Is The 4-Hour Body a Scam? Tracking 3,500 People to Find Out 117 Comments

Written by Topics: The 4-Hour Body - 4HB, The Slow-Carb Diet


Ricardo Arias – 410 pounds to 211.6 pounds, for a loss of 198.4 pounds. But is he an anomaly? Sidenote: the black pants in the after pic (56 portly-long/60+ inch waist) fit him tightly at 410.

How many “how-to” books actually get read?

Historically, no one has known. Now, it’s possible to get an idea by looking at how many digital highlights a book has, and perhaps Amazon will someday provide data on how many people finish Kindle editions.

Taking it a step further: how many of the books actually get used?

This is tricky. Patients routinely ignore prescribed drugs, estimated to result in 125,000 deaths a year from cardiovascular disease alone, so it’s hard to imagine books are better followed. But how to know for sure?

The answer is: you have to track it.

When The 4-Hour Body (4HB) was published, it was met with sharp criticism, including:

- It’s impossible to lose more than 2 pounds of fat per week!
- It’s impossible to gain 20+ pounds of muscle in a month!
- It’s impossible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time!

Fortunately, the “impossible” (circling the globe, breaking the 4-minute mile, reaching the moon, etc.) needs just one exception to be proven possible.

Since late 2010, new research and publications have supported many of the 4HB chapters that started with self-experiments (e.g. The New York Times and “brown fat,” cold exposure for fat loss, etc.). For all chapters, readers have outpaced my successes with their own. Here are several 100+ pound case studies.

But, the skeptics will rightly ask: Does it work for the general public, not just a handful of standouts?

This post will cover the first wide-scale distributed studies of The 4-Hour Body, which involved 3,500 people over 4 weeks. I’ll also include a few individual examples and measurements.

Here’s our rough table of contents:

- Case Study: 200 Pounds Lost
- The 4-Hour Body – Summary of Results with 3,500 People
- The Winner of The 4-Week Challenge: Female Before-and-After
- An Opportunity: Win Money By Losing Weight…

Case Study: 200 Pounds Lost

Ricardo Arias has gone from 410 pounds to 211.6 pounds with 4HB, for a loss of 198.4 pounds. Based on his rate of progress, he should pass 200 pounds lost within the next 10 days or so.

Why feature this first? I wanted to highlight the personal effects of radical physical change before we get to the numbers.

As I’ve said before, I find writing books hellishly painful. Every time I ask myself “Why the #$%& did I sign up for this?”, the answer is: letters like the below.

It might seem self-congratulatory to include it (with Ricardo’s permission, of course), but it serves a purpose:

- It can inspire others to take action for the first time.
- It illustrates long-term benefits of The Slow-Carb Diet that far transcend the body.

Tim, thank you.

You’ve changed my life. Let me count the ways;

1. Almost 200 Pounds Lost. Who knows how many years you’ve added to my life. You’ve been the catalyst for this new found lifestyle. I have come to embrace the fact that without a plan (the SCD) I will end up obese again. I know that while I cannot control a lot of things in my life, I CAN control what I eat and when I eat. I now feel comfortable eating out with friends and family at restaurants knowing any restaurant can make a SCD compliment meal. Always keeping in mind that if I have to pay a little extra for that double portion of protein or extra veggies its only a part of my anti-fat tax and given the price of healthcare I am actually saving money.

2. Positive Change I’ve Inspired in Others. I have a group of friends I’ve known since elementary school (one of them since pre-school) who keep in touch almost daily. Some of them I see more often than others, so when we got together for our yearly posada (Christmas party) all of them commented on my positive change. Most if not all of them are now applying the principles of the SCD to their diets. They’re actually getting an excel sheet together to keep track of all our weight, they are now on course to join the 4HB lifestyle.

3. I Can Shop at Regular People’s Stores. Clothing wise a whole new world opened up for me. Choices are limited when you’re a 60 inch waist and 4XL. So when I walked into Zara while doing some Christmas shopping and fit into a XL jacket (yes EUROPEAN XL not XXL but XL) I couldn’t believe it. I was so proud and happy, not because of the clothes per se, but because it was a culmination of the little victories I’ve had on the path I’ve chosen. All those sacrifices and all that effort reflected back at me in the mirror in the mold of a really cool jacket. I remember a couple of Christmas’ ago my sister gave me a 56PL suit as a gift (the “P” meaning Portly as in fat around the waist). At my worst point the suit fit me tighter than a glove. Yesterday, I picked up my new suit at the tailor a black 44L suit. Another victory. Another piece of motivation to keep on going.

4. Love and Life. On a very personal level, all this energy and new mentality and approach to life has made me feel open to building meaningful relationships. Whether it’s improving the relationships I already have or making new ones, I feel I now radiate this positive energy from within that other people can notice. Through this new body — this new mentality — I find myself opening up to some great possibilities. The change in me has not only been physical. This is something I never expected, but it has been a consequence of this lifestyle.

5. New Sense of Purpose. I no longer feel like I am entitled to something. I now want to work as hard as I can to apply my new-found discipline and purpose elsewhere. I now know I am capable of achieving anything I put my mind to. And I most want to help others find their paths to a similar lifestyle — one that has been so rewarding and enriching for me.

I know I am not out of the woods yet. I actually recognize that keeping tabs on my diet will be a life-long process. I know that if I want to keep living this fuller life, I have to be conscious of the decisions I’ve made, and learn to live with the consequences. They say nothing tastes better than the way thin feels, but that’s not true. I say nothing tastes better than a life well lived. And because of you I have wet my beak and found a lifestyle I can maintain and truly get the most out of life.

Thank you, Tim.

- Ricardo Arias

P.S. I just gotta send you this pic (attached). Not only does it show how happy I am, but come on, that’s a cool jacket.

IMG-20121230-WA0020 (1)

Summary of Results from 3,500 People

For the experiment, we used Lift.

Lift is a behavioral modification app. It was incubated by Obvious Corp., whose co-founders include Twitter co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone. After seeing Lift’s potential, I became one of the first (if not first) outside investors.

For the four-week experiment, people had to:

- Download Lift for free on iPhone, iPad, or iPod (Android coming).

- Search for “4HB” by clicking on the plus sign here:

- Next, sign up for whichever 4HB habits they wanted to follow. See the six below, The Slow-Carb Diet® being the most important:

So, what happened with our eventual 3,500 people? The following is excerpted from the original post by Tony Stubblebine, the CEO of Lift:

84% of people who stuck to the program lost weight and the average weight loss was 8.6 pounds. These numbers are very strong.

The diet is based on developing a few key habits: Slow-carb diet (no processed carbs or dairy), taking cold showers, eating 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up, exercising, and measuring your weight, body fat and total inches.

[Note from Tim: "Total Inches" is explained in The 4-Hour Body as follows: "Get a simple tape measure and measure four locations: both upper arms (mid-bicep), waist (horizontal at navel), hips (at widest point below waist), and both legs (mid-thigh). Total these numbers to arrive at your Total Inches (TI). Changes in this total will be meaningful enough to track."]

…

The data we used comes from a large pool of Lift usage data (3,500 participants) and responses from a follow-up survey to Lift users in which 200 people participated.

Summary: 4-Hour Body Works

Not only did 84% of people who stuck to the diet for four weeks lose weight, 14% of people lost more than 15 pounds. That’s a lot of success for such a short amount of time.

Two habits correlated strongly with weight loss: eating a lot of eggs and eating veggies.

Two habits correlated with failure: heavy alcohol consumption and giving up on cold showers.

Defining Success: Lost Weight vs. Stasis

Across all our data, 16% of people didn’t lose weight. Let’s call this the baseline stasis rate. The margin of error on this survey is 5%. We can use this to claim a correlation between sub-behaviors on this diet and success.

Eat eggs and veggies.

