or Sandy’s names mentioned in the Ackknowledgements page of Tim’s book.
No matter. Just thought I would comment. Tim does recommend the LEF Green Tea Extract for the PAGG stack. (LEF stands for “Life Extension Foundation” — which I believe was founded by Durke and Sandy).
Just thought I would comment.
Dirk, Sandy and that huge Life Extension book that had us taking all those vitamins in the 80’s:-)
They may have been the first to really popularize body hacking. (Maybe every generation has their beacons but they sure raised my awareness that all was not quite as General Mills would have us believe)
Thanks for the reminder and thanks to Dirk and Sandy for being the grandparents of a lot of this.
Etienne Taylor
quick question… if your following the “last mile” plan, should you increase your time in the gym since you are eating so much more? Any other tips from others following this plan?
@Jesus Sanchez,
I am so sorry that I missed your post from last Wed. The workshop put on by Mark and Tracy Reifkind in Seattle was definitely not for beginners. I was the newbie surrounded by trainers (and people who had just tested to become certified). I had emailed Tracy prior to the workshop about an article I’m writing on kettle bells. I also told her that I only had 4 weeks of KB under my belt and wondered if the workshop would be appropriate for me. Her response was something to the effect of “We’ll be doing around 3000 swings in 3 hours….you’ll learn a lot!” I told her I was scared, she said “come!”
So (with trepidation) I went and learned about “Lats the Super Muscle” from Mark Reifkind (man does he know his stuff) and am proud to say I was amongst the last standing after those 3000 swings (this is only b/c I paced myself and used the lowest weight possible!). Tracy was a fabulous instructor and I improved my swing immensely. Tracy and Mark are a great team and compliment one another nicely.
That all being said I have a trainer that is RKC (KB certified) and will come to you. He is a fire fighter in Seattle and lives in Monroe so Bothell is right on his way. He is fabulous! His name is Alan Heddings and his phone (which is his business phone otherwise I wouldn’t post it for everyone) is 877 348-6787. His website is http://www.performancekettlebell.com
Tonya- The workout I follow is one given to me by my kettle bell instructor, however, I do plan to go back to Fleur’s routine for MED, once I get my technique for KB exactly where I want it. As I recall Fleur did her workout (15 minutes total) before eating breakfast.
I can see why you are trepidatious to do less of a workout, but even Tracy Reifkind said this weekend (I was at a workshop put on by Mark and Tracy Reifkind…in case you didn’t see my other post) that she only swings KB (as a workout for herself) 2-3 times per week. She does yoga and other forms of exercise as less is often more.
Tracy also told me something else that I found very interesting. She gains weight eating beans! She only eats lentils and split peas. I’ve been eating a lot of black beans and my pants are getting tighter. I thought it must be b/c I was gaining muscle in my glutes and legs from KB, but I am now going to try cutting out the black beans, and see what happens.
Another interesting little clue I had this week was when I went to my Naturopath. I told her I’d been doing the slow carb diet and when I tried to eat bread, sugar and eggs I felt gassy and bloated. She now has me experimenting with a supplement called “Biogest” by Thorne that is essentially Hydrochloric Acid. I take a certain amount with every meal and honestly, I have been so much less hungry. The thinking behind it is that I’m not properly digesting something- carboydrates or proteins (have to figure out which one) and that is why I am often hungry or have “issues.” Something you might mention to your Naturopath/hormone specialist.
I’m glad you’re on top of the hormone issue. So many of us are out of whack and struggling to get our bodies centered. Further information on what is going on hormonally (this includes men) is essential.
Hope that helps a bit…Alison
I can’t find who exactly it was that was asking about beans and I suggested baking soda to but here is what I found…
A very good article on beans “14 Things you Should Know About Cooking Beans”
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2008/02/fourteen_things_you_should_kno.html
A post on cooking beans- says that cooking beans in baking soda reduces the amount of B vitamins and Thiamine that are present and available in the beans.
http://missvickie.com/howto/beans/bakingsoda.htm
A post on ways to prevent flatulence when cooking beans. Suggests soaking beans with 1/8th tsp of baking soda and then rinsing beans (which you do anyway after soaking), adding new water and cooking.
http://www.wisegeek.com/will-adding-baking-soda-to-beans-prevent-flatulence.htm
Hope that helps!
I need some help. I’ve been doing the Slow Carb Diet for going on 7 weeks now. I found it fairly easy to follow and loved the cheat idea concept, so pressed on. I also heeded the warning that if you were a female between 40 and 50 whose had two children (I’ve only had one) that it would probably take more than 4 weeks to lose substantial weight. Like everyone I feel like I’m following it to the letter but maybe at my highest weight loss, lost 5 lbs (week three maybe). Now I’ve gained TWO lbs from my initial starting point and seem to be hovering there. I find this frustrating to say the least and even started using the supplements a few days ago with no results yet. Any ideas, I’m all ears 🙂
Yes. Cut back on the beans legumes, (all the way to zero for diagnostic purposes or just cut back if its more convenient). Then up the protein, way up if you can. Make sure its lean, especially if not grass feed or wild caught. Lots of water and make sure your sleeping enough (no light / dark bedroom).
More details on exactly what your eating and how much and somebody can help you hone in, this a great forum for that. Short of some unforeseen (rare) medical issues this diet will almost certainly work for you with just a little tweaking.
Keep it up!
Best,
Etienne
25 pounds in 5 weeks! Still experimenting with the diet and trying to come up with recipies.
I found my sugar cravings went away after dropping the daily diet drink. I feel it was making the cravings worse for me. I went with carbonated water…mentally it killed the craving for soda.
FYI – 4HB has not messed with my hypothyroid issue one bit. Nor has the stack messed with the medication dosing (blood test confirms) one way or the other. I usually dose the levothyroxine (no idea if that is right – Synthroid generic) in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning which ever comes first.
Those are fantastic results Cory. Wow!
I like hearing other’s updates, so here is mine:
I’m a 43 year old Male.
Weeks on SCD: 7
LBS lost: 22 (started 251, now 229)
Gut inches lost: 4.5
Chest inches lost: 3.5
Avg resting Heartrate: 82 to 68
BP: a little high, to normal
TRIGLYCERIDES: 175 to 78
CHOLESTEROL: 216 to 160
HDL: 56 to 48
LDL: 122 to 92
(blood testing was done 1 week before beginning, as a regular follow up. then out of curiosity last week)
Another positive impact is a tremendous stamina increase in sports (Tennis mainly). A 2 hour match used to be a big down curve for me after 45 min, and now I notice almost none at all.
I can’t even think of a negative. I love the menu, even though I keep it very simple, so there is no issue about staying on the path. Energy ups and downs during the day are eliminated.
Most of all, I love cheat day lol. Wow. Are you kidding me? Paradise! I never realized before that almost anytime I ate anything, the joy of the meal was tinged with worry. Now, there’s none of that feeling associated with eating whatever I want and it makes the experience extremely enjoyable. Now with the blood results in hand, and of course everything else I noted, I have every confirmation I could need that its really not “too good to be true.” Probably one of the few things that defies that statement!
It’s really inspiring too to see how many people are having this same kind of success.
Thanks Tim for making it accessible in the way you have.
Dave
hi Alison,
thank you for the info and the links.
I have only been used canned beans and lentils as I find it much less time consuming. Couldnt find any advice on cooking/eating those…
Do you know if they supposed to cause less digestive problems in general?
p.s. My bloatings and flatulence decreased dramatically since I started taking PAGG and probiotic supplements. maybe that was the key…
Glee-
I don’t know about the canned beans and flatulence. I would say to be sure to rinse them. I’m not surprised PAGG and probiotics helped. Your digestive system may be too acidic and need more alkaline producing foods to be able to properly digest something (more acid producing) like beans. Also, beans can just take some time to get used to. Here’s an interesting article and chart of alkaline and acid producing foods and how they affect your health. http://www.pureliquidgold.com/acid-alkaline-forming-foods.htm
Glad you’re finding success!
Alison
I met Mark and Tracy Reifkind this past weekend at a kettle bell workshop they were putting on in Seattle. Tracy is the embodiment of the Four Hour Body. She lost weight and has maintained that weight loss because of the way she eats, views food, herself and life in general.
She told me that her favorite hobby is gourmet cooking and that she will be featured in Women’s First Magazine next month. They originally contacted her to do a story of her weightloss in relation to the 4HB but it turned into a story about her and her pressure cooker! Anyway, I am in no way affiliated with Women’s First Magazine or have any financial interest in Tracy. I just thought you might all want to check out her story and learn more about another way you can make eating on the SCD a pleasure instead of a bore.
She also has a blog where I learned that she puts (cooked) butternut squash in her morning smoothie. I have yet to try it but it sounds like it could be interesting (hey- I already put spinach and carrots in mine so why not add some squash?) Her blog is http://tracysfoodandthought.blogspot.com
Whatup Tim, just to let you know that the diet has been working great (4th week now). Im not fat and although i havent been measuring my body fat % or inches, the benefit has been quite clear. A question i have not seen answered this far is weather coconut water is ok or not?
I just love it and would like not feeling guilty while having it 😉
Fantastic book Tim! And loved the spot on the show with Barbara Walters. I don’t know who she is (I’m British) but does the woman ever smile?!
