Author:

John

4-Hour Body – my experiment and results

Written by John – August 5, 2011

I was instantly interested in the book The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Tim Ferriss.

 

 

The official description:

This is not just another diet and fitness book. The 4-Hour Body is the result of an obsessive quest, spanning more than a decade, to hack the human body. It contains the collective wisdom of hundreds of elite athletes, dozens of MDs, and thousands of hours of jaw-dropping personal experimentation. From Olympic training centers to black-market laboratories, from Silicon Valley to South Africa, Tim Ferriss fixated on one life-changing question:

For all things physical, what are the tiniest changes that produce the biggest results?

I read the entire book but really only focused on losing weight while still bingeing. Could it really be true?

My Background:

12 months ago, I switched to a vegetarian diet. My main reasons were to eat more vegetables and recover faster after workouts. Plus Bart Yasso is vegetarian and overall a badass dude.

Well, my plan didn’t go very well. Five months into vegetarianism, my energy level was low and my running was the same, if not slower. I could also tell me body was looking weak. I was still the same weight but it had shifted from my arms, chest and shoulders to my mid section. In other words, I was losing muscles and gaining fat.

The “Slow Carb” diet…

The book promotes the slow carb diet, which eliminates simple carbs and promotes more protein. The plan is fairly simple, below is a summary from the more detailed chapter in the book.

For six days out of the week (slow carb diet):

  • No white carbs (bread, white & brown rice, flour, white and whole wheat pasta, starch, potatoes, etc)
  • No simple sugars (sugar, all fruit, dairy and soy milk, syrup, jam, and ice cream)

For one day a week (cheat day):

  • Anything is game! In fact, he says it’s good to overload on the forbidden food to “reset” your metabolism or reassure your body it’s not starving. In theory, without a cheat day, your body would start storing food as fat thinking you were starving and needed the extra supply. Plus, there’s no way I could could go without Pizza, French Fries, and Ice Cream for too long. As most dieters know, it’s impossible to stick to a diet for a good length of time. Sooner or later you end up at a birthday party with pizza, cake and ice cream.

So what did I eat for the slow carb diet?

Beans, Vegetables, Tofu, Nuts, Boca Burgers, Eggs, Protein Shakes and tons of Peanut Butter. It may sound less than appealing but after a couple meals the creativity kicked it. Here are a couple of my favorite meals that I would eat over and over. To this day, I still love them…maybe more than “normal meals”.

  • Black beans, onions, shredded spinach, salsa verde and a bit of feta cheese
  • Vegetable stir fry with tofu (curry for flavor, red pepper for a kick)
  • Pinto and kidney beans, green peppers, onions, chopped up Boca burger and taco seasoning
  • Scrambled eggs, spinach, red salsa and Boca sausage (eating this right now as I write)

On my cheat days, I downed cream-filled donuts, pizza, chips and ice cream. I made my self sick about every other week. It was awesome and awful at the same time.

So how did I measure the diet?

First, I tested my body composition. Weight loss alone would not give me a decisive answer because I could be gaining/ losing muscles as well as fat. I needed a test that would tell me how much fat vs. how much lean mass my body was losing. There are many methods out there to test your body comp or body fat percentage. I choose Bod Pod because it’s easy, cheap and readily available. Just put on a pair of tight shorts and swim-like cap before getting into the pressurized pod and 60 seconds later you have results.

March 2011

  • Total Body Weight – 167.1 lbs
  • Lean Weight – 141.0 lbs
  • Fat Weight – 26.1 lbs
  • 15.6% body fat

So how did the the 4-Hour Body and slow carb work?

Really, it wasn’t that hard to change my eating habits, once I got into the routine. Grocery shopping became simplified and so did cooking. Never once did I count a calorie. This was huge, because counting calories, eating timed meals is a pain in the ass and not sustainable. Instead, I just ate when hungry and made sure it fit the rules. Cheat days were amazing. I also took green tea extract, garlic tablets, and fish oil 4x a day. I don’t know if they helped, but they seemed like good supplements to have. And for the results…

July 2011

  • Total Body Weight – 153.9 lbs
  • Lean Weight – 140.0 lbs
  • Fat Weight – 13.9 lbs
  • 9.1% body fat

Overall, I lost 13.9 lbs, of which 12.2 lbs was fat. Really, this is quite remarkable to lose only fat and not much muscle. I credit the muscle stability to kettle bell workouts, 100 push-up routine and running. I did 2 one-hour kettle bell classes a week, push-ups maybe 2-3 times a week, and run 4 times a week.

Notes:

  • I was really hesitant about sharing my experience. I’m not sure why, but after testing the results with others I decided to share.
  • The before and after pictures will stay private for now…I’m not that conspicuous.
  • Protein shakes in the morning was, by far, the biggest factor that produced the most change for me. I recovered faster from workouts and felt full throughout the day.
  • Energy level was sustained, if not increased. I set new personal records in the 5K and 50 mile distance (my first true ultra marathon!)

