The 4-hour body diet is described as being an uncommon guide to rapid fat loss, incredible sex and being super-human. This is a book created by Tim Ferris; who is an author of a New York best seller book called the 4-Hour Work Week, a fitness freak and also a successful entrepreneur.
Since it has been touted as an uncommon guide to rapid fat loss, the 4–hour body diet is definitely uncommon as it claims that people can lose up to 20 pounds in just 30 days. Tim Ferris encourages the users of the four hour body diet to eat the slow-carb diet.
The 4-Hour Body Diet - The 5 Rules To Follow
This diet is rare in that you will not be counting any calories. While Tim does want you to collect a lot of data and numbers, such as weight, body fat percentage, cholesterol levels, and many more, counting calories is one thing that you do not have to worry about. Since a lot of your food will consist of vegetables and legumes, which are low in calories, you will be consuming fewer calories while feeling just as full as when you are not on the diet.
Rule #1 of this slow-carb diet asks the users to stay away from all carbs that are white in appearance. These restricted foods include white bread, fried food, rice (be it white or brown), pasta, tortillas, potatoes, cereal etc. The only exception is that you may eat one of these foods within a half hour of finishing an intense workout like a resistance training workout.
Rule # 2 of the 4-hour body diet states that only a couple of foods that are currently available in the USA are safe enough to be eaten without the risk of piling on extra pounds on the body. This is because of the amount of processed foods that the average American is exposed to. Therefore, it is safer to stick to same foods each day. This is the basis of rule # 2. Not only is it easier to pick a few recipes and foods to eat repeatedly, but it is more likely that you will stick with the diet if you are not confused or frustrated about coming up with different meals.
These safe foods include grass-fed beef, chicken breast or thigh, pork, fish, lentils, pinto beans, red beans and soy beans, organic eggs, vegetables like spinach, asparagus, Sauerkraut, green beans, broccoli, etc.
The meals have to be consumed within a gap of 4 hours in between them, and this schedule allows for 4 meals in a day instead of the regular 3. The extra meal is suggested in between lunch and dinner and is called as extra lunch at around 6.30 pm. This can be modified depending on your daily schedule. One thing that is noted is that “grazing” not recommended. This is something that a lot of diets recommend – where you eat A LOT of very small “meals” throughout the day. Instead, have very defined meals four times every day.
Rule # 3 restricts drinking of calories, and this denotes avoiding any beverage except plain water (cinnamon can be added for flavor). While water is preferred to be the only drink, you can get away with some coffee and even a glass of wine every once in a while. The maximum limit for soft drinks is put at 16 ounces per day, and should be avoided altogether if possible.
Rule # 4 suggests avoiding consumption of fruit for 6 days of the week, as the fructose in the fruit can prove to be harmful for weight loss. People who are on the 4-hour body diet can consume fruits as much as they want on the 7th day of the week, but have to stay off it for the other 6 days. This leads into the last rule:
Rule # 5 is the last and final rule in the series. This rule is the easiest and most fun to follow – the designation of a cheat day. The cheat day allows consumption of any kind of food in any amounts and you need not restrict yourself on this day. If you want to consider this day as the dieters gone wild (DWG), then it is perfectly fine. Do not even think about counting calories. Calories should not be a concern at all. Yes, you will gain several pounds during this cheat day. The good news is that the weight gained on the cheat day will often disappear after 2-3 days. When charting your daily weight, which is recommended by Tim, you will notice very sharp spikes around your cheat day. However, over a long period of time the trending of your weight will go down, even with the spikes.
So, the final question that comes to the minds of people who read this book is, “does the 4-hour body diet deliver results”? Well, the testimonials sure claim that it is a rather helpful way to lose as much as 20 pounds in 30 days, so no harm in trying it out. Be sure to follow the rules laid out. Do not try to take shortcuts. While this is not the only diet plan that can provide results, the key to any good plan is that you follow the rules very carefully.
Image by renecunningham via Flickr
Do you still eat every four hours on your cheat day, even though you eat what ever you like? Cheers
On my cheat days, I just don’t think about anything. I don’t count calories, I don’t care what kind of food I eat, and I don’t care about when or how often I eat.
When I first started this diet I was quite gluttonous during my cheat days. After about two months of being sick every Saturday (my cheat day), I have been backing off on stuffing myself – not really by restricting myself but because I naturally don’t want to be sick. Instead, I just have some foods that I am not allowed on my other days, such as pizza and pasta.
It may not be exactly what is taught by the diet, but it works for me. In the first six months I lost about 15% of my body weight and dropped 8% off my body fat percentage.
The nice thing about a cheat day is that it makes it much easier to get through the diet. Cheat day is always right around the corner – I keep a countdown on my refrigerator!