The 4-Hour Body

Ooh yeah, that is one side effect of a 'hog wild' cheat day! When I was doing Atkins I'd give myself a once a month cheat, and I'd eat all the things I'd missed the rest of the month. The day after... my tummy was soooo unhappy. :p

Now I tend to do the 'refeed' where I'll have more and higher GI carbs periodically, but it's not in such huge quantities and it's not so infrequent that my body gives me a WTF did you just give me!?!?

I've been working my 'treats' in small quantities throughout the week - which does have the drawback that I can slowly and without noticing it start increasing the frequency at which I say "Oh, well just today I'll have..." Which is fine once or twice a week, but 5 days a week... I'm just kidding myself ;)
 
Melancholy said:
It's been 3 weeks since I started doing this 4HB in place of my South Beach Diet I was doing (the main diet is VERY similar)... and this last weekend was rough. At first, I really liked the "cheat" day, but after 3 weeks now, I am beginning to dislike it more and more. There are a couple of things wrong with it:

1. It ruins any semblance of "moderation"... he tells you to eat however much, of whatever you want... I have been doing this. But what it causes (me at least) to do is just literally pig out on foods that I don't even eat normally.. it's almost like once I start gorging, I feel obligated to eat anything and everything... This is not healthy. It's okay to have a cookie every now and then, but it's not okay to have 20 cookies on one day, because it's a "cheat day" haha...

2. Makes me feel crappy...this is not just mental... from pigging out, I LITERALLY feel crappy... my GI tract is all messed up. I get a headache, my running routine suffers.. it's crazy. It's almost like bing hung-over, but with food...

3. At least for me, it makes me crave that junk-food more. I have been on the South Beach diet for 5 months now prior to 4HB, and after a couple of months on SB, I didn't have cravings to go eat sweets and cookies... now that I have been doing 4HB for a few weeks, they have come back... why? because I am eating more than I ever did, even before my diet. Now when Monday comes around (the day after my cheat day)... I find myself thinking about the treats, and savory, fattening foods moe.

My conclusion, is that it's not a great diet for a person that is like me. Since Tim Ferris used a population of 1 (himself) to draw conclusions, I am going to do the same (me). I think if you have great self-control, then this diet is fine... if you are like me, prone to going overboard when eating foods that taste good, and are fatty... this diet makes actually dieting harder. I was doing great on SB, and still am doing okay on 4HB, but it's more of a mental battle now then it was before.

I am going to give it another week, for one month total, and see where my weight is. I have lost a couple of pounds, but I was already losing weight, and now it's taking more effort!
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One thing I've learned that for myself, either eating a slow-carb breakfast on my cheat day helps lower my cravings a LOT. I practically have to force myself to eat junk on those days when I do this. If I start out the day eating crap, it increases my cravings all day substantially. Having just one cheat meal versus a whole cheat day helps me as well. Try that out and see what happens.
 
I think this just boils down to one of the individual variations. There are a lot of people - a LOT - who do really well on the "Eat as much as you want, just do X". But it's not for everyone. Especially people with seemingly unlimited stomachs and appetites. Not that I could utterly destroy a buffet... Mmmm, Indian buffet...

I imagine Melancholy could try altering the 4HB for his specific circumstances, but it seems to go against the point of the 'eat as much of whatever you want' on the day off purpose of the diet if you're doing things to... well, make sure you don't eat as much of whatever you want ;) SB (at least today's SB!) isn't all that different from 4HB anyway, so if it's easier to maintain...
 
hey guys, I have been on this diet for 4 weeks already and still haven't really lost anything. Only lost 5lbs the first week...now nothing =( its quite disappointing. I really was hoping this would work for me. im still going to finish it for the next two weeks. Might even try it for another 6 weeks since my bf is. hes seeing better results. he used to be a size 36 in jeans and now hes at size 32. =( Waaah...I really wanted to lose fat.

its also a possibility that was I was sick last week with bronchitis. i hardly ate. just liquids, like soup. Also I am suppose to be starting my cycle sometime soon in the next few days so its also a possibilty why the scale is not moving. I also bought a new scale. It measures body fat %, weight and water.

hope i see results in the next two weeks... =( glad everyone else is though!
 