Started 4HB last week and only have about 10-15lbs I want to lose so am predicting it may take longer (4-6 weeks) to see results as I don’t really eat carbs anyway. But, I do have a huge sweet tooth and this has so far done wonders for my sugar cravings!! On my first cheat day on Sunday I had some white wine and then a handful of sweets and almost immediately felt like I was going to have a heart attack. I had already bought a cupcake but had to force myself to eat it and went to bed feeling pretty rubbish.
Not sure if I have lost any weight yet as I don’t have scales (I am travelling) or a tape measure (I am lazy), but I feel better.
A note for vegetarians: I’ve been trying to avoid soy now since comments on here and apart from eggs am using this powder:
http://www.vitalgreens.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=69
I also use the Vital Greens supplement. The plain pea protein doesn’t taste amazing, but I mix is with unsweetened almond milk and some cinnamon, and tell myself it’s a chai latte. There is also a vanilla protein powder, which only has vanilla in it, no sweeteners. The choc one does contains sweeteners so it’s a no no.
Good luck to everyone, sounds like people are having some amazing results!
One simple question please: what about beets? Are they allowed during slow-carb diet?
to Luke:
try to use Snogg Patch (i buy them from Amazon) – they are great for any joint & muscle injuries. fast painkiller.
Hi all,
I just wanted to send an update since my last post was just a week into the diet. I have been on the diet for nearly 2 months now, and I have lost 20 lbs. I lost about 15 the first month with slight variations to the diet (occasional bananas for leg cramps, daily slice of cheese, cottage cheese, etc.) I’ve done very little exercise up until the last couple weeks. I figured I needed to step it up since my body wanted to settle down at around 17lb loss. Added to that is my miserable monthly cycle that causes me to lose nothing for 1 to 2 weeks. Nonetheless, I am extremely pleased that I took the one month experiment. This is a lifestyle for me now because it is so easy to follow. I love Saturdays and go crazy on those binge days. i generally gain 3-5lbs by the netx day but lose it by monday or tuesday. By the end of the week, I lose another pound or so. I didn’t expect to lose as rapidly past the first month, so I am thrilled at a pound or two per week. I have 20lbs to go, to be at my goal weight. People are noticing the change in me and I feel so much better! I used to suffer with migraines and now I rarely get them. I believe sugar might have been the culprit as I consumed far too much carbs. I cannot say enough about this diet. It doesn’t feel like a diet because I am full when I follow it properly. it is giving me control over my body that I never thought I could obtain. THANK YOU!!!
Ok so I am confused about eating beans. Tim says to eat them and yet some of you found that you gained weight with them. I have been eating them with at least 2 meals per day and haven’t lost (in fact gained) weight although I am sticking to the diet religiously. I am taking PAGG and doing the ice therapy. However I am a woman over 40 with 2 kids so I am being patient…just confused about the beans now 🙂
Hello Shirley,
It is hard to say without knowing something about the quantity and ratios of the food in question.
Nevertheless I’d guess that you are not eating enough protein as a percentage of your total calories, i.e. too many beans.
Chris from Athletic Greens has a wonderful rule of thumb. Eat your protein portion first until you are 70-80% full and then finish your meal by eating as many vegetables as you need to be feel full.
I’d guess if you upped your protein significantly thereby decreasing the calories consumed with what occupies the rest of your plate (your beans/veggies) you will do just great!
Good luck and do keep it up. It will work for you.
Best,
Etienne
Thanks Etienne
I will heed your advice and increase my protein as you say. Will keep you posted. Feel free to offer any other advice any time…thanks again.
Shirley
I may know less about omega 3 omega 6 balancing then other people here on this forum but one thing I’d definitely add if you’re not eating purely grass feed meats and wild caught fish, especially given that you’ll be eating quite allot of protein, is high dose pharmaceutical grade fish oil. This will be expensive, since you might be looking at 10-15 grams a day (I’m on 20-25 grams a day being sort of bear sized)
After 30-60 days you should be able to cut back your dosage and you can certainly buy less expensive fish oil products then the pharma grade stuff. (Either way the positive side effects are GREAT skin, shinny hair and a healthier heart)
The possible negative side effects the FDA worries about if you are on any sort of blood thinners are the increased risk of bleeding.
If you are not taking anything to thin your blood already you can safely start at 5 gram dose and work up 15 grams and back down to say 10 grams after you’ve lost a bunch of weight. (On the SCD it won’t be long:-)
Just my opinion. I am not a medical doctor.
Good luck!
Etienne
Hi Etienne (BTW I love your name)
I am a natural health practitioner and I completely know the benefits of omega 3 and take a lot of them myself…and I will not stop taking them. I only buy pharmaceutical grade as there is such a huge difference between this and crap. Thanks again for the info.
Shirley
39 y.o male lawyer (very sedentary)…3 months on SCD, was 193, now 168 = 25lbs lost, was tight in 36″ pants, now loose in 34″ pants….not hungry, more energy, more stamina. Zero calorie counting, zero exercise….are you kidding me. Love the food and lifestyle…seems very sustainable.
Thanks!
that is terrific! congratulations. I do have one question for you though if you don’t mind. Do you drink any alcohol?? Wondering if my love of red wine is stalling my efforts.
Drinks.
Hey everyone. Great Blog (despite it’s growing size).
I have a question about what everyone likes to drink during the day.
Straight water has been great for about 3 days straight, but once a day, I need something else.
Came across this product. Special K Protein Water Mix.
link to the product is here.
http://www2.kelloggs.com/ProductDetail.aspx?id=9991
Has 7 Carbs, No sugar, 5 Grams Fiber and 5 Grams Protein.
Are one of these a day going to ruin my otherwise good discipline?
Anyone share their drink ideas?
Thanks and good luck to everyone here.
Hey Dave,
I really doubt that this particular drink is a good idea.
Sugar = bad milk = bad Soy = ought to be outlawed for men
Ingredients
POLYDEXTROSE, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF SOY LECITHIN, SUCRALOSE, ETHOXYLATED MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, RED #40, NIACINAMIDE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), VITAMIN B12. SWEETENED WITH NONNUTRITIVE SWEETENERS.
Allergens
CONTAINS MILK AND SOY INGREDIENTS.
——————-
Fresh lemon (even tastier w/ lime) + water
and/or
Pure Whey protein powder + half a can of coconut milk + a little unsweetened almond milk + Cinnamon + 10-25 grams of pharma grade fish oil (This will be expensive but you will notice the difference)
———-
Tim,
I have a suggestion. Finding some of the extras from the book, and on your web properties is a bit scattered. I would be willing to pay a monthly subscription fee to have Forums, Updates, Exercise trackers and Food intake trackers all in one place. There is a website I have used in the past MyFoodDiary which I thought was really well put together.
I think you should team up with them to utilize what they already have working, and build a separate site off that Framework for us 4 Hour people. A site just based off the 4 Hour Book Body book. Like I said it would be worth it to pay a small fee each month to have it all right there in one place.
Hope you get this
Ken
My update for the 40’s females with kids:
I finished Week 8 yesterday and lost another 0.5kg. Total loss for the 8 weeks is now 4.8kg which I am very happy about. I had given the SCD a commitment of 5 weeks to see if it worked and kept going, and my goal is now a 10kg re-composition.
I guess I should expect another 8 weeks to drop the remaining 5kg of fat, fingers crossed.
Being week 8 I dropped AGG/PAG to give it a rest for a week as the book said. Most weeks I still only fit in 1 exercise session but now that the 4.8kg has come off I feel as light as a feather and now want to start work on fitness and serious muscle improvement.
I am thinking about having a couple of sessions with a kettlebell trainer to get a range of exercises to do and make sure my technique is correct. I’ve built up to 50+ swings with the 8kg kettlebell but I am not really pushing myself.
The SCD cookbook arrived and it’s been great for giving me some different dishes to make and shake things up a bit.
Thanks Tim!
PS. It looks like I’ll be in San Francisco in October, would love to buy you a coffee with cinnamon if you are around 😀
I’m on the PAGG and take all with every meal with the exception of the Green tea which I take once a day. The warning label on the bottle worries me with the do not exceed recommended dosage. Has anyone found anything on this? I am trying to follow this diet to a T with just this one exception. Thank you!
If you take the green tea portion of your PAGG stack in the quanties and portions Tim recommends chances are you will live. We are still mostly all here at any rate.
Might as well go in all the way.
Welcome the waters nice and warm
Etienne
…besides if the green tea scares you just wait until you put 10lbs of ice in a bath and jump in as I just did…EGAAAD! 🙂
Etienne, Thank you. I will take your advise! Everything about this diet is amazing to me. Almost finished with my third week. Weight is slow to come off, but my inches are definitely shrinking, not to mention how great I feel! Funny on my cheat days I can not wait to eat healthy again.
I am 45 mother of 4 and I can actually visualize myself with very lean body fat just from my experience with the 4HB!I have never been able to see that in any diet plan I have ever done. I am sorry for the people on here who try the diet and get discouraged or tweak it to their disadvantage. Anything good in life takes time! Of course I would have loved to drop weight faster than this, but I do believe I am increasing my muscle mass.If you read in the 4HB Tim mentions that people over 40 need 4-6 weeks before seeing results. I can do that! I workout three days a week. 2 days with a personnel trainer one day on the Sci Fit bike. Just changed up my normal 3 days a week with a trainer, tons of cardio. I
minimized to get the maximized results! I used to spend hours in the gym!
Thank you for this amazing book, Tim! I see that you have made so many people HAPPY!!!!
Thanks Etienne!
I’ll stick with the ice pack I just took off my neck! LOL! Although I have 4 kids(scary thought to a lot of people) I am not as brave to jump on in the tub of ice cold water! Thank you for the laugh!