People who reported either eating two dozen eggs per week or “too many!” eggs had a stasis rate of 10% and 11%. That correlates with greater success on the diet (i.e. the data suggests you should be aggressively eating eggs for the purposes of this diet).

We saw a much bigger signal from people who weren’t including veggies in their daily meals. Their stasis rate was 25%. Your mom was right: eat your veggies.

Be consistent.

We asked a couple of questions that touched upon how consistently people stuck to their diet habits.

28% of people scrambled to find acceptable meals each day (presumably meaning that many meals weren’t strictly appropriate for the diet).

21% of Lifters maintained their regular, social drinking habits on the diet. Tim recommends limiting alcohol and sticking to wine.

29% tried, but gave up on, cold showers.

You probably aren’t surprised that heavy drinking (25% stasis rate) didn’t help with weight loss. Haphazard eating also leaned that way (19% stasis). But what’s up with the cold showers?

Not taking cold showers and taking cold showers showed up evenly. It didn’t matter which one you chose as long as you stayed consistent.

But people who tried the cold showers and then gave up? They had a 29% stasis rate. This was the highest correlation of anything in the survey. Maybe it’s an indicator of weak wills or failure in other aspects of the diet. I’m one of them, although I managed to lose weight. I tried cold showers four times and then decided I didn’t have the heart to keep going.

Enjoy Cheat Day

I have good news: cheat day eating habits didn’t have any effect on success rate. It didn’t matter what you craved (61% of you crave sweets) or if you ate in excess (combining beer, cheese, frieds, and sugars). So keep eating whatever you’d like on your day off…

Here are more participant stories and tips from the 4-week experiment.

Some of them have kept weight off for several years since starting 4HB-based dieting, so there is evidence for persistence of effect. It is untrue that people who diet have to regain weight. It’s an old wives’ tale and totally avoidable.

The Winner of Another 4-Week Challenge: Before-and-After

Concurrently with the above tracking with Lift, I ran a 4-week competition on DietBet that became a 673-person experiment.

The premise is simple: studies have established that people work incredibly hard to avoid losing money. Much harder, in fact, than they will work to earn it. So, all you have to do is force people to put their money where their mouths are (“I want to lose weight”) and voila: better results.

On DietBet, players each add $50 to the pot, and the total is divided up among the “winners” at the end of the game. DietBetting is not winner-take-all like The Biggest Loser. Everyone who loses at least 4% of their starting weight will get an equal share of the pot. DietBet supplies referees to verify weights using a photo-based weigh-in process.

Here’s how the total pot breaks down:

- 85% of the total is divided among the winners
- 5% goes to DietBet itself for credit card fees, etc.
- 10% would have gone to me but was instead donated to The Gazzaley Lab, a cognitive neuroscience research lab at the University of California, San Francisco, where I’m helping fund studies on the neural mechanisms of memory and attention, as well as cognitive training.

DietBetting works. People, even wealthy people, keep their promises not to lose $50.

Here are some fun stats from the experiment:

• Total number of players — 673
• Total amount bet — $33,700
• Number of countries represented — 46
• Return you got for investing in yourself in the 4-Hour Body DietBet (if you won) — 58% in 4 weeks
• Return you would have gotten for investing in the S&P during the same period — negative 1.49%
• Average weight lost among everyone — 6.9 lbs
• Average weight lost among winners — 10.1 lbs
• Total weight lost cumulative — 4,673 lbs
• Percentage of players hitting 4% bodyweight loss goal (“winning”) — 53.8% (362 winners). This % win rate was significantly higher than the average across all games, which is 33%. DietBet attributes this to the simplicity of The Slow-Carb Diet (SCD).
• Amount won per player — $79.13 (85% of the total pot divided evenly among the 362 winners. 10% of the pot went to the Gazzaley Lab, 5% went to credit card and Paypal processing, etc.)
• % men/women — 56.8% men, 43.2% women
• Amount donated to the Gazzaley Lab — $3370

As an added incentive, I offered a free trip to SF and day with me to the person who had the most impressive transformation, captured by both measurements and photos.

The winner was Linda M., age 46. Here is one of her before-and-after pics:


Note: I love the strategic newspaper headline.

STATS (beginning –> end):

Weight: 197.4 –> 175.5 Lost 21.9 total pounds, but…
Lbs of fat tissue: 74.22 –> 51.33 Lost 22.89 pounds of fat
Lbs of lean tissue: 123.2 –> 124.5 Gained 1.3 pounds lean tissue, which means…
Body-fat %: 37.6 –> 29.2 Lost 8.4% body-fat
Total Inches (TI): 150.2 –> 137.4 Lost 12.8 Total Inches

MEASUREMENTS:

Waist – 43 –> 37 = -6 inches
Bicep- 13 –> 12.4 = -0.6 inches
Hips – 44.2 –> 41.1 = -3.1 inches
Left thigh – 25.1 –> 23.5 = -1.6 inches
Right thigh – 24.9 –> 23.4 = -1.5 inches

In her feedback email, Linda wrote:

… I had skimmed 4 Hr Body in the past and incorporated some of the practices, but this was done by the book, and I am astounded! I have lost fat in the past, along with hard earned muscle, but never came close to losing this much fat AND gaining muscle. I did not think this was possible.

I am so excited to have discovered Dietbet! Money is a huge motivator for me (as I do not have a lot of it) I was so impressed with the sense of camaraderie in the forums, it didn’t feel like a competition. We felt like a team. I went on a little holiday after this challenge, gained back a few pounds and signed up right away for another challenge upon my return. It works, and I will continue to join challenges until I reach my goal weight.

I am excited to continue my progress armed with The 4-Hour Body, Dietbet and now The 4-Hour Chef.

An Opportunity

I’m holding another 4-week DietBet competition, starting today, January 22 to February 18, 2013. Sign up here. If you have an iPhone, I recommend using Lift for extra support.

For the one person who loses the most bodyfat percentage points (not necessarily total weight) by February 18th, I have another prize: a $1,000 prize of my choosing and, if you like, an hour on the phone with me (or lunch in SF, if you can make it).

How to measure bodyfat?

I’d prefer that you use the most accurate tools, such as the below. Many of the above can be found at high-end gyms or nearby hospitals. No matter what, you must use the same tool (and ideally the same person) for your “before,” progress, and “after” measurements.

The most accurate tools:

BodPod (pay per session)
DEXA or DXA (pay per session)
Hydrostatic weighing (dunk tank) (pay per session)
Skin fold calipers – MUST use at least 7 points and ideally the Jackson-Pollock algorithm (pay per session)
BodyMetrix Personal (purchase) – This is the handheld ultrasound device that is used by the New York Yankees, AC Milan, and yours truly. It plugs into your laptop via USB. I’ve arranged for a $200 discount for readers of this blog; just use this link and code 4HOURSPECIAL at checkout.

If you can’t find or afford any of these, just do your best to capture progress. For instance:

- Take good “before” pics (front, side, back) and weekly progress pictures.
- Take tape measure measurements before starting, then each week, per The 4-Hour Body instructions:

Get a simple tape measure and measure four locations: both upper arms (mid-bicep), waist (horizontal at navel), hips (at widest point below waist), and both legs (mid-thigh). Total these numbers to arrive at your Total Inches (TI). Changes in this total will be meaningful enough to track.

Regardless, eat smart (90% of fat loss), train well (10% of fat loss), and be safe, of course.

Remember: You Are Not Alone

Use all the free tools and support at your disposal.

As a starting point, consider the forum 4HBTalk, which is extremely active with advice and community. Also be sure to read my previous posts on basics, like “How to Lose 100 Pounds on The Slow-Carb Diet” (features pics and case studies).

Of course, if you want to get uber-serious, I’d suggest reading The 4-Hour Body.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up here and let’s see what you can do among supportive competitors.

I’m betting… more than you think. See you in four weeks!

