As you can see from the other posts in this series, I’m basically changing my lifestyle to match that of the Tim Ferriss 4 hour body diet (reviewed here). I’ve made one minor modification to the diet, the addition of slightly more fruit than Tim recommends, but I’m sticking pretty close to it otherwise. I’m finding the diet to be difficult in some ways but easy in others and I thought I’d detail them here for those people who are thinking about this as a permanent life style.
The Easy
- I’m never hungry – I actually found this surprising initially. If you look at my first few weeks on this diet, I was consuming way fewer calories than normal. Almost half as much. I would have expected constant feelings of hunger on such a restricted diet but those never materialized. Instead I feel full and satisfied all day. I believe this is due to the low carbs and high protein nature of the diet. Whatever the case is, I’m not hungry and I don’t feel like I’m counting calories.
- I’m finding plenty of healthy food options – This isn’t one of those diets where you can only eat one type of food and you’re always struggling to find options at restaurants. Yes, the no fast carbs restriction feel rough at first but you quickly figure out ways to compensate. The only time I’ve ever found myself at a loss as to what to order is at an Italian restaurant that didn’t even have good salads.
- I’m still eating with a conscience - It’s important to me that my food be just as good for the planet as it is for me. When I first started this new lifestyle, I was a bit scared by the protein heavy nature of it. I figured I’d be factory farming’s #1 supporter. However, I’ve found numerous ways to compensate and I now think my eating is perfectly aligned with my environmental goals.
- The diet works with my lifestyle – My friends and family have never had to change their ways to accommodate me. There’s never been a case where I say “sorry, I can’t do that”. Actually, I suppose I have told my wife once that I couldn’t go for frozen yogurt but that’s rare. For the most part, this diet is perfectly compatible with an active, social and busy lifestyle.
- The diet isn’t breaking my bank – Tim mentions in his book that you sometimes need to spend a few extra dollars, and I suppose if you were previously eating taco bell and McDonald’s that might be true. However, I was already making healthy choices before and so my costs haven’t changed.
- I’m still enjoying eating – I think this is the most important aspect for me. I love eating. I love the social aspect of it but I also just love the eating itself. I enjoy food and I don’t want to live a lifestyle that would force me to lose that. Well, I’m still enjoying food on this diet and I don’t feel like my life has lost anything.
The Hard
There’s really not much that’s hard but here goes:
- Avoiding temptation – There are carbs EVERYWHERE! Family events, on the job, at the movies, where ever you go, there they are. It’s hard to avoid them and, once you eat one, it’s almost impossible to stop. My new rule is “just don’t start” and that seems to be working well for me.
- Sluggish cheat days – I eat so much on my cheat days that I feel a little sluggish afterwards. My wife has commented on the fact that I’m a little less fun than I used to be on Saturdays because I eat so much. That’s something I’m planning to address by eating a bit less and making making my one mega cheat day into two smaller ones. Yes, I might lose weight slower that way but it’s worth it for more quality time with Julie