What to bring on RAGBRAI – updated

Written by John – July 23, 2011

 

I first posted the checklist two years ago on my inaugural RAGBRAI. I did the camping version, which required much more planning and packing. This year’s group got hotels in most overnights, so here is the simplified version.

Biking Gear:

  • Bike
  • Helmet
  • 2 – Water Bottles
  • Repair Kit
  • Front and Rear Lights
  • Bike Lock

Clothes:

  • Bike Sandals
  • 2 – Pairs of Biking Shorts
  • 3- Jerseys
  • Bandana 0r Bike hat
  • Casual Sandals
  • 2 – Pair of Casual Shorts
  • 2 – T-shirts
  • 1 – Long Sleeve Shirt

Toiletries:

  • Toothbrush
  • Tooth Paste
  • Deodorant
  • Anti Chafing Lotion

Energy:

  • 16 – Packets of Premixed Gatorade Endurance
  • 8 – Clif Bars

Essentials:

  • ID
  • Credit Card
  • $100 in cash
  • Official Rider and Bike Bands

I got it all to fit in my backpack with room to spare! Now, just the riding part…

Biking without WiFi

Written by John – July 18, 2011

I got a chance to spend the weekend in Whalan, MN (pop. 62). I love the area with miles and miles of biking trails, small cafes, and the root river. The only downside is “no service” on the iphone and limited WiFi in the next closest town (Lanesboro). It was a fun weekend of biking, but I was once again reminded that I’m addicted and connected to the internet in many ways. My life stopped for two days; good and bad.

Note: Michelle and I dominated a Tandem for 10 miles…no pictures to prove it, which may be a good thing.

Midnight Madness 5K and 10K

Written by John – July 10, 2011

Once again, Michelle and I ran the Midnight Madness Road Races in Ames, Iowa. It’s a helluva deal, as far as road races go. Register early, and you’re only paying $25 for a 5K or 10K or both. Not to mention the mounds of Pasta (vegetarian too), Bread Sticks, Fruit, Cookies, and Beer. We stayed and listened to the band for over an hour at the post race party and it was still going strong when we left. In fact, we witnessed a 50 person flip cup game as we were walking out…something you don’t see at most races.

We signed up for both races and ran the 5K at 7:30pm and the 10K at 8:30pm. I think night running is so much better, even if it is hotter than dawn. My main reason for signing up was to win a coffee mug (seriously). The first 100 finishers in the 10K get a mug at the finish line and I won it last year. Well, a few months back, it broke. So this year, I was out to get another.

When running two races, it’s hard to know what pace to run. So instead of worrying about time, I just ran the first one by feel. My goal was to run hard and not burn out. Turns out it was more humid than I thought and I was tired after one. The second race (10K) was tough but I held on to be fairly consistant.

  • 5K – 20:15 (6:31 pace)
  • 10K – 40:51 (6:35 pace)
Note: I won the coffee mug but they were also selling last year’s for $1. So I got to come home with two mugs, a replacement and a new one!

Basement Part 3 (Finished)

Written by John – July 7, 2011

Nearly 18 months later, we finally finished the our subterranean living space! Most of the work was finished in about 6 months last year (posts Part 1 and Part 2 here) but we just got around to hanging pictures and making it cozy. The recent hot, humid weather also spurred a some motivation to make it more comfortable.

Finished Basement - Main Area

The main area has four functions. First, is the main living space with a couch, love seat, and TV. It’s not big, but makes the perfect movie spot. Since we only have one TV, we’ll rotate summers and winters with upstairs. Side note: The TV stand upstairs also serves as a great plant stand during the summer.

Finished Basement - Office Area

The next area, and one I use a lot, is a mini office. It has a desk, chair, rug and some shelves for anything extra. As you can see, Tucker also enjoys it.

Finished Basement - Bike

Michelle scored a new bike trainer from the neighbor and now has a little workout area with the ability to watch some TV or crank up punk music while spinning. I can see her using that a lot during the winter months.

Finished Basement - Bed

And the last functional space is a guest bed which is divided by two tall bookshelves. Technically, it’s not a “bedroom” because the window is too small, but since it doesn’t have a door and your not a home inspector, we’re cool.

The entire project took way longer than I’d thought. In hind sight, we’d have done some things differently too, but all in all, not bad for a couple of amateurs (except KT).

 

Into the Wild (figuratively)

Written by John – June 30, 2011

So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.
- Alexander Supertramp

This quote is from the main character in the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

It’s a great book and movie. One of my favorites.

New Office

Written by John – June 23, 2011

I have a new office, and with a window. I’m not sure who’s more excited, me or our “separation anxiety” stricken dog. If I was a betting man, I’d say Tucker.

New Office with a Window

And very soon, I hope to have another office (Pergola) outside without windows.

Ragnar Relay Chicago

Written by John – June 12, 2011

Ragnar Relay Chicago is a running relay that starts in Madison, WI routes east to Milwaukee and finishes downtown Chicago, IL. Each team covers 197 miles in two days and one night. One member from each team is always running, while the other members ride in a van to the next exchange. Most teams have 12 members (2 vans) while some have 6 (1 van), who are considered “Ultra” teams.

Michelle and I were apart of an ultra team, Eating out at the “Y”. Our theme was the Village People and the song YMCA. We kinda knew the others on the team, but really got to know them after 29+ hours in a van. Lucky for us, they are very cool people and great runners (not just sayin b/c they’ll probly read this).

Team - Eating out at the Y

 

There is so much I liked about the experience but words wouldn’t really do it justice and it probably won’t mean as much to write about it. Kind of like telling a joke and no one laughing because you had to be there. With that, I’ll just give my stats for the race.

We all ran three legs total. My distances were 12.7, 9.4 and 16 miles. I ran Friday around 9pm, Saturday around 4am and 3pm. I can’t speak for the other legs but I think mine were great. I got to experience the sunset during my first leg on a rural Wisconsin trail and the sunrise just north of Racine. My favorite running moment was experiencing the beauty of the Evanston and the campus of Northwestern. Typically, I hate anything to do with Wildcats and the color purple (Go Hawks!) but that day I was soaking it in. My last leg finished north of downtown Chicago on the beach. We all crossed the finish line, in costume, 29 hours later with minor aches and pains but with a big sense of accomplishment.

Notes:

  • Leg 1 – 12.7 Miles – 1:33:12 (7:20 pace)
  • Leg 2 – 9.4 Miles – 1:17:06 (8:12 pace)
  • Leg 3 – 16.0 Miles – 2:31:59 (9:30 pace)
  • Total – 38.1 Miles – 5:22:17 (8:23 pace)

Austin Run

Written by John – June 8, 2011

Last week, I got the chance to run around Austin, TX. It was hot and I loved it. Although the day Tim and I ran together, we both found the heat exhausting.

 

Shoal Creek Trail in Austin

Barton Springs Greenbelt Trail in Austin

 

Pigman Sprint Triathlon 1:28:13

Written by John – June 7, 2011

Last Sunday, was my first swim of 2011. Coincidently, it came during the Pigman Sprint Triathlon in Palo, Iowa. Last weekend, I decided to run my first 5K barefoot and was left with multiple blisters on each foot. Not smart. This weekend, I decided to, literally, dive into swimming and not train. Again, not smart.

Immediately after hitting the water, I was out of breathe and struggled to find my stroke. After what seemed like forever, I looked ahead to find myself about a quarter of the way finished. Not even to the turn around point!  Already exhausted and kicking myself for not training, I debated whether to grab a boat and hitch a ride back to shore with my head down. Then, I saw another guy struggling and grabbing the rope. The rope stretches from the beach 275 yards out and swimmers must swim out and around. Alright, so I’m not the only one sucking ass today, that makes me feel a little better. I managed to make it to the half way point and started heading back to shore, but I had no breathe left. It was either grab the rope or head to the bottom of the lake. I swam over to it used it to keep myself above water while doing some sort of doggy paddle (really just pulling myself in). After about 50 yards of this non-sense, I realized I could do the breast stroke and keep my head above water. I think this helped calm my nerves and heart rate with about 150 yards to go. I slowing eased back into the free style form and completed the swim portion. Man, was I glad to touch sand and head towards the bike. What a pathetic showing! The good news, most of the other bikes were already gone from the rack, so finding mine was easy!

The bike felt great. I was immediately flying downhill and never really slowed down. I even got some crowd support from my friend, Jay, at the top of the hill just outside the park. What a boost of energy! For not biking that much, it went better than expected.

The only thing left was run a 5K. My original plan was to hop off the bike and go (without shoes). But, since my aforementioned barefoot snafu, I took the time to slip on the running shoes. The first mile always sucks, as your legs feel like bricks. Slowly, they loosened up and I even caught up to Katie, who had started ahead of me. I slowed down and we chatted for awhile. Once we hit the two mile mark, I took off again for the finish. Now my legs were loose and it was fun passing other runners. What a great feeling compared to hanging on that rope in the lake!

For my efforts, I ate lots of cheese pizza at the post race party (and a couple beers). I also realized duathlons may be more rewarding than triathlons, or at least until I get in the pool.

Katie and John after the Pigman 2011

 

Race stats:

  • Swim – 16:58 (632 out of 648!)
  • Transition 1 – 2:04
  • Bike – 46:59 (163 out of 648)
  • Transition 2 – 1:10
  • Run – 21:04 (44 out of 648)
  • Total Time – 1:28:13 (200 out of 648)

Clearly, I’m a runner, not a swimmer!