BiancaV88 said:
hey guys, I have been on this diet for 4 weeks already and still haven't really lost anything. Only lost 5lbs the first week...now nothing =( its quite disappointing. I really was hoping this would work for me. im still going to finish it for the next two weeks. Might even try it for another 6 weeks since my bf is. hes seeing better results. he used to be a size 36 in jeans and now hes at size 32. =( Waaah...I really wanted to lose fat.

its also a possibility that was I was sick last week with bronchitis. i hardly ate. just liquids, like soup. Also I am suppose to be starting my cycle sometime soon in the next few days so its also a possibilty why the scale is not moving. I also bought a new scale. It measures body fat %, weight and water.

hope i see results in the next two weeks... =( glad everyone else is though!
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Hey there, I had similar results to you the first month (I lost 5 pounds the first week, then nothing for two weeks) but the next two weeks were "hormonal cycle" weeks for me, so I figured that maybe I was a little bloated or something. The week after my period ended I lost 3 pounds, and since then I've been losing 1 or 2 pounds a week. Right now I am down 11 pounds after one month on the diet, but the weight loss has definitely slowed to only a pound or two per week.

I have been losing inches pretty rapidly though - since my last check-in last week I lost 2 pounds and another 2.5 inches off my body. Since last month I went from size 10 jeans to size 6 or 8 depending on the designer, and I'm only 8 pounds from my goal weight, so I think that I'm just going to stick with it a few more weeks until I hopefully reach my goal weight.

It may also be that my weight loss slowed because I am a "healthy weight," BMI 23, but I'm trying to get slimmer, to a size 4 or 6. So, since I don't "need" to lose weight, I'm hoping the slow-carbing will help get rid of that last few pounds ...

I have added the occasional piece of fruit during the week because I just missed it too much, but otherwise I've been keeping to the diet pretty well. The last two weeks I didn't even gain any pounds back after my cheat day - I guess that it really is boosting my metabolism ...
 
Just started the diet and tomorrow will only be my 4th day, so I don't have a lot of feedback right now. It is interesting reading other people's experience with it.
 
I don't have a lot of feedback right now. It is interesting reading other people's experience with it.
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So I did over a month of this diet.. and I can say... blah.

I was on South Beach (SB) for 5 months before being on 4HB for a month, and I can attest that the eating portion of SB is much, much more conducive of a lifestyle change, and 4HB is not.

With SB, I was able to learn how to eat at restaurants, but using the principals of the diet. Now, I am sure this is possible on 4HB because the diet days of 4HB are basically Low GI, which is what SB is.

Big problem; the cheat day. So I can eat a TON of food. I freakin' love food, and I think I was eating about 5000 calories on my cheat day (this is not an exageration)...

According to livestrong.com. I need to eat 1580 calories net in order to lose 1.5 pounds/ week. 1.5 pounds is 5250 calories/ week I need to be in deficit. I work out daily, so a 1580 calorie net is not that difficult, because you take calories consumed - calories burned, so I actually consume about 2200 calories/ day to reach this deficit. I have a daily calorie deficit of 750 calories (in order to have 5250 as my weekly deficit), and eating 5000 calories in one day, wipes out 4-5 days worth of dieting... what the hell... that is NOT worth it to me.

Now... who I think this diet with work for: People that are eating about 3500 calories/ day right now unknowingly. I believe if THIS type of person starts eating "slow carb", they can reduce their calorie intake by several thousand/ week, and then the cheat day is kind of moot. Someone that is at my stage, I don't feel will benefit much at all.

Sorry Tim Ferris... diet fail :p

PS - I started this diet at 170 pounds, and ended the diet at 173 (last Friday was the last day). As of today (back on SB), I am 169
 
Melancholy said:
So I did over a month of this diet.. and I can say... blah.

I was on South Beach (SB) for 5 months before being on 4HB for a month, and I can attest that the eating portion of SB is much, much more conducive of a lifestyle change, and 4HB is not.

With SB, I was able to learn how to eat at restaurants, but using the principals of the diet. Now, I am sure this is possible on 4HB because the diet days of 4HB are basically Low GI, which is what SB is.

Big problem; the cheat day. So I can eat a TON of food. I freakin' love food, and I think I was eating about 5000 calories on my cheat day (this is not an exageration)...

According to livestrong.com. I need to eat 1580 calories net in order to lose 1.5 pounds/ week. 1.5 pounds is 5250 calories/ week I need to be in deficit. I work out daily, so a 1580 calorie net is not that difficult, because you take calories consumed - calories burned, so I actually consume about 2200 calories/ day to reach this deficit. I have a daily calorie deficit of 750 calories (in order to have 5250 as my weekly deficit), and eating 5000 calories in one day, wipes out 4-5 days worth of dieting... what the hell... that is NOT worth it to me.

