Well, it’s hard to believe I’ve only got one more week left of the “Tim Ferris Diet“!
Looking back, despite the changes I’ve made, especially in the mornings when I had to cook breakfast and clean up afterward, it really wasn’t all that bad. Even when I absolutely did not feel like cooking, by forcing myself to go through with it, I was able to break through the initial resistance pretty easily.
All of you know from last week’s gratitude post that I received a terrific “encouragement card” from Chris and Lisa Cree (see photo). As I mentioned, it caused tears of gratitude to flow and now it’s sitting on my desk, reminding me of the mantra “I am at my ideal weight.”
I know all of you are leaning forward, dying to know if this “Tim Ferris Diet” has generated incredible results for me.
I’m sitting here smiling, almost laughing because, well, 3 weeks have gone by…and…..
* I’ve managed to stick with it 6 days a week with 1 “day off.”
* I exercised almost every day (combination of running and weight training).
* Cooking breakfast and cleaning up afterward became slightly easier over time.
* Even on the “days off” (Saturdays), I never went wild with junk food. In fact, pretty much the only thing that was different was instead of cooking breakfast, I’d have a bowl of Kashi’s with frozen blueberries. Lunch and dinner on that day was usually spinach salad with chicken (but no beans). For a snack, I’d grab fistfuls of my favorite peanut butter pretzels. Despite not going “wild,” I always managed gained a few pounds the next day only to lose it the following Monday. Strange if you ask me!
As I enter my fourth and final week, let’s have a look at the numbers once again:
Beginning of Week #1:
Weight: 171.5; Belly to Belly Measurement: 38 inches, Pant Waist Size: 34 inches
End of Week #3:
Weight: 166.0**; Belly to Belly Measurement: 36 inches, Pant Waist Size: 33 inches (snug fit)
**this was the weight last Friday, the lowest on the scale before going back up to 168 lbs over the weekend (probably due to the “day off”).
Results so far:
- Total Weight Loss: 5.5 lbs (3 weeks)
- Total Belly to Belly Waist Reduction: 2 inches (not too shabby!)
- Total Pant Size Reduction: 1 inch (just tried on a pair of 33 inch jeans and it felt “snug” but not tight like it did before the experiment)
With a week left, I am nowhere near the 20 lb. loss I was looking for. But the numbers are telling. I am gradually “trimming” down. Does that mean I will continue with this “diet”?
Yes and no.
Here’s why:
1. Yes, because I’ve gotten into the habit of incorporating green leafy vegetables, which is easy to throw together (salad) and is delicious.
2. No, because I believe I will go back to eating a bowl of Kashi’s with blueberries since it’ll eliminate the ghastly clean up job afterward (but after seeing Tim Ferris YouTube video on how to cook without generating a pile of dirty dishes/pans, I am going to give that a try this week).
3. No, because I’ve been contemplating the idea of eating raw food for 30 days anyway. Before you start groaning and shouting “NOOOOOO!”, take a look at this guy, Anthony Anderson. Look at his photo. He went raw for 2 weeks and it not only defined his body but it also cleared his skin and gave him an incredible boost of energy, lifting him both spiritually and mentally. Who doesn’t want that?
Truth be told, I’ve been considering going this route for quite some time but I love chicken too much to have given it serious thought. However, after having gone on a 30 day experiment for the first time in my life and finding it fun, challenging and definitely life-changing, I’m curious to see what will happen at the end of 30 days of eating raw. Will the results be more dramatic? Or will it fail?
Think about it. Every day I eat salad anyway. The only thing I’d be eliminating would be chicken. Is that too hard? Well, not if I stay focused, perhaps substituting chicken with, say, flavored tofu like sundried tomato tofu!
While I have not yet made the decision to go raw, I’m pretty excited about the possibilities. Meanwhile, I plan to finish up all the chicken stored away in the freezer. Then on my “final day off” (Saturday, September 6th), I’ll decide whether to go raw or not.
A couple more lessons I’ve learned from this experiment:
Use a Tool to Help Sharpen Your Focus
I put a calendar up on the wall in the hallway and kept track of the numbers. I found this to be a great motivator.
This was the method I used while at Merrill Lynch during the early 90’s to win sales trips (Bermuda, Mexico, Florida, etc) because it helped me stay the course and keep up with production quotas.
When your focus is razor-sharp, the fact of the matter is you’re less likely to fall off the wagon and stick with the routine.
Eating More Greens Led to Less Cravings and More Energy
Without getting technical (I’ll leave that to the food experts), the more green food I ate, the more energy I felt on most days. Something having to do with photo-something. Also, I found that I did not crave sweets even on my days off when I had a “license” to snack away. The desire was simply not there.