###

Posted on January 22nd, 2013

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117 Comments

  • Brandon Breshears — January 22nd, 2013, 10:23 pm

    Love the slow carb diet, it works better than anything I’ve tried. I love people who tell me that it wont work that i need to put whole grains in my diet and that I am sabotagging myself. It is easy to stick to, easy to start andn gets results quick.

    Reply

    • Valerie — January 23rd, 2013, 6:18 am

      Those folks who think you need whole grains need to read “The Paleo Solution”. Humans don’t need ANY grain in their diets; more and better fiber from fruit and vegetables.

      Reply

  • EVO — January 22nd, 2013, 10:31 pm

    Tim,

    Those screenshots of the Lift app actually look quite a bit like my own!

    On-topic: I love 4HB, 4HC and, more importantly, the approach to exacting this sort of drastic change in your life. I’ve been there both in fitness and other areas of my life (women and dating).

    Keep the awesomeness coming!

    Regards,
    EVO

    Reply

  • Derek Loudermilk — January 22nd, 2013, 10:32 pm

    I love this post! Something amazing such as parts of 4HB that work, gain validity only if they are tested and corroborated by more data points (people). getting fit, being healthy, looking good are all exciting for people. Imagine what we could do if we were testing many other aspects of our lives (social interactions, how we spend money, what effect various clothes we wear have, etc.) As a scientist, I find myself designing little experiments to change things in my life. The most important part is collecting the data and listening to it! I’m so glad Tim is reminding so many people of this practice!

    Reply

  • Greg Burkett — January 22nd, 2013, 10:34 pm

    Agreed, Brandon — I love how everyone suddenly becomes a professional dietician when you tell them about this diet: “Oh yeah, that won’t work. Have fun though, dude”. It works, and it’s one of the easiest diets I’ve ever tried.

    I did run into one stumbling block on it, that’s worth mentioning — I had plateaued for several weeks without losing a pound. I made one simple change: I cut out all artificial sweeteners except on cheat days, and the weight rapidly started coming off again.

    Reply

  • Beau — January 22nd, 2013, 10:41 pm

    Tim! Awesome that we have the forum back up and rocking! Thanks again for doing something about the PAGG stack (I was that dude harassing you at Samovar about what there isn’t a PAGG stack from you). Thanks a million for all the work you are doing. With our newborn around, I’ll have much more of a reason to get my body into shape so I can play with him a ton.

    Reply

  • Jeff Standley — January 22nd, 2013, 10:44 pm

    Tim, as of this morning I have lost a total of 141.8lbs, 131.8 of that weight on the 4 Hour Body. (I messed around with the first 10lbs until I finally saw you on the Random show talking about the 4 Hour Body and I rushed out the next day to buy it.
    I cannot thank you enough for making this as easy as it has been. I started January 4th 2011 and have never stopped moving forward. You have completely changed my life for the better and my optimism for the future is so much brither than it ever was before. This book has made such an impact in my life that I even started a website to document my next steps I’m on which is the last 5-10 pounds and adding muscle.

    I have been guiding my step mother and coaching her along with her journey on the 4 Hour Body and she has lost 37.8lbs as of this morning.

    My sister is my next project, she is down 5lbs in the last week.

    Edit:
    Weighing just before bed, I am at 208.8 which should put me at a new low when I wake up tomorrow morning!! I love knowing that. :D

    Reply

  • Leanne — January 22nd, 2013, 11:13 pm

    I didnt even get through reading the book, just followed the basic rules and dropped 12 kilograms. Not once did i feel as if i was on diet, I enjoyed it to the max, its my lifestyle now! I strayed off it for a while not following it too strictly and not once did I gain any of the weight back! In fact I lost a little more! I have changed my body completely and didnt even need to touch any fancy supplements or pills for increased result!
    If your serious about changing your body and feeling great, then the 4 hour body is definitely the way to go!
    Thanks Tim Ferriss!

    Reply

  • Mike From Maine — January 22nd, 2013, 11:46 pm

    I’ve also had amazing results with this diet. I lost over 20 pounds in over a few months, but it was such an easy diet to maintain.

    Reply

  • Joey — January 23rd, 2013, 12:22 am

    I do okay with loss of weight.

    However, the most controversial point is that “It’s impossible to gain 20+ pounds of muscle in a month!” when I tried to introduce your 4HB to my friends.

    I’m not saying that it is scam, but you’d better to explain more about how to gain 20 pounds of muscle in a month.

    Reply

  • Jerry — January 23rd, 2013, 12:46 am

    The book is sick. I’m about to begin the fat loss section and had a question concerning dairy products. Cottage cheese was mentioned as having no hinderance to fat loss. Does yogurt or Greek yogurt fall under the same claim?

    Reply

    • Mattias Pettersson — February 6th, 2013, 7:03 am

      I would say, NO, since it’s a lot more lactose in those products than in cottage cheese. But I’m not expert.

      Reply

  • Mitch Davis — January 23rd, 2013, 12:46 am

    You are the man. I drink a protein shake upon waking with coconut oil and eat chicken, black beans, and spinach for dinner. Outside of that, it really DOES NOT MATTER what else I do, I am able to remain + or – 3 pounds. Exercise is overrated and diet is undervalued. This is coming from someone who used to run at 0500 and hit the weights that afternoon 5 days a week and still be unhappy with my body. Cheers for all your research on yourself. We are in this together.

    Reply

  • Ravi Mikkelsen — January 23rd, 2013, 12:52 am

    Right after it launched I lost 22.9 lbs of fat in January. I would have hit my 30 lb goal if it hadn’t been for a 4 day business trip, followed by a 3 day bachelor party. I did everything, 30g protein and 500mL of cold water upon waking up, cold showers, PAGG stack, CQ, D3, Magnesium, Calcium, 90 seconds of air squats. Your book helped me recover my strength and well-being after 4 months of slow healing (both body and brain) after a motor-scooter collision.

    Dietbet worked great for me as well! Switched to Android so haven’t been able to try Lift yet, but one thing I’ve been wondering is if my startup’s behavioral technology could be used to improve people’s completion rates. Having reminders keyed towards their personalities (e.g. competitive vs cooperative) might increase their motivation and engagement.

    Would love to get your thoughts on it and if you think it’s useful, would love an intro to DietBet and Lift founders.

    Thanks again for the awesome work to change people’s lives.

    Ravi
    [Moderator Edit: Deleted phone number]

    Reply

  • Jakub — January 23rd, 2013, 2:40 am

    Great article! Today is my first week of SCD and I’m 2.3kg of fat down in seven days! I would love to join, but one percent a week seems quite a lot…but 50 bucks is a fair bet

    Reply

  • Bharat S — January 23rd, 2013, 5:21 am

    The people (and organisations ) who say that the 4HB is a scam can suck my knee caps… behind each one, if anyone had the time, you will find the stupid, the ones who are pushing their own own agenda or weight loss regime or the ones who are happy to keep people obese.

    Anyway, who cares what the naysayers say – it is real world results that count. I have lost 22lbs in the the last 5 weeks and I have had more then my fair share of malbec

    Today – for 30 days – I am on a strict interpretation of the 4HB and will be measuring my progress through various data points… have to say I am looking forward to it …

    Tim is a gift to humanity… which is more then I can say about the complainers and moaners…

    Reply

  • Valerie — January 23rd, 2013, 6:17 am

    I’m going to give it another go. Will get the book back out and re-read it. (I’ve been a low-carb eater for a while.) Will have to get better at the veggies.

    Reply

  • Ron Turner — January 23rd, 2013, 9:06 am

    Used the Slow Carb Diet when I lived in China a few years ago (not by choice, but by situation…long story!). I ended up losing nearly 40 pounds on this diet, and felt better than I have in years (not to mention enjoyed a new wardrobe). SO much of this diet is simply about choices, and I encourage anyone to try it, even if for a short time, to test the benefits for themselves!

