Foundations for a Slow Carb Diet

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone is following a “slow carb” diet?

Cracked open Tim Ferriss “4-Hour Body” book and looking to implement it.

Right now, I’m flipping the traditional breakfast (eggs, grains, toast, OJ, milk etc) and replacing it with proteins (egg whites), legumes (beans) and mixed veggies, and repeating the same meals over and over again.

Would love it if you were to share your thoughts on the slow carb diet.

Thanks!

Will

I’m just starting… if you haven’t already – join the challenge

I started on 12/15. Lost 3.6 pounds in two days (which I believe is due to water weight) then I gained back 1.4, so I am on my 6th day and have lost 2.2lbs.

I am also taking the PAAG regimen. Fingers crossed.

PS Does anyone know if there is a much longer “eat” or “dont eat” list out there? I am trying to figure out if the following are ok:
Almond milk, popcorn, stevia & certain cheeses. I’m sure I will come up with more, but these were the things in my kitchen that left me guessing.

I’ve been doing this program too and have lost a few pounds in the last week. Don’t get too tied up with Tim Ferris’ approach as this is really just another spin on low GI, Atkins, Low Carb, Paleo, etc… Basically stick to lean meats, whole veggies, and good fats. Watch out for processed carbs, sugar, and liquid calories.

“Lifting Heavy”:http://www.liftingheavy.com

I just started and I am wondering if lemon juice, olives and tomatoes are allowed.

@radgatewood

Actually I disagree – it’s not just a spin on these, but a combination of the factors that worked best for Tim and his test subjects. It’s not truly Paleo – too much consumption of legumes which in my paleo world (MDA) are off limits. It’s not typical low carb – again due to the unlimited amounts of beans and veggies, but is closest to this than other prior “diets”.

So far for me, this has had the best results over anything I’ve ever done, except for the nausea the AGG is causing and the nausea I get from overindulgence on binge days!

Cool to see more people using slow-carb. I just started 12 days ago, and lost 8 pounds so far. Taking the (P)AGG supplementsa, and abusing the kettlebell beside that.
mvtmniko: lemon juice by itself is OK, Tim Ferriiss uses it before meals. Tomatos are allowed, don’t know about olives though.

About Stevia: in the 4HB, Tim write that it’s bad for your gut, but he also writes it’s more effective for fat loss than other sweeteners.

So does anyone know about 0% fat greek yogurt??? I know he said no dairy with the exception of 2 tbsps cream with coffee and cottage cheese… Also, he mentions only eating 5-10 almonds because of the calories but he mentions they are a good source of magnesium!? Which is it, yea or nah?

Does anyone know if protein shakes and bars are ok. I would assume since they are low carb they would be but was not sure.

From what I read in the book so far: Greek yogurt is not ok. No dairy except a teaspoon of cream in your coffee and the cottage cheese is considered more of a protein than a dairy product in this diet. Almonds are ok but only 5-10 a day. I don’t think protein bars are ok but Tim’s father used a morning whey protein shake during his diet and was that was alright.

Just started today, going for 2 out of 3 meals to be slow carb until I feel I have the hang of things. Very excited, Tim’s book is a great read and has so much information! Good luck to everyone!

double post..argh.

Ok, so when Tim suggests eating unsweetened plain yogurt on page 111 where he is discussing “balancing bacteria for fat loss” don’t you guys think we can eat a small amount of plain unsweetened greek yogurt ???

As to the protein shakes, Tim mentions his dad had to add a shake in the morning to make sure he had enough protein shake to make sure he got enough protein in the 1 hour window after waking… So I agree they are ok, but not the bars.

Back to the almonds, on page 92 he said if you are traveling and had to eat a “bag” of raw almonds just make an effort not to eat no starch for the rest of your trave time. So what is a “bag?” Is that an ounce? What do you guys thing? Also, what is “the rest of your travel time?” Do you think he means that day? And if that meal he mentions would be ok (a “bag” of nut and a chicken salad) then why does he say only ever eat 5-10 almonds on page 98? ANDwhy the heck would 2 tablespoons of almond butter before bed of ok (page 88)???

pg 111 is under Damage Control when he is talking about binging. So it’s for the binge day, not the diet.

Pg 92, is if you are stuck with nothing to eat (within the means of the diet) so its in the event of not being able to be on the diet, buy a bag and eat some (probably more then 5-10) then don’t go starch for the rest of the day. On page 98, he is talking about chance overeating on the diet and he says a few almonds a day is (5-10) is fine on the diet.

The almond butter is in the rare case someone doesn’t eat enough protein and is hungry before bed. It’s not for everyday, if this happens, then you have the 2 tablespoons of almond butter then move on to eat more protein the next day. He definitely isn’t saying to eat almond butter every night before bed.

Ok, got it! : ) Thanks liha for breaking it down for me. What you said makes more sense. How are you doing 2 out of 3 meals? I am trying to get everything figured out and start stricktly as soon as I have a better understanding (and new food supplies.) Also, I will have trouble eating every 4 hours with my job. Working on figuring that out too…

Happy to help!