In fact, I have a bag of candy sitting on my table (a thank you gift from the people who ran the deaf youth mentoring summer program), left unopened. I think having more greens in my daily diet had something to do with that.
If you’re a food expert reading this, feel free to add your comments below and help all of us, including this one, understand what was happening.
Okay, that’s it folks! One more week and I’ll be turning a new leaf with a new 30 day experiment. Stay tuned for “before” and “after” photos!
It’ll be very interesting to see if the 30 day trial produced any “noticeable” results through the photos.
Food for Thought: Any other thoughts you might be having to doing your own 30 day experiment? Come on folks, let’s have fun with it. It is possible to change a habit in 30 days. You can do it!
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1:18 pm on September 1st, 2008 1
Stephen,
Congrats on sticking with your diet. Though you may not hit the numerical weight loss goal in the time you allotted, I think that changing your action towards your goal is more important than the actual results (especially in weight loss, which is so unpredictable).
You might find this interesting for longer term goals, your note about having a calendar up reminded me of what’s called the “Jerry Seinfeld productivity secret” or “Jerry Seinfeld GTD” (Getting Things Done) among many other things. There was an article about it at lifehacker, basically you work towards your goal every day and put up a calendar - each day you are successful in making progress, you put up a big X. You are then motivated to never break that chain, because you want to see all those X’s in a row. This guy even made a year long calendar:
http://vertonghen.wordpress.com/2007/07/26/seinfeld-calendar/
1:34 pm on September 1st, 2008 2
@ Sid Savara:
You know what Sid? I think you’re right - the action toward the goal is more important than the actual result.
Why?
Because once the action taken has taken root down to the cellular level, you’re forever changed in some way, form or shape. For me, it might be the raised level of awareness of what’s going in my mouth and controlling the portions better versus before when I ate “whatever” and in “whatever” amounts. Big difference, right?
I never heard of the Jerry Seinfeld productivity secret” - hmm..very interesting. Well, it’s definitely a way to keep motivated - keep things in front of you. It’s one way to help us strengthen what we know we need to do and weaken what we know we shouldn’t do.
Thanks, as always, for contributing your thoughts - I especially appreciate the sincerity behind them.
4:41 pm on September 1st, 2008 3
Stephen
An inspiring post. My feet are too big for our scales to get an accurate reading! But after reading an article saying mens waists should be 37″ or less I realize my 46″ gut needs trimming. My main aim is to cut alcohol (they don’t call it a belly belly for nothing!) and carbs. I like this article http://tinyurl.com/58yssg and the philosophy behind it, but I think sticking to porridge for breakfast is better than meat/eggs. I’ll just not smother it with syrup!!!
David
7:09 pm on September 1st, 2008 4
@ David Rogers:
May the force be with you on your new odyssey! Once you make a firm decision and decide you’re going to do it, half of the battle has already been won. That’s what I’ve found when I started this journey almost a month ago. While it hasn’t been without challenges, it’s been an interesting experience and has prompted me to start 30 day experiments in other areas - for now, I’m sticking with trying different ways to eat better and holding myself accountable - that’s the other thing - it helps to have a blog with a group of readers who are “in the know” - a powerful incentive to keep going! Thanks for your support. Good luck with your newest journey.
9:36 pm on September 1st, 2008 5
Congrats on the progress Stephen! Even if you can go half-raw, you’ll see huge benefits (seems you already have!).
If you need any support, you got us.
9:52 pm on September 1st, 2008 6
@ Dhrumil:
Wow, I was just thinking of you when I was writing this piece! In fact, I was at your site earlier today, looking for ideas, books to read, etc. I went from there to a link you had to Anthony Anderson’s site where he mentioned he read a book and decided to give it a 2 week try. From that point, he saw astonishing results - that really spoke to me.
So my next goal is go raw for 30 days when this “Tim Ferris Diet” is completed at the end of the week. It’s so awesome to hear from you cuz I know I’ll definitely need some pointers, ideas and maybe the name of a book I could follow with easy meals to plan and so forth. Got any recommendations?
I’m determined to get even better in every way - physically mentally and spiritually. I’ve been following your blog for a while now and am starting to pay more attention. I’m honored you came by!
