30 Days of the Slow Carb Diet: Results and Conclusions

This is very encouraging to hear that even after 30 days of the diet you going to keep with it – it says a lot about the quality of the diet!

Good luck (and stop hurting yourself!)

Thanks for sharing. Been interested in trying this, but I’m a big time slacker. Once I get moved into my new apartment, and things start rolling again, I might give it a try.

Cutting out rice would be verrry difficult.

I think your weight loss has been at a very healthy rate so congratulations for doing so well.

People have told me not to bother with this fad diet but I don’t see it that way at all. I think it’s a really healthy way of eating and I plan to stick with it in the long term.

My progress has been a little slower than yours. It’s almost 30 days since I started the diet and exercise program and I have lost 4 kgs (8.8 pounds) and am feeling much more toned. I did spend 5 days in hi-carb Italy so I’m very happy with my results. I hope to lose a further 10 kilos in the coming months by sticking to slow carbs.

Thank you for posting your results as it has really helped keep me motivated. It would be great if you could do another update in a couple of months just to see how everyone is going in the long term.

Good luck!

I had good results too, John. Thirty days; 17 pounds lost; no exercise. My wife and daughter lost zero. They may be victims of the “yo-yo” effect. Put simply, if you’ve done a lot of dieting but subsequently gain weight back, you will have a harder time losing on the next diet cycle. Since this was the first time I’ve ever tried a diet, I had better results–and that’s probably true with you as well.

But I agree: this diet is not a hardship to stay on, particularly if you have some red chili from New Mexico! I would love to hear from anyone in their fifties who has tried the Colorado experiment. There is a “slow burn” method that might work better for older physiques, but I have doubts about my ability to do the Colorado technique without damaging something.

Ken and Andrea,

Thanks for sharing your results. I’m glad the diet has worked out well for you as well. I agree that the slow carb diet isn’t a fad, it’s mainly just changing the type of carbs you eat, which is probably much healthier than cutting them out completely.

Although I’m going to stop doing weekly updates, fitness is still a topic I’m very interested in, so I’m sure I’ll come back to it in the future.

Actually, I’m really hoping you will keep up the updates, at least on a monthly basis. See, the hardest thing about all these diets is keeping them up and seeing results as good as you saw the first month. I’m curious to see how well it sticks with you.

Also, keep in mind that had you done more of the workout you might have actually lost less weight, since muscle does weigh more than fat. You would have been fitter and healthier, but not as light.

Gal

Monthly updates is about what I had in mind. It mostly depends on when I have something worth writing about it.

John, the wrap up for me is a loss of 6kgs. I didn’t lose any more weight the last week but still dropped another belt notch from around my waist. So it must have been offest by muscle gain.

I see from the comments that it seems to work better for the men. My wife went on the diet for a week and lost a kilo so she was pleased but I was expecting that she would lose more. Although unlike me she really didn’t have much extra fat to lose.

It is definitely a fantastic regime. Tim is a genius.

I started seeing results in the first week and that made it so easy to go the whole month.

I am going to have a break (and maybe go vegetarian for a month) and also go for the muscle gain next time around and I will be interested in your, and everyone else who follows it, experiences and advice.

Neil

I’ve never tried this particular diet, but I have tried The Zone, SouthBeach, and Atkins, all of which involve carb reduction or substitution of one kind or another. SouthBeach and The Zone in particular focused on the glycemic index — substituting beans for white rice, that sort of thing.

My wife the Dietician is always telling me that losing weight is as simple as calories in, calories out.

I may give this diet you’re on a try, John. Thanks for the updates.

Just a word of warning to anyone – at least to those in the older age group as I am (45+) – trying the Colorado workout. I’ve been working out regularly for many years so my body is no stranger to the gym. As a regular visitor to this site I was excited to attempt something new and tried this workout for the first time about three weeks ago. I’ve not been able to return to the gym since. I hurt my back and it’s been a slow recovery.

So be careful when trying this – it puts unusual and new strains on your body and should be done slowly and with a degree of wariness, at least at the beginning. That said, I can’t wait to get back to the gym and try it again!

Great blog John

Thanks, Seamus. I completely agree with your warning. The Colorado routine is extremely stressful, especially if you’ve never done it before. I should make a note of that some where so people know what they’re getting into.

