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4 Hour Body Update – 30 Day Results
So here it is, 30 days since I started my experiment with Tim Ferriss‘ Slow Carb diet and PAGG stack and it is time for the results.
As promised I am going to post before and after pics and full stats for the 30 days later in this post.
To recap the aim of this experiment, based on the claims in the book, was 20lb of weight loss in 30 days. Well I did not hit this target but I did manage 14lbs – a full Stone in weight loss – and I could not be happier with that as a result. I will go in to more detail later about why I think I may have missed the target.
Briefly the slow carb diet suggests:
- Avoid all dairy products (Cottage cheese is OK)
- Avoid white carbs – no bread, potatoes, rice, cereals, pasta etc (Except within 30 mins of a resistance training workout)
- Eat the same few meals over and over again – recommended foods include eggs, chicken, beef, fish all beans and legumes and mixed vegetables
- Don’t drink calories – no booze, except up to 2 glasses of red wine per night (Result)
- Don’t eat fruit – fructose sugars make you fat
- I love this one – take one day off a week!! And on that day go wild and eat whatever you want. EAT WHATEVER YOU WANT FOR 24 HOURS the thinking behind this is that “…Paradoxically, dramatically spiking caloric intake in this way once per week increases fat loss by ensuring that your metabolic rate (thyroid function, etc.) doesn’t downregulate from extended caloric restriction.” Awesome and it really does seem to work.
Protein intake is a big factor in the success of this diet and lots of it, 30 grams per meal so lots of egg white omelette. Breakfast for me daily has been a protein shake supplemented with egg whites.
The book advocates regular weighing, measuring and recording weight, body fat etc. on a weekly basis and taking before and after photos. So like all good geeks I made a spreadsheet to record all my data. There are a couple of rounding issues that I haven’t sorted yet but if anyone sees any glaringly obvious errors or can suggest a better method for recording this stuff then please let me know.
Measurements
My geeky measurements spreadsheet
NOTE: Proper waist measurement is NOT your trouser size (I can get in to a 34!) it is measured around the belly button.
The photos, good bad and ugly!
I promised you some before and after shots and here they are, there’s some motivation right there in the before pics!
Before pictures: 16st and 25.7% body fat
30 days later: 14st 13lb and 23.5% body fat
So why did I not hit the magic 20lb target? I am absolutely satisfied that this diet works and works really well, the claims in the book are bound to be based on best case scenarios and ultimately we are all different and two individuals following the same plan to the letter are bound to have differing results.
Additionally Ferriss uses the phrase “the devil is in the detail…” as a subject title in a section of the book relating to the effects of cold temperatures on body fat loss. There is a lot of ‘detail’ to take in and one of the things he cautions is the need, initially at least, to follow the plan to the letter. On reflection there are probably a number of areas where I have deviated slightly from the plan.
I thought I had pretty much cut sugar out but I am addicted to Trebor extra strong mints. Sugar provokes increased insulin release, which is bad and they are 165 kcal per pack with 40g of carbs. It has to stop! I am not consistently using exercises on cheat days as prescribed and I’m not sure I am drinking enough water all the time. The book recommends 4 meals per day but I am currently only managing 3 and apart from breakfast I am not sure every meal is delivering 30 grams of protein.
Although weight loss is not my primary concern I do want to lose at least another stone, I definitely want my body fat the right side of 20% and a couple more inches off the waist would be nice. Posting these pictures on the internet for all to see is a pretty painful experience for me but the hope is that it serves as continued motivation to push on with a far healthier diet and keep losing fat in to the bargain. Who knows there may even be a 6 pack lurking in there somewhere.
In conclusion I am really happy with progress so far, in the book Tim Ferriss suggests it can take between 4 and 6 weeks for the most dramatic results to occur and there is definitely some tweaking to be done with what I am eating. I will continue with the diet although I no longer see this as ‘being on a diet‘, it has become ‘my normal diet’ and I have found it surprisingly easy to incorporate in to my life. The results I think speak for themselves.
