The 4 Hour Body – Introduction
This 4-Hour Body summary is based on the Kindle edition I purchased back in 2013.
At the time, I was about a year into maintaining a 75-pound weight loss after my own Harajuku moment (explained below), and I was curious to explore Tim’s fat-loss method.
Of course, the book itself goes much deeper—and it’s a great read—but my goal here is to give you a quick, practical overview.
Throughout the article, I’ve added personal notes in italics, especially where I tested Tim’s suggestions and still follow some of them years later.
If you’re ready to take action to get leaner and stronger, this summary can serve as an excellent starting template.
Note: Please consult a medical professional before starting any new diet or training program.
The Slow-Carb Diet
The slow-carb diet is most widely known as the diet from the book The 4-hour body by Tim Ferriss.
The 4-hour body diet emphasizes low carb intake and has strict rules on what you are allowed to eat.
You are allowed to eat only certain groups of food.
Carbs are limited, and only slow carbs in smaller amounts are allowed.
Sugary food, drinks, and fruits are forbidden.
In the book, the emphasis isn’t put only on dieting and the types of food you should eat.
The author also talks about how to keep yourself motivated and achieve long-term results.
Ferriss takes a unique approach to fat loss by combining science, experimentation, and unorthodox methods into a single plan.
I found that avoiding highly processed foods, which includes most sugary foods, is one pillar of my 5-step plan to drop 20lbs in 3 months, meaning to eat real food.
Once you begin eating real food, and for myself, that includes whole fruit for snacks (not fruit juices—it’s processed, right?), primarily blueberries, raspberries, and apples, which are low on the glycemic-index, you will likely experience excellent weight loss results.
Slow Carb Diet Benefits
There are numerous benefits of a slow-carb diet.
First, it is an effective way to lose weight.
If your goal is to reduce body fat, the slow carb diet can be a great tool to achieve rapid fat-loss with the least amount of effort compared to many traditional plans.
Most diets are physically and emotionally exhausting.
A slow carb diet will make you feel full, increase your energy levels, and make you feel better.
This makes this diet sustainable for a longer period, which is key for rapid weight loss and long-term results.
Allowed Foods
You are allowed to eat only certain groups of food.
The allowed foods are lean proteins, non-starchy vegetables, legumes, fats, and spices—whole foods that support energy, satiety, and fat loss.
In other words, you are allowed to eat any whole food, except fruits and grains.
This includes meat, fish, eggs, nuts, olive oil, all vegetables, butter, even small amounts of wine.
You can have up to two glasses of red wine per day.
Avoid these foods
1. White carbs
White carbohydrates are carbs with a high glycemic index that quickly raise sugar levels in the blood.
They give only a quick burst of energy, after which insulin levels quickly drop.
This means they will make you feel hungry afterward, making you vulnerable to overeating and excess calorie intake.
White carbs include bread, rice, cereal, potatoes, pasta, etc.
2. Fruits
Although fruits contain minerals and vitamins which are healthy for your body, they contain a lot of sugar.
Fruits contain a sugar called fructose which can slow down your weight loss.
So, there are better ways to add vitamins and minerals into your diet.
Vegetables are a much better choice.
In addition to fruits, any sugary soft drinks and even fruit juices should be avoided due to their high sugar content and effect on blood sugar.
They contain high levels of sugar, which can set back your weight loss progress.
Vegetables are the elephant in the room that you, like myself, likely grew up paying no attention to them.
To me, a slice of tomato on a bagel and lox sandwich smeared with cream cheese was my idea of a vegetable.
Or, even worse, those perfectly cut carrot cubes and peas that you might have had in a Swanson’s chicken pot pie or any other frozen dinner.
I had so many frozen dinners in my childhood that I thought those carrots, peas and mashed potatoes grew in the aluminum foil!
Start having hearty servings of powerful vegetables like broccoli, spinach, okra, eggplant, asparagus and bitter melon (never tried it? it is time!) with your meals and watch your waistline start to shrink!
