Hi there. Those of you who know me, or may have read my posts in the past, would know that I have dabbled with the Atkins diet. It worked well for me initially, but I found it hard to stick to, and to find the right balance. Yes, while you are in the "no carb" phase, the weight and inches do drop off, but it has always been hard for me to then maintain things at the target weight once I get there.
I also do enjoy my carbs from time to time, and it is too easy to say "I'll just enjoy some pizza just this once" one too many times and undo my previous efforts.
My own situation is also somewhat more complicated by travelling regularly, although that is not really a valid excuse. The simple fact of the matter is that if temptation is constantly put in front of me, it is hard to keep saying no.
During my last trip, I decided that I needed to do something different. People were commenting that I had put on some weight which is fair enough, but I also knew within myself that I was not as comfortable with my appearance, and didn't feel as "healthy" as before. At about the same time, I stumbled across the Four Hour Body blog by Tim Ferriss. Aside from reading through some of the concepts raised in the blog, I also became aware of his new book by the same title.
You may have heard of Tim before, and in another post I commented on his previous book "The Four Hour Work Week". I must admit that when I saw that Tim was working on a diet/lifestyle book, I was a little doubtful. The concepts he raised in the Four Hour Work Week were fascinating, but in my own case at least was a little outside of what was comfortable for me, and so I was having my doubts about his ability to give me advice on weight loss and health.
I read some of the posts though, and I could see that it started to make sense. I then later grabbed the book at an airport bookstore on the way home. I intended to do some work on the plane after that, but got hooked on "The Four Hour Body" and couldn't put it down. My focus so far has been on the diet and body definition sections, but there are interesting chapters on sex, sleeping and other body tweaks too. If you're into body hacks and the like, it is a fascinating read.
Up to now, I have concentrated on the diet/weight loss section and so far, so good.
I won't go into the detail of the diet because I think Tim deserves to be rewarded for his efforts by interested readers buying his book. In essence though, it is more of a "slow carb" diet rather than a no carb one. This means that it is quite feasible to feel content through including legumes, beans etc in your diet, which makes it easier than cutting carbs completely. It also allows one day off a week, where you are encouraged to go nuts and eat/drink anything you like. I have found that really works for me. If I get a craving for some chocolate say, I simply make a note of it and defer it to my day off and gorge myself. Same for ice cream or anything else for that matter. It is such a simple concept, but it is amazing how well it works.
Tim also makes use of a simple rule of avoiding any food (when it is not your day off) that is or can be white. By this he means flour products, bread, sugar, pasta etc. This makes classifying what is in and out easy to follow. I was pretty clear on this anyway from my days of being on Atkins, but it has proved to be helpful all the same.
So how has it gone so far? I've been on the diet for approximately 4 weeks and have lost approximately 3 kg without additional exercise. At no time have I felt that I am being starved. I have enjoyed beer, chocolate, cake, ice cream, breads, fries, pizza and pasta, but only on my days off. Whenever I have felt like something that is outside of the basic slow carb guidelines, I have simply made a note and make sure I enjoy it on my next "anything goes" day. They come around every 7 days, so it is not that arduous.
Let's see what happens over the next few months, but so far this is really working for me and I suspect it will for others too. I am not so clear as to what will happen when I get to my target weight, but if I understand the book correctly, the weight loss will tend to settle down once I get to a low to moderate body fat index in any event.
If you've struggled with weight loss, or find the idea of body hacks fascinating, Tim's story of his own body experimentation, written in his own quirky style is a great read, and could give you just the results you are looking for. Anyone who has read "The Four Hour Work Week" for the quality of the writing alone, and enjoyed the mental challenges being proposed will enjoy this new book, and a healthier and happier you is a real bonus.
Later.
PS: I wish you and your friends/family a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. May your 2011 be better than your 2010. I am sure mine will be.
