I Try Tim Ferris' 4-Hour Body Diet
- Olivia Madrid
- Dec 3, 2018
- 3 min read
Reading Tim Ferris' book "The 4 Hour Workweek" inspired me. Despite the fact that I'm not stuck in a 9-5 job (yet?), I was impressed by the thoroughness of the process of freeing more of your time and thrilled by the idea of mini retirements. It just makes so much sense!
When I discovered Tim had a couple more books, I was super excited to read and try out, in particular, "4 Hour Body." As a New York Times bestseller, I was expecting (from Mr. Ferris) nothing less sensational than his first huge hit and I was eager to put his methods to the test, in particular his meal plan, the Slow Carb diet. This is the part of the book that I zeroed in on to continue my search for ideal meals to stimulate personal fat loss.
HERE's a video I made for this challenge exclusively for my blog!
This is the lists of foods Tim provides to eat and repeat each day of the week. (More foods can be added, but these are the main ones he suggests.)
Protein
Eggs
Chicken breast or thigh
Beef (preferably grass-fed)
Fish
Pork
Legumes
Black beans
Red beans
Soy beans
Lentils (or daal)
Vegetables
Spinach
Broccoli
Mixed Veggies
Peas
Green beans
Sauerkraut, kimchee
Before I started the diet, I took measurements of both upper arms (mid-bicep), waist (horizontal at naval), hips (at the widest point below waist), and both legs (mid-thigh). Then added the inches to get a Total Inches (TI). Changes in this total were meaningful enough to track because the scale may lie, but the tape measure doesn't.
Here's the measurements I took. 5:20pm, Friday, Nov 2nd, 2018
Left Bicep: 12”
Right Bicep: 11”
Waist: 37”
Hips: 42”
Mid Thigh: 22” (both)
TI: 146”
10:35am, Thursday, Nov 8th, 2018
Left Bicep: 11.25”
Right Bicep: 11.5”
Waist: 35.5”
Hips: 39.25”
Mid-Thigh: 21” (both)
TI: 139.5”
12:13pm, Thursday Nov 15th, 2018
Left and Right Biceps: 11.25”
Waist: 35”
Hips: 40.5” (may have done wrong “hip” area)
Left and Right Thighs: 20.5”
TI: 139
The jump in total inches from the 2nd to the 8th is pretty neat and by the 15th, my limbs had become the same and evened out in inches. Pretty awesome to see!
Here is the list of exercises I did from the book.
Hip Flexor Stretch (30 sec hold per leg)
Hip Raises (20 reps)
Alternating Arm and Leg Raises/Flying Dogs (15 reps per side)
Kettlebell Swing (50 reps, I used 15 lbs.)
Cat Vomit (Expel all air and suck in lower abdomen 10 seconds, 10 reps)
Myotatic Crunch (Hold each position for 2 sec with 4 sec to go up and down, 10 reps)
Planks (Front and sides, 30 sec per angle)
I did these exercises 3 days a week before breakfast. Most of them are kind of optional. The only one Tim Ferris says you really need is the kettlebell swing, but I tried them all and they really do give you a workout, despite the low number of reps.
Aaaaand just for kicks, I've included my cheat list here too. Most of these foods, I only needed one or a little of to satisfy what I had thought about eating that week. (So, don't judge. If you try this diet, you can have a cheat day or two like I did!)
My Cheat Day List
Apple Fritters
Challah
Mozzarella Cheese
Heritage Hot Dogs
Simply Natural Cheeto Puffs
Nacho/Ranch/Cheeto Puff Mix
Rainbow Goldfish snack carton
BBQ Pringles
Cheddar Cheeto Puffs
Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake Bars
Pomegranate
Tea with honey
Pizza
Tortellini
A Mini Twix
Mom’s Homemade Popcorn
A Homemade Smoothie
Hot Pockets
Honey Nut Cheerios
Flour Tortillas
Ramen
Single Serving Sea Salt Carmel Truffle Ice Cream
Chic-Fil-A: Waffle Fries and Chocolate Milkshake
Taco Bell: Crunchwrap Supreme
Cookout: Chicken Quesadilla, Beef Quesadilla, and Hush Puppies
Yes, it's a lot. But somehow, embracing this cyclical dieting helps stimulate more fat loss. Sounds like a dream come true, right? You'll only know if you try it. I am definitely not saying this diet is for everyone, but I only tried it for two weeks and, well, it certainly did something.
For those that are interested, here's some PDFs to check out!