The 4-Hour Body, a deeper look.

I thought I'd post a little more about the book (and diet) before I just get into the project I am doing based on it. The 4-Hour body book is not your regular book. Tim Ferris (pictured above) recommends you read it like a buffet, not from start to finish, but to pick at it depending on what you want your final outcome to be. What he means is he's broken the book into 4 streams to read the book.

- Rapid Fat-loss
- Rapid Muscle Gain
- Rapid Strength Gain
- Rapid Sense of total well-being

Now I can be a skeptical person, so of course I decided to do background research on the things Tim recommends. So far...MOST of the stuff he lists to do in the book seems to check out. Although when it does come to health, there is always a study to prove another wrong. One quote I love from the book is "Don't use skepticism as an excuse for inaction." and that is how I am going to approach this project. Although I am highly skeptical of some of the things he says, it is not a reason for me to quit the project. At least not without seeing what kind of results it gives.
So back to the 4 streams, I am currently doing the first Rapid Fat-loss stream. Although I plan to read entire book while doing the one stream while taking notes. So Fat-loss = diet. Here is some details on the "Slow-Carb Diet" and a basic overlook on the rules and recommendations.

Rule #1: Avoid "white carbohydrates"
- This includes brown carbs that USED to be white, such as brown rice, whole wheat bread, oats!
Rule #2: Eat the same few meals over and over again
Rule #3: Don't drink calories
- No soft drinks, fruit juices, beer, you know all the good stuff. Drink tons of water though!
Rule #4: Don't eat fruit
- I researched this and fruit is proven to be NO GOOD as it is mostly frutose which is a NO NO especially if you have a family history of diabetes in the family
Rule #5: Take 1 day off per week to binge
- Apparently it creates a response in the body that is beneficial to weight loss if you eat junk on a schedule once a week (example: Every Saturday eat poutines & burgers & beer)

Also keep note that he also says to stay away from diary of any kind, milk, soy, cheese (except cottage). So no brown bread, brown rice, Kashi cereal, oats, soy milk, pretty much all the stuff I was taught to eat for a healthy lifestyle. More research into this has shown there is a premise in which all these things can do harm to the body. How much harm, well studies are still not 100% conclusive.

So this is the diet I will be sticking to during this project. With the addition of protein shakes, some vitamins, and very short interval training exercises (I'll get into that in another post), I will record the results and see how this Slow-Carbing works out in a real life setting. The book says you can lose 20lbs in 30 days without exercise through the use of this type of meal plan, so the results should be interesting.

Taking Inventory.

As part of the project, as suggested by Tim, a GPS of my body was needed. In other words, I took down measurements and created a spreadsheet of information, and am now keeping a meal diary (not suggested in the book just want to) of all the meals I am eating each day. Sort of a way to keep myself in check by being able to see what I've been eating, the good AND the BAD! I'll be listing my current personal stats on the sidebar on the right. At a quick glance, I am 190lbs, and 30% fat, using the US NAVY circumference method. If you've read the book you'll see that it suggests using all sorts of more accurate types of bodyfat calculations. But paying $50-$150 for an exact number is unnessary for me. I know I am overweight and the circumference method (using measuring tape and a formula) will do quite fine. So I am starting out great, I'm obese, out of shape, eager to experiment. All the ingredients needed to see this project through to the end, whenever that may be.


Day ONE started out fine. Had a protein shake within the first hour of waking up (the book suggests within 30mins). I use optimum nutrition double chocolate protein powder. Its one of the most popular powders on the market. Its not the healthiest, as it doesn't use Stevia as a sweetener but cost wise and quality wise, it was a winner. I've tried many different powders and this one tastes great, and won't break the bank. The rest of my days have been a mixture of spinach omelettes (with the yolks!), mixed bean salads or lentils, and for dinners I opt out the eggs for a leg or breast of chicken. I make sure to drink lots of water and LOTS of beans in my meals as suggested to keep the hunger cravings down and the energy high. Here is a pic of a typical 4 Hour Body approved dinner for me.

Keep note that tracking your use of sauces, and ketchup is KEY. If your like me you love ketchup, sauces, dressings, and can easily do more damage then good by drenching it all over your meals for taste. I am trying to use balsamic vinegar, and mustards and hot sauces sparingly, and staying away from Ketchup (tons of sugar!), and creamy dressings. How long I can last eating these types of meals everyday without going insane I have no idea. So far they have been delicious and very filling...

I'm starting to look into RED WINES, as I plan to switch off beer and stick to wines when I feel the need to have a drink, as 2 cups a day has been noted to NOT interfere with the diet. Of course he mentions that some wines are worse then others, so I'll have to look into a good cost friendly dry light wine that meets both the projects requirements, and availability at the local LCBO.

The 4-Hour Body, Step One.

This blog will be an online journal of an experiment I am taking upon myself. Using the 4-Hour Body book written by Timothy Ferriss as a guide on redesigning my life. The book is a guide to efficiently living life and discusses new practices and unpopular approaches to eating, sleeping, sex, and living life in general. I've always been a fan of the saying "Everything Popular is Wrong" by Oscar Wilde. I can see how rebelling against the norm is a marketing tactic for a best seller such as this book, but that doesn't make it wrong, or in other words, NOT-ground-breaking.

I'll detail a few important concepts of this book without giving away too much as to not get hit with copyright infringement. Whether or not people read this blog or not, it will be a personal online testiment to a personal experiment I have done to myself. Hopefully a few months from now I will be able to look back and read through this blog and bask in the glory of my results of becoming a super human being.

Here is a pic of some of the groceries I have been collecting in preparation for this project. You will see that a large part of my diet will consist of legumes (beans!). If any of you are familiar with the Slow-Carb diet that has made this book so popular, the biggest change for me will be the lack of all "White" Carbohydrates. (I'll explain in more detail in a later post on what Tim means by "white"). The majority of my groceries consists of beans such as lentils, chick peas, bean medlys, vegetables like spinach and brocoli. A few other items I should mention is a protein powder for my early morning shakes, almond butter and natural peanut butter, and of course red wine. (apparently up to 2 glasses a day is more then fine and does not interrupt the diet at all.

On to day 1...