    Reply

  • Samantha — January 23rd, 2013, 9:13 am

    Hi Tim,
    I’m not entering this contest because I’ve been doing your diet for 2 years (as needed) and am as fit as I’ve been in my life. :)

    Sometimes work trips or a few weeks of gluttony take me off track, but it is consistently simple to get back to where I was in literally one week.

    Female
    118 pounds
    5’8″
    33″ x 24″ x 35″
    28 years old

    Anyone who is considering entering- you totally should!

    Thanks a lot Tim!
    -S

    Reply

  • NSEO — January 23rd, 2013, 9:28 am

    I’ve cut down on carbs lately–living in Asia makes it nearly impossible–but I look and feel better. I’ve found that Tim’s kettlebell workout is a great way to add some fitness without having to be in the gym 24/7

    Reply

  • Rebecca — January 23rd, 2013, 9:32 am

    So 84% who followed the diet lost weight. In how long? How many didn’t follow the diet? Also, why didn’t they follow the diet? I followed the diet for about 6 weeks, and I felt so sick (and lost no weight) that I just couldn’t keep it up beyond that. According to the book, because of my age and gender, it was understandable that I would not get results in the beginning, but like I said, I started to feel sick to my stomach all the time so I simply couldn’t justify staying on the diet. I don’t think you should be so hesitant to talk about those people who didn’t get results. In fact, as a contribution, I think you want to tell us under what circumstances people left, and under what circumstances people didn’t get results.

    Reply

    • Linda — January 27th, 2013, 7:28 pm

      Rebecca, I too have had difficulty losing weight utilizing Tim’s plan. The book does not appear to take in account peri-menopause or menopause, which certainly creates a challenging forum to losing weight. I actually gained weight when I followed the plan; I immediately eliminated the lentil’s from my diet, which are extremely high in carbohydrates and now I am back to my original weight.

      Sorry to hear of your struggles on this diet and hoping you found a plan, which better suits you to lose/mange your weight.

      Linda J.

      Reply

  • Jeff Standley — January 23rd, 2013, 9:45 am

    I posted last night but it didn’t get approved I guess.
    I have had amazing success with this diet, I have lost 144lbs in just over two years on the 4HB.
    Thank you Tim.

    Reply

  • Abbey — January 23rd, 2013, 10:01 am

    I have lost 70 lbs on the diet and did not bump my weight back up. Definitely an amazing diet.

    Reply

  • Jeff D — January 23rd, 2013, 10:09 am

    I donated to the Dietbet cause last time. That will manifestly NOT be the case this time around. I’m in it to win it. Will be weighing in tonight along with photographs and arm/waist/leg measurements that I will updated weekly.

    Reply

  • ANGIE — January 23rd, 2013, 10:21 am

    I love the 4HB book! Read it cover to cover…even the scientifical (these chapter should come with an honorary medical degree for reading) stuff! :) I love my new way of eating because of the slow carb diet. It has changed my outlook on food, what I want to put into my body and feed to my two boys . I love being able to eat the “GFM” (good for me) foods until I am stuffed. No going hungry here. This is the way eating and enjoying life should be.

    Thanks for putting all this out there! I have shared with numerous people more that once the 4HB story. Tell the Lift crew to get a move on the Android platform…I am ready for it.

    Reply

  • Alvaro sanchez — January 23rd, 2013, 11:29 am

    Im trying to get in this competition but I don’t have a iphone, just a android. Is there any other way?? Plz help, I’m sure I can win this competition. I’ve dine the scd n lost 29 lbs a few months ago, n it want even that hard!7 call me e info if u can thanks. 847 897 8769

    Reply

  • Jeremy Gollehon — January 23rd, 2013, 11:41 am

    We need a contest for Geek to Freak!
    I gained 20 pounds over 3 months but then lost it all in 1 month after not eating at the same same rate. How do we keep it on without eating like a pig every day?

    Reply

  • Alex — January 23rd, 2013, 12:30 pm

    My biggest questions about SCD:

    1. Why is eating protein within 30 minutes of waking better than intermittent fasting? After reading LeanGains etc I wonder

    2. Why slow carb is better than low carb? I’ve done better with the latter than the former is it just me?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Alex — January 23rd, 2013, 12:51 pm

      I forgot to mention that even eating plain lentils stopped my weight loss. So even a strict slow carb didn’t work for me like a low carb, but I wish it had because SCD is easier to stick with allowing more choices.

      Reply

    • Jeff Standley — January 23rd, 2013, 4:53 pm

      I think you can pick when you start your fast can’t you. Couldn’t you eat the protein within 30 and that starts your eating window for the fast?

      Reply

      • Alex — January 23rd, 2013, 10:38 pm

        Thanks Jeff, I suppose you could do that depending on which IF protocol you follow.

        However, I’m more interested in understanding the science here. Seems to me there’s some contradictory information between SCD and IF, and I’d like to get to the bottom of it. SCD is advocating “stoking the metabolism” with protein in the morning. However, the research cited by IF people suggests that there are problems with eating first thing in the morning — especially Leangains. I’m the farthest thing from an expert, so maybe I’m misunderstanding the positions of the two camps.

        Reply

        • Mattias Pettersson — February 6th, 2013, 7:10 am

          They’re two camps that is just what it is. I do IF post-cheatday, mainly because of the cheatday I’m not hungry until late afternoon anyways and I’ve found that I go back on the down-spiral faster. But I don’t think they’re really that compatible the two diets.. So that they contradict eachother isn’t, at least not to me, anything weird.

    • Kevin — January 23rd, 2013, 5:09 pm

      Alex,

      I think the biggest reason many people find the SCD better than low carb is that it is sustainable. Tim emphasizes again and again how the diet is sustainable long-term. This is because you don’t experience low energy because you’re still eating carbs (the beans). Also, technically there is no deprivation in this diet because you can eat absolutely anything you want once a week.

      I’ve experimented with both and I think low-carb is ridiculously unsustainable, especially if you love carbs. Low carb may work faster for some people, but very few can keep it up.

      As for the 30g of protein and intermittent fasting, there’s no reason these can’t co-exist. I love fasting and have always done it as I felt like it (like not eating for a whole day after a huge binge feeding party the day before). To this day I typically fast 24 hours twice a week, but on every other day I make sure to get that protein first thing in the morning. Every morning is either spinach and egg omelet, bacon and eggs, or a protein shake if I’m in a rush.

      If you’ve tried the 16/8 hour daily fast (where you might not ever eat breakfast), I recommend switching to once or twice a week 24 hour fasts and eat protein in the other mornings to teach your body how to burn fat even while eating regularly.

      Cheers.

      Reply

      • Alex — January 25th, 2013, 2:33 pm

        Thanks Kevin, I will try the 24 hour fasts see how they make me feel. In the past I felt very drained when I did them, and I don’t have the luxury of a “down day.”

        As for slow carb, my progress halted just from steamed lentils. I didn’t see any changes in the scale. On low carb, I see massive results within 48 hours and they continue week to week (so it’s not just water weight). It’s hard to maintain, but SCD has not given me the results — I suppose it’s just my body.

        Thanks again.

        Reply

  • Jakub — January 23rd, 2013, 3:10 pm

    Not the most clever guys behind the DietBet team huh? They refused my weight picture because I didn’t take it with my feet on the scales. Now my DSLR is about one kilogram. Are they for real??!

    Reply

  • Nate — January 23rd, 2013, 3:53 pm

    Tim, the site says 4% of total weight, but this blog says 4% of total bodyfat. Unless you mean that the contest is for 4% weight, and there’s an additional contest with only 1 prize of $1k plus the 1 hour?

    Would you please clarify? I want to sign up tonight, but I don’t know how I’d report bodyfat %, though I have been tracking total inches for a few weeks now already.