This is getting a bit confusing. Eat beans to replace carbs, but not too many beans or you won’t lose weight right?
I’ve been eating about equal quantities of beans and protein, maybe more beans (115g of beans and roughly 100g of protein) then a whole load of cooked (previously frozen) mixed veggies on top. I mix that with balsamic vinegar and avocado oil.
I have a protein shake within half an hour of getting up. Then (depending on kids and whether I’m working) I have breakfast within an hour or 2 of that. Then I have a meal as described above for lunch, possibly some protein only at about 3pm if I’m hungry. I then have an evening meal at 6pm which consists of veggies (carrots and broccoli or carrots and courgettes usually), about 150g of protein and 115g of beans.
I am in the over 40 with 2 kids bracket and in 3 weeks have lost 1lb, but ½ an inch off each thigh and a couple of inches off my waist which is feeling ok.
Do I just stay on track and stay patient or can I alter something and make more progress?
Thanks for any help.
Jo
Hello Jo,
It sounds to me like your instincts are correct. As you allude beans are calorically dense.
Unlike most people who start out I’d guess you are doing a good job getting enough protein. I’d make sure it was from grass fed beef or wild caught seafood. If not make sure it is only the leanest of beef (and I’d stay away from farm raised fish of any kind). Add a large quantity of the highest grade fish oil (1 gram per 10 lbs of bodyweight / only .5 grams if you are already eating nothing but grass fed beef/wild fish)
Next if you start every meal by eating your protein portion until you are 70/80% full and finish off with veggies and lastly beans the appropriate proportions will take care of themselves. Otherwise cut back on the beans to zero and work back up once you have it dialed in.
Lastly yes it might take + 6/9 weeks before you really get in a rhythm of sustainable weight loss.
Keep up the good work and you will do GREAT!
Etienne
Many thanks Etienne. I will follow that advice and see how I go.
I eat top quality, lean meat but am not sure it is grass fed. I only eat wild fish, never farmed (yuk!) I used to take high quality fish oil and will start that up again.
I will also stay patient, but am not sure that a week at the in-laws’ is going to help! However, I’ve given myself until July to lose 26lbs which should be achievable.
In May I am going to start with the kettlebells – just have to work out where to store them so the kids don’t get hold of them! At aged 1 and 4 they are insatiably curious.
Many thanks again.
ON ULTRA-ENDURANCE: Where the *BEEP* is Tim Ferriss?
Hey Tim
I decided to keep on shooting small videos during my races, asking myself ‘where the *beep* is Tim Ferriss’, meaning: what’s happening with your ultra-section and your own first (ultra) race?
The video with special dedication to you and to remind you of your comitment can be found here:
🙂
It was taken on March 27th, during the Aethlos Trail Run 2011 here in Greece, a demanding 25k trail run. It was race number 3 within 21 days.
Running regards from Greece,
David
Started 4HRBody on December 29th 2010. At 199lbs and 5’8″.
Still 5’8″ but now down to 172lbs. Loving the plan, the book and the weight loss.
Have got about 10 people started on the plan too.
THANKS!
-gil
Hey, I know you said, ‘If you have to ask, don’t eat it.’ But, I just really need to know about this one. Is it ok to have lime juice?
I don’t know what Tim will say, lime being a fruit.
On the other hand if we are talking about the sort of lime you squeeze instead of find in a bottle it is not likely you’ll consume too much.
By way of personal example my wife and I consume the juice of several lemons (4-6) each day.
I have lost 41+ (last weighed nearly two weeks ago, so maybe more) and my wife is down 18+ lbs since late December.
If it were me I’d go ahead and pucker up. (No lime-aid or anything from a bottle or you’re on yer own:-)
Tim hasn’t been around much recently, and I am not complaining here. I assume he is deep into the research phase of his next best seller “The 15 Second Male Orgasm”
We have his book, which is all about body hacks, and that should be enough. Let us know if the lime seems to be slower you down at all. In the meantime I’ll be squeezing away.
Join us, the water is, er ice cold, but thats another story.
Good lick. You’ll do great.
Best,
Etienne
I am 45 and a mother of 4. I have been on the 4 hour body diet for exactly 23 days. I’ve lost 5.5 pounds and 2.6% body fat!!! I have never felt so great! So much energy and I know for the first time in my life I will get down to 15-17%!
I am telling everyone about your book! Thank you, Tim!!!!!!
*Why your scale doesn’t reflect your actual progress during the first weeks of a nutrient dense diet (eg SCD)*
I have a theory that might not be backed by any research but observational or anecdotal evidence here on this forum would seem to back it up.
When people who are active and eat a fairly normal diet high in simple carbohydrate first make the switch to a nutrient dense diet such as the SCD, they often report feeling great, losing a few inches but not much bodyweight.
I think that the reason for this is so is that they have been under nourishing themselves and just by increasing their protein intake a certain amount of heretofore latent muscle growth, and thereby weight gain serves to mask the loss of fat that is causing them to notice the inches and not the pounds going off.
I would be particularly interested to know if anybody thought I am substantially off base.
Thanks in advance.
Etienne
sometimes I really wonder if Etienne is actually Tim, just undercover, trying to see how the site works without him but somebody else who gives all the satisfactory answers 😉
Tim,
LOVE the book!! It is encouraging, enlightening, and entertaining. I have 2 years worth of nursing school/stress/4 kids/work/hypothyroid pounds to lose. Sadly this had added up to about 70 pounds… Needless to say, your book came out at a perfect time for me. Just wondered your thoughts about (for women) adding the “HCG” diet to your SCD and PAGG.
> HCG drops are homeopathic
oops errant copy n’ paste sorry:-)
Hey Judi,
While I don’t know the facts for certain I am as skeptical as someone who has not done the research can be, frankly I am not sure its worth poking around much further. If you can point to any ethical study data from human trials I will apologize profusely.
Testosterone and HGC injections along with a gallon of whole milk a day combined w/ squatting very heavy weight are how I got to be 270 lbs in the first place.
I was using the HGC as gonadotropin to keep my system from down-regulating and not producing its own testosterone.
Whatever one thinks about the wisdom of power lifting in the first place, injecting HGC for a male trying to become bigger and stronger is at least rational.
The SCD is healthy and very effective and does not need to be augmented with quackery.
Follow Tim’s proven, tested and documented plan and you will do great I promise you. Really. Just give the it 60 days straight up,
Respectfully,
Etienne
http://www.dietscam.org/reports/hcg.shtml
“Human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) is a hormone found in the urine of pregnant women. More than 50 years ago, Dr. Albert T. Simeons, a British-born physician, contended that HCG injections would enable dieters to subsist comfortably on a 500-calorie-a-day diet. He claimed that HCG would mobilize stored fat; suppress appetite; and redistribute fat from the waist, hips, and thighs [1]. There is no scientific evidence to support these claims [2-13]. Moreover, a 500-calorie (semi-starvation) diet is likely to result in loss of protein from vital organs, and HCG can cause other adverse effects.”
Numerous clinical trials have shown HCG to be ineffectual in producing weight loss. HCG injections can induce a slight increase in muscle mass in androgen-deficient males. The diet used in the Simeons method provides a lower protein intake than is advisable in view of current knowledge and practice. There are few medical literature reports favorable to the Simeons
method; the overwhelming majority of medical reports are critical of it. Physicians employing either the HCG or the diet recommended by Simeons may expose themselves to criticism from other physicians, from insurers, or from government bodies [15].
I’m glad to read that there are plenty of boomers on the 4HB wagon. I have a question for the group (and Tim if he gets wind of this post now that the popularity has driven him to charge phone number size fees. Not a criticism, that’s pure praise for delivering such quality information)
Anyway, I’m waiting for my baseline blood work to come back and I’m wondering what to look for with regard to arthritis. I’m 59 and I suffer from severe arthritis in my lower spine. I’d sure love for this program to be able to reverse that and let me regain the ability to maintain workouts and rigorous physical activity.
Anyone have any experience with the 4HB and arthritis???
Thanks in advance.
Tim,
I’m a big fan.I tried my own supplement via the 4 hr work week and it kind of never went anywhere, but I did learn a lot.
Anyway, I have done the CKD (my own version) without knowing it and lost 90 pounds from 270-185, but I am currently on my way down from 218(208 today) with it again but I want to change to the Slow Carb. my questions is this: can i do the cheat day right now when my body is clearly i ketosis and then start the SC tomorrow or should i not cheat this week and convert to SC today and wait until next week to change? thanks again for showing a different way. people make life hard, it doesn’t have to be.
ON ULTRA-ENDURANCE: Where the *BEEP* is Tim Ferriss (no. 2)
Hey Tim
Time for a new ‘Where the *BEEP* is Tim Ferriss’ video 😉
This time I preferred to shoot the short video before the race instead of while running. I had the dream of finishing at 3:30h and planned to give it a shot, so I knew that I wouldn’t feel like fumbling around in my gear to get the mobile out etc. Too much wasted energy 🙂 By the way: I finished in 3:31h and my dream came basically true.
So, here’s the himmage to Tim:
Best regards from Greece!
David
P.S.: The next video should be available on May, 22nd when I will run a 30k mountain run.
I recently made my first change which was to consume 30% of my protien for breakfast. That’s not a problem. In the UK people regularly enjoy sausages, bacon and scrambled eggs.
It’s the rest that is a problem in terms of getting enough calories, especially if like me you train/play a sport 2/3 times a week.