I am eating breakfast and lunch on the diet, and if I can I’ll do it for dinner too. I’ve resolved to start full force on January 1st, until then it’s trying out stuff and getting my bf used to the fact that I’ll be eating and most likely cooking like this for the next few months. Not to mention, I’ve still got holiday functions to do like last night, we were invited to Olive Garden. You seriously cannot eat on this diet at that restaurant! :)

I have trouble eating every 4 hours too. But again Tim says in the book that these times are approximate. You can probably go 5 with no issues, but don’t wait too long!

Hi everyone! I just started reading the 4HB this week. I immediately wanted to try this out. It seems easy to follow and not too much of a sacrifice to try out the diet for 30 days. So the list of foods is basic and I want to know if anyone knows of any good websites that have meal plans for all 6 days. Something I can repeatedly eat throughout the diet. Please share your meals with me. I will be starting the diet on Jan. 1 but so far I have been testing out meals to see what I can manage to eat all the time while on this diet.

Thanks in advance….ohh and here is a link to a book of recipes : Strictly SLOW Carb. It seems to fit with Tim’s food list.

http://robbwolf.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/…

So, liha (and everyone else), are you doing 2 “lunches” or just 3 meals a day?

I am only doing 3 meals. The reason. I get up at 5, drink a protein shake (mixed with water), workout, drink another protein shake right after, then head to work. I’ll eat breakfast and lunch at work, have dinner at 6 and I am in bed by 9:30. I sleep too much for 4 meals! ;)

Thanks @nona337am that was exactly what I was looking for, I’ve just started the diet today also, luckily I like refried beans, black beans etc.

I’m hoping as this diet gains popularity we’ll see more recipes, food lists etc.

That’s an awesome link nona337am!

I am going to cook up a batch of that turkey taco meat for my lunches next week!

I’ve been on the diet 3 days (not too long), but so far I have eggs and egg whites scrambled with tomato and spinach with a side of lentils or beans in the morning, followed by essentially a naked burrito at lunch (chicken or beef with lettuce, spinach, beans and/or lentils, tomato, salsa, and maybe avocado or other vegetable. For dinner I am mixing it up, last night I had a chicken burrito bowl made from leftover chicken rotisserie (having it again today for lunch), otherwise I have a protein with a side of veges and beans. I am definitely going to try out some of the recipes in link you provided.. thanks again!

liha, I also get up at 5 and am in bed by 9! I ate 3 eggs in the car on the way to the gym. Cottage cheese after workout at 7:30… Will have lunch at noon and then dinner about 5:30-6. I have no other room for more meals! We will see if this produces any results….

lija…thanks for your response. Something simple for breakfast is what I am looking to eat when I start next week. I’m going to try the eggs with tomato and spinach! Sounds delicious right?!

For lunch I want to stick with lentil soup. Its simple yet 1 cup can fill you up without leaving you hungry half an hour later. I might be bringing hard boiled eggs to work with me to pair with my lunches….extra protein never hurt nobody :D

Good luck everyone :)

Here is another site I want to share that I found surfing the web..its not for recipes but just another person like us sharing their experiences on this diet…

http://www.damondnollan.com/2010/12/tim-ferriss…#

I made the egg omelet muffins from that recipe book tonight (added it as a recipe here at DB too). Used turkey bacon, tomato, spinach and orange bell pepper with the 6 eggs it called for. I guess the person who submitted this recipe used HUGE muffin pans, the ones I used are smaller because I ended up with 12 muffins. They are delicious btw!!!

The first day I ate four meals but got a headache. Since then, I’ve only eaten three meals. I doubled the protein and now I’m just not hungry nor do I have the headache. If I need to in the future I’ll add the fourth meal.

I threw together a spinach salad for lunch today and was shocked that I really liked it.

2c. Spinach, Raw
1/2 of an Avocado
1/2c. Pinto Beans
1tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1tsp. Olive Oil

Quick, easy and tasty, too! The egg omelet muffins sound good, I’ll have to try them.

I have been on this diet for 11 days now and I am still net loss at 0lbs. been very strict on the diet he lists, doing the supplements.

So far the only things I can gather may be holding me back are
1) I am type 1 diabetic – my blood sugars are in better control than ever on this diet, but it still may be holding me back from weight loss
2) Wine or a small snack (one hard boiled egg) too close to the time i hop in bed – he mentioned 2 hours i believe and i was less than that
3) Drinking several Sobe Lifewater and/or Vitaminwater zero per day. Neither use aspartame or splenda, but both have sweeteners that i am not familiar with. I need something besides regular water and i am not a fan of regular water with a squeeze of lime or lemon in it.

Non of those I would think would really keep me grounded, but I am still at net 0. I think I lost 1lb of fat.

The other interesting thing was that i gained only 0.5 lbs on my binge day, where as it seems like many folks are gaining 3 or so then losing it back.