4-Hour Body Diet
Also known as the Slow-Carb Diet, the 4-Hour Body Diet was created by Tim Ferriss and boasts rapid weight loss in a short period of time. The diet is based on the author’s experience with medical doctors, high-caliber scientists, professional athletes, and self-experimentation.
The 4-Hour Body approach is about sticking to slow-carb guidelines to achieve optimal results. This means eating foods that break down slowly in the body instead of quick-release foods that cause your energy to spike then crash.
The diet recommends a narrow variety of foods and eating about every four hours. The first meal should be within one hour of waking and include at least 30 grams of protein. One day per week is cheat day, where anything goes, and indulging is encouraged.
Tim recommends drinking a glass of grapefruit juice before each meal on cheat day, and doing a round of air squats within one hour of every cheat meal. Tim claims that cheat days combined with light exercise prevents fat gain by redirecting calories (energy) to muscles, not fat cells.
Foods to include:
- Vegetables
- Meat
- Poultry
- Fish
- Eggs
- Beans
- Nuts and seeds
- Healthy oils
Foods to avoid:
- Carbohydrates
- High-calorie beverages
- Trans fats
- Sugar
- Processed food
- Fruits
Pros:
- Author is very motivational and encouraging
- Meal plan is straightforward and simple
- Encourages muscle building and fat loss
Cons:
- Based on personal experimentation and might not work for everyone
- Supplementation may be needed to fill gaps in diet
- Low-carbohydrate approach may not work for some
Sources:
The 4-Hour Body www.fourhourbody.com (Links to an external site.)