3. Dairy products
Even though dairy products don’t have a high glycemic index, they can still cause a sudden rise in insulin levels, which can slow your weight loss progress.
Therefore, it’s best to avoid dairy products.
This even includes soy milk since soy milk often contains added sugar.
However, out of the dairy products, only cottage cheese is allowed.
4. Fried Foods
Fried foods are poor in nutritional value but are high in calories.
This makes them a bad choice if you are trying to improve your health and lose weight.
Meal planning Rules & Tips
1. Keep It Simple
Although the food you are allowed to eat is pretty strict, a slow carb diet has simple rules to follow.
You can eat as much as you like.
There is no need to monitor caloric intake.
However, it would be best if you made meal plans.
This will ensure you stick to your diet, and there will be less room for error.
Having a meal plan can literally change your body and life.
I realized back in 2012, that besides never eating vegetables, and only eating processed foods (mostly at night!), I had most of my calories from dinner and on, even past midnight.
Whatever your weight in pounds is today, just multiply it by 10, and that is the minimum amount of calories your body is expecting to maintain your functioning.
So, if you don’t eat all day, and let’s say you are 200 pounds and 5’9″, (and not an professional athlete or muscular), you are likely in the overweight category, nearly obese at a BMI of 29.5.
You cannot starve all day and expect to trim down, because by night time, your body will kick in with a vengeance and demand more food, at least 2000 calories worth.
And that is why you cannot put those chips, pretzels, and ice cream down!
That’s a true recipe for weight gain disaster, and was my lifestyle for many years, till I started a simple meal plan, such as:
- 8 am – Breakfast
- Noon – Lunch
- 3 pm – Snack
- 7 pm – Dinner
Remember, consistency is crucial.
Do not attempt to lose more than 2 pounds weekly—slow and steady wins the race.
Even losing one pound a week is a great success!
See How to Lose 20 Pounds in 3 Months (Without Suffering) for more details.
2. TRY THE 30 30 RULE
Within the first hour of the day, for breakfast, eat at least 30 grams of protein.
This will longer make you feel full and stop you from afternoon cravings and unnecessary overeating.
For example, the author’s father had great success with this rule in his weight loss journey.
It could be effective for you as well.
3. Limit Calorie Dense Food
Even though foods like nuts are allowed, they are calorie-dense.
This means it is easy to intake excess amounts of calories with even small amounts of these foods.
This means you should be careful how much you consume.
It’s easy to overdo.
4. Eat Slowly
This will help you not to overeat.
Cheat day
The cheat day has two roles.
First, it serves as a way to ease the mental pressure of being on a strict diet.
It allows you to eat anything you want and as much as you want.
This makes staying disciplined easier.
Second, the cheat day can make your weight loss more successful.
It can increase your metabolic rate, which will postpone your weight gain and help you lose weight.
The Minimum Effective Dose
The minimum effective dose, or shortly MED, is the smallest dose to produce the outcome you want.
Anything beyond that can be considered wasteful.
This concept can be translated into weight loss, too.
The minimum effective dose is about doing just enough to get the desired outcome—whether that’s dropping fat, building muscle, or improving health—without unnecessary effort.
This means choosing a diet that will trigger the cascade of specific hormones responsible for successful weight loss.
You don’t need any other extra work.
The same goes if you want to trigger muscle growth.
Do the least necessary that will trigger muscle and hormonal growth mechanics.
The minimum effective dose is one of my favorite strategies recommended by The 4-Hour Body.
I’ve used it even before reading this book, mainly because I could not do too much exercise when I was much heavier.
I settled on for example, 20 minute high intensity interval walks a few times a week, instead of hour long strolls every day.
Working lower body with deadlifts or squats, once or twice a week.
As well as upper body strength training once or twice a week.
If you really want to minimize even further, for quite a few years I only did deadlifts (for your posterior chain – back half of your body), and pushups (for the front half – anterior chain).
See my article – Minimalist Strength Training: More Muscle – Less Time for more details.