Now... who I think this diet with work for: People that are eating about 3500 calories/ day right now unknowingly. I believe if THIS type of person starts eating "slow carb", they can reduce their calorie intake by several thousand/ week, and then the cheat day is kind of moot. Someone that is at my stage, I don't feel will benefit much at all.

Sorry Tim Ferris... diet fail :p

PS - I started this diet at 170 pounds, and ended the diet at 173 (last Friday was the last day). As of today (back on SB), I am 169
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Thats so crazy how you went lower on the SB.

I once did the SB diet but I couldn't handle it because I never knew what to do right. At the time I was 18, at college so it seemed all the good food I needed was expensive. I think I lost a good 10lbs.

I am still doing the slow carb. My bf is having great success with it. he doesnt go all out on the cheat day though. he eats like normal, with breads and fruits. Since I like food, I want chinese, pizza, whatever I can get. my dr told me to eat 2000 calories a day, then i work out and i am not sure how much I burn. Its kind of hard for me to count that but on my cheat days I would like to eat at least 3000 calories just to spike it up only a little bit. Plus, I work out everyday. I am not sure how much I burn, wah. Wish I knew. my pedometer doesn't work correctly. its a shame, I paid 30 bucks on that thing lol.

Sorry it didnt work out! but at least you know this isnt a lifestyle diet. its more of a crash or beat that plateau kinda thing. wish their was a maintainence plan with it.
 
BiancaV88 said:
Thats so crazy how you went lower on the SB.

I once did the SB diet but I couldn't handle it because I never knew what to do right. At the time I was 18, at college so it seemed all the good food I needed was expensive. I think I lost a good 10lbs.

I am still doing the slow carb. My bf is having great success with it. he doesnt go all out on the cheat day though. he eats like normal, with breads and fruits. Since I like food, I want chinese, pizza, whatever I can get. my dr told me to eat 2000 calories a day, then i work out and i am not sure how much I burn. Its kind of hard for me to count that but on my cheat days I would like to eat at least 3000 calories just to spike it up only a little bit. Plus, I work out everyday. I am not sure how much I burn, wah. Wish I knew. my pedometer doesn't work correctly. its a shame, I paid 30 bucks on that thing lol.

Sorry it didnt work out! but at least you know this isnt a lifestyle diet. its more of a crash or beat that plateau kinda thing. wish their was a maintainence plan with it.
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Yeah, any kind of fresh-food diet like SB or dean ornish, etc. is expensive... hell, eating healthy is freakin' expensive! :sifone: caulliflower is 4+ bucks/ each, chicken (good chicken) is $4/ pound... I spend a lot on spices, etc. but I have lost over 55 pounds now (haven't updated my ticker yet).

If you want to get an accurate calorie measurement, buy a Polar or Timex Heart rate monitor (HRM).. they can be as little as 69 bucks, or as much as 250 (includes GPS for running mileage)... They are WELL worth it. I get a great calorie estimate for the runs I do, and use that on livestrong.com to input my workout. It allows me to know how many calories I have left to maintain the weight I am at... great system.
 
Melancholy said:
Yeah, any kind of fresh-food diet like SB or dean ornish, etc. is expensive... hell, eating healthy is freakin' expensive! :sifone: caulliflower is 4+ bucks/ each, chicken (good chicken) is $4/ pound... I spend a lot on spices, etc. but I have lost over 55 pounds now (haven't updated my ticker yet).

If you want to get an accurate calorie measurement, buy a Polar or Timex Heart rate monitor (HRM).. they can be as little as 69 bucks, or as much as 250 (includes GPS for running mileage)... They are WELL worth it. I get a great calorie estimate for the runs I do, and use that on livestrong.com to input my workout. It allows me to know how many calories I have left to maintain the weight I am at... great system.
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So if I eat 2000 a day and say I burn 600 calories a day, that means 1400 is left to my body? I get confused on calories sometimes. I just count what I eat and workout really.
 
Yes (your math). Basically (very basically)... if you consume 2000 calories, and burn 600 calories, then for all intensive purposes, you can assume that there are 1400 net calories for the day that your body has to work with. *Note - there are many other factors that contribute to calories used, but this is a 'safe' way to estimate calories. :)
 
HeidiS said:
Seeing all these mysterious new members posting only in this thread makes me pretty adamant to steer anyone I hear talking about this diet away from it.

Not that I wouldn't have anyway, though.
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Actually, the diets not so bad. I noticed some changes within the first 3 weeks.