A lot of people have one or both of the following issues:
a) Don’t like beans/bean products (they’re just not as popular in the UK as the states)
b) Don’t like or don’t eat that many vegetables (though carrots and peppers and iceberg lettuce are popular
What does one do when face with the situation above?
C-M,
I think that a change in ones thinking surrounding food is often necessary. Food is fuel. It’s not always about what you like. Tastebuds change (on average it takes a small child 7 tries of a new food to acquire a taste for it).
Don’t expect to eat a full can of beans, but when you make tacos throw a few beans in with the meat. When you make soup, throw in some beans.
One last thing. If you don’t think you like beans just try another kind.
Lentils, especially red lentils, are sweet and really tasty. They’re easily hidden in soup, but I make a red lentil stew that I often eat twice a day because I like it so much.
Start small though. Not only will your digestive system thank you for starting small, it will give your tastebuds a chance to get used to, and quite possibly, like beans.
Same thing with vegetables. If you’re making chili (great slow-carb food) dice up some carrots, puree some pumpkin or butternut squash and stir it into your chili. You’ll never know it’s there.
I make awesome smoothies every morning that have at least 2 cups of spinach, a carrot, half of an avocado and protein powder in them. I can’t taste the spinach. My kids now ask for some because they even like them. I couldn’t gag down a salad in the morning but when I disguise it in a smoothie, it’s enjoyable. I look forward to my green drink every morning.
Remember, just b/c you don’t like a food, doesn’t mean that you have to taste it to eat it.
30% of protein for breakfast really worked for me as well, but err after that you kind of lose me. Bacon, sausage, not lean meant (and I don’t imagine you mean grass fed:-)
>a) Don’t like beans/bean products (they’re just not as popular in the UK as the states)
I don;t eat beans either but it is much harder w/o them because there are so caloric-ally dense.
I live in California, was raised by hippies so fresh veggies abound.
b) Don’t like or don’t eat that many vegetables (though carrots and peppers and iceberg lettuce are popular
I’d say you are in a pretty deep hole to be honest.
Nevertheless I can suggest a path forward if you are willing to really improve the quality of your protein intake. If you can’t do that then your other compromises will sink you I’m afraid.
1.Firstly make sure you are getting enough high quality protein from lean meats, (GRASS FED or 25 grams a day of high grade fish oil to boot) + wild caught seafood only
2. After eating 70-80% of your fill of 1 above have a salad (It won’t kill you)
3. Spend the money on a GREAT Kiwi product Athletic Greens if you REALLY are not going to eat your veggies.
Get 1 and 2 right or 1 and 3 right and you should make it. It will be tough but if you do you will lose all the weight you want, you feel great and well if you are anything like me you’ll look better.
Lastly read the book (again) it really will show you the path you can tweak to make work.
Good luck and welcome to the group.
Best,
Etienne
I think bacon and/or sausages are fine along with eggs for breakfast. They are no as lean as say 7% fat beef, or something like tuna (which i love), but bare in mind that eating fat does not make you fat. In fact from what i’ve read, fat is a more readily usable sauce of energy, i.e it doesn’t need to be converted before use.
Anyway, back on topic.
I don’t mind regular salad i.e lettuce, tomato, onion, peppers etc.. it’s just the beans and veg e.g cauliflower, cabbage, sprouts etc..
I had fajitas yesterday (without the wrap), I threw in some chickpeas, couldn’t really taste them, but i knew they were there from the texture. Verdict so-so
Doing tacos tonight as my post practise meal (i play lacrosse)
I’ve been having chilli recently too, but I always must have a little cheese with it.
Lost 1/2 and inch on my waist (31″ now) and after a week my girlfriend commented that i look like i’ve lost weight. Though my thighs are almost an inch larger (must be all the protein, i’ve always had big thighs).
Are roasted parsnips allowed? I’d imagine they should be.
Its not the fat in bacon per say that I would worry about, rather the omega 6 / omega 3 ratio here are the totals for 28 grams of bacon:
Total Omega-3 fatty acids 59.6mg | Total Omega-6 fatty acids1259mg + salt.
A few rashes do work wonders for flavor and should be just fine. Check out the terrific link below for the profile of many foods, starting with bacon. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/pork-products/2208/2#ixzz1JLngCWMU
What about caesar dressing? Is it ok for the SCD?
David-
Since salad dressing ingredients vary so much you’d have to look at the ingredients list to tell. Caesar often has mayonnaise or some other sort of dairy in it. Is there a specific ingredient listed that you’re wondering about?
Just a little feedback-
I would really find it useful, and easier to respond to other comments, if the most recent comments were at the top (first page) and descended down to older comments. Thanks!
o.K. -romaine or cos lettuce
o.K. -olive oil
o.K. -fresh crushed garlic
o.K. -salt to taste
o.K. -fresh-ground black pepper
won’t kill you – o.k.- wine vinegar[15]
o.k. – lemon juice or lime juice – fresh squeezed
shh (don’t tell, you’ll live) – Worcestershire sauce
o.K. – raw or coddled egg yolks
shh- (throw a pinch over your shoulder if some lands on your salad, you’ll live) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
*Sorry, no way-freshly prepared croutons*
Hi again !
I was wondering : about dairy ? is it the lactose the problem or there another reason for not consuming it ? thanks for your insights 🙂
Well lets see, we have been on the SCD for about 2mths and a week now and I love it, we are working out 3times a week with Kettle-bell’s and Club-bells I have lost 17″ overall and lost 5.4lbs and my husband has lost 6 3/4″ and 5lbs my husband is gaining muscle mass, we are loosing more inches which is great for me. I can’t say that I have gone down to a size smaller? I guess I am loosing all over except around the waist unfortunately my husband and I are one of those that lose inches around the waist last and I am OK with that as long as I am loosing inches I’m happy. I am giving my self about a year to get to my goal weight I have 90lbs to go hopefully it will be sooner than that. We love cheat day’s that help’s us get through the week so now Sabbath’s are even more enjoyable. We do not buy any lean meats or grass fed meat’s, we buy a huge packet of pork chops for 18 to 20$ a packet or Chicken 14-17$ from Costco and that will get us through the week I also cook some chili with lentils and black beans and ground (beef 8-9 $), we are in a tight budget, and have 15yr old twins and a 10yr old, and I do not work I’m a stay at home mom, so we do some major budgeting we do buy Organic Veg at Costco, and other Organic products. but to afford expensive lean meats or fish no way. I have my kid’s eating this way also, they do have they’re lunches and snacks where they can eat home made Organic bread and Organic Peanut B. and home made Organic jelly with way less sugar than the store bought ones and home made granola that I make, but most of their meals are what my husband and I eat I have noticed that they have more energy and they do not have stomach problems from all the starches. I eat a small half of the Pork chop and my husband will have a bigger size of the other half and we” fill up on beans” and the veggie’s, he does eat about 1&1/2large cups of beans and I have about 1/2 to 1c of beans for breakfast I have a scrambled whole organic egg Wall mart very cheep organic eggs and he will have 3 scrambled sometimes we have bacon or sausage to go with the breakfast he will have 2 & 1/2 and I will have one. What I am trying to express is that I know that their are people out their that think that they must afford only lean cut’s or Organic grass fed meats or wild caught fish to loose weight and that would have completely turned me off, because their is no way we could do the diet, the cheapest Organic meats are sold at Costco and that is still very expensive their is no way that a family of 5 with one working to support the family can do that? especially with a new teacher’s salary. I’m just thankful that my spouse and I can afford to do this diet, maybe I would be loosing weight much faster, but as long as I am getting rid of those horrible inches I am very happy. I hope this help’s any readers and also keeping a food log does help to see what might have gone wrong one week with the other. I Liked what C-M said in his blog “that eating fat does not make you fat. In fact from what i’ve read, fat is a more readily usable sauce of energy, i.e it doesn’t need to be converted before use.” my weight problem started after I weaned my daughters I ended up having Postpartum depression really really bad I became to be really depressed and fearful of going out of my home thinking that some one would snatch one of my twins, so after many year’s of being very active and very thin that did not matter to me I stopped going for walk’s and exercising, and had major Panic attacks, boy no one ever warns you of these things and book’s well not even. Anyways lack of exercise and all that starchy comfort food’s did it for me. I for year’s have gotten over the depression, and unfortunately the weight I gained did stay around. Thank you Tim for helping me shed off my depressed past!
I forgot to write we also have our cup of Organic coffee that we also buy at Costco with 2T of Cream every morning, and we do use the Irish butter from Costco also and we use that to cook our pork chops and we sprinkle them with Organic garlic powder and Organic onion powder and some Organic non salt seasoning all from Costco brands, since they are bulk we do buy the Organic Kirkland Costco brands, this stuff last for months. we do still have an avocado 3times a week, I will have a smaller 1/2 and my husband will have the bigger 1/2 size. and home made salsa that I make to go with every meal, Rotel can with half onion chopped, cilantro, lime and salt to taste and “lots of Legumes to fill up”. So Organic is great if you can “afford it”, but buying the spices are cheap and they last over a 6mth period. We figured out that buy not buying Organic lean grass fed meats that would put us out of this diet and Tim does write on page 76 about Andrew and the kind of meat he buy’s but I have a feeling that he no longer has small children at home or is only buying for himself and that is great if you are single and no children to buy clothes and other necessities for , and also
what is written on the last line of this page its suppose to be “damn cheap.” Also what I have read on this blog is that we or certain people are advised not to eat a lot of legumes on page 96 Mistake #2 where Tim writes about “Kristal” he writes get “Plenty of legumes” he also say’s protein 20g but that it is not all that he advices he does say eat until full and Eat Plenty Of Legumes= Black beans,Lentils,Pinto b, Red b, and Soy beans, not just get full on Veggies and Legumes Last? ” I have been really confused with what I read on this blog and what I re-read on the book, their are so many contradictions,”( I also have a lot of questions)” but am afraid of who will give me advice ” I’m not interested on doing the Adkins diet were it’s just Protein and veggies I am very interested in doing The Tim diet, where their is a definition on the word Diet it is a great way to eat for the rest of your life where other Die-ts you do feel like you will die, I read a lot of confusion with what to eat and why it isn’t working for them I know that I will be their with all that frustration and I pray that some one will really know what to say because It would really suck to go so wrong with this miracle and hate it!