    Reply

  • Chris from Chicago — January 23rd, 2013, 6:29 pm

    Fellow 4HB pasta lovers! I’ve been following the diet as directed for a week or so now (looking forward to Cheat Day), and my go to week night dinner is pasta. However, since its a “no-no” I’ve been a little pressed for ideas. Here’s a great one that’s pretty decent.

    Use a mandoline fine grater on the long side of zucchini. It’ll look like thick spaghetti. I salted it to get the excess water out. Then I microwaved the stuff for a minute and dressed it with my low carb meat sauce. No, it isn’t exactly pasta, but it was pretty satisfying and low carb. Pretty easy too!

    Reply

  • Pah — January 23rd, 2013, 8:09 pm

    I’ve been slow carbing for a year and half now. I started out 175 and am down to about 140. My measurements went from 36 (bust) 30 (waist) 43(hips) I am thrilled with my results. The issue is, I can’t seem to shed any fat around my thighs – I have saddlebags. My measurements are now, 34 (bust) 26 (waist) 42 (hips). My body seems wildly out of proportion. Any one (reading this!) know why? And how I can lose inches here? (I did the kettlebell regime to the T. last summer but sadly my hips got wider!)

    I am still slow carbing, with some exercise. Is cardio a must to shed this fat?

    (Either way, thanks for everything Tim!)

    Reply

    • Mike T — February 9th, 2013, 9:55 am

      Pah, If I could make a suggestion for dropping weight on your legs, bum etc., cycling has done wonders for me and is a great way to get into shape because of the low-impact nature of it.

      Indoors or out, it is good for burning calories. Bike racers lose weight over the length of a race to such a point that they need to be cautious they don’t start burning off muscle. It is an effective and fun workout. Plus, you get to travel around and see the town.

      Reply

  • RogerK — January 23rd, 2013, 8:38 pm

    Never have seen this addressed; since it is tough to eat 30g protein with morning food, the protein drink is used. Should you also eat legumes or veggies with the drink? Or just wait for the mid-morning meal for all solid fuel? Idea’s?

    Reply

    • Ron Turner — January 24th, 2013, 6:54 am

      I never have a problem with that, I usually eat 1 egg beat with 1/2 cup of egg whites (scrambled), 1/2 cup black beans and 1 piece of turkey bacon= 30 grams protein! I save the protein drink for after I work out in the afternoon…

      Reply

      • RogerK — January 25th, 2013, 10:06 am

        I use eggbeaters or whole eggs; it says 6g per egg, and 1/2 cup of eggbeaters is 12g, so that’s 18. 1/2 cup of beans is 7g more, and turkey bacon is 2g a slice. My math says only 27- but willingly concede that is close to 30. I did try that with the spinach, and thought I was eating way too much. So you had success with 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of beans, and 1 slice turkey bacon? I was using 2 eggs, beans and spinach last time I did slo-carb, and lost 15 lb. ….. thought I would try the protien drink just for the experiment. After 2 days, I started eating some veggies, or a couple eggs, or something. just because my stomach wasn’t crazy about just the drink. I’ll post my results after 2 weeks- almost time for for the first cheat day. Thanks for the response!

        Reply

        • Ron Turner — January 25th, 2013, 5:44 pm

          I use extra large eggs, which has 7 gr protein, and I use liquid egg whites, 1/2 cup = 13 grams. I thinkas long as you are close to 30, I think you are fine! Whenever I feel hunger, I just drink a glass of ice water, that helps! Best of luck!

  • Shaida Ayeva — January 23rd, 2013, 9:24 pm

    I loved 4 hours body! What I found interesting is that the food suggested in the diet is also good to maintain healthy skin and will allow you’re skin to develop anti-aging properties naturally. I fallow the diet not for weight loss but for my health. I found the book to be a eye opener; I can look how I feel naturally.

    Reply

  • Habib — January 23rd, 2013, 10:09 pm

    Great post!

    For any of you who have tried both….which one do you think makes you lose fat faster…..the Slow Carb Diet or the Paleo Diet

    Thanks

    Reply

  • AlanL — January 24th, 2013, 1:52 am

    I don’t get why everybody – including now, apparently, even Tim – talks about 4HB as if the Slow Carb Diet were the only thing in it. The great thing I found about the book is that there are so many interesting and potentially useful things in it.

    Reply

    • Ron Turner — January 24th, 2013, 6:56 am

      I agree, I think the topic and use of thermogenics is one of the most valuable tools in there (for ME anyway)…

      Reply

  • Sarah Russell — January 24th, 2013, 7:45 am

    What awesome results! Congrats to everybody who participated in these experiments, and great work Tim on encouraging everybody to success. Keep the great case studies coming :)

    Reply

  • Karn — January 24th, 2013, 2:59 pm

    Tim, I enrolled in the DietBet competition on Jan 24th and already paid the $50. Am I still eligible? Will my competition end on Feb 18th like everyone else or extend 2 more days to the 20th?

    Reply

    • Karn — January 24th, 2013, 3:11 pm

      Found the answer in the DietBet FAQ:
      Can I join a game late?
      ? About The Game
      Yes, you can join a game late but you will still have to lose 4% of your starting weight in a shorter period of time.

      Tim, may I suggest that for the next competition you preannounce it at least 7 days before starting so your readers have time to prepare and invite their friends. Thanks. Got to get going, I have only 26 days left.

      Reply

  • Kalway — January 24th, 2013, 3:21 pm

    I’m very curious to know what workout program you think is best for hard-gainers.

    Reply

  • Sam — January 24th, 2013, 7:15 pm

    Tim – have you given up on 4hourpeople.com as a discussion center? This is the first I’ve heard of 4hbtalk.com.

    Reply

  • Pete Burges — January 24th, 2013, 11:26 pm

    This is related to but not strictly about the slow carb diet- however in the interests of diet tweaking I just wanted to share some personal experience about cutting out sugar.

    After a European holiday earlier this year, when I returned I had a bit of flab around my midsection that I wasn’t happy with. Not a huge amount, and admittedly it had been building for some time, but clearly the UK ‘Chips and Beer’ diet hadn’t helped and now I had the proverbial gut to show for it. I was far from obese but I was suddenly fatter than I wanted to be so I was keen to nip it in the bud. On my return to Australia I had been reading a book called ‘Sweet Poison’, which is about just how bad sugar really is for you. I didn’t think I ate much sugar as I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth, but once I did some investigating I was surprised at how much I was getting from things like breakfast cereal, low fat yoghurt (Hint: anything that says ‘low fat’ is usually loaded with sugar) and ‘healthy’ dried fruit. So I made a new rule for myself: if it contains more than 6g per 100 of sugar, I won’t eat it unless it’s whole fresh fruit. I stuck with that for a month, and that was the only tweak I made- I didn’t worry about fat or carbs as apparently our body has good natural mechanisms for telling us when we’ve had too much, but these are interfered with by sugar. I stuck with my normal level of exercise (cycling to work and a few gym sessions per week) and didn’t work harder than usual.

    After a month, I had lost 4kg of pure fat which seemed to have come almost entirely off my belly (as I didn’t have much fat anywhere else). I looked leaner, and as a result more muscular. It was almost effortless- no fussy eating plans, no starvation and no killing myself at the gym. But more than that, I felt different- my mood and energy levels were hugely improved. I didn’t have that lethargic, irritable feeling that I was used to, I didn’t need so much coffee to get through the day and I didn’t need a snack in the afternoon to stop me falling asleep at my desk. I felt more alert, more present and generally just happier. So as time went on, the improvement in mood actually strengthened my motivation and it kept getting easier! And yes, my body seemed perfectly able to tell me when I’d had enough fat or carbs so I found I was eating a little less without trying.
    Over the Xmas holiday I let myself off the hook a little and had some chocolate, xmas pudding and stuff like that. It was like taking sleeping pills. Guaranteed, within half an hour of any sugary treat I would feel like a nap. I worked out that before my little experiment I was getting around 30g of extra sugar every day, mostly from hidden sources. So now I just avoid it as much as possible. I don’t need to be weird about it, like turning down dessert when someone has invited me round for dinner, but my day to day eating is virtually sugar free. After the first week I didn’t miss it either- your taste buds start working better and stuff like candy tastes sickeningly, acidly sweet. For anyone wanting to lose fat, I think the first change you should make is to lose the sugar from your diet. I also think it’s a natural brain boost!