9:40 am on September 2nd, 2008 7
I am impressed with your committment to the diet and your success is great! I need to lose 30 lbs. per my doctor’s input and his first comment was to make sure that I exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes where I break a sweat and then reduce my meal portion sizes, drink more water, do not eat between meals and come back to see him in 90 days to see how I have progressed with my weight loss and hopeful lowered blood pressure. His scare tactic is that I must loose the weight to lower my blood pressure or else I will require medication to do it- hence my MOTIVATION! I will keep you posted to my progress!!! As you know I am a year older as of yesterday 9/1 so my wife figured it would be a good time to see the doc - other than the weight and the blood pressure things were OK so to speak… so thanks for inspiring me with your success!
Sincerely - Bob
12:37 pm on September 2nd, 2008 8
Stephen, losing weight slowly enough to change your eating habits is safer and healthier for you than losing large amounts of weight quickly. Usually when you lose too fast, your habits and attitudes don’t have time to change and you go back to unhealthy eating after you quit “dieting” and you gain back what you lost plus more.
Congratulations on what you have lost.
2:47 pm on September 2nd, 2008 9
@ Bob:
Thanks Bob - undertaking a 30 day commitment turned out to be an interesting way of learning more about the power of the mind (as well as the ego) when trying to make some basic everyday changes like eating and exercising.
30 minutes is a good number to work with as far as exercising. I’ve gone to the gym over the years and have worked my way up to an hour, sometimes longer. What I find to be a great fat burner is cardovascular workouts - running, biking, swimming, walking,etc. Most people don’t like it, myself included, but it works.
Yes, please do keep all of us posted on your progress. In fact, whatever decision you make, hold yourself accountable using us as your community to back you up. Deal? Good!
Go for it!
2:49 pm on September 2nd, 2008 10
@ Patricia - Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker:
That’s true but I still wanted to lose 20 lbs. in 30 days! LOL. Good point about what happens when you lose too much weight too quickly and how habits/attitudes don’t have time to penetrate your inner way of thinking - good point - good point. I agree.
They say it takes 30 days to break or change a habit but I think what they probably mean is that it takes 30 days to begin to break/change habits and maybe another 30 to 45 days to really make the change. Does that make sense?
I wonder……
4:28 pm on September 3rd, 2008 11
Congrats. I know you hoped for more, but it is momentum, not changing your lifestyle to something that will get gradual results and be something you can live with.
And I have met you in person - you were too thin to begin with!
5:32 pm on September 4th, 2008 12
@ Buzzoodle Ron:
Ah, how interesting you would perceive me as “thin to begin with.” Well, thanks my friend, but that’s not how I perceived myself. LOL. And I know how Hollywood has a bunch of toothpick-thin stars who think they’re “fat.”
Well, fortunately, I’m not “toothpick thin” but I do know I have some work to do for myself. And I’m actually happy to tell you that even though I’ve lost a meager 6.6 pounds so far, when I’m sitting out on the porch, I can see my belt! When I’m working out, I feel “thin.” On top of that, my pants are starting to feel a little loose, which is a great feeling.
Having said all that, I do feel I need more weight to lose. Just my thing - you know.
And one last thing - thanks to a video someone told me about, I saw Tim Ferris making breakfast the easy way, with minimal cleanup involved! That has made all the difference - no more pot scrubbing! LOL.
Again, thanks for your continuing support “Buzzoodle” Ron!
5:35 am on September 9th, 2008 13
Congrats on completing your 30-day experiment. I can’t imagine eating so many beans in one day! It would certainly be filling, but tasty?
From your photo, you certainly don’t look as though you need to lose any weight.
I’ll be interested to see how the Raw foods Diet Experiment works for you, if you choose to pursue it.
Best of luck with that one, as well!
7:22 am on September 11th, 2008 14
@ Jeniffer:
LOL. I know it looks like I don’t need to lose weight but I still want to bring it down to my “natural” weight, which I think is somewhere between 145 and 155. I know this because I tried last year and lost 20 lbs, arriving around 155 on the scale, the lowest I’ve weighed since graduating from college in the early 80’s.
The main thrust behind this experiment was to give this a try more out of curiosity and determination. I wanted to evaluate how I felt overall and guage my energy level throughout the day. And then if I thought the project was a success, I’d continue eating in some variation of the “Tim Ferris Diet.”
I am DEFINITELY embarking on the Raw Food/Living Food experiment - in fact, I’m a little behind in posting articles this week. I owe you guys an update on the final week of the “Tim Ferris Diet” and then I need to write a post on my raw food experiment, which I already started two days ago (to even BETTER results than the Tim Ferris Diet, believe it or not). What til you see what I’ve got to say about that. Whooo.
Anyway, thanks for your support Jennifer. It’s always good to have people like you here. Come back and hang out with us. We’ve got a neat little community here.