Confusion # 1= I read on the blog not to eat so much Avocado try to omit it well on Page # 93 the tomatillo salsa is made with avocado I have called several restaurants and they are made with tomatillo main ingre and definitely avocado as second major ingre, Page # 74 should be eaten in moderation “no more than one Cup or one per meal) ok cup is way more than a 1/2 and per meal= is every day you can chose to pick to have it only for Brek or Lun or Dinn? I keep reading in the blog to not have it or have it for 1or 2twice a week? it is also on page # 81 Potassium his preference eating “extra” guacamole with Mex meals? Why are Tim’s people not helping with the correct blogging?
Confusion #2 I read some where were some one was making a red sauce for his or her dinner, and said that it was probably the red sauce well page #91 Salsa is made with tomatoes Page # 74 Rule #4 it say’s the only exceptions to the no-fruit rule are avocado and tomatoes, to no more than a cup or one meal per day? on page #93 Eric lost weight using salsas on meals I know that a few table spoons do not add up to a cup but if that is all you are using then why can’t you add it to your dinner? about a cup? Like wrote I’m doing ok now on my own but I do read these blogs everyday to learn new things but I seem to be getting pretty confused with what I am reading with responses to others so should I stop reading these blogs and be totally on my own which is scary, because I know that something will come up and I will be begging for help or is their some where were I can get help if ever need it?
Life isn’t a recipe as much as it a lab experiment. Here on the blog I’d listen to Alison and ignore me (etienne) and you should be fine:-)
Etienne- You’re funny and right (not the listening to me part- the experimenting part)! Alison
Any&SonnyP- Remember Tim wrote this book to encourage experimentation with your own body. Don’t take it too seriously. You’ll burn out and end up binging on junk to assuage your guilt and frustration.
Avocado’s- Up to one cup per day (about 1). They are full of good fat and will fill you up. I put half of one in my morning shake/smoothie b/c it keeps me full way longer than anything else.
Salsa- Tim recommends a specific brand- just look for something without sugar and the least amount of preservatives you can find (Costco has Emerald Valley in the fresh section- very good but kind of pricey for a large family. You can make it go further by adding tomatoes or tomato sauce and cutting up another onion. Or, just make it yourself). As long as you’re not eating it with chips it’s a very beneficial health food that will help you get down all sorts of food (beans, eggs, veggies, meat).
Have fun and keep up the good work!
GREAT book – Are Athletic Greens okay every day? Yerba Mate and 4g cinnamon okay every day? Thank you!
C-M,
I would say parsnips would not be allowed. As with all root veggies they are pretty starchy. Even carrots should only be consumed in small amounts.
I just made a recipe using cauliflower instead of potatoes for faux mashed potatoes. You steam cauliflower and whip it up in the food processor. You can search for it on allrecipes.com. It was good!
Women over 40 who’ve had kids- If you are not losing weight it could very well be that you have a neurotransmitter imbalance. Neurotransmitters are responsible for proper function of essential body functions including sleep, energy and fear.
If you don’t sleep well, are anxious, depressed, stressed, have frequent headaches, can’t lose weight, crave food constantly even though you aren’t hungry you may want to have your neurotransmitters tested.
At 35, after having two kids, I was about to go on an SRI (such as Paxil) when I decided instead to see a naturopath. I’ve been taking many supplements (one is 5 HTP) for over a year now and am back to being me. A few months ago I was craving food constantly and talked with my Naturopath about my “grazing.” I found out my serotonin was low, started taking something called “Balance D” and now feel satisfied after a meal and don’t crave sweets like before.
Tim’s PAGG stack is worth taking for sure, but sometimes it’s worth getting tested so you know where your imbalances lie.
Clarification — re: Slow Carb Diet, are
Athletic Greens,
Yerba Mate (brand Guayaki- organic mate chocolatte),
4 grams cinnamon
okay every day?
Hi all,
Since day one on this diet my stomach has been very bloated and feels very uncomfortable and weird. This is not normal for me. This is my first week on a diet. I follow it to the letter and I mean it. I am 3 weeks away from my period, so this is not it.
Has this happened to anyone else?
I am wondering if I am having some odd reaction to this diet?
I did not see anything about bloating as a side-effect in the book, which I have and did read a few times.
Thanks in advance for all the advice and insight anyone can provide!
I’m guessing a lot of the bloated and flatulence talk is the result of eating way too much. At least that is what happens to me. If you’re stuffed, you’re bloated. hmmm The food can’t digest fast enough and move through so it ferments and causes your horn to honk.
Funny to me, maybe not anyone else (I do amuse myself) but seems strange that overweight people trying to lose weight mention feeling “bloated”. hmmm
Hi John,
I appreciate your insight. Let me clarify a few things, since I did not mention anything about myself.
I am 29 years old, 5′ 10″ and weight currently at 175lb. I have big bones and some muscle. I don’t think that would be considered overweight.
According to WW scales (not the best way but still), my body fat is at 23%. I’d like to drop about 20-25lb.
My food each day is as follows:
Breakfast:
1tsp oil
3/4cup egg whites
1 egg
1 tomato
1/2 cup beans
Lunch:
1 chicken breast
1/2 cup beans
shredded cabbage about 2 cups
Dinner:
2 tsp oil
8oz basa fish fillet
1/2 cup beans
veggies about 2 cups
glass of dry red wine every other day
I drink about 2-3 liters of water each day.
The 3 days this week I had the urge to snack, so on those days I ate also on 2 days – 1/2cup macadamia nuts and on 1 day – 2tbsp raw almond oil.
Do you think this is too much food?
Hello Yelena
If the bloated feeling isn’t normal for you:
A.What foodstuffs in particular are you now eating or what greater quantity of same are you now eating?
B. What food is known to commonly to produce the same sensation in other people?
Is the answer to A the same as the answer B?
If it is, the solution is to either eat something else, eat less of the offending food or learn to prepare it in a fashion where you are able to tolerate its consumption.
Good luck
Etienne
As per usual I like Alison’s answer better then mine. The good news is you are really close to figuring all this out.
However I suspect you also need to up your protein intake. (Treat your protein as the most import part of your meal. Doing so by eating protein until 70-80% full will tend to make your consumption of the suspect food stuffs go down a bit)
[note: Unless that protein is made up of either wild caught critters from the sea or grass fed/ free range critters on land you will want to make sure you are consuming a fair amount of pharmaceutical grade fish oil to keep your Omega 3/6 balance, balanced]
If you do not want to cut back/out beans altogether then soaking dried beans over night in a little baking soda will make easier to digest It is so EASY you may never go back to cans:-) You also might try lentils, which are easy to cook, and well yummy.
Good luck keep it up and we’ll both be 103 lbs in no time.
Best,
Etienne
Hi Alison and Etienne,
Thanks for your replies and suggestions.
It seems that it must have been the beans. My bloating was not the kind you would get from eating a whole elephant all by yourself, but the kind that feels as if you have tons of needles in your stomach all poking outwards.
Anyways, I stopped eating beans completely and all the pain and almost all bloating went away. I will try lentils this week.
I already eat till I am about 70-80% full, never till 100%. I was on WW, so I am used to not overeating or eating too much. I also eat slowly and can’t recall last time I went to fast food restaurant, maybe it was 10 years ago..? can’t recall. And I do take a mix of various fish oils in one pill twice each day.
Etienne, based on my calculations, I am eating around 120grams of protein per day, do you think I need to up that? I don’t want to get to the point where I am eating way too much than I should.
Yelena,
Most people would tell you that you don’t need to consume any more protein then you currently do.
I would say that it depends on your goals and if your goals are weight loss then and vibrant good heath then I would use the 1 gram of protein per 1 lb of body weight rule of thumb. So you might be about 68% of the way there from my way of looking at it anyway. I am biased admittedly.
Now I would say that there is a very big caveat in that your protein needs to either come from grass fed beef, or wild caught fish or needs to be extremely lean if it is from commercially raised sources. You should supplement your diet with pharmaceutical quality fish oil. Quite allot if you consume commercially raised meats.
1. Aim for a DAILY intake of 1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight or more.
2. Fat SECOND. After you get your real food protein down, ensure you are getting some healthy, quality, FATS at every meal. (Fish oil counts, coconut oil, MCT oils are treated like carbs by the body and do settle the stomach)
3. Veges THIRD. Yes, third. Fill up (keep going until you achieve satiety) with green, nutrient dense veges.
I hope this helps and isn’t considered too confusing. If you eat in this way you wont have to really count anything and you almost certainly lose weight while sparing as much muscle mass as possible.
Good luck
Best,
Etienne
The feeling of being bloated or “gassy” is not uncommon on this diet, as I’ve both experienced it and heard many people comment on it both on this blog as well as others.
There are many reasons why you may be feeling this way, so you’ll have to do some experimenting to figure out your reason.
Here are a few ideas:
You may be eating too fast- Food like beans and vegetables contain a lot of fiber, which bulk up and expands in ones stomach. If you are eating until you feel full, then you are likely eating too much. Eat until you feel about 70% full, stop, wait for 15 minutes. If you are still hungry take a few bites, drink some water, and wait another 5-15 minutes. It takes the body 15 minutes to signal the brain that you are full- meaning those of us who eat quickly, often over-eat.
You may not be chewing your food thoroughly- This goes hand in hand with the eating too fast scenario. Slow down, chew thoroughly and see if that helps.
Adjustment period- If you’ve never eaten many beans you may need to start small and increase portion size over time.
Spinach- Raw spinach can cause gas so if you’re eating a lot of it you may want to try it cooked (steamed or sauteed) and see if that helps.
Hidden sugar alcohol- Check the ingredient list if you are eating anything pre-packaged, such as protein powder, or some drink mix. My protein powder has xylitol in it which took my gut about 2 months to adjust to. I figured out it was the xylitol at about the time my body had become used to it.
Previously a fast food/pre-packaged junkie- If you previously ate a lot of fast food, or highly processed foods (most bread, chips, white rice falls into this category) your body may not have all of the proper enzymes to process the whole foods you are now eating. It has gotten sluggish, lazy and needs a boost. Try Probiotics, eating kimchee or sauerkraut before each meal will help with this.
Your gut is not able to properly digest these foods- If you’ve experimented and can come up with no other reason it may be that your gut is not properly digesting the foods you are eating. Ask your Dr., or preferably a Naturopath, if they can help you figure this out. My Naturopath currently has me on Hydrochloric Acid to help me properly digest the foods I’m eating. I will likely only need them for a short period of time. They are meant to give my gut a vacation from having to do all the work itself. Disclaimer: Don’t just go out and buy Hydrochloric acid and experiment with it yourself without knowing the ramifications. It can cause ulcers if too much is taken, and it’s easy to take too much!
Any one have thoughts on chia seeds – to eat or not to eat?? that is the question.
I’ve heard many good things about them ——-appetite suppressing qualities, chol lowering etc etc.
I’m in a bit of a stall and wonder if they may help me.
Moving into week 3. Only lost 3 pounds so far. Im 32 with 2 kids. Following the diet to a T! I am 5’4″ at 140 lbs, work out about 3 hours or so per week. Can’t wait for big changes to happen! Having a hard time pooping! What the?
sf208 – for the pooping – sauerkraut!
double your H2O intake, half the beans and make sure you are getting enough protein. (Just getting the protein right should take care of your problem because it will moderate your bean intake)
See my post of April 18th for a few more details.
Keep it up. The SCD works for nearly everybody willing to tweak it just a little.
Good luck.
Etienne
t
Hi Etienne,
Thanks for your suggestions and advice. I greatly appreciate it! I will increase the protein intake and minimize the beans. I’ll need to get some fish oil since the meat I eat is primarily commercial, but very lean.
When you say to double H2O, do you mean double it to 4 liters or to 6 liters?2 liters isn’t nothing =)))
Also, perhaps you know, I am going to switch to unflavored protein shakes with light coconut milk in the morning. Is it ok to add 1/3 cup of raspberries to them? I looked up nutrition info for raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries, and they are all very similar in sugar content, but raspberries have the lowest. 1/3cup will only have 1.8 grams of sugar.
Thanks again for all your help and advice. I am keeping fingers crossed that the protein will do its trick. Have only 4 months left till the wedding =)))
Hi sf208,
I second Julie’s advice. Try eating sauerkraut first thing in the morning after drinking a glass of water. Eat about 1/2-1 cup. That seems to do the trick for me =)
Hi Yelena,
I must confess I don’t really know what the correct amount of water really is. I imagine 4 litters is enough, although I am really guessing here. High protein eating keeps at the upper end of these numbers. (If I drink anymore I’ll be barking for my fish at dinner time)
As a rule of thumb I’d say almost no fruit until you get to a maintainable or close to ideal weight. A little won’t hurt I’m sure but personally I’m afraid since fruit, raspberries especially taste so good:-)
Since coconut fat (MCT fats) are very good for you “lite” coconut milk doesn’t make sense to me. No more then 1/3 – 1/2 a can per can of the full fat stuff in your protein shake lets say, makes more sense then a full can of the lite (which has 60% less of what you want in the first place, that good MCT fat!)
I would crank up the fish oil (1 gram per lb of body weight for the first phase, at least 60 days) I use liquid fish oil and put quite allot in my drink in the am and have 5 grams per meal to boot.
Generally I’d try and be just as strict as you can following SCD or any other diet until you feel you have everything dialed in. Then loosen up a bit one variable at a time if you like.
Tape measure, mirror and blood panels don’t lie. Your scale however (like men) sometimes yes sometimes no:-)
I’m sure you’ll do great.
Best,
Etienne
Yelanda,
Oops! and egad I made an error in the fish oil dosage recommendation when I said; ” I would crank up the fish oil (1 gram per lb of body weight for the first phase, at least 60 days)”
It should have read; “I would crank up the fish oil (1 gram per 10 lbs of body weight for the first phase, at least 60 days)”
Sorry ’bout that.
Best,
Etienne
Hi Etienne,
Thanks for your advice and support. Sorry I respond so late. I don’t have a habit of living in online social places, I prefer the real world and people =)
However, to reach people from all over the globe, you have to be online! =)
About coconut milk, I put about 1/2cup of the light one in my shake (that’s pretty coconuty tasting for me already). I went with the light one because I was starting to get very worried with the amount of total daily calories I was consuming. I know Tim said not to count them, but yet on this forum there seems to be plenty of people who are apparently eating too much and thus not losing weight. Why is that?
Although what I read about MCTs, they don’t seem to go to fat deposits in your body…
Question about fish oil. You said 1 gram per 10lb body weight, so for me that would translate into 17 grams. I can’t do liquid fish oil, so I bought softgels. Each softgel has 600 milligrams of fish oil in it. So if I do the math, then that would mean I have to take 28 softgels each day… That does not sound right. So is there a different deal for fish oil in softgels? Or am I wrong in my label readings and math?
Thanks for all your time and attention to my questions. I really Really appreciate it! =)))
Hopefully the scale will start going down soon and will stop lying to me, like my best girl friend, who never lies, whom I still have to meet! =D
-Yelena
Hello Yelena,
Nothing wrong with your lite coconut milk per say as far as I know, use less of the real stuff or keep going with lite.
(I would buy some virgin coconut oil (white like Crisco) and use a tablespoon or so for med/hi-temp frying. It is the only way I can eat 96/4 hamburger, yuck!)
For the fish oil believe it or not it is 28 pills or so a day. (It can cause stomach upset so take with meals and consider working up to your full dose.) Ideally you want the best quality fish oil you can afford. Barleans (Tim’s brand) can be had for about $20. for 250 pills / or 8 oz. online. Costco has a creamy fake lemon version for a little less) Still works out to $$$ but your hair, skin, nails and SCD goals will all benefit.
Be careful with your workouts not because they aren’t great for you and really great at making the new you into the shape you want to be but because with all this extra protein any weight training is going to start working well. This means healthy weight gain in the form of muscle that will tend to mask the progress you are making losing fat.
Tim’s PAAG stack and ice are bound to help as well, although I’ve had great results without either. (I also don’t eat bean, legumes or have cheat days for what it is worth)
Give yourself a full 30 days. “Lend” your girl friend your scale (you can still weigh yourself when you visit!)
You will do great!
Keep it up.
Best,
Etienne
>eating too much and thus not losing weight. Why is that?
My guess is that because they tend to eat too many beans with not enough protein and healthy fats. People eating mostly fish for example don’t have this problem.
Hi Etienne,
Thanks once again for getting back to me. Hmmm 28 softgels…. I think I’ll need to learn to consume fish oil in liquid form. I can’t imagine having to swallow 28 pills a day, and all the extra coating and other crap they put in it. Nah.
Maybe the flavored liquid fish oil won’t have that strong of a taste.
As for the workouts, to all the women in this forum I would highly recommend doing power yoga, hot(bikram) yoga, pilates, callanetics (and alike) instead of doing weights and using machines that train your muscles only in a certain way since you are doing the exact same motion over and over.
I find that these types of exercise carve out a perfect female form, they don’t add bulk muscles, but create long lean strong muscles.
Actually the ab exercises in callanetics, which are from the 70’s, I believe work the same way that Tim’s myotatic(sorry if misspelled, writing from visual memory) crunch does, they target the same muscle.
I’ve noticed after two weeks that my legs are much stronger (all those warrior poses do their job =)) and my looove handles are smaller.
So that’s for the warning, but I was never a fan of weight training for women. I believe you can make your body strong using just your own weight and not end up looking the size of your wardrobe. No offense to anyone, please.
So I’ll give it another two weeks and see how it goes.
Want to know something funny? I actually having trouble on my day off. I can’t make myself eat that much food and/or junk, I get full very quickly and don’t want any more of anything. So I try hard to hit 2500-3000 calories that day! Never thought that would be the problem! =)))
Congrats to your and your wife! You guys are doing great! Happy to hear that it is working for you as it should!