I used to have a very bad soda consumption habit. After a decade of trying I found the perfect accountability method for myself to totally give up drinking sodas as a habit. I don’t have a exercise regime, but I have managed to lose just over 6.5 pounds in the last 68 days. Sugary drinks are nothing put empty calories and a major contributing factor to the increase in obesity in Western Nations.

You’re completely right. Those drinks are what kills you. They’re so easy to put down and contain so much sugar.

Carnival of Dieting Tips…

Welcome to the June 9, 2007 edition of a very public diet!. As Heather and I are both starting to hit the diet wall, we NEED inspiration. We are so grateful for people who send in their articles each week…

Carnival of Dieting Tips…

Welcome to the June 9, 2007 edition of a very public diet!. As Heather and I are both starting to hit the diet wall, we NEED inspiration. We are so grateful for people who send in their articles each week…

Hi everyone,

I am doing this program, and I am recording my results in detail. I am tracking every thing I eat, how much I sleep, and the exact details of my workout. I have created a blog to track everything and you can follow it here:
http://www.4weekstofit.com

Hope it helps some of you.

Darren

Good luck, Darren. I look forward to seeing how it works for you.

Hi John,

I got interested in your posts from your comment at Tim’s blog a while ago, and have been avidly reading your weekly updates. The thing that I’m not clear on (even after reading Tim’s posts and the Colorado link): what exercises do you actually do at the gym on each of the days?

Just to note: I *am* a complete stranger to the gym. I’ve always just worked out in the house, or via running/jogging etc.

Do you use free weights or nautilus equipment? Do you work out all the muscle groups? I should stop asking these questions, because I’m very poorly informed in the first place.

Hello John,

I’ve stuck to the slow carb diet pretty faithfully, and have been doing two half-hour weight training workouts (free weights) per week suplemented with almost daily walks of about 2 miles (my dog and I have come to love our walks – the cat can’t or won’t keep up with us) and I play tennis a couple of nights each week now.

I’ve just finished my fifth week and I’m extremely happy with the results so far:

Weight: I’ve dropped 21 pounds to date. I’ve no idea how much muscle I’ve gained, but I’ve made substancial increases in strength and endurance. I started this particular regimen at 290 pounds 37 days ago – but I actually started dieting and exercise January 2nd, 2007 at a starting weight of 326. I basically started off starving myself and exercising at every opportunity. I was feeling achy, miserable, exhausted, and hungry all the time. Most of the weight I lost was probably water and what little muscle I had. Now, I don’t feel hungry at all, and am well rested yet seeing improvements weekly. An amazing contrast for me.

Waistline: I won’t say because I’m too ashamed (even for an anonymous post) but my “fat” jeans fall off me now, and I’m wearing clothes I haven’t fit into in years. My overall appearance has been noticeably changing for the better – more humanoid than walrus (on one of my early walks back in January, a carload of concerned citizens threw some eggs at me while making the observation that I resembled that particular Sea World denizen; I’ve only been fat for 6 years, but I will forever sympathize with anyone in that condition rather than feel the perhaps natural tendency towards revulsion. It can sneak up on you, and the challenge to counteract it can be overwhelming for many).

Injuries: It seemed I was always getting muscle strains and pains in my joints from exercise before switching to the “slow count”; making each exercise as strict as possible with the resistance moved in a smooth fashion, and briefly stopped with the muscles in full contraction. Jerking the weights and sudden movements were obviously causing many of my injuries.

If I could start over on January 2nd, I would definitely have done things differently knowing what I know now; sparing myself months of self-inflicted torture. I can comfortably live with this exercise regimen for the foreseeable future, although I’ve now transitioned my diet to reduce the quantities of meat I was consuming, while increasing vegetable intake and having a sandwich every now and then if the craving persists. The truth is, I don’t really feel as though I’m dieting anymore; so long as I stay away from the fast food joints I think I’ve got a real shot at avoiding the diet yo-yo syndrome.

Hi Seemant,

For an example workout routine on this program, take a look at my daily blog at http://www.4weekstofit.com.
I describe everything I eat and exact details of my workouts.

Darren

Brion,

Your success so far is absolutely amazing and inspiring. Awesome! That’s the beautiful thing about this program. You don’t feel like you’re dieting. Quite the opposite really. I’m always checking the time to see if I should eat again. I’m eating way more than I used to and I’m losing fat while gaining muscle. It’s a lifestyle change that I can live with (thanks to the free days). Since being on the diet I’m finding that I crave the white carbs and sugary treats less and less. I can have a delicious looking cake right in front of me now and not want to eat it. Partly it’s because I’m eating so much that I’m never hungry, and partly it’s because when faced with a food choice like that I just think that I would rather be fit then eat something that is not going to help me reach my goals.

Thanks for sharing.

Darren

[...] Wesley presents 30 Days of the Slow Carb Diet: Results and Conclusions posted at Pick the [...]

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This is a late comment but I’ve only recently discovered the blogosphere. Anyways, I’m currently trying out Tim Ferris’s slow carb diet as well, and have some questions for John or anyone else who has tried it.

Right now, my diet consists mainly of protein (nuts, lentils, beans, meat, eggs, fish), veggies (cooked, raw, frozen) and fruits. I’m increasing my calorie load with with lentils and beans. My 3 concerns are about fruits, milk and the number of calories. Has anyone else eaten fruits or drank milk during this diet and have it still be effective in burning out fat? For the number of calories, is it important to keep it at or around the approximate number of calories you burn daily? I know that nuts, beans and lentils (and fats) have high calorie amounts so eating a large amount of these would result in high calorie intake for that day.

I wouldn’t drink milk if you are trying to burn fat. When drinking milk it is VERY easy to put on more fat. With fruits, I would try not to eat a lot because you body converts fruit to fat when you eat too much of it. I would only suggest eating fruit post workout and consider a multivitamin.

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Hi John Wesley:

(Its kind of weird to refer to you by that name, as I come from a Methodist School) I am very happy with the positive results you have had received from the Colorado experiment. Unfortunately, it seems they have changed the link or something, because when I tried to follow the same exercising regime, the information was not really useful. Since I am really skinny, I would very thankful if you could send me the answer to these few questions:
What are the exercises one must follow? What equipment is needed? And, an exact as possible description of the routine. Thank you very much in advance.

Daniel

[...] Muscle Growth ? Muscular Hypertrophy by Jose Davila Arthur Jones Casey Viator Colorado Experiment Results of the Slow Carb Diet and Colorado Experiment The miracles of Google. The more people tell me something is impossible, the more motivated I am [...]

Great resource. I really enjoyed your site!

I’m just starting this diet, I’m on day 2 and it’s the first time I haven’t been hungry while on a “diet.” Makes me realize just how much the refined carbs I was eating put me on a hunger rollercoaster.

Good to hear promising results from other’s who’ve tried it – and I hope that by now your elbow is better!

Hi everyone. I’ve just digested (at least partially) Tim’s 4 Hour Body pdf and I’m preparing to start this Slow-Carb Diet, at least as my own experiment.

It seems pretty similar to the P90x and other low GI plans and I figure there’s a reason-they are all on to something. Why do carbs and sugars have to taste SO good, right?

Well, my husband and I are about to start. I’m wondering if anyone is taking the PAGG supplement combo that Tim suggests, or anything similar. If you are, what are your thoughts on it? Is there one supplement that has most or all of these?

Thanks and good luck to everyone.

@Jesse
Well I am setting up the PAGG as we speak – sorting through pills and developing a plan.

So far, I’ve read very little about it outside of Tim’s book. No one else seems to have related info. Everyone asks the same questions as you: what are your thoughts on it?

I’m going to test it for a week starting on Monday and see how things pan out. I’m tweaking his method though slightly for a few things:
1)His measurements are odd. He says specifically to take 200mg of Garlic Extract each meal. I can’t find 200mg pills. I can only find 600mg pills. So I’m thinking about only taking 2 Garlic pills rather than 4 to balance it out.
2)I’m incorporating B-Complex Vitamins and Calcium/Magnesium as he suggests throughout the book into the PAGG stack.

I’m on my first week of doing this diet, and I have found that it’s not consuming the right sort of foods that is the problem (black beans, cottage cheese and meat-it’s all delicious), rather, it’s consuming a sufficient quantity. Most of these foods aren’t very calorie dense and therefore to reach the 1800 calories and 270 g of protein a day I am shooting for I need to eat ridiculous amounts of food. Ever tried to eat a whole cup of cooked lentils? Not for me.

Did you have any particular foods or recipes that not only gave you sufficient calories and protein, but also allowed you to not have to eat so much?

I’m on my 26th day of the diet, and I can say it works. It’s probably not ideal for people that are 12% body fat or less. As I am 12% body fat and have found it to be extremely slow acting, but still recommend it because of how easy it is to stick to. (in comparison with most other diets)

I started this diet on the 1st of January, 31 days ago. I have been working out at my fitness club for two years, trying to lose fat and gain muscle weight. I had dropped from 15% body fat to 11.5% body fat (caliper method) by August of 2010, but was unhappy with strength gains, so I started a high protein diet using Syntha-6 taken with milk twice a day. As a long time skinny person (5’10″ and 150 lbs), I was amazed to jump up to 163 lbs by early December. I didn’t like the increase in body fat, though, as I jumped up to 13% body fat and was unhappy with what I looked like in the mirror. I heard about this slow carb diet and decided to try it. In the last 31 days, I’ve dropped 7 Lbs and nearly 2 inches off my belly-button line. I’m not sure, but I think I’m beginneing to feel perkier, and a bit stronger in the gym.

Hi! I have been on this diet now for 3 1/2 weeks and have lost 10 pounds. I am not exercising YET. I am 53 years of age and I am a female. I have type 2 diabetes, and i did have IBS before starting this diet. My blood sugar has come down to just a little above normal! AMAZING! My IBS has completely disappeared! I have more energy now that I did 10 years ago. I plan to make this “slow-carb” diet a permanent lifestyle change. It truly has done wonders for me. I still have close to 40 lbs. to lose. I am rarely hungry on this diet, which is saying a lot being that I do have diabetes! I used to feel hungry 24/7! I thank Tim Ferriss for the research and for writing his 4-hour BODY book and for my son for caring enough to buy it for me! Happy and feeling GREAT! Jen

I’ve been on this diet for a little more than a month, and I also am very happy with the results. It’s great to hear about so many people’s experiences and their success with this plan. I’ve started posting slow carb recipes that I’ve created or found on my website at http://slowcarbcook.blogspot.com, and I’d encourage anyone who wants to try this diet, or who is looking for something different on the diet, to give one or two recipes a try!

Slow carb. diet is a great tool for health. One question….. Tim F refers to eating no dairy….. but recommends cottage cheese in his book. Isn’t cottage cheese dairy?

My story is pretty dramatic… I’m 68 and 2 months ago I did a 2 week test-drive of Tim’s diet. I was walking on a cane prior to hip replacement surgery, so getting NO exercise except walking from room to room when I absolutely had to! I ate protein, beans and vegetables and even did a little of his Cheat Day on Saturday and lost 5 pounds in two weeks. EATING a lot of food.
I’m almost recovered from surgery now and will soon get back on the plan.
AND — great website!

[...] http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/30-days-of-the-slow-carb-diet-results-and-conclusions/ [...]

I’m 19 and i started the slow carb diet last week. maybe it’s just me that it works on, but i’m down 16 pounds.

I’m going to blog the entire diet, http://myslowcarbdietblog.blogspot.com/

Good luck with whoever else is on the diet!

I’ve been doing the slow carb diet for 7 months and feel absolutely great! I’m down to my last 5 pounds (lost 45 so far) and even though it didn’t come off as quickly as he wrote about in the book, I am very happy with the results. My health has improved considerably too. I think I was on my way to diabetes and I had other issues that are now gone!
He doesn’t mention anything about what to do to maintain a healthy weight. I was thinking I’d add a few servings of fruit during the week and see what happens, and adjust as needed.
Any thoughts on that?

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I am really impressed with this article. It has been an inspiration for me to continue my slow carb diet. But, don’t force yourself too much. You don’t need to hurt yourself to lose weight. Goodluck to us!

Ken and Andrea,
much interesting and worth experienced.
I am quite  astonished with some much quick weight loss.

Great progress on the diet. I too tried and succeded with the slow carb diet this year.

A real achievement for me. Most importantly, i learned that it wasn’t that hard to lose weight!

I’ve kept of blog of my experiences here in case you are interested.

http://doug-loseweight.blogspot.com/