Its now been a full 3 weeks since implementing the Slow-Carb Diet into my life. Following the diet as closely as possible except for two components. The exercise, and the supplements. In the book Tim recommends using the PAGG stack as his supplement stack for losing weight. The stack consists of the following:
Policosanol: 20-25mg
Alpha-lipoic acid: 100-300mg
Green tea flavanols (decaf at least 325mg EGCG)
Garlic extract: at least 200mg
The PAGG is to be taken with the following schedule:
Prior to breakfast: AGG (Alpha-lipoic acid, Green Tea, Garlic)
Prior to lunch: AGG
Prior to dinner: AGG
Prior to bed: PAG (omit the Green Tea extract)
Honestly I'm skeptical on using supplements OTHER than Protein Isolate Powders, so I started to do some research over the past couple weeks on the PAGG stack and other recommend stacks in the industry. It seems there is a lot of discussion whether the PAGG stack is truly worth the extra cost and time. Like most of the health and nutrition world, there are compelling arguments on both sides of the fence. I think I will omit the supplement portion of the 4 Hour Body until I finish more research. I did however want to post about the details of the PAGG stack as Tim highly recommends it along with the Slow-Carb and 3 day a week Exercise routines. The fact is I am approaching this book not as total truth (I mean Tim Ferris although inspiring in some of his documentation and experimentation, he is also looking to make money and sell more books.) Nothing against the guy but we are all human with our own selfish ambitions. That being said, I am going to put aside the PAGG for now, and incorporate it in the near future to test and to give a more complete outlook on the results on this personal experiment. For those of you that have tried the PAGG please let me know your results on the supplement portion of this diet!!
Exercise. Now that I have the data from a full 3 weeks of diet with NO exercise. I am now starting (as of tomorrow) to incorporate the exercise routine that is recommended by the author that mainly consists of a BOSU (pictured at the beginning of this post) or SWISS BALL (a regular inflatable exercise ball you see all over), and a KETTLEBELL. For those who are unfamiliar with this primitive looking piece of equipment it is steel ball with a handle that can be used with one or two hands. The exercise listed in the book is the "Kettlebell Swing" which you can see in this video below:
According to Tim, this is the one exercise you can do for a full body workout and drop huge amounts of weight. It is also beneficial to woman to help with the 'hour glass figure' as well as put some junk in the trunk and get a big booty. Now if your like me, you've never touched a kettlebell and have no idea how much weight is right for you. I'd hate to go out and buy a 50lb bell and find out its too light or too heavy for me. These things are expensive! Ranging anywhere from $50-$300 depending on the weight, quality & brand. One thing I have found from my background research on kettlebells, is that when you DO go out and buy one. Make sure you get one that is reputable and known to be of high quality. They are not all the same, and they do come in different styles (vinyl dipped, rubber coated), and make sure the handle is of the right diameter for your hands. The last thing you want to do is have a kettlebell fly into your wall or TV. Do your research! And get one that is heavy enough, the 5lb-10lb ones you see at Winners, or Walmart are useless for the Kettlebell Swing.
Now onto my kettlebell. Tim Ferris recommends for first timers to make your own kettlebell using pipes and hardware found at your local Home Depot (or Home Depot type) store. I went over to my Home Depot and got all the stuff necessary to build my first kettlebell. Now if you don't already have metal plate weights like I did from my old dumbbell set then it is most cost effective to just go out and buy a Kettlebell. Or borrow some weights for the time being from a friend so you can adjust and add/take off weight until you find your ideal weight. THEN go out and buy a real Kettlebell. These homemade jobs are only supposed to be used temporarily max to 6 months according to Tim.
Here is a list of what you need (located in the GAS PIPE aisle at Home Depot):
ONE 3/4" x 8-12" Black Steel Gas pipe
TWO 3/4" x 4-6" Black Steel Gas pipe (handles)
ONE 3/4" Steel Flange (bottom end)
ONE 3/4" T connector
ONE easy clamp (see pic)
Electrical Tape (to tape over the treading on the handles to prevent harm to hands)
Loctite (optional safety to keep the pipes from unscrewing overtime)
TOTAL approx. COST: $15-$20 Canadian
Check out this link for a video on Tim and his homemade set and more details.
Here are pics of my own version of the homemade Kettlebell:
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| All the raw materials (cutting and threading service is for free at Home Depot) |
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| Kettlebell Assembled (without weights) |
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| Fully assembled with four 10lb metal weights |
