Who wants to start the year by losing 5 – 10 pounds? I see so many people killing themselves to shave off a little weight. I was there once, about 9 years ago. I had gained a little weight when I moved to South Korea, about ten pounds. I think it may have been too much rice consumption. I did not speak Korean, which made shopping for food difficult, and rice was easy to make. I ate a lot of rice.

I decided to lose weight by exercising – A LOT.  I found a great workout buddy, and we worked out at the gym at least 3 days a week.  We were there for 1.5 – 2 hours hours at a time, doing weight training and cardio. I also joined a running club and ran for an hour once a week. I should have been in the best shape of my life, and you would think the 10 lbs would have fallen off right away.

The weight did not fall off at all!

It was frustrating, and I did not know what I was doing wrong. Then I read a book called The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferris. It changed everything for me. I followed the recommendations in the book for diet and exercise, and I lost 10 pounds in less than 2 weeks. It was unbelievable and empowering because I lost weight and kept it off without radically changing my diet. I only exercised 4 hours a month, which was not difficult to schedule. I worked out 10 minutes a day, 6 days a week.

The Slow Carb Diet

I hate to call it a diet because it was not restrictive; I could indulge in foods I loved in moderation. This book helped me understand what I was doing wrong and why I failed in the past.

The key to losing weight was the glycemic index. The glycemic index is a numeric value given to foods based on how slowly or quickly those foods cause an increase in blood glucose levels. Foods that spike your blood sugar make your body store fat.  Fat storage is dependent upon the hormonal signaling of insulin. If I eat something that spikes my blood sugar, insulin is released. The release of insulin is a biochemical signal to store fat. In basic terms – most carbohydrate consumption = fat storage.  The Four Hour Body plan focuses on slow carbs, which do not spike blood sugar. The slow-carb way of eating helps the body lose fat. I think of it as a type of bio-hacking.

Indulging in sweets was allowed, but only once a week. (This is the cheat day). This weekly 24-hour period of indulgence is encouraged, as it prevents the body from going into starvation mode. Reduced calories will slow down the metabolism. Time Ferris explains in his book that moments of weakness can lead to cheating on a diet, but the 4HB plan accounts for this weakness.

So basically, you follow the rules 6 days a week, and on day 7, you get to go crazy.

The Rules

You can eat meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. Non-starchy vegetables are allowed. Fats are allowed. Legumes are in this diet, which differs from the popular weight loss diets like the keto and paleo diets.

Dairy is not allowed, except for cottage cheese and kefir. Lactose is a sugar; it will cause your blood sugar to rise.

Here is a summary of the rules

1. Complex carbohydrates (white starchy foods) are not allowed. Bread, rice, and crackers are a big NO. If you avoid complex carbohydrates, you will get results. These foods are often heavily processed and do not nourish the body.

2. Eat the same meals – this removed the guesswork. It sounds boring, but I got used to it. Quick results will inspire you to stick with it. Later, you can get creative with the recipes.

3. Do not drink calories! I had this problem. I splurged on a Mocha too often. During the 4HB plan, I switched to drinking black coffee instead. It made a difference. I found that drinking iced Americano made the transition a lot easier.

4. Do not eat fruit. This rule was not hard to follow because I don’t crave fruit. If this is something you miss, eat it on the cheat day.

5. Take one day off each week – This is the famous cheat day where you eat anything you want.

Exercise

Truthfully, the workout plan for the 4HB was appealing to me. After killing myself at the gym for hours and hours and getting no results, I was ready for a change. I bought a kettlebell and committed to the whole 4 hours of exercise a month. My exercise routine only took around 10 minutes in the morning.

My workout routine comprised of:

– kettlebells (I worked my way up to 100)

-the cat vomit workout. (Strange name, I know, but it helped flatten my belly)

– leg lifts

This exercise routine focused on getting maximum results with the minimum effort. I like exercising, but sometimes it is hard to find the time. I loved the targeted exercises. The only equipment you need is a kettlebell, and they are not that expensive. (I think mine was $25). There are other exercises in the book, but these were the ones I picked.

Other Tips

There are some tips from the book to help you succeed. I followed some of these tips, and I do think they helped.

Keep a Food Journal – I use a small notebook to keep track of everything I eat. The journal increased my accountability and allowed me to figure out obstacles to my progress. (I remember switching to black coffee increased progress).

Write down your cravings. If there was something I craved, I could write it down and forget about it, then reward myself on cheat day. It helped me to know I could have it later.

Take measurements to assess progress. Gaining muscle and losing fat might not register on a scale at first. Measuring is part of the process because it shows progress better than a scale.

The 4-Hour Body plan worked for me. I have adopted a way of eating similar to the slow-carb diet. If my pants get a little too tight, or I am unhappy with the way I look in a bikini, I get more strict with the low-carb style of eating. It has worked very well for me, and I am glad I read this book many years ago.

Many people follow multi-level marketing plans that promise weight loss. Many of them work, but the dietary changes, not the MLM shake or supplements, assist with weight loss. Once I understood the effect of blood sugar spikes on weight gain, I realized it would be easy to stay slim and healthy. I had no problem getting back to pre-pregnancy weight with both of my children, and it was effortless.

How do you stay fit and slim? What tricks can you share?