Rule 1: No "white" carbs
I have re-stated this rule as don't grass. No wheat, rice, oats or other grains. It also includes refined sugar and starches not including legumes. This rule knocks out the majority of processed foods and the bulk of what makes up the average American diet. It restricts your carbohydrate intake to legumes and vegetables, which starts to translate to a whole food diet. As I stated in an earlier post I have Celiac disease and follow a gluten free diet. So, I already eat less processed grains than the normal person although there are a lot of gluten free options for breads, cereals and pastas. I think this gave me a huge advantage in adjusting to and staying on the diet. This is still the most limiting rule and probably the most important. I adjusted by eating lots of beans and lentils to replace the potatoes, rice or pasta I would normally eat. I also increased my vegetable intake a lot at first out of fear of being hungry; who doesn't think of potatoes, rice or pasta as the "stick to your ribs" portion of every meal? But I quickly saw that the legumes were just as filling and the protein and fat in the meal was what kept me feeling full and satisfied. After a week on the diet I no longer craved the "white" carbs I thought I would miss. Daily preparation of meals was pretty easy using canned beans, wash off all of that mystery bean juice, but lentils require at least 30 minutes to cook properly. I worked around this by making large batches of them. In my opinion if you can follow this rule faithfully you can master the diet.
Rule 2: Meal Repetition
I see this rule as an adherence mechanism. If you are repeating the same few meals or at least the same food items you are less likely to stray or begin introducing questionable foods. I am unaware of any physiological reasoning for this rule that the others do not already promote. This rule is also the most likely to backfire on you and add to diet boredom. For me this rule was fine for the first 3 or 4 weeks. It helped make the diet less intimidating by limiting the scope of food choices which was helpful in the beginning. I did start to get bored and began looking at other meals that were acceptable on the diet. I did not see any decrease in weight loss when introducing new foods but again the risk is introducing foods that might not be on diet or making the diet so broad that it becomes easier to fudge on meals here or there. I combated this by introducing only a few new foods at a time and ensuring that they were allowed foods for the diet. There are a few slow-carb food lists on the web that are useful for finding new items. I have also begun cycling through meal plans every few weeks. Overall this rule was pretty easy for me. The meal repetition allowed me to make several servings of one meal at a time and eat them throughout the week.
Rule 3: Don't Drink Calories
No soda, no juice, no orange mocha frappuccinos. I am a soda fiend so this was a bit of a task for me. I always drank an ok amount of water but never the recommended amount. On the diet I am drinking > 2 litters of water a day and 2-3 cups of black tea or coffee. One 16oz. diet soda is allowed a day and I usually drink 2-3 per week. I have noticed a huge improvement in energy and overall well-being since I stopped the soda. I would like to reduce my caffeine intake even further but even with 2-3 cups of tea or coffee a day I am still able to go 24 hours off of caffeine without experiencing any withdraw symptoms. If you are on the fence about the diet and want to ease in to it one rule at a time I would suggest this rule first. I think the return on investment here is very high and if you are like me, you will be surprised at how many calories you are drinking everyday.
Rule 4: Don't Eat Fruit
But fruit is healthy and the CDC and DHHS say I need 5 servings a day! The idea here is the effect fructose has on our bodies is counterproductive when trying to lose weight. Again I am going to leave the science for others to discuss but a diet high in fructose has been linked to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. While so much of nutritional science seems to be a flavor of the week study it is easy to be skeptical of these findings, especially after growing up being told that fruit is a healthy snack and essential to good health. I try to eat some fruit or fruit juice every binge day, see the next rule, to regain any lost benefits but so far I am not feeling fruit's absence. I will use lemon or lime juice while cooking during the week and tomatoes are ok as is one serving of avocado a day. I don't miss the fruit at all and I am mindful of consuming the vitamins and minerals typically found in fruit from vegetables. It is important to commit to the diet 100% so I suggest reading more on the effect of fructose on the human body particularly when it is consumed in higher amounts. And as always speaking with your doctor or a institutionalist is recommended and might be helpful.
Rule 5: 1 Binge Day a Week
This is what makes it all worthwhile, well this and the weight loss! Once a week I get to eat as much as I want of whatever I want. It is fantastic and a necessary part of the diet. Ferriss explains in the 4HB that a spiked caloric intake once a week helps keep our body from going into metabolic shutdown to prevent starvation. There is the option of eating only a binge meal once a week for men but so far I am still doing a whole day; I may switch as I approach my goal weight. The only real stipulation is to still each a large amount of clean protein within 30 minutes of waking. Other than that I go hog wild. I find myself making a list throughout the week of all the things I am craving for binge day. But be prepared to gain a decent amount of weight on this day. I normally gain 3 to 5 pounds every binge day. These typically fall off within the first few days back on protocol but it is a little difficult to see a week's plus worth of work erased in a single day. I try to make this day as fun and satisfying as possible. It really does help stop the cravings during the week. The other interesting thing about this rule is that after a few weeks on the diet I noticed feeling great everyday except one...the day after binge day. I still binge but I am more mindful of how much junk I eat but not to the point that I feel restricted. Binge days have shown me just how big of an effect food can have on our bodies.
Overall, I am happy with the diet and I am seeing good results. I have lost 18 lbs. in 7 weeks with minimal exercise and the majority of these pounds have been fat. I typically start my day with a protein shake first thing and then follow it up with some egg whites later in the morning. I eat beans or lentils with lunch and dinner as well as plenty of veggies. Virtually all seafood is ok on the diet and trying some different types of fish has been fun and added interest to the diet. The diet feels healthy given all the whole foods you eat and I feel healthy on the diet. It has been easy to stick to both at home and eating out and I think adherence is the most important part of any diet to me. I always feel full after meals and that helps keep me on protocol. Best of all, I don't count a single calorie. I am mindful of my portions and try to look at macro nutrient and vitamin consumption but I couldn't tell you a total count for a single day on this diet. Again talking to your doctor is recommended, advice I did not take, and the diet is not for everyone but so far I am a Slow-Carb convert and loving every minute of it.
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