But as always, I am back for more, and this time I think I've found something with the perfect balance of structure and freedom to keep me committed to it.
After reading another one of Tim Ferriss's books (The Four Hour Work Week), I decided to give him a shot in crafting a new body for me as well as a few lifestyle tweaks. The new book is called "The Four Hour Body". The principles are simple, and promise that with some substantial changes (though not time consuming), some amazing changes can be seen in body composition in short periods of time. The other book was great, and has improved some parts of my life, so why not give this a shot? What's to lose? £7.49 for the cost of the book? At least I can say I've tried it, and at the very least, Tim's writing style is incredibly fun and easy to read.
Having started reading the book last week, I started the first major change in the book on Monday morning, the 'Slow Carb Diet'. The diet calls for a bit of craziness, and to the 'diet sensible' people in this world, there are a number of things that are easily disagreed. What does this mean? Well... it's more fun to rub it in people's faces if it works! I like anything that proves the majority wrong, and this is definitely one of those things.
So, without spoiling the fundamentals of the book, this diet consists of a few rules, but the biggest of which is to avoid white carbs, and consume more protein at breakfast. One of the bigger bonuses is that every week, you're allowed, and insisted to take a cheat day, on which you can throw the towel in, and partake in some calorie overload. Today is the first of those cheat days for me, and so far, I am surprised at the results. I have been hankering for a Big Mac meal all week oddly enough, and whereas normally I would have a Large Big Mac meal with Coke/Fanta, and disgustingly a 'Side-Burg' which could range from a cheeseburger to a full quarter-pounder with cheese. Holy shit, no wonder I'm the size of a £125,000 Edinburgh Flat!
So would I be delighted with my Big Mac and regular fries?
... of course I was! Are you head-dead? That being said, I got halfway through the burger, and got a cold rush through my cheeks (a sign I've had too much starch), and my stomach was putting on a hold on my account. I got through half of a normal meal, and threw in the towel. Why? Not because I've been eating less, and my stomach is smaller, but my guess is because I've learned in one week that food is fuel, not fun. It can be fun, and will be for the rest of my life, but I've been a horse with blinders on. You don't need to eat the whole burger to enjoy it, it just makes you miserable, and fat.
I'm currently on day six of this diet, and though I initially believed the change of diet would be impossible, it has been a lot easier than I had thought. I have found myself beginning to enjoy the food that I am eating, and I am getting better at stomaching 300-400 calories at breakfast within literally minutes of opening my eyes. Whatever doubts I had can be quelled for now though, as this morning I weighed myself, to find that I have lost 1 stone (14lbs). I don't care who you are, you cannot argue with that kind of result in a week. I doubt my results will be as impressive next week, but I've got lots of time to see results from this.
I have yet to change my exercise habits, and in fact, I am likely seeing less exercise than I am used to. I have another 10K run scheduled for the beginning of October, and I'd like to better my time from last year, though I haven't done any reasonable running since last October, when I was averaging about 5k. I would like to substantially lower my weight before I get back into the running, as my knees have had issues with the abuse they take on a daily basis.
My initial goal is to hit 13st 13lbs (195lbs), and see what I look like from there. Why would I choose that as my magic number? Because it's the lightest I will have ever been in my adult life. I don't want to use weight as my only key measurement, so I am working on getting an accurate body fat measurement taken. I have yet to find someone locally who can offer DEXA scanning for less than £150, so there's a bit of hesitation. I am looking at other options (as discussed in the book) of Bod Pod, or Bodymetrix systems.
In addition to my efforts, my girlfriend Alicia is also changing her diet, though we're keeping seperate to see what happens. She has also had a very successful week, losing a total of seven pounds. Well done pretty lady!
In any case... this week has been incredibly successful, and I look forward to seeing more of it.
Thanks Tim for writing a fantastic book, and if anyone is interested, the link is above. You can get some free insight into the 'Four Hour Body', visit Tim's blog over at The Four Hour Blog
Stay tuned for more, but for some insight into what I've been eating, check out the photos below:
Breakfast, Day 1:
Dinner, Day 2:
Dinner, Day 3:
Lunch, Day 4:
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