My 4 Hour Body
4 Hour Body cover
As a first step to regaining control over my health and “teaching” myself to eat better and lead a more ‘active’ lifestyle. Late last year, I had the good fortune of hearing about Tim Ferriss’ new book, “4 Hour Body”. I had read his last book, “4 Hour Work Week”, and did not agree with many of his approaches. I still refuse to believe that his concepts can apply to anyone other than those who set their own work schedules, develop their own goals, and judge themselves on their overall performance. But I digress.
Since I am a vegetarian, following Tim’s advice is somewhat challenging. The best part about his strategy is that he actually encourages everyone to eat as much as they want of the “allowed” foods. Common mistakes I found online about everyone following his proposed diet included not eating enough.
In a nutshell, he says you should have four meals a day, everyday. A key element is to make sure that every meal has at least 20 grams of protein. The diet allows for a “cheat” day (once a week) where you can actually pig out and eat whatever you desire in whatever quantities. Loosely put, this will encourage your body to acclimate itself to a stricter diet in an easier manner.
Ferriss encourages everyone to identify four different meals to have every day and NOT change them for about a month – ensuring that each week you have a “cheat” day. So what am I doing? Let me tell you.
Nik’s Tentative Meal Plan
- 6:00 AM CST – breakfast – 3 organic eggs over easy with 2 dashes of seasoned salt and freshly ground peppercorn and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese
- 10:00 AM CST – lunch #1 – 16oz of cooked red lentils
- 2:00 PM CST – lunch #2 – 8 oz of soaked black beans and a portion of stir-fry
- 6:00 PM CST – dinner – randomly prepared meal that includes spinach, other mixed veggies
- 8:00 PM CST – up to 2 glasses of red wine
Dinner is a bit complicated since I, myself, am still trying to figure out what to eat. Being vegetarian isn’t hard, it just requires more ingenuity to discover what foods will give me the necessary balance of nutrients and protein in every meal.
Day 1
Today’s menu consisted of:
- breakfast – 3 organic eggs with seasoned salt, tabasco, and freshly ground peppercorn
- lunch #1 – small bowl of leftover pasta and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese
- lunch #2 – black beans with diced onions and green peppers and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese
- dinner – a large bowl of acorn squash soup and stir-fry
My plan is to stick with this diet for the next month and measure my body’s metrics every week. I will also try my best to post everyday what I have to better track my food consumption and continue to keep myself motivated. Wish me luck!