In The 4-Hour Body Expirement – Slow Carb Diet (Month 1) I talked about the Slow Carb diet (from The 4 Hour Body) that I have been experimenting with. I have changed a few things about the diet to attempt to be a little healthier, plus I am trying to gain muscle, which means I have to change my diet’s focus a little bit. But I have had some questions/concerns from people about how healthy this diet is. Here are some facts to consider:
Current Routine
- Breakfast (~6 AM)
- 2 Eggs Whites & 1 Whole Egg w/ Lite Salt (Potassium) and Salt & Pepper topped with 2 forkfuls of salsa for flavor (still trying to find the right salsa).
- 1/2 cup of lentils
- 1 cup of frozen spinach
- 8oz Protein Smoothie (made the night before — ignore this if you are on a pure slow carb diet)
- I take a 20 oz cup fill it full of ice cubes, then I put cold water in it, drink it all as fast as I can, then I fill it with cold water again and drink it again as fast as I can.
- 1 Multi-Vitamin for Men, 1 2000 I.U. Vitamin D3 softgel, 2 Fish/ Flaxseed/ Borage Oil softgels
- Shower (~7 AM) – with 120 High Knees before getting in.
- Lunch (~12 PM)
- 1/4 – 1/5 lbs of baked Chicken (almond crusted)
- 1/2 cup of Lentils
- 1/2 bag of steamable mixed veggies (I always get the ones that have broccoli)
- Snack (~3-4 PM)
- Handful of Planters 100% natural harvest California Almnods roasted in sea salt, no added oils.
- Dinner (~6 PM)
- Whatever protein we’re eating for dinner (we usually get a poutlry, pork, and beef for the week)
- 1/2 cup of Lentils
- 1/2 bag of steamable mixed veggies (seriously, these things are awesome)
- 8oz protein smoothie (my recipe makes 16oz, I drink half at night and the rest in the morning — ignore this if you are on a pure slow carb diet)
I rarely have hunger pangs on this diet. I also drink tons of ice water (the legumes make me especially thirsty). Before I officially started this diet, I experimented a little with the beans. I tried canned black and pinto beans (I couldn’t find canned lentils). The canned black beans kind of made me feel nauseous (I think it was the liquid they were in). Anyway, I decided to try dry beans and boiling them myself. I’m still getting the hang of it, but black and pinto beans are too much of a hassle, lentils are much easier to cook and the book says they are the better legume anyway. So I go through about 1 – 1.5 bags of lentils each week. The only problem with lentils is one of my cats loves them, so I always have to fend her off when I’m making my breakfast (though, she usually get a few as a treat).
Previous Routine
- Wake up (~7AM)
- Head to work
- Breakfast (~8 AM) – 1 cup of Kashi GoLean Crunch: Honey Almond Flax.
- Lunch (~12 PM) – 1/8 – 1/9 lbs of deli cut Turkey or Chicken
- Snack (~3-4 PM) – Hand of Planters 100% natural harvest California Almnods roasted in sea salt, no added oils.
- Dinner (~6 PM) – Normal Dinner
- Usually an unhealthy snack around 8 or 9 PM.
My old routine was still a routine, but this one is much healthier, check out these graphics from (NutritionalData.self.com):
This is my entire day’s meals combined in one graphic, not including my vitamins. As you can see, this diet is actually quite healthy. I’m getting a lot of protein (and very high quality protein). With the smoothie added to my diet, I lose some optimal weight loss points and gain some optimal weight gain points. Which is my ultimate goal, gain muscle mass and lose fat. The only concerning thing about this information wasthe cholesterol is a little high. Pork is the main culprit here, pork is actually pretty high in cholesterol (I never knew that). That combined with my one whole egg, puts me over the “100%” DV — at most, it’s only twice a week, so it’s not a huge concern for me.
I will post something soon about the smoothie recipe I’m using. It’s very tasty, I drink half of one every night and every morning (except Saturday nights and Sunday morning). Because Saturday’s are my binge days, so I don’t make a smoothie. And since I do not make it on Saturday night, I do not have it for Sunday morning.