The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman
Okay, so about a month ago I let you know that I loved the 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferriss, and that I was going to try the slow carb diet recommended in the book. My goal was to lose 15lbs of fat and put on 5lbs of muscle.
The day that I started the diet, January 2nd, I weighed 205lbs with 24% body fat. That’s far from great, but not what I would call terrible. However you define it, it was not the body that I wanted. Today, on February 2nd, I weigh 193lbs with 18% body fat. I lost 14 pounds of fat (7% body fat), put on 2lbs of muscle, and my waist is about an inch and a half smaller.
I accomplished this with probably 70% compliance with the slow carb diet and Tim’s guidelines. I cheated on occasion other than the cheat day. I didn’t eat breakfast at all most mornings. And I didn’t work out a single time. Not bad results considering my laxidasical approach, but I didn’t accomplish my goal – yet. I’m going to continue to use this diet until I get to sub 10% body fat – and a slightly modified version of it for the rest of my life – that’s how strongly I believe in the health effects of it.
I did use the PAGG stack that Tim Ferriss recommends for the first three weeks, but the most dramatic of the results started when I began consuming at least 20g of protein for breakfast (Tim recommends 30g – but that’s a ton) within 30 minutes of waking up, which has just been the past week and a half. I’m also buying kettlebells this month and will start using his kettlebell workout program from the 4 Hour Body.
Note: I’m buying my kettlebells from Neptune Barbell Co, as they have the best prices I could find and free shipping. I’m getting a 25lb (for my wife), 35lb, 45lb, and 55lb one to start.
My wife also went on the diet with me, but hasn’t seen quite as big of a result yet. Her compliance was a bit lower than mine, but according to Tim, the most dramatic effects occur between weeks 4 and 6 for women so the results should be coming shortly.
Anybody wants to lose weight, live healthier, or is just interested in health at all should read The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman
Update: 3 months in, the results of making changes to the diet.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I love reading about the results from this book. It feels like I just read this book the other day.
I’m curious to hear about what kind of workouts you have been trying?
I have not worked out at all. I did do some occasional air squats/wall push-ups like Tim recommends in the book, but only maybe twice/week. I ordered kettlebells recently and am excited to see what kind of results I get once I start doing 50 – 75 reps of kettlebell swings three times/week.
I was googling this book and your blog came up. Glad you decided to start a lifestyle change. That said I want to add some points though:
1. You do not build muscle without resistance training. I think you are suffering from placebo effect.
2. I have browsed this book enough and I think Ferriss is full of it. This stuff is snake oil.
Search the forums of bodybuilding.com. They are reputable and won’t tell you that you gain muscle just by eating.
Vader, thanks for the comment.
As I mentioned in my other comment, I did do some air squats and wall presses, as well as occassional pushups. But the way I calculated the 2lbs of muscle is based on the body fat measures, which were with a caliper by my wife (a non-professional), which is not an incredibly accurate tool. Therefore, it is entirely possible that I did not in fact gain 2lbs of muscle but rather the body fat % calculation was off.
I have family and friends that are very skeptical of the book as well, but all I can say is that I have proof the diet worked for me, and I feel tons better. That’s all I need to know…
Whenever you are physically fit and active, you’ll observe an improvement within your energy levels and consequently, you’ll turn into a lot more energetic. This will not simply allow you to to complete your routine tasks at a more rapidly pace, but will also allow you to manage the stresses without difficulty that arise every day.
I’ve had a ton of skeptics, too, but I’m down 33 pounds since January 2nd, without exercise. Granted, the biggest gains came during the first two weeks(17 pounds), which would be mostly water-weight, but it’s working. I’ve also dropped 17 total inches, measuring my biceps, thighs, waist and hips. I do well with a rules-based diet that comes with a safety valve(cheat day).
I don’t have kettlebells, yet, but in March, I’m going to try to do 100 pushups in a single set. That should be sufficient for the exercise to help max out the SCD.
I think those types of results speak for themselves Jason. Skeptics are going to be skeptics but bottom line this diet WILL make you healthier and thinner.
People wonder why they get sick & cancer…well, because they eat SICK animals! Those poorely treated creatures are suffering from infected injuries, get hardly any treatment, only tons of hormones and anti-biotics… Yummy! By law animals with infections,? e.g. wounds with puss coming out, & cancer are allowed to be made into food! Hey, you meat eaters – next time you chew on a sausage, think about all the grinded hormone-fat and virus-meat. But no worries, it’s been micro-waved & x-rayed…