I will continue to post weekly updates here but I may focus on playing around with and modifying the ‘Geek to Freak‘ section of the book to suit my needs and blog about it, but more to come about that later.
Related articles
- 4 Hour Body Update – Week 4 (kungfurunner.wordpress.com)
- 4 Hour Body Update – Week 3 (kungfurunner.wordpress.com)
- The Four Hour Body? (kungfurunner.wordpress.com)
- 4 Hour Body Update (kungfurunner.wordpress.com)
- The ‘Four Horsemen of Fat Loss’? (kungfurunner.wordpress.com)
4 Hour Body Update – Week 4
I have been so busy with the new blog that I only just got round to writing this . It’s the end of week 4 in my experiment with Tim Ferriss‘ Slow Carb diet and it’s time to get weighed and measured again. The aim based on the claims in the book is 20lb of weight loss in 30 days.
In terms of exercise this week I had my usual Wing Chun class on Wednesday, more strike drills, with a little Chi Sao at the end of class. Three runs last week a couple of short fast 2 milers with the dog and 7 miles on Saturday with an early morning 300 kettlebell session on Tuesday for good measure.
So what are the vital measurements then?
I have lost weight, inches and body fat this week.
An overall 2.3lb weight loss – a total of 12.5lb in four weeks!
A 0.6% reduction in body fat from 23.9 to 23.3 taking me to a total 2.4% loss over the four weeks!
No change in arm or leg measurements but 0.5 inches off my waist a total of 5 inches lost from the combined measurements in 4 weeks!
I’m very happy with the results so far, it’s pretty clear I won’t hit the 20 lbs target but Tim Ferriss does suggest it can take between 4 and 6 weeks for the most dramatic results to occur and I am definitely on track for just over a stone lost in 30 days, which is amazing.
As promised I will post the full 30 day results and before and after pics on Wednesday 07 December (that’s tomorrow)
4 Hour Body Update – Week 3
It’s the end of week 3 in my experiment with Tim Ferriss‘ Slow Carb diet and it’s time to get weighed and measured again. The aim based on the claims in the book is 20lb of weight loss in 30 days.
I had my 2 glasses of red wine last night but no other alcohol this week. Today is Cheat day! I still had a high protein breakfast but have enjoyed a couple of mince pies this afternoon and tonight is curry night – there will be beer!
In terms of exercise this week I had my usual Wing Chun class on Wednesday, more strike drills, with a little Chi Sao at the end of class. Three runs this week a couple of short fast 2 milers with the dog and 6 miles today. I also added an early morning kettlebell session.
So what are the vital measurements then?
I have lost weight, inches and body fat this week.
An overall 2.5lb weight loss – a total of just over 10lb in three weeks!
A 0.2% reduction in body fat from 24.1 to 23.9 taking me to a total 1.8% loss over the two weeks!
No change in arm or leg measurements but a combined 1.5 inches off waist and hips a total of 4.5 inches lost from the combined measurements in 3 weeks!
I’m slightly concerned with the reliability of the body fat measurements as they are based on the readings from my scales so it may be time to invest in a decent body fat monitor. At the end of the 30 days I am going to celebrate by getting a proper body composition test done, there is a BodPod at BCOM in Fichley which is near me. I think I will try to get them done every few months from now on.
I’m pretty happy with the results so far, not sure yet that I will hit the 20 lbs but Tim Ferriss does suggest it can take between 4 and 6 weeks for the most dramatic results to occur. I will definitely continue with the diet but I may focus on another section of the book as well ‘Geek to Freak’ and blog about it, more about that later.
Stay tuned for a further update next week on Saturday and then I will post the full 30 day results and before and after pics on Wednesday 07 December!
4 Hour Body Update
So two weeks in to my experiment with Tim Ferriss‘ Slow Carb diet and it’s time to get weighed and measured again. This has been a good week and I am actually enjoying the foods I am eating and definitely feel better for it. I did have a bit of a blip on Thursday lunchtime when I ate a sandwich but other than that I have stuck firmly to the 5 rules.
