The idea behind the 4 Hour Body, and one of the reasons why it’s become so popular, is that Tim Ferriss claims it can take as little as four hours per month to achieve your physical and diet aims. This might sound too good to be true, but Tim has helped identify some of the smallest changes that help gain the biggest results.
One of the major differences from other diet programmes is that the 4 Hour Body doesn’t just focus on diet and weight loss – it also highlights other physical and health benefits that can be gained by applying the principles.
For example, learning the concepts of the 4 Hour Body could help you to lose 2% of body fat in two weeks, sleep two hours per day (instead of eight) and feel fully rested, increase your running ability from five kilometres to 50 kilometres in 12 weeks and even improve your sex life and double your sperm count!
So what exactly does the diet involve?
The 4 Hour diet part of the programme is based on what Ferriss calls a ‘slow carb diet.’
You can eat – proteins, legumes and vegetables.
You can’t eat – fruit, bread, nuts, oats or any starches (these are what are referred to as ‘domino foods’).
In order to get a balanced diet on the slow carb 4 hour diet, you need to ensure you have at least 20g of protein with each meal, such as from meat or fish.
If you’ve ever followed a diet before, especially a relatively strict one, you’ll know only too well how hard it is to be strict all the time. Well, the interesting aspect of the 4 Hour Body diet is that you have to binge one day each week!
Yes, you read that right. Ferriss prescribes a strict programmed bingeing cheat day once per week, where dieters are allowed to go wild. The theory with this is that it helps to reset insulin sensitivity and, I guess, get all those mad food cravings out of your system. It could also help spur you on and keep you motivated the rest of the week, as you know you can go mad and have your favourite ‘naughty’ foods once in the week.
The PAGG Stack
In addition to the diet, where Tim says weight loss can be achieved through healthy eating alone, he’s also identified something called the PAGG stack. These are specially chosen dietary supplements that have been identified as helping to achieve sustained fat loss.
There are 4 supplements in the PAGG Stack. They’re each already recognised to have fat loss or cholesterol-altering effects and, when put together, are said to have a positive effect on fat loss. The 4 natural components of the PAGG Stack formula are:
Poliocosanol: 20-25mg
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA): 100-300mg
Green tea flavanols, decaffeinated: 325mg
Garlic extract: 200mg
The recommendation is that the AGG part of the PAGG Stack supplements (Alpha-lipoic acid, green tea flavanols and garlic extract) is best taken four times per day before eating breakfast, lunch, dinner and before going to bed, and the Policosanol once a day before bed.
Some experts also suggest that you should add 100mcg of Biotin, a vitamin B complex, into the mix, as it helps reduce blood glucose levels and is important when taking ALA.
Tim also recommends the supplement Cissus Quadrangularis during cheat days, as it may help act as damage control, and suggests that everyone should take at least one week off the whole regime every two months.
The Verdict: The slow carb 4 Hour Body diet has similarities with diets such as the Zone and the South Beach diet, but has some other new ideas added, such as the weekly day of programmed bingeing. Unlike some diets, the programme covers more than just eating and also looks at ways of improving your sleep and other health aspects, which is a nice addition.
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