This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "The 4-Hour Body" by Timothy Ferriss. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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What are some tips for weight loss from Tim Ferriss? How did these tips help The 4-Hour Body author Tim Ferriss with weight loss?
Weight loss by Tim Ferriss is an inspiration for the strategies in The 4-Hour Body. Ferriss was able to change his body significantly, including shedding the last bit of fat that is often the hardest to lose.
Read more about Tim Ferriss, weight loss, and The 4-Hour Body.
For Tim Ferriss, Weight Loss Comes From Copying Bodybuilders
Once your body fat percentage is low enough that you only need to lose a final 5-10 pounds, you can employ some of the strategies bodybuilders use to get their body fat percentage below 10%. According to Tim Ferriss, weight loss for this stubborn fat comes from this strategy.
Diet
According to Tim Ferriss, weight loss in this phase depends on what you eat. Diet is the most important factor when it comes to losing your last few pounds. Move from the Slow-Carb Diet to the following diet. Eat one of the following five meals every three hours. You have to eat your first meal within an hour of waking and your last meal within the hour before sleeping. You can’t skip any.
- Whey protein and nut butter OR nuts
- Cooked, non-fatty, white fish and nut butter OR nuts
- Cooked chicken or turkey and nut butter OR nuts
- Cooked, fattier protein such as ground beef or dark poultry and macadamia or olive oil
- Eggs
At each meal, you can also eat as much as you want of broccoli, collards, asparagus, spinach, kale, and Brussels sprouts. You can have a cheat meal every week or so.
If you weigh 160 pounds or less, eat the following quantities:
- 30 grams of whey protein
- One tablespoon of nut butter or a quarter cup of nuts
- 4 ounces of meat
- Half a tablespoon of oil
- 3 eggs
If you’re heavier than 160 pounds, adjust the portions:
- To get the amount of whey protein, multiply your weight in pounds by 0.25.
- For example, if you’re 200 pounds, you should eat 50 grams.
- To get the number of tablespoons of nut butter, divide your weight in pounds in half.
- If you’re 200 pounds, you should eat 2 tablespoons.
- To get the number of cups of nuts, divide your weight in pounds by 400.
- If you’re 200 pounds, you should eat half a cup.
- To get the ounces of protein, for each additional 10 pounds of lean body mass you have, add an ounce.
- If you’re 200 pounds, eat 8 ounces.
- To get the amount of oil, divide your weight in pounds by 400.
- If you’re 200 pounds, you should eat half a tablespoon.
- To get the number of eggs, divide your weight in pounds by 40.
- If you’re 200 pounds, you should eat five.
(Shortform note: The author doesn’t give the calculations for all portion adjustments. We’ve come up with the numbers based on his two examples.)
Drugs
According to Tim Ferriss, weight loss for some may involve using some legal drugs. Some bodybuilders use drugs, such as steroids, to get their body fat as low as 4%. The author doesn’t think steroids are as dangerous as the media hypes them up to be—they work for certain medical conditions—but he doesn’t recommend anyone experiment with drugs without medical supervision.
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- How to do the least amount you need to do for the results you want
- Why you need a cheat day in your diet
- How to improve everything about your body, including sleep, sex, and longevity