    Reply

  • sven — January 25th, 2013, 3:05 am

    Tim, I love the work you are doing and the slow carb + 4 hour workout is definitely a great formula.

    The problem that people have in the majority of cases is your muscle gain claims.

    I have only ever seen your story, there do not seem to be any people who have followed your guidelines and come anywhere near close to this.

    Professional bodybuilders around the world do not believe your claims. For me it strikes me that most of the gains have come from muscle memory.

    Do you still stick by the claim of being able to put on over 1lb of pure muscle every 24 hours?

    Reply

  • Shmags — January 25th, 2013, 4:07 pm

    Hi Tim,

    I am interested to purchase the BodyMetrix and also take advantage of the generous discount, however it says only available in the USA.

    I am in Canada – any workarounds??

    Thanks,
    Mark

    Reply

  • Kathy — January 26th, 2013, 8:50 am

    Since reading your book two years ago (at age 48) I lost 20 lbs easily and have enjoyed many added benefits to my overall health, not to mention the benefits to our grocery bill. Only the interference of proteins with my husband’s Parkinson’s Disease medications prevents him from joining me in my way of eating. My daughter and her boyfriend also saw great results. I have no intention of not eating this way again, ever. Wish I could play along, but I have no more weight to lose.

    Reply

  • Mike — January 27th, 2013, 6:46 am

    You write, “84% of people who stuck to the program lost weight and the average weight loss was 8.6 pounds. These numbers are very strong.”

    What percentage of people stuck to the program?

    Reply

  • DOUG JACIOW — January 27th, 2013, 3:40 pm

    HI TIM: My son Brent..purchased your book for life xetension..I am ..62 /5’9″was 280 lbs with chronic back/neck pain..carrying 18 TI-screws and 5 TI-wafers. I have an scientific backaground..enjoyed the book’s logix.Started the 4-hour program SEPT-1-2012..now 238 and still dropping…living with increased mobility and min.pain.Goal: 225..Been on several cruises and the menu work-out great.Thank you for PROGRAM! best regards;Doug Jaciow..Everyone wants to know my secret..I just hand them the 4HOUR BIBLE…

    Reply

  • JC — January 28th, 2013, 12:22 pm

    Hi confused. Just signed up, but not sure where I am supposed to enter my measurements or body fat percentage. Couldn’t find it on the diet bet site

    Reply

  • Imhotep — January 28th, 2013, 8:30 pm

    Wow, you have figured out how to get people to lose weight. As if this has never been discovered.

    What you are omitting from your “study” is where are the results of people gaining 20+ pounds of muscle in a month? If you really knew how to do this without the aid of anabolic steroids or prohormones you would be making millions a year devising training logs for professional athletes especially body builders and NFL players.

    Only a noob or a couch potato would believe your fitness claims. You also claimed you DL 600 lbs in a very short period of time after you discovered some secret “technique”. More BS.

    Tim you are a great marketer, I know fitness is a evergreen market. However how you sleep at night just straight lying to people to support your lifestyle is amazing to me. Karma is a b homie.

    Lets see if this comment makes it. I know Tim has the lemmings and the VAs working around the clock to cook the comment sections.

    Reply

  • Courtney Haupt — January 29th, 2013, 1:12 pm

    I am new to the slow carb diet and have been trying to follow it and pick up other pieces and parts from the book to implement as well. I had my cheat day on Saturday and was up 2 pounds the next few days after that…from what I have read it says it should be gone in 48 hours but its not…I’m still up a pound so I feel like I have had to work hard this week to get off what I ate on Saturday. Also a question for those that have been successful…on your cheat day do you just cheat or do you implement some of the other binge techniques Tim references in the book?… like drinking the grapefruit juice right before the first cheat meal of the day and drinking the tea at the most fattening meal of the day and doing the PAGG stack?? I’m confused on what things to implement and what not to. Any help is appreciated.

    Reply

    • Mattias Pettersson — February 6th, 2013, 7:21 am

      If I have my cheatday on saturday I normally keep my monday-weigh-in-weight until wednesday or thursday before losing more but the last days goes faster and I lose faster if I don’t go drinking wine and stuff either :) Even if it’s ‘allowed’ :)

      Reply

  • ESA — January 29th, 2013, 2:38 pm

    Very inspiring stuff. Can Athletic Greens be used daily on the SCD or just cheat day, I’m having a hard time finding an answer. Also, if I spent a lot of time prior to SCD on a low carb diet, could that have negatively impacted my metabolism and thus affected how quickly I can get results on the SCD? Anyone?

    Reply

  • Duy — January 31st, 2013, 8:44 pm

    Seem like you are the only one gain 20lbs+ of musle In a month . I admit that you can lose more than 30 lbs of fat in a month .but it only work for overweight people . For example if a 270 lbs eat only 1,5 lbs of meat and vegetable, legume … His calories intake are lower than 1700 while he need like 5000 calories to maintain that weight … End up losing a pound everyday . But for me I’m only lose like 1,5-2 Lbs a week unless I eat less meat and more vegetable because my weight is only 150lbs 17% body fat

    Reply

  • Mitch Davis — February 1st, 2013, 9:30 am

    It is just a method to keep you insulin level low around the clock so you do not store fat. The high emphasis on beans is what differentiates this from Atkins and other low carb diets. Ingenious, because beans are the most caloricly dense foods on earth and allow you to meet your daily requirements rather than just wasting away.

    Reply

  • Chris Kilbourn — February 4th, 2013, 9:02 am

    Tim,
    I found another reason to track your progress on reaching goals.
    According to The Power of Habit, establishing habits like eating healthy and exercising regularly, is only attainable with a belief that you’ll be successful.

    Tracking progress reinforces that belief, which can push one to overcome bad habits of eating poorly, smoking, or other more dangerous activities like watching Teen Mom, Jersey Shore, etc.

    Reply

  • RogerK — February 4th, 2013, 7:44 pm

    Quick update from conversation with Ron (above)….. lost 9 pounds the first week… gained one the second. Note to me……. salted peanuts are not allowed in the evening, dummy.

    Thats all.

    Reply

    • Mattias Pettersson — February 6th, 2013, 7:23 am

      Hehe! Nope.. don’t go using domino-foods too much.. a spoon of peanutbutter is allowed before bedtime though :)

      But, suffice to say, been there – done that and regretted it :)

      Reply

  • mermaidsrreal — February 5th, 2013, 2:52 pm

    I didn’t read all of the print below Ricardo’s photos initially and I thought he was wearing a black gown in the second pic.

    Reply

  • Jody Allison — February 8th, 2013, 8:47 am

    I am just starting the slow carb diet, today marks day #5! My question is about turkey. I assumed that Turkey would be an excellent source of lean protein but, in the book Tim lists chicken breast as the lean protein he sees the biggest results with.
    I notice that my waist is a little smaller but, I have only lost 1 lb so far, I was hoping to see bigger drop. I am eating eggs with spinach and lentils within 30 minutes of waking and drinking a gallon of water every day. My lunch and dinner are turkey with beans and fresh veggies.
    Any advice would help!!

    Reply

  • Mike T — February 9th, 2013, 9:51 am

    I adopted the slow carb diet late last year and continue to abide by the techniques laid out in it in a quest to drop the extra pounds gained over the past 2 years. Trying to get back to my cycling weight of 160-170lbs.
    Thanks to finding Tim and his trilogy of terrific books, things are looking positive again.
    All the best TF.

    Reply

  • Alix — February 10th, 2013, 10:11 pm

    Crap. I need to sign up for your RSS feed so that I can sign up for this the next time you do it.