One question: in another post on this page your wrote that you don’t eat beans and legumes… then what do you eat instead for caloric intake?
Thanks again for all the help and support!
-Yelena
Tim,
Thanks! Been a fan for years now – Love the books, losing weight (and for the first time obessed doing so because of the experimenting nature of 4HB)
Browsed the forum for the first time today after 3 months of 4HB and 24 pounds lost – great info and contributions all around!
And looking at the decline in answers from your end my best guess is that you’re back to the 4HWW principles 🙂 – Good luck!
Best,
Patrick
Sorry for posting a comment on an older post but it seemed like the best place to ask a random question.
Have you done any experimentation or research in regards to herbs? Companies make a lot of claims but I don’t know what to believe. I am most interested in herbs that help with stress.
I believe I react to certain foods and they cause me to be irritable and stressed much more easily.
The only related thing I could find in your book was adding probiotics and inulin (which I have and continue to do).
Any suggestions?
Thanks.
I don’t think anyone can offer truly accurate suggestions without doing a more detailed look into your health and food irritations, yet food allergies immediately jumped to mind based on your descriptions.
There’s evidence that an impaired small intestine can allow undigested food molecules to pass into the blood stream and be seen as a toxins by your blood stream, leading to irritation and inflammation. Fish oil, probiotics and inulin can help repair your small intestine, if in fact it needs it, and can go a long way to reducing food allergies.
If you’re open to alternative forms of health care, NAET allergy treatments can reprogram your central nervous system to not react to many common foods. The website may seem hokey but it’s legit and has helped me reduce my food allergies a great deal.
Hope that helps Dave.
Tim, gotta say Wow. Summary: 37yr old former pro football player with arthritis clocking in at 330lbs last Christmas, wearing 46 waist pants… now 274lbs and wearing 38 waist jeans. Slow carb, icepacks and PAGG/Cissus were difference makers… I added P90X workouts initially before getting too bored without using more conventional free weights and cardio. I work out every day, but for no more than an hour. My cheat days have been legendary… within one day, eating three blueberry muffins fried in butter, two dozen boneless wings plus fries, a deep dish pizza, bowls of ice cream… and still losing about 2-3lbs a week consistently. Amazing! My only question is, can I add a cheat day a week if I want to stabilize around 270? Or a cheat meal? Thanks for giving me a method that made sense and works within my mindset. Amazing stuff, and justified the three copies I bought and gave to friends!
Congrats, Tim! I’d avoid two cheat days per week (which will become 7) and instead simply worry about maintaining lean muscle tissue. There shouldn’t be a problem with losing excess fat!
Keep up the great work and congrats 🙂
Tim
I’m a recent convert, bought the book over the weekend after hearing Tim on the Nerdist podcast and started the diet on Monday. I can already start to see a difference. I’m a busy working mom and am always frustrated trying to find the time for regular exercise to finding something that delivers results without hours at the gym pretty much rocks my world.
I haven’t weighed or measured (no scale or tape measure in the house and see busy mom thing above) but I have some jeans that I need to fit back into — then I’ll know I’ve reached my goal.
I’m wondering what happens then. I can live within the parameters of this diet for now. But, with apologies to Tim, I don’t want to eat like this forever. Is it possible to maintain weight on a modified version that allows for occasional non-white carbs (some brown rice, whole grain bread) and limited cheese and fruit?
Christina, I do some form of cheating more often than is prescribed, maybe every other day, but for me it seems like ensuring to workout every other day completely negates it. I will sometimes eat the AGG and cissus if I do cheat (but only if badly — a coupld of slices of bread, a little bit of fruit, or a sugary bbq sauce, as examples, don’t count. If I cheat with potatoes or fries (very rare), I ALWAYS have only a small portion, say a sweet potato (or piece of one) of a size no larger than 3″ in length and 2″ in diamete, or I get the smallest fries in the case of fries, or one or two small new potatoes.
And these cheat moments for me are allowed only after having worked out or if preceding the 40/40/40 squat/wall-pushup/some-kind-of-pulling-exercise mini workout from 4HB.
I think the PAGG isn’t even necessary as Tim states in the book; the mini workout within an hour of cheating seems to be enough to cover it.
btw, by normal workouts, I only lift twice per week at most (more like once every 4 days). I use Eric Cressey’s Show And Go 2-day program, and I highly recommend, as well, the Assess and Correct dvds and manual, which was a joint effort by Eric, Bill Hartman, and Mike Robertson, for promoting excellent posture, strength, high performance, and injury prevention.
Other than the lifts, I’ll do two medium-length bike rides (usually these include sprints or hill climbs) per eight days. I am going to add running sprints on the “off” days, just 6-10 sprints of 40-80 meters (so shouldn’t take more than 45 minutes including foam roll and mobility drills), because efficient running is a skill that I lack.
Christina – yes it is possible to keep the weight off and eat a modified SCD. I lost ten pounds and a lot of inches and then decided to see if the results would stay even if I was not strict with the diet. Yes they have – at least for a month now of being “sort of” doing the SCD. I have added in fruits and a little bit of dairy and my numbers have not gone up a bit. I have also added in a bit of corn (crackers and tortillas, but I am gluten free so I don’t know about the whole grain bread. I also noticed that the high water intake is a big part of my success and I have kept that. Hope this helps.
Thanks Amanda. That’s a good thought about keeping the gluten-free aspect of the diet. I’d be curious what effects I see from that over the long haul. And I hear you on the workouts, Ken, I just have trouble fitting them in. But I’m asking for a Kettle Bell for Mother’s Day! 🙂
Just got 2nd blood test results after week 9 on SCD.
SCD start HDL 26
4 weeks HDL 52
9 weeks HDL 68
I still can’t believe it.
Congratulations, Bruce! Those numbers are moving in the right direction 🙂
This is my third time going back on the “Slow-Carb Diet”. So far I’ve lost 15 lbs. in less than 2 weeks. One way I found to stay on it is to track everything you eat. EVERYTHING. If you have an iPhone, the best app is Lose It (it’s free!). I’ve been doing Kettlebell swings 2 days a week, and feeling better than ever!
I do use vegan protein shakes now because I can’t seem to get enough protein without it…
Jay
Hey Tim, is it just me or was Barbra Walters really that defensive/resistant. At 12-13 seconds her body language screams ,(her shaking her head and bug eyes), negativity. Her comments ” does anyone know what creatine is…no ” throughout your whole demo it sounds like she was just itching to catch a mistake or something…it really bothered me!
Tim,
I’ve tried to give back or at least share my enthusiasm with the community here. Time for my own family update.
The other day I turned to view myself sideways in a full length mirror.. and I had to put on a shirt and a red tie just so I could see my reflection.
My new 38″ jeans are starting to get just a little lose (started w/ “44 inch waist in December)
270 and change is now 223~ish (a few pounds of clothing in Docs office. Left him a copy (6 and counting now) of the 4H Body)
My lovely wife has lost maybe 25+ herself, (exact figures being a state secret I’m not privy to).
My 25 year old son, dancer, computer programmer, who works out with acrobats is jealous and is joining the team (if not this blog)
Thank you for such an important book, certainly one of only a handful of great diet/nutrition books that exist.
Barbara Wah-Wah has no idea what she is missing.
Best,
Etienne Taylor
I have a question that I could’nt find any answer online so far, maybe because its a delicate topic. When I go to the bathroom, I only have to pee but no more. Since starting SCD 5 weeks ago, I only had to go big 1-2 times a week 2 days after cheat day. Before SCD I was going every day. I think that was because I was drinking a lot of milk and eating lots of fruit before SCD. I wanted to ask if someone else has noticed any changes?
Mark,
This can be really serious. I am certainly not qualified to give you much advise myself beyond more water perhaps fewer beans. Try organic sauerkraut. etc.
This is a wonderful diet hight in protein and much higher in fiber then the “normal” American diet. Maybe nothing more then a few tweaks needed in your case, but please get in touch with your doctor, okay?
Good luck.
Hi,
I’m a 21 year old wife who’s gained 40lbs of nothing but fat I’m think in my first year of wedded bliss. I’m 5’8 and averaged around 160-170 from ages 17-19. My goal is 160. I think thats good for especially since I’m built differently now. In my teens largest bra size was 34B. Now it’s 36DD. Can you day OMG. Thus I don’t think getting under 160 is advisory.
What do you think?
Mark- If you read back over previous messages you will see that you are not the only one suffering from minimal stool issues.
I totally agree with Etienne that you need to talk with your Dr. about this. It may be completely normal for you, but could also be a clue that there are other issues that need to be addressed.
The amount of beans and veggies that are consumed on this diet alone should produce a healthy stool 1-2 times per day (sometimes more, everyone is different) for the average adult.
You can always try xylitol. If you drink protein shakes Ultra Lean by Biogenesis contains xylitol. It’s a sugar alcohol and tends to have a laxative effect. PGX brand also is sweetened with xylitol and contains a lot of fiber. I haven’t tried it but I was reading the label just the other day…might be worth looking into.
Hi,
Age: 21
Height: 5’8
Weight: 213.2
Gained: 40lbs in 1 year
Goal: 160
2.5 Week Results:
Lbs lost: 1.7- now regained
Inches lost: 5.7, 2 being from each thigh.
MAJOR improvement is I now have a bowel
movement 5 out of 7 days. Before for almost a
year I only went maybe 3 times a weeks & not
a lot each time but it was painful resulting in hemroids, sexy right?
