The 4 Minute Body

Tim Ferris, author of the widely successful “4 Hour Work Week” has another book out called the “4 Hour Body” which is particularly interesting in that it has a very simple, easy to follow diet that seems to work. Almost effortlessly.

One reason it got my attention is for the fact that my friend Becker lost an astonishing 80 pounds over the last 2 years using it, and from the research Ive done, many, many other people have had success with it as well.

Ferris is in my opinion, is a bit eccentric, but I also see him as very intelligent, and an expert on efficiency. When he was first publishing his “4 Hour Body” book, he wanted it to come out in December and be the number one best seller, meaning it would have to compete with the Guinness Book of World’s Records, which is also published annually in December , and is regularly the best seller for that month. Needless to say, Ferris was able to market and push his book to #1. And that is very significant, this isn’t a random bunch of junk coming from someone who doesn’t know how to actually get results, the man is very talented in finding loopholes in systems, and his life is full of examples of how finding the loopholes have brought him success, but I will also say he seems to be a very hard worker as well.

When Becker lost his 80 lbs, I decided to take a look at it for those times of year when I am in production and cannot workout as often as I want (sometimes 2-3 hours a day).

The diet has 5 main rules:

1. Avoid White Carbohydrates (sugars, starches and even grains)
2. Eat the Same Few Meals Over and Over
3. Don’t Drink Calories
4. Don’t Eat Fruit
5. Take One Day off per week and eat literally anything you want that day.

Meat (yes bacon too), Legumes, Beans, vegetables, eggs, are all fair game.

Ferris also spends a lot of time talking about different enhancing supplements, none of which I have tried. (As with all diets, consult with a doctor or nutritionist before you give it a try).

Turns out my next door neighbor has been doing this diet as well, she’s lost 12 lbs in 3 weeks, and I know of several other people who are having vey good success with it (as long as they stick to it).

I can also personally say that using this particular diet and only working out about 3 times a week, Im back down to my target 226lbs, with very little effort at all. The last time I was this light, again, I was working out 2-3hrs a day, and felt terrible (i.e. no energy).

Interestingly, Ferris suggests that working out a muscle group for 80 seconds is the “minimum effective dose” to stimulate growth. While working out more may lead to more growth, it won’t lead to significantly more growth and in most cases, people tend to over exert themselves, often injuring the muscle, or triggering such huge hunger needs they eat beyond their workouts (eat more calories than spent).

I haven’t read his section on sex, but the nutrition and exercise part was fascinating and I would definitely recommend checking out Ferris’s “4 Hour Body” if you are looking to lose some weight in a relatively painless system.

Real Pics and Success Stories of the 4 Hour Body

Gizmodo Article on The 4 Hour Body

4 Hour Body on Amazon: