The Tim Ferriss 4-Hour Body Diet: Pros, cons, & how it works

In his bestselling book The 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferriss shares a minimalist diet program (known as the slow-carb diet) based on lean protein, legumes, and vegetables.

The diet plan’s major appeal is that you’ll see quick results without having to count calories – and you get to enjoy a weekly “cheat day” where there are no limits on what you can eat.

The first step is to cut out all “white” carbohydrates, like rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, crackers – any carbs with a high glycemic index. Also, steer clear of wholegrain or deep-fried food.

The next step is to keep things as simple as possible by sticking to 3-4 meals that draw from the same basic ingredients, e.g. lean meat and fish; green vegetables; eggs; lentils and beans.

As long as you mix and match from this food pool, you can eat as much as you like. Ferriss argues that research shows little consensus on the benefits of a balanced diet.

Don’t drink any calories. Stick to water and tea or coffee without milk and sweetener. You can have some dry red wine (with a max sugar content of 1.4%) or 500ml of diet soft drinks per day.

Avoid fruits. Europeans used to go through an entire winter without eating fresh fruit – and Ferriss is adamant that we don’t need them to this day. The only exceptions are small amounts of tomatoes and avocados (which most people don’t consider fruit anyway).

Take one day off every week to go wild and binge on whatever you want: pizza, ice cream, donuts, etc. This works as a reward but it will also put you off junk food for another week. Ferriss claims this spike in calories helps fat loss by keeping your metabolic rate steady.

Some tips to help the plan: eat within 30mins of waking. Have 30g of protein per meal. Drink lots of water. Only workout 2-3 times per week. Take note of your progress (and cravings).

It’s worth noting that the Tim Ferriss 4-Hour Body diet doesn’t teach you how to keep weight off long-term. It also neglects some critical food types, risking nutritional deficiencies. But if you’re looking for short-term, high-impact weight loss, this could be a good quick fix.