The 4 Hour Body

So a friend raved about The 4-Hour Chef - it wasn't available at the library (yeah, I wanted to browse it before buying) but I did see a copy of The 4-Hour Body. I hadn't really read Tim Ferriss' other book but ended up borrowing it. The book jumps all over the place but I was intrigued enough to give the Slow Carb Diet a shot.  I'm in decent shape but wanted to burn that extra "late 30s" fat.

In a nutshell, you can't really eat any "white" carbs, sugars, etc; you need to get enough protein at each meal as well.  This was extremely hard for me since I eat a ton of rice, breakfast bars, etc.  You get your calories from legumes, lean meats and fish, eggs, and vegetables.  I'm on week two, but a few observations:

• Initially, getting all the calories was difficult.  Without the high-GI carbs, you have to eat a lot of veggies and beans.  I think I have the load down now so my energy levels are consistent. 
• I think I need to do *some* carb loading before and after lifting weights, playing hockey, or doing an Insanity workout.  I've been very sore after some of these workouts, which is usually not the case.  I've added potassium and more avocado to help here.
• Eating the same stuff over and over is getting old already, but I certainly do not crave the sweets I used to.  I do have to cook my own stuff a lot more, which means more dishwashing :(
• Chipotle is a good option - salad bowl with beans, chicken or steak, salsa, and guacamole.  Enjoyable and within the SCD guidelines.  Cottage cheese is another okay item with low fat and plenty of protein.

I plan to keep on it for at least 4 weeks, hopefully longer.  I had a cold last week so really couldn't work out as hard as I wanted.  I have indeed lost about 5 lbs but I'm very light to begin with - I do think I've lost a bit of muscle as well.

I'm not sure I could keep this up long term, but still curious to see if it can burn fat as aggressively as it claims.  I think my body is hardwired to need carbs.  I guess we'll see!