PROBLEM: Everyday gets harder & harder to not cheat especially when fixing nondiet foods
for my husband who doesn’t need to lose a
pound.
Any advice here?
I’m fine usually with not cheating from breakfast to lunch. (Wow what am
accomplishment I know but I’m being severely honest because I desperately
want help as I want to visit family in June but want arrive lean & trim like I
was before.)
ROUTINE: AM 3 organic eggs with spinach, meat or spinach substituted with
beans which are organic and soaked overnight. All remaining meals: Meat, lots
of beans usually douple the meat I have plus veggies. I eat til I’m full because
if I don’t I’m more likely to cheat before 4hrs is up.
WATER INTAKE: 5 16oz water per day.
Any advice?
Thanks
I have the same question that Cristina has..
“I’m wondering what happens then. I can live within the parameters of this diet for now. But, with apologies to Tim, I don’t want to eat like this forever. Is it possible to maintain weight on a modified version that allows for occasional non-white carbs (some brown rice, whole grain bread) and limited cheese and fruit?”
– I’ve been on the diet since December 2nd, I have lost 30 pounds of fat. Everybody tells me I look great, and I keep telling them all about the SCD.
3 people from work are now doing it also.
So yea, is there a modified version you recommend to maintain?
Please respond.
I am slowly incorporating the slow carb diet in my life. So far I have only replaced lunch and already lost 4.5 centimeters of belly! Thank you Tim!
D
Does anyone know if raw milk (from grass fed cows) is permitted any day other than cheat day. There are some other modifications for organics (such as organic whole eggs are permitted but the yolks are limited if not organic). Any info would be appreciated.
Hello Tim, Greeting from Brazil
Even though just met your work, I am already a big fan.
I got a few questions about the slow carb diet: I love to workout really hard, fight (boxing, BJJ etc..), cycling… But I am not so sure about what should I eat before/after these activities. Should I eat carbs before workout? What kind?
Other thing, is it OK to drink few onces of vodka with sugar free energy drink during the week instead of wine?
Thanks a lot, and soon I will post part of my experiencies on both 4hb and 4hww.
Tim, I’ve had a question regarding Fleur for some time now. I’ve read the book multiple times and have seen nothing in regards to an answer.
My question is in regards to Fleur’s story.
On pg 164 You say that you “proposed a four-week test focusing on the swing and miniscule dietary changes” After you explain that she switched her breakfast “to a high protein meal a la SCD” and the exercises she is to do 3 times per week you then go on to say “That’s it.”
However on pg. 168 in Fleur’s e-mail to you she states “I ate really well last week and then assigned myself a free day.” And says that she wanted fruit on her free/cheat day and was that ok?
So here’s my question… Did Fleur end up going full board on the SCD or did she simply change her breakfast and do the exercises?
Her email made it sound like she was doing more than just the breakfast and the workout you prescribed. It sounds like she was doing the SCD to it’s full extent. Otherwise wouldn’t she just have changed her breakfast but still been allowed to eat fruit during her other two meals?
I don’t ask to be nit-picky, I ask because I am very similar in circumstance (I am 36 yrs old, 5’2″ at around 21% body fat, mother of two, and want to lose that last 5-7 lbs as well as gain strength) and wonder if the results she had were b/c she was doing the full SCD or b/c she had simply changed her breakfast and workout routine.
I hope my question is clear. I look forward to your response!
Etienne,
BTW, Thanks for the update/report. You are doing awesome (and so is your wife even though we’re not privy to the exact numbers. :)!
Have you tried the kettle bell yet? I cannot sing their praises loud enough!
Thanks! (I am especially proud of my wife who being of French extraction is natively addicted to bread in ways we cannot fathom. When I first explained Tim’s approach her eyes got wide and I thought I was done for:-)
As for kettle-balls as a broken down former power lifter I am intrigued I must say.
How much weight do you suppose a strong man could be expected to work up to? (In other words would I need a set of kettle balls, sort of like dumb-bells? Why not just grab onto the end of a dumbbell? If you can’t hold on its too heavy. Alternatively I’d though of maybe sawing off the handle and using a sledge hammer (or even two) instead. [I heard a lady on this form uses a can of paint and an oven mitt. (How cool is that?) I used to train with a baseball bat stuck in an old paint can filled with concrete]
No wonder my physical therapist changed his phone number on me…
Hi Etienne
You’ll find good answers to your questions in T4HB, i.e. min suggested weight for a man and even on how to make your own with Home Depot stuff 🙂 Look up ‘kettlebell’ in the tags index at the end of the book.
Regards from Greece,
David
Thanks David of course its in there!
Etienne-
Mark Reifkind is also a broken down power lifter (amongst other major injuries from sports). My trainer is a firefighter that had shoulder surgery years ago and, due to KB, says his shoulder has never felt better or stronger.
Since you do have power lifting in your background, as well as what sounds like injury from it, I would highly recommend finding an RKC (Certified to teach Pavel’s Russian Kettlebell technique) in your area. It’s only a matter of learning a few of the techniques (swing, turkish get-up, clean, dead lift) before you can train yourself at home. However, if you’re not doing any of these moves correctly then you’ll likely further injure yourself.
You can find a trainer in your area at dragondoor.com ( I have NO affiliation with dragondoor)
Also keep in mind that you can spend a lot of money on the wrong weight of KB, whereas if you get proper training your trainer will have all of the KB and in the end you will know exactly which weights you should buy yourself. I am 5’2″ and am small in stature and currently swing 35 lbs. I often swing 26lb KB because I can workout longer before burn out. I use a 20lb for turkish get-ups and cleans. I was going to make my own as well and figured the same about just using a weight held a different way. I’ve got to say after having been trained I wouldn’t even consider using anything but a well made KB. Form and function just matter too much.
Also don’t let money stop you from finding a trainer. Mine found me actually because I put up an ad on freecycle asking if anyone had a KB they were using as a doorstop. I got a 20lb KB free from someone who was no longer using it. My trainer also contacted me and we did a tradeout. He trained me, and because I am a blogger on the topic of health and wellness, my end of the deal was to write a story about KB. In the end I had the opportunity to train with the Reifkind’s at a workshop in Seattle which was awesome! I am now currently addicted to KB and will be putting up before and after pics of my new muscles shortly (on my blog).
I’m not sure how much you would work up to. My trainer (male in his 40’s and in good shape) often swings something like 53lbs but can swing more. It just depends on what you’re doing…
Your PT will be jealous of your new muscles and will beg forgiveness. 🙂
Alison,
Thanks for all the Kettle Ball advice. I will definitely find an instructor to make sure my form is correct and give it a try. (I run a clinical trial screening /web app nonprofit so $$ is always an issue but good health is more fun then the alternative:-)
(Yours is a very nice blog BTW)
Best,
Etienne
God so much tweaking. Didn’t Tim talk about everyone has a different way of building a bike shed? Everyone. But he goes on to say that readers should just follow what he says and it will work.
We all want that golden pill where there is no suffering. It is very illusive and baffling and might only exist in a perfect world.
Hi Yelena,
I stopped my cheat days in part because I felt so rotten not eating clean food. (The second best thing about Tim’s approach is how great it makes me feel)
Dense green veggies mostly. Every meal starts with lean (very lean) protein cooked in a little coconut oil (cutting out much of the bad fat replacing it with MCTs and chasing it with fish oil) and ends with a cooked vegetates and a salad. (I’ve stopped protein drinks altogether although I may go back) Make a REALLY good salad dressing you like (don’t skip on the good balsamic, fresh lemon, quality olive oil whatever it is) just make the very tastiest salad dressing you can and you will always eat enough greens.
High end fish oils generally are flavored with something like orange oil which although bitter, completely covers the taste with bitter orange, but it is still “oil”.
All the same companies make fish oil emulsions which are creamy, extra sweet with fake flavors like “lemon menage pie”
Maybe trying pills only when you’re out and oil and/or emulsion at home might be a nice compromise. (It s what I plan to do but somehow I just can’t get excited about 10 pills after a meal:-)
Eating this way it is hard to eat too much, and nearly impossible not to make progress. (Everybody is different but keep the protein lean as you can and you should do great)
Keep up up your good work.
Etienne
Hey all,
Glad to see this is working for so many of you. I also like the community that has been built around this. I have started the diet today and just have one issue/concern so far. There are many foods that absolutely disgust me and I find myself entirely unable to stomach. Unfortunately, half of the foods on the protein list (chicken, seafood, pork) are included in this. This limits me to eggs, and grass-fed beef(and peanut butter), but it is just too expensive to get grass-fed where I am. Are there any big negative effects to eating normal beef or having my protein be eggs for 2 meals and peanut butter for the other 2?
Tim, My wife and I have been doing SCD for 2 months now & have lost 13 & 19 pds. respectfully (she won’t get off the sugar in the coffee [4 cups java]). She has fibromyalgia and the diet has helped greatly with reducing the pain. I just started Occam’s Protocol to which I have a question on the “optional” kettle bell swing listed by leg press exercise. Does this mean in addition to the leg press if you want to or is it to be done instead of? I just want to make sure I stay within the protocol’s guideline; i.e. not doing anymore exercises than needed. Good job on the book. Great read, I like your sense of humor and art of storytelling. When I read about the guy who projectile vomitted on his windshield I had a real good laugh. If I had any liquid in my mouth it would have been sprayed thru my nose.
Well done, Jeff! The “optional” means you can include them or exclude them, totally your preference.