I had my 2 glasses of red wine last night but no other alcohol this week. Today is Cheat day – Yum! I still had a high protein breakfast but did allow myself a post run snack of cheese and Marmite on toasted crusty white bread, which was delicious.
In terms of exercise this week I had my usual Wing Chun class on Wednesday which was primarily focussed on boxing strike drills, with a little Chi Sao at the end of class. Two runs this week a short fast 2 miler with the dog on Tuesday night and an easy pace 5 miler today.
So what are the vital measurements then?
I have lost weight, inches and body fat this week.
An overall 3lb weight loss – a total of 8lb in the two weeks, just over half a stone!
A 0.6% reduction in body fat from 24.7 to 24.1 taking me to a total 1.6% loss over the two weeks!
No change in arm or leg measurements but a full inch off both waist and hips a total of 3 inches lost from the combined measurements in 2 weeks! I’m happy that I’m not losing inches from arms or legs because that would indicate muscle loss.
So I’ve seen a slight reduction this week in both weight and fat loss but an increase in inches lost, which is both visible and apparent from my clothes fitting better. I’ll take the inches!
There is obviously a margin of error for both weight and body fat measurements and without getting proper body composition testing done on a weekly basis it is hard to be sure about accuracy. Other factors to consider are water vs ft loss skewing the measurements and fat loss vs muscle gain. Still the results are pretty impressive and I am happy.
It’s time for lunch!
Stay tuned for a further update next Saturday.
4 Hour Body Update
So one week in to my experiment with Tim Ferriss‘ Slow Carb diet and it’s time to get weighed and measured. I have to admit that I was really concerned by how restrictive the diet appears but actually it has been a breeze.
Basically it is a high protein, low-fat, low carb diet. I have been eating a lot of eggs, meat, fish, vegetables and beans, beans and more beans! I have been supplementing breakfast with a protein shake. I am not allowed to eat any fruit due to sugar, no white carbs and dairy is out except for cream cheese. I am drinking loads of water and my only alcohol consumption this week has been 2 glasses of red wine (The book allows 2 glasses per night but I waited till Friday.) One other thing I am eating is Sauerkraut, which is referred to in the damage control section of the book, because of its high level of healthy bacteria as a fermented food. I actually really like sauerkraut, which is lucky.
Today is Cheat day which means I can eat pretty much what I want, to be fair I have still been pretty good with a high protein breakfast although I did add some cheese to my omelette and had some toast and will no doubt have some wine later, and fruit and chocolate and crisps. Maybe not all that but it is nice to have day off and not have to worry about it.
The book claims that a 9 Kg weight loss is possible without any exercise. This week I have done very little, my usual Wing Chun class on Wednesday had no real fitness element this week so probably no impact. I did an easy pace 5 mile run today which showed as 800 calories burnt on my Garmin but that is it.
So what are the vital measurements then?
I have lost weight, inches and body fat this week.
A 1% reduction in body fat from 25.7 to 24.7!
No change in arm, leg or hip measurements but a full inch off my waist!
An overall 5lb weight loss in 5 days!
All in all I am very pleased. It’s fair to say that I would have lost weight this week anyway with a massive post holiday reduction in alcohol and calorie intake so it is unclear at the moment how much weight and fat loss can be attributed directly to PAGG and slow carb. The real test will be over te next few weeks and whether I can reach my target weight of 14st 7lb in 3 weeks time. If so that will be my lowest weight since September 2009 when I ran the Berlin marathon.
Stay tuned for a further update next Saturday.
Related articles
- The Four Hour Body? (kungfurunner.wordpress.com)
The ‘Four Horsemen of Fat Loss’?
What is the PAGG Stack? P is for Policosanol, A is for Alpha lipoic acid (ALA), G is for Garlic extract and G is for Green tea flavanols, all taken 3 times daily with meals (as AGG) and once at bed time (as PAG, no Green tea!).