Russian kettlebell swings
In The 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferriss tells the story of Tracy Reifkind.
Tracy was a mother of two who lost more than 100 pounds with the help of only one exercise – the Russian kettlebell swing.
It’s a compound movement that targets multiple muscle groups, making it highly effective for fat loss and strength in a short session.
She did kettlebell swings twice a week for no more than 35 minutes.
What makes the Russian kettlebell swing so great is that it is a total body exercise.
It emphasizes the posterior chain muscles – your hamstrings, glutes, and back.
At the same time, it is a great cardio exercise too.
It will get your heart rate up and help you burn more calories while also helping you build muscle.
Cold showers
Tim Ferriss recommends doing cold showers or ice baths twice a day.
One in the morning and once before bedtime.
Cold showers can help you improve your testosterone levels, sex life and improve sleep.
Harajuku moment
The Harajuku moment is a concept that represents the moment in life when you decide to drastically change your life.
Tim Ferriss shares the story of Chad Fowler, who lost over 70 pounds in less than a year.
The Harajuku moment represents the point in your life where you decide that you need to change something.
You get so emotionally triggered to the point where staying the same is more painful than doing what is necessary.
Even though taking action seems hard, not doing anything is more painful.
This gives you the internal motivation to ensure you stick to your goals and do the necessary work.
The strong enough “why” is always more powerful than any obstacles that get in your way.
Tim Ferris also gives you tips on how to stay motivated.
He recommends using some kind of external pressure to get things done.
This can be something like a bet with a friend, rewarding yourself after completing a goal, creating a deadline for a specific goal—anything to keep motivated and on the right track.
My Harajuku Moment
One summer evening, after a day of bagels, cookies, pizza, root beer, and more—even as I stood in front of a deli still craving a blueberry muffin—I realized I had to change.
When the sandwich guy pointed out that my shoelaces weren’t tied, and I looked down, and I couldn’t even see my feet, I finally saw how out of control things were.
I’d tried every diet—but remained confused since the diet doctors debated over meat, dairy, grains, juices—but I realized no one argued whether vegetables were bad.
Surely everyone could agree they’re good?
So, shortly after midnight, June 21, 2012, I decided to focus on (what some would call clean eating today), real food—starting with vegetables—and set a reward: a new suit that would actually fit without alterations (like letting out the waist).
When I asked the chef at Cafe Tudor to replace my usual bagel-and-cheese breakfast with eggs and everything green he had—avocado, hummus, olives, capers—he asked what to call it.
I said, “Call it Hashi Mashi.”
Six months later, due to clean eating and strength training, I was 75 pounds lighter.
Vegetables were no longer side dishes—they became the star.
And I did get that new suit, right off the rack!
The 4 Hour Body Summary – Wrapping Up
The slow-carb diet is an effective way to lose weight, especially for beginners.
It has great and simple guidelines to follow, and it is easy to stick to.
However, this kind of diet is not recommended in the long term.
It is effective for weight loss, but it is based on limited intakes of certain foods.
Since it limits two big nutrient-rich foods – dairy and fruit-it can lead to nutritional deficiencies over time.
Also, the strict eating schedule won’t suit everyone, and this kind of diet may not be healthy for individuals who suffer from certain medical conditions.
Therefore, as noted above, always check with a medical professional before starting a new diet and exercise program.
That said, The 4 Hour Body book is a fantastic read stuffed with many excellent tips to get leaner and stronger.
About the Author Tim Ferriss
Timothy Ferriss is an American author, entrepreneur, TV host, and lifestyle guru.
He hosts The Tim Ferriss Show, the first business-interview podcast to surpass 100 million downloads.
It has since exceeded one billion downloads and remains frequently ranked as the #1 business podcast on Apple Podcasts.
In addition, Tim Ferriss is a New York Times best-selling author, best known for his books:
- The 4-Hour Body
- The 4-Hour Workweek
- Tools of Titans
- The 4-Hour Chef, and
- Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World
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