I get bad breakouts often. especially around my cycle. my face is extremely clear and during my cycle this month, not one break out.

also, i dont feel bloated. I used to feel bloated a lot, especially after food.

and excuse the TMI but, no gas. even with the amount of beans i eat!

I feel pretty healthy. I try to eat more beans and less meat, and more fish like tuna.

and i drink 160oz of water daily.

after im done with this, ill keep eating like this but moderately add grains and fruit =)
 
I'm in the 7th day of the diet and weighed in at 221.4 lbs this morning. Last Sunday it was 227.8, so that is a difference of 6.4lbs. As I mentioned in my diary, a lot of that might be water. I will be weighing in again next saturday at the same time and post the results in this thread.
 
Melancholy said:
Yes (your math). Basically (very basically)... if you consume 2000 calories, and burn 600 calories, then for all intensive purposes, you can assume that there are 1400 net calories for the day that your body has to work with. *Note - there are many other factors that contribute to calories used, but this is a 'safe' way to estimate calories. :)
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hey i want to thank you for your advice. I bought a timex T5G971 that was on sale for 38 dollars off amazon. I was reviewing a lot the past couple of days and even though a lot of the people said that the calorie counter was off, I figured I would record my heart rate and use the calculators with formulas to figure out how many calories I burned with that heart rate. Thanks a lot! it will really help me and keep me on track.

havent weighed myself yet. still on the cycle. I will wait till next week to see whats the results. todays my cheat day....had pancakes! WOOT lol
 
oh also, my only concern with the monitor is a chest strap. my chest size is 48. it says it fits to a 53 but i heard people thought it was snug...we shall see!
 
haha... pancakes... mmmm, I freakin' love breakfast like that!

I think you will be fine. It's an acquired thing to get used to. When I got mine, I had to get used to the tightness (it needs to be snug in order to get an accurate heart rate. Since I am a dude, I never had something around my chest, but after having it on for a week, I got used to it. I actually love my HRM. It really keeps me motivated. It tracks the time, and calories burned. So if I feel like i slacked on my walk, I look at the calories and do another 20 minutes to get up to 1000 calories or so. It's been a great help! Congrats, I think once you get used to having it, it will become a staple of your weight loss :)

-mellon
 
Breakfast
Calories Fat Carbohydrates Protein
Cheddar Cheese, 2.3 oz 263 22 1 16
Scrambled Egg, 1 large 70 7 1 7
Pancakes, 2 pancake (6" dia) 299 4 57 8
Reduced Calorie Pancake Syrup, 2.2 tbsp 54 0 15 0
Butter, salted, 2 pat (1" sq, 1/3" high) 72 8 0 0
Banana, fresh, 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long) 109 1 28 1
Meal Totals 866 42 101 32
Lunch
Calories Fat Carbohydrates Protein
Bread, italian, 5 slice, small (3-1/4" x 2-1/2" x 1/2") 136 2 25 4
Chocolate Mousse Pie, 3.2 oz 236 14 27 3
Bob Evans, Grilled Vegetables, 1 serving 149 11 12 3
Chicken breast filet, 4.8 oz 180 4 2 30
Butter, salted, 0.25 stick 203 23 0 0
Goat Cheese, Soft, 2.5 oz 190 15 1 13
Olive Oil, 3 tbsp 358 41 0 0
Ken's Steak House, Creamy Parmesan with Cracked Peppercorn Salad Dressing, 2 Tbsp, 1 serving 120 13 2 0
Godiva Chocolate Truffle (2 piece), 4 serving 880 52 96 12
Emerald deluxe mixed nuts, 3 serving 510 48 18 15
Meal Totals 2,962 222 183 81
Dinner
Calories Fat Carbohydrates Protein
Apple pie crumb a la mode, 3 serving 2,310 93 351 18
Coleslaw, home-prepared, 1.2 cup 99 4 18 2
Wendy's Large Chili, 1 serving 330 10 32 28
All Whites, 0.5 cup 60 0 2 12
Coconut oil, 1 tbsp 126 14 0 0
Cheddar Cheese, 1 oz 114 9 0 7
Meal Totals 3,040 130 403 67
Snack
Calories Fat Carbohydrates Protein
None
Daily Totals 6,867 394 687 180
Daily Goal 1610 - 1960 41 - 72 209 - 302 60 - 163
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This is what I ate today. Obviously this is my cheat day. Been on slo carb diet per The 4 Hour Body for 8 weeks now. Have come from 190 to 163. So for what it's worth it works for me.
 
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