So what are the claims?
Policosanol is an extract of plant waxes and Tim Ferriss acknowledges it as the most controversial element of the stack, it is thought to reduce LDL cholesterol but has been found (by Ferriss) to produce a significant fat loss at the same time.
ALA is an antioxidant that has an impact on glucose and nutrient uptake and reduces triglyceride production. Ferriss tells us “…ALA helps you store carbohydrates you eat in muscle or in your liver as opposed to in fat” .
Garlic we all know, well recognised for its cholestrol management properties, the book suggests supplements with high quantities of Allicin are most effective particularly in conjunction with S-Allyl cysteine.
Green tea flavanols (EGCG) are known to increase GLUT-4 (glucose transporter) recruitment to the surface of skeletal muscle cells and inhibits GLUT-4 recruitment in fat cells so it effectively prevents the storage of excess carbohydrates as body fat and diverts them to muscle cells.
The big question for me now is does it work? I have started taking PAGG in conjunction with the Slow Carb diet and will monitor progress and weight loss over the next 3 weeks or so.
Tomorrow I will post my measurements and weight after the first week of the diet; to be honest I am pretty impressed so far.
The Four Hour Body?
As a result of injuries preventing training, laziness and a love of beer, wine and ‘good’ food, and after a 2 week holiday in the USA, I suddenly find myself weighing in at just under 16 st (224 lbs). Not the heaviest I have ever been but probably a couple of stone over the weight I’d like to be and should be.
Having read the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss earlier this year, and starting to put some of the theories in to practice, The 4 Hour Body was a natural choice of holiday reading for me. This is not a slim book at over 500 pages and initially seemed somewhat daunting but Ferriss’ easy writing style and his own admonishment to “Just don’t read it all at once…” makes it a breeze.
Some of the claims made on the back cover include, “lose 2% of body fat in 2 weeks…”, “gain 34 lbs of lean muscle in 28 days…”, “sleep 2 hours a day and feel fully rested…” and “add 150+ lbs to your lift in 6 months…”. Easy to be sceptical but to be fair to Ferriss a lot of the theory is backed up by scientific research and a lot of crazy self experimentation. I particularly enjoyed Tim’s description of his 6,214 calorie marathon binge in 12 hours, and the fact that 48 hours later he had reduced his body fat by 0.3%. The book covers many and varied topics including improving sex (the 15 minute female orgasm) , Reversing permanent injuries and running faster and further but for now I am primarily concerned with rapid fat loss so will be focusing on The Slow Carb Diet and PAGG.
The Slow Carb Diet – How to lose 1st 4Lb in 30 days (with no exercise)
As the title suggests the aim is to lose 1st 4Lb (9 Kg/20 Lbs) in 30 days, although I will be attending my regular Wing Chun class and running a bit.
There are 5 rules:
- Avoid white carbs – no bread, potatoes, rice, cereals, pasta etc (Except within 30 mins of a resistance training workout)
- Eat the same few meals over and over again – recommended foods include eggs, chicken, beef, fish all beans and legumes and mixed vegetables
- Don’t drink calories – no booze, except up to 2 glasses of red wine per night (Result)
- Don’t eat fruit – fructose sugars make you fat
- I love this one – take one day off a week!! And on that day go wild and eat whatever you want.
So my measurements on Sunday 6 November 2011 were:
Weight: 15st 13lb (223 lb / 101 Kg)
Body fat: 25.7%
Total Lean Mass: 165.69 lb
Total Inches: 158 inches (This is the sum of the following measurements: both arms at bicep, both legs at mid-thigh, hips at widest point and waist at navel – note your waist measurement is not your trouser size!
I will write an update with progress and measurements each Saturday and will post final 30 day results and before and after photos on Tuesday 6 December.
Look out for my next post, which will cover the second part of my experiment with the ‘Four horsemen of Fat Loss’ the PAGG stack.
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