Timchi Says So

It's like that. Deal with it.

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I started reading “The 4 Hour Body” by Tim Ferriss after this girl told me to piss off. I was really butthurt and wanted something to keep my mind off things. There were no plans to lose weight or eat better, just to not feel quite so kicked-to-the-curb. Two chapters in to the book she didn’t matter and my body was a temple storing 29 years of poison. Fast forward two months and I feel like a new man. Friends & family demand to know what I’ve been doing and many have followed suit. Mom’s down almost 20lbs.  Towards the end of March everything I consumed was punched in to dailyburn.com. I was gettomg too much sugar/sodium and not enough water. It only took one week of seeing how poor my diet really was before deciding to go strict Slow Carb. I started on April 1st and still wasn’t looking to lose weight, just be healthier. I wasn’t overweight (6’4”, approx. 230lbs) but lets just say it had been a while since the abs were visible. A layer of home brewed beer accented by 7 years in a computer chair… sexy, right? 61 days on slow carb now. I’ve been fluctuating +/-2lbs of 206. Still dropping fat but it’s much slower now and offset by muscle gain. The extra energy is awesome. I can bike twice as far without getting winded and do long rides two days in a row. I bought running shoes last weekend. That’s right, running shoes. It had been over 10 years since even going for a jog. Been bitching about shin splits and being “too big to be a runner” the whole time. All complete BS, naturally. Now? Now I’m Super Tim and the pain only makes me stronger. Made it nearly 2 miles on my first run before having to stop and could almost walk the next day.  I didn’t follow any part of the book 100% so here’s a list of what I did change, the pros, and the cons. Feel free to comment if you have any questions. Lifestyle Changes Strict slow carb diet but I don’t do the cheat day anymore. I go out to eat at least once a week so I try to make it some place scrumptious and get whatever I want. 30g protein within 30 minutes of waking every day. Either a protein shake or spinach & egg whites with salsa.  I try to only eat fruit 1 day per week but do have a glass of 100% grapefruit juice every day. Workouts. Kettle bell swings , Perfect push-ups (I swear by those things), crunches holding the kettle bell, and weighted side bends at least twice per week.  Sleep. I’ve had insomnia since I was a small child and 8hr nights have always been rare. Now I plan for about 5 and a nap in the afternoon. As long as the nap happens I’m more energetic than an 8 hour night. Hung a big white board in my living room for goals and weight tracking. Walking past it all the time is great encouragement.  Pros Increased energy level -> more working out -> further increased energy level Better balance Saving lots of money by not eating out as much Increasingly significant core muscle definition. I kinda have a 4-pack when flexing and usually only super tasty micro brews come in 4 packs so I’m good with it. People keep telling me I look younger. This is extraordinarily important considering the big 3-0 is 3 months away.  Chicks dig it Cons Major wardrobe fail. Nothing fits. I swim in dress shirts that were a good fit last year and you can only cinch a belt so tight before it looks like you’re smuggling something. (I do dig my new “slim fit” dress shirts but this is still a con) At about 20lbs down I got sick. Felt like the flu and was miserable for a week. Apparently this is normal for the type of drastic diet changes I made but that didn’t make me feel any better. The diet sucks. I <3 Food. All food. Especially fancy sushi rolls and greasy Mexican food, and giant cheeseburgers, none of which are really OK to eat regularly. Being the only guy at the table that gets a “salad without croutons, cheese, or ranch” when everyone gets a burger is weak.

I started reading “The 4 Hour Body” by Tim Ferriss after this girl told me to piss off. I was really butthurt and wanted something to keep my mind off things. There were no plans to lose weight or eat better, just to not feel quite so kicked-to-the-curb. Two chapters in to the book she didn’t matter and my body was a temple storing 29 years of poison. Fast forward two months and I feel like a new man. Friends & family demand to know what I’ve been doing and many have followed suit. Mom’s down almost 20lbs. 

Towards the end of March everything I consumed was punched in to dailyburn.com. I was gettomg too much sugar/sodium and not enough water. It only took one week of seeing how poor my diet really was before deciding to go strict Slow Carb. I started on April 1st and still wasn’t looking to lose weight, just be healthier. I wasn’t overweight (6’4”, approx. 230lbs) but lets just say it had been a while since the abs were visible. A layer of home brewed beer accented by 7 years in a computer chair… sexy, right?

61 days on slow carb now. I’ve been fluctuating +/-2lbs of 206. Still dropping fat but it’s much slower now and offset by muscle gain. The extra energy is awesome. I can bike twice as far without getting winded and do long rides two days in a row. I bought running shoes last weekend. That’s right, running shoes. It had been over 10 years since even going for a jog. Been bitching about shin splits and being “too big to be a runner” the whole time. All complete BS, naturally. Now? Now I’m Super Tim and the pain only makes me stronger. Made it nearly 2 miles on my first run before having to stop and could almost walk the next day. 

I didn’t follow any part of the book 100% so here’s a list of what I did change, the pros, and the cons. Feel free to comment if you have any questions.

Lifestyle Changes

  • Strict slow carb diet but I don’t do the cheat day anymore. I go out to eat at least once a week so I try to make it some place scrumptious and get whatever I want.
  • 30g protein within 30 minutes of waking every day. Either a protein shake or spinach & egg whites with salsa. 
  • I try to only eat fruit 1 day per week but do have a glass of 100% grapefruit juice every day.
  • Workouts. Kettle bell swings , Perfect push-ups (I swear by those things), crunches holding the kettle bell, and weighted side bends at least twice per week. 
  • Sleep. I’ve had insomnia since I was a small child and 8hr nights have always been rare. Now I plan for about 5 and a nap in the afternoon. As long as the nap happens I’m more energetic than an 8 hour night.
  • Hung a big white board in my living room for goals and weight tracking. Walking past it all the time is great encouragement. 

Pros

  • Increased energy level -> more working out -> further increased energy level
  • Better balance
  • Saving lots of money by not eating out as much
  • Increasingly significant core muscle definition. I kinda have a 4-pack when flexing and usually only super tasty micro brews come in 4 packs so I’m good with it.
  • People keep telling me I look younger. This is extraordinarily important considering the big 3-0 is 3 months away. 
  • Chicks dig it

Cons

  • Major wardrobe fail. Nothing fits. I swim in dress shirts that were a good fit last year and you can only cinch a belt so tight before it looks like you’re smuggling something. (I do dig my new “slim fit” dress shirts but this is still a con)
  • At about 20lbs down I got sick. Felt like the flu and was miserable for a week. Apparently this is normal for the type of drastic diet changes I made but that didn’t make me feel any better.
  • The diet sucks. I <3 Food. All food. Especially fancy sushi rolls and greasy Mexican food, and giant cheeseburgers, none of which are really OK to eat regularly. Being the only guy at the table that gets a “salad without croutons, cheese, or ranch” when everyone gets a burger is weak.
  1. jedibrewmastertimchi posted this