    Those results are freakin’ awesome. I’ve lost over 35 kg over the past three years through Crossfit/Weightlifting/Paleo but i”m always looking for more effective ways to lose more.

    Reply

  • AC — February 11th, 2013, 6:47 pm

    Quick question regarding the slow carb diet. Is Fish like Salmon or Tuna an acceptable protein? What about shellfish like shrimp or scallops? I would think they are OK with the exception of maybe a fatty fish like Salmon but what do I know? Appreciate the feedback.

    Reply

  • Grace Morita — February 12th, 2013, 2:29 am

    The slow carb diet is AWESOME :) I went on the diet at the beginning of November 2011 (weighing in at 170 ibs, 5’6, 17 yrs old) and by the end of December 2011 I weighed in at 141 ibs. In two months, I lost 29 ibs of fat. I dropped from a size 13/14 pants size to a size 9 in juniors, a size XL to a small/medium in junior tops, and a size 10 to a size 6 dress. I got off the diet before New Years and managed to maintain 145 ibs throughout 2012 by simply eating a few slow carb meals every once in a while and exercising.

    It’s now February 2013 and I’m challenging myself to go back on the diet and lose at least 15 more ibs by the end of April (goal is 130 ibs of toned muscle). I’ve been on the diet since yesterday and already lost 5 pounds! This diet is amazing :)

    Reply

  • lily — February 12th, 2013, 2:31 am

    great diet!!!

    Reply

  • Colin Paul Heim — February 16th, 2013, 3:37 am

    Hi Tim,

    Happy Chinese New Year :)

    Would’ve liked to participate in the Diet-Bet, but only saw it now. Will there be more?

    All the best,

    Colin

    Reply

  • Wes Wyatt — February 19th, 2013, 7:18 pm

    I know you’re not suppose to drink your calories – but is there a shake version of this? More specifically a Vegan version? If there isn’t – is taking out and replacing eggs and meat with beans and lentils OK?

    Thanks in advance!!!

    Reply

    • John — February 22nd, 2013, 9:08 pm

      @Wes, I’ve just started the four hour diet this week and as a part-time vegan I’m eating the majority of my protein in the form of beans and lentils. Hoping it works!

      Reply

  • Clarence Samuel — February 24th, 2013, 5:06 am

    wow. Fit into my wedding suit after 1 year. Lost 3.5 kg in 2 weeks , plateau at this after my cheat day. but it works. need to increase the veggies, the indian snacks- namkeens are all made of lentils and are great fillers. enjoying the dhal’s ( lentil) and the rumbles… still need to work around the cheat day. the lime juice, cinnamon etc over all feeling good, looking great. thank you tim ferris. may your tribe increase

    Reply

  • paula wheeler — February 27th, 2013, 10:29 am

    I have about 5-7 pounds to lose total; most in stomach and back; I am quite muscular from working out for 30 years, height 5ft 2in, wt 118
    I have been on the diet and workout routine for 3 weeks and have not lost a single pound
    What gives?

    Reply

    • Mike — February 27th, 2013, 2:02 pm

      You may want to also start monitoring your calorie consumption. For example, you could start off at about 1,500 calories a day for a week and see if you lose any weight. If not, go to 1,250/day, and then 1,000, until you start losing about a pound a week. Once you hit your target weight, you can then start increasing your calorie consumption until you stabilize. At some level of daily calorie consumption you can also have one or two cheat days per week and still achieve your weight-loss objective — you just have to experiment to find the level of daily calorie consumption that allows for cheat days and still lets you lose that 5-7 pounds you are shooting for and then maintain your new lower weight.

      Reply

    • Micky H Corbett — March 8th, 2013, 7:32 am

      Hi Paula

      I found myself plateauing as well. Two things helped change this:

      1) Periodic increases in carbs and a bit controversially, having some of the carbs as brown rice. So during the week I would have around 100g carbs through eating beans (kidney, butter beans, pinto) but then say on workout days for my meals during the day (I eat 6 times a day because of the hours I work and because it’s now a habit) I would eat roughly 50g of carbs as brown rice.
      I weight 170 and typically I eat over 200 grams of protein a day (not including the extra from nuts).

      2) Lift heavier – I think this is more important. I started to do the Effortless Superman Protocol and also include my usual low-bar squats. I do 3 workouts per week. You find your aerobic system kicks in big time after a ESP workout so it may be that you just need to give yourself a short sharp boost.

      What I would say is what Tim and Mike say: experiment. You may find that you need to eat way more carbs than you think. Just get the protein and fat in.

      As a little aside – my mum who is 69 and 5 foot tall wanted to lose weight. She was 134 lbs (9 stone 8lbs). I had bought the 4 Hour Body for my brother and my dad took an interest in the Slow Carb Diet. Anyway I got mum to up her protein and eat nuts and have a lean target weight or around 8 and a half stone. The biggest difference in her diet being protein for breakfast. She has a shake and 2 hard boiled eggs instead of Irish soda bread (homemade) and cereal.
      She also was eating 1 tin of beans a day and trying to eat green vegetables but mostly just salad and tomatoes.
      Now she was probably restricting her calories as well but she has lost 6 pounds in 4 weeks. That’s more than 6% bodyweight.
      Her doctor is amazed. She has more energy than ever. So much so he is recommending protein for breakfast to ALL of his elderly patients.

      So experiment with lifting intensity – maybe even lift less but heavier – and experiment with carbs amounts. Hope it helps.

      Reply

  • paula wheeler — March 2nd, 2013, 9:09 am

    Thanks for your comments Mike.
    The thing is,you suggested cutting back on calories,but Tim’s book says one of the biggest problems is not eating enough; since I am eating pretty much as the book suggests–eggs, lentils, veggies, meat, etc, and following the pagg routine, and lifting heavy and slow, I should be losing weight
    Don’t you think?

    Reply

    • Mike — March 3rd, 2013, 2:59 pm

      According to the study cited in this blog post, 84% of people who stuck to Tim’s diet lost weight. I imagine those among the 16% who didn’t lose weight may have a metabolism which somehow resists weight loss under Tim’s diet, and your metabolism may be similar to theirs. Of course, this is just speculation. All we know for sure is that it didn’t work for you. That’s why I suggest you may want to include calorie counting in your weight-loss regimen.

      Reply

  • Parker — March 3rd, 2013, 9:15 pm

    Tim, let’s say that I work offshore on an oil rig, and my schedule dictates 3 weeks on/3 weeks off. The food on the rig is workable, but consistency is an issue. Would doing 2 of the options produce results?

    Reply

  • Mircea — March 10th, 2013, 3:31 pm

    OK, week one of 4HB, weight loss nada, fat loss percentage nada. Followed slow carbs diet to the letter, cheat day Saturday and used kettlebells for workouts. Let’s hope week yeals better results.

    Reply

    • Tilly — April 5th, 2013, 12:46 am

      hey, each body is different, a lot of people wont dnotice anything for a week to two, but this really does work

      Reply

  • Stan — March 18th, 2013, 10:56 am

    Looking through “The Four-Hour Body” I first notice these claims of a simple exercise that will reduce body fat/increase muscle, and get introduced to “the kettleball swing.” Great. But wait. There’s another exercise, and another exercise, and another exercise and another different exercise yet again and again. So much for that simple way–kettelball swing–to do so much. By the end of the book, there are enough exercises (and EACH is touted as the one) to have to modify the title to “The Four-Hour (a Day) Body.
    There doesn’t seem to be a hierarchy or organization to the various exercises You have a “Day 1, Day 2, Day 3…” at about p.6, a description of a different pattern someone else is doing on p.9 with “flying dogs” and “glute activation raises” without a mention of the “myostatic crunch” (in your own “Day 1, Day 2…” above), and “Occam’s Protocol” (p.30 or so) is now in a gym with machines, and decidedly NOT simpler than what you say around p. 6. I generally like the book and its philosophy and tone, and I’ll eventually be able to pull together an effective and fast and simple workout.

    Reply

    • Mattias Pettersson — March 18th, 2013, 2:27 pm

      You missed one key point. Different excercises in different chapters and the prologue tells you to read some, but not all, chapters depending on what you are interested in. Of course some people will read it all and some will make the wrong deductions based on that. Most, if not all, excercises (described) are available on the website as well with either images or video.

      Reply

  • Elizabeth MacKenzie — March 23rd, 2013, 9:55 pm

    I just read 4HB and, as a woman just looking to get fit and hot, I’m not clear on how to put all the work-out “pieces” together. I’ve read through the forums and everything and would LOVE it if you could write a blog entry specifically for women and what workout routine you’d recommend for us. I don’t know if I should be doing the Kettlebell workout + OP + abs… and, if so, do you do it in 2 workouts spaced like in OP? Help! :)

    Reply

  • Dave — March 24th, 2013, 1:56 pm

    Just went to the IntelaMetrix site – the discount code is for 25% ($123.75), not $200. Still a great deal/discount….

    Reply

  • jay — March 26th, 2013, 9:10 am

    4hr body worked. I lost 20 pounds in a month, and I wasn’t severely overweight – I weighed 195 and went to 175 as a 5’10″ 42 yr male in one month.

    what Tim doesn’t tell you:

    1. the first 3 days are awful as you get yourself off sugars. it reminded me of quitting smoking 20 years ago.
    2. you start feeling really, really good in week two – like better than ever.
    3. you won’t pig out on your day off as advertised after a few weeks. You will be strangely turned off by bad food – although I do love some bread and beer on saturdays – it’s less than I used to shove down my gullet by a long shot.

    Any other ideas for breakfast though……I still love black beans, but I’m getting sick of eggs.

    Reply

    • Dave G — April 2nd, 2013, 3:14 pm

      totally agree jay – my first few days were hard, but I had the same thing – first day off I had a bunch of sweet stuff and felt like crap for the whole day. Now my day off treat is a bit of really dark (80-90%) chocolate, which isn’t even that terrible!
      On my second day off I had a doughnut and actually spat it out…felt gross trying to eat it! Not like me at all :)

      Yeah I’ve also really felt better after the 2nd week – lighter but strangely more powerful(??) don’t know why that words fits it so well, but it’s made me feel like my body and mind are just really kicking into gear, and stronger than ever before.

      Been a really enjoyable and interesting experience trying this out!

      Reply

      • Dave G — April 3rd, 2013, 2:16 am

        oh and did anyone else start peeing like crazy for the first week or so? Maybe I was drinking too much water but by god I was running to the smallest room every ten minutes!

        Reply

        • Christoph Dollis — April 4th, 2013, 4:46 pm

          Just make sure it’s not diabetes, which can make you thirsty so you drink all the time to dilute the too-high sugars in your blood.

          So if you were on a low-carb diet, then added carbs in the form of beans, say, and found yourself thirsty and peeing, that could be a symptom of elevated blood sugar.

          Or you could just be drinking a lot for other reasons!

  • Tom — April 4th, 2013, 3:36 am

    Hi Tim,

    Enjoying reading your blog, thanks for the useful articles.

    One suggestion I have however. I would be very interested to see more of your studies/articles geared towards gaining muscle/enhancing sporting performance/ manipulation of genetic predispositions etc

    I know the media is obsessed with weight loss. But out of all body transformations I think weightloss is the most simple to achieve. Eat under maintenance calories and you will lose weight i guarantee it, its basic physics. Obesity is largely a psychological issue i believe.

    But with muscle gain or other performance related changes you are doing more than just manipulating calorific surplus you are forcing your body to change and adapt.

    Just my opinion of course but i find it far more interesting than just seeing obese people losing weight.

    Many thanks

    Reply

  • K.A.M. — April 14th, 2013, 6:24 pm

    I’m disheartened. I don’t think the 4 Hour Body diet and physical fitness instructions are working for me. I’d love some help or insight if moderators or knowledgeable people are willing. I must be doing something wrong.

    What’s the situation? I’ll be brief. I’m a female, 28 years old, 5’6″ and 41lbs overweight. I have been moderately active all my life. I’ve read the book and have been following 4HB for 4 weeks. I’ve also been training for a half marathon since March. Four four weeks I’ve been very disciplined about the diet and exercise. (I avoid domino foods, cook for myself and eat below my BMR (1,577.1kal) but not less than 1,200 kcal.) For exercise I use kettle bells, planks, myotatic crunches & cat vomit crunches. I also use my bow-flex for shoulder and leg strengthening, practice Iyengar, train in my MA and run 3 times a week. I wear a HR monitor and keep data on my runs. I also do my best to stay within the ideal range for conditioning and fat-burning. (I can get into details on how I schedule everything if anyone is interested.) Worst of all, I have been doing actual ice baths. I’m up to my neck in the stuff three days a week on alternating days, at twenty minutes a pop. To have the meager result of 5 lbs lost and have actually gained collective inches on my waist, hips, thighs and arms (chest measurement has remained constant), is enough to make me want to cry. It all begs the question, “What gives?”

    The marathon is coming in 6 weeks. I want to be sans 15lbs fat by that time. A big MA seminar is coming in July, and I want be at my goal weight and fitness by then. If anyone feels comfortable advising me, I’d greatly appreciate it. I’m exasperated, but I badly want all this to work. Please help?

    Thank you,
    KAM

    Reply

  • KR — April 27th, 2013, 10:19 pm

    Hi Tim/all — I’ve struggled with weight for awhile, and I keep coming back to 4HB. I’m seriously thinking about giving it a try. But I’m wondering… if you lose fat as fast as you and others say, won’t I have loose skin? That would just be another issue! Thanks for any comments!

    Reply

    • Jess — May 1st, 2013, 5:17 pm

      Hey KR,

      I think that the 20lbs lost is not just all fat. Some of it is going to be skin and water weight too. If you remember to stay well hydrated, you skin will stay firm and tighten with your body. If you continue to lose drastic amounts of weight, it will probably be hard for your skin to keep up with your shrinking size, but it will eventually tighten to your new form with proper diet & hydration. Don’t forget to moisturize! Here’s an article on this from someone more reputable than me! http://getfitguy.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-tighten-loose-skin-after-weight-loss.aspx

      ~Jess

      Reply

  • Josefina — April 28th, 2013, 8:35 am

    Hola Tim! What’s your nutritional opinion of yerba mate? I’m a massive drinker. Saludos desde Bs As!

    Reply

  • James Webb — May 4th, 2013, 12:04 pm

    It’s only my 2nd week of this diet and I can already pinch less belly fat.

    Unlike most ‘diets’, this one takes effort. Cold showers? Everyone thinks I’m mad. (I am, but whatever)

    Reply

  • Dr. Michael McConnell — May 5th, 2013, 8:06 am

    I am a cardiologist who started the 4 HB in November 2011 with a goal of 45 pounds down in 2 years. Incredibly I lost that in 4 months, and kept going! I am now a fit 180. I have put countless patients on the diet, and many have had great success. At a recent college reunion, many of my friends who were accustomed to the overweight me, said “what the hell happened to you”? 4 started on the 4HB, and all lost between 10 and 20 in the first months. I love eating this way, because I love feeling this way. I was even able to run a 1/2 marathon 12 months in to the 4HB! I lost weight not because I ran, I ran because I lost weight. I am a fervent believer in your plan. I give lectures all over the world, and would be happy to participate in any type of program that will help “spread the word”.

    Reply

    • Christoph Dollis — May 5th, 2013, 5:56 pm

      1. Fantastic!

      2. Wouldn’t this work better with a link back to your blog or FB page (in the “Website” field of the comment form), or some other contact info?

      Reply

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