What are your favorite modifications to plan?

(1) I'm not a morning person & I commute, but realise that it's protein first thing in the morning that really kicks off my fat loss, so I have either a full or half a protein shake (a full one has 33g protein) and have just introduced Egg Muffins which are easy to pop in the microwave, and they get eaten basically as I'm waiting for my car pool pick up. In my protein shake, I have a good big spoonful of psyllium husk that helps with any tummy sadness. (biggest modification)

(2) I don't completely obsess over hidden sugars in things. I figure, if Tim eats out once/twice a day, he can't be in the kitchen obsessing over what they're using to make his food with. If something obviously has LOTS of sugar in it, we don't eat it. If something has trace amounts of sugar, we don't freak out over it, but just limit intake.

(3) I keep a protein bar in my purse for emergencies: if I get caught in traffic on the way home and I'm too far out from a meal, I can have a bite & it keeps me going. (2nd biggest modifcation) I don't eat many of these, maybe 2 a week at most.

(4) Cheat day has become Whatever-I've-Missed-Most day, not Eat-Yourself-Sick day. Cheat day inevitably ends up as Sick Day for my partner, as by the end of it he always feels absolutely SICK. I end up eating toast (with vegemite YUM) and maybe a sandwich, I have a latte (or two), and we might have something with rice for dinner. Not so much a sugar fix day, as a carb fix. We don't eat pasta at all however so this doesn't feature, and neither do potatoes. I do try to eat a chocolate bar or something, to make sure I feel pretty BLEAH afterwards so I don't crave it during the week.