Category: Health & Fitness

Day 11, Thursday, and whatever was happening yesterday is gone. We all feel back to our normal selves today. I had freelance work to get done which I’d been struggling to do with an unfocused brain, so today I was able to catch up and knock that work out.

WEEK 2 EXPERIMENT TWEAK: Can I eat within 90 mins of waking (instead of 30-60) and still lose weight on the 4 hr body plan?

ANSWER: So far, this has not been a problem. My numbers continue to improve.

Today, alas, I forgot to weigh myself this morning. But so far my weight is down 5 lbs on Week 2 of the tim ferriss slow carb diet plan.

What is the 4 hour body diet? Easier than any other.

On every single other diet plan I have tried, it has been HARD. It has required a lot of focus and energy and time and willpower and discipline. They’ve all been a struggle in one way or another. They didn’t take into account real life. It didn’t matter if I told myself that this was a “lifestyle change” and not a diet.

My biggest struggle has always been that I want to be able to eat whatever I want, dang it! I grew up a skinny girl, always able to eat whatever I wanted, as much as I wanted, whenever I wanted. I had a high metabolism, I was active, and I naturally listened to my body, only eating when hungry and stopping when full. I didn’t have to think about it. I love sweets and carbs and could always have them whenever I wanted (though sweets were highly restricted as a child). Don’t stone me – I got mercilessly teased for being too skinny, too. (“Hey Jerilyn, do you have to wear skis in the shower?”)

So now it seems that whenever I tell myself I can’t eat such-and-such, all of a sudden my body and mind wants more than ever to eat the forbidden food – I can’t stop thinking about it!

Something changed in my mid-thirties after I was done having four kids, and I believe it had more to do with emotional and relational struggles at the time (being afraid I might “get kicked out of the tribe” – base ego fear). My weight began creeping up over time, and every diet I tried worked only while I was following it super-strictly, which never lasted very long. Then I would gain the weight back and some bonus weight, too.

Diet plans I’ve tried:

• Blood Type Diet
• South Beach Diet
• The Belly Fat Cure (and the one about hormones)
• 1 Degree of Change plan
• The French Don’t Diet Plan
• Paleo
• Keto
• Intermittent Fasting
• Weight Watchers
• Viva Mayr Diet
• Calorie counting with a personal trainer & MyFitnessPal
• Trial-sampled Noom once
• Tried hypnosis for weight loss with a hypnotist

With none of them was I able to stick to it and I always regained all my weight and then some. I slowly grew from a size 10 skinny girl in my 20s & 30s to a plus-size 16 in my 40s and 50s.

One plan which DID work is the one I came up with myself: The Trip to Europe Plan. It totally worked! Two and a half weeks in Portugal and Italy, eating whatever and whenever we wanted of the all-natural, incredibly high-quality whole foods and drinks, not drinking big sugary drinks like in the US, and walking 8,000-21,000 steps a day with plenty of mind stimulation did the trick! Too bad I can’t go twice a year, or I would be set. My weight stayed off for a while after I returned as I continued to walk at least 8,000 steps a day, still eating whatever I wanted, listening to my body. But alas, American food is just not the same quality as European food. Over the winter I wasn’t able to keep up my steps and I slowly gained the weight back. I gradually returned to having an occasional big sugary drink, too, like my medium lattes from Starbucks and energy drinks from Dutch Bros (I try to limit these overall).

This plan from the 4 hour body book, however, is easy

Yes, it still required some energy, time, and focus to get started. Now it’s becoming more automatic and I don’t have to think about it much. So far I really haven’t been craving cheats at all. I’ve had a little hunger here or there, and usually close to the time for my next meal. One time I fried up some bacon for a snack, but it wasn’t that far until lunch so I didn’t really need to do that.

Best of all, I don’t have the mind struggles going on over restricted, taboo foods. I know I can eat anything as much as I want on my Binge Day all day long. So as my week progresses, I enjoy getting nearer to my weekly Cheat Day, anticipating which treats and foods I might want to make and eat on that day.

I thought I wouldn’t be okay with eating beans at almost every meal (part of the plan from the 4 hour body book). But now that I’ve begun realizing that the beans are a major key towards not having cravings (since they are a healthy carb), I find that I don’t mind them at all. I’ve always liked beans. I’m enjoying finding different ways to cook and eat them. And I LOVE the simplicity of this plan with its Five Basic Rules and the simple meals of protein, beans, and veggies. For my 4 hour body review this week, I’m finding that it’s very easy and flexible to find slow carb recipes, or to adopt recipes into this plan, cooking and eating many of our favorite foods.

Lunch: fast low carb recipe

Loved my leftovers for lunch (beef tenderloin from HelloFresh), refried beans, and a small can of original V8 for a veggie. Had my Greek yogurt with monk fruit sweetener and flavor extract (I have a variety of them) for dessert.

Supper: healthy low carb recipe

Tonight I whipped up a recipe from Antoni Porowski on Season 6 of Queer Eye: More than a Makeover – Cajun Sausage, Shrimp and Veggies.

Cajun Sausage, Shrimp & Veggies
Serves 4-6.

• 1 smoked sausage/kielbasa, sliced thinly
• 1 medium package of raw shrimp, thawed if frozen, skinned and de-veined
• 1 small onion, sliced into chunks
• 2 bell peppers (bright colors are great), cut into chunks
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 yellow squash, sliced
• Butter, oil, ghee, and/or bacon grease for sauteing
• “Slap Yo Mama” Cajun seasoning (or other similar Cajun seasoning)
• salt and black pepper to taste

1. Prepare your shrimp. Put it into a medium bowl and generously sprinkle Cajun seasoning all over it. Let it sit while you cook everything else first.
2. In a skillet on medium-high, saute the sliced smoked sausage until nicely browned. Remove into a large serving dish or bowl.
3. In the same skillet, add a little oil and/or butter, and saute the onions and bell peppers for a few minutes until getting soft. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove into the bowl with the sausage.
4. In the same skillet, add a little oil and/or butter if needed, and saute the zucchini and yellow squash until getting lightly browned and soft. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove into the bowl with the sausage.
5. Lastly, saute the shrimp, adding more Cajun seasoning. Do NOT salt the shrimp, there’s already salt in the Cajun spices. Saute until the shrimp are cooked, no gray left but white all the way through. Add it to the bowl of sausage and veggies.
6. Toss all together. Pass the Cajun seasoning around for anyone who wants a bit more spice (it’s so good!).

This was so easy and so delicious and we all enjoyed it. Before I began my Cajun dish, I got my Quick Savory Beans simmering, using white beans this time. I had them as a side. I enjoyed my Merlot red wine with my meal, and had my Greek yogurt dessert for a sweet ender. What a great supper for the whole family which matches the 4 hour body slow carb diet plan – a perfect slow carb diet recipe.

WEEKLY SUMMARY: (forgot to weigh myself today)