Tim Ferriss wrote "The 4-Hour Body" after experimenting with his own body for more than a decade. "The 4-Hour Body" is more than a diet plan -- it promises to teach you how to lose 300 percent more body fat using ice, how to feel fully rested after only two hours of sleep and how to produce a 15-minute female orgasm. Based on the principles of "slow-carb" dieting and the idea that small changes can yield big results, "The 4-Hour Body" claims you can lose 20 pounds in 30 days. Don't take the title too literally -- "4 hours" is Ferriss' metaphor for doing the least amount of work to get the best results.
About Time Ferriss
Tim Ferriss, author of "The 4-Hour Work Week" wrote "The 4-Hour Body" after using himself as a diet industry guinea pig for 15 years. Mr. Ferriss is a kickboxing champion, an MTV breakdancer and holds a Guinness World Record in tango. He is a New York Times bestelling author and has spoken at Harvard Business School, Princeton University, The Wharton School, Google, Paypal and Facebook. Although Mr. Ferriss has a BA from Princeton, where he studied neuroscience and East Asian studies, he is not a doctor, dietitian or nutritionist. Much of the "evidence" presented in his book is based on personal experience, rather than scientific fact.
The Slow Carb Diet
Slow-carb eating follows four basic rules: Avoid white carbohydrates, avoid all fruit, don't drink your calories and eat the same few meals over and over again -- it's designed to be boring. Acceptable foods should be prepared simply, and come from three main categories -- protein, legumes and vegetables. Slow-carb eating is high-protein eating. Meals are carefully spaced throughout the day and you can eat as much as you want during meals, but snacking between meals is discouraged. One day a week is your "cheat day" -- the sky's the limit -- and you can eat as much as you want of any food you'd like, including sugar, fat and salty snacks. According to Mr. Ferriss, pigging out makes the diet sustainable. You can be strict for six days, if you know that on the seventh you can eat an entire pizza.
Ice Therapy
According to Mr. Ferriss, extremely cold temperatures can trigger hormones useful for fat loss. By using ice packs on your upper back and chest for 30 minutes, you can activate these fat burning hormones. You can even use the ice packs while sitting and watching TV.
According to Dr. Oz, there may be some truth to this idea. When your body is cold, your metabolism speeds up to to keep you warm and your body will use more energy performing simple tasks. More energy used equates to more calories burned. "The 4-Hour Body" plan calls for ice packs and cold showers.
Other Tips
"The 4-Hour Body" is a high-protein diet; it's suggested you eat at least 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up to jump-start your metabolism for the day. Each meal you eat should contain at least 20 g of protein, which will help keep you feeling satisfied and provide calories. There are no grains and little-to-no dairy allowed on this diet, so you'll need to get your nutrients from vegetables, legumes and animal protein. It's important to drink lots of water. Also, the use of artificial sweeteners is discouraged.
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