(Photo by Carly & Art, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike)
So begins my experiment with Tim Ferriss' '4-Hour Body' regime. You might recall Ferriss from his '4-Hour Work Week' fame.
I've toyed with the 4HB regime - diet and exercise - for two week now, since the book launched - but only at 50% effort. To date, I have lost 2kg.
The 4HB diet is based on the findings of Kekwick and Pawan's study comparing three calorically equivalent semistarvation diets of 90% fat, 90% protein, and 90% carbohydrates. The fat-centric dieters scored the greatest weight loss at 0.9 lbs. a day, followed by their protein-centric counterparts at 0.6 lbs. a day. The carb-munchers actually gained weight at a rate of 0.24 lbs. a day.
Similar findings are also cited in Michael Pollan's 'In Defense of Food', which argues that our current understanding of food in terms of the macronutrients - proteins, fats, and carbs - is flawed. Some calories are more equal than others, Orwell might say. Furthermore, we discount the synergistic effect of consuming these various components in a discrete product such as a banana.
Hence, the plan:
- For six days a week, no white carbs, no dairy, and no fruit.
- One free-for-all cheat day to reset the insulin something-or-other.
My own considerations:
- No meat - I'm back on the vegetarian train.
- Nothing too complicated - only 3-4 variations.
- Easy to store and prepare - nothing too perishable; 5 mins prep and no-watch cook time.
This is what I've come up with:
- A main of chawanmushi (Japanese steamed custard egg) with a side of veg - kidney beans, lentils, sauerkraut, or spinach.
- The chawanmushi's a piece of cake - crack, mix, and steam.
- Kidney beans and lentils - purchased dried and soaked overnight with baking soda.
- Sauerkraut - open can, and serve.
- Spinch - purchased frozen.
- Veg served with 1 tsp canola oil for the omega 3 and 6's, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar - for insulin control and taste - and 2 tbsp of salsa (salad in a bottle!).
One trick was to plan out 3-4 weeks worth of food and order the ingredients in bulk. Nothing says "Commitment" like 20 trays of eggs on the counter-top and 2kg of lentils weighing down the shelves. This has the added benefit of reducing the hassle of grocery shopping and transit time.
Cold Storage has a great service at $7 per delivery for $60 and above.
Singapore Groceries is a gem for for legumes and other such ethnic food. Free delivery for $80 and above.
See the upside of bulk now? Try managing 20 egg-trays and 2kg of legumes on your own and you would gladly pay that $7 too. Not to mention, the last time I stopped by Jason's to pick up sauerkraut, I had to gouge my eyes out to stop myself from downing that vat of sticky date pudding on the spot: temptation-free shopping and easy price-comparisons.
I preferred SG's eggs at $2 a tray to CS's No-Frills at $1.90 - they were fresher and their shells looked cleaner. SG's legumes were also cheaper and offered more variety.
Cold Storage was great for contemporary stuff. Tostito Salsa, Waitrose Frozen Spinach and S&W Sauerkraut offered the best value - although they seem to always be out of stock on S&W.
The total came down to less than $300 a month. That's for four meals a day assuming no cheat days.
All meals are photographed for accountability at Augustus Eats - or what I dub "the world's most boring food blog ever." Be warned - food therein are tasty but not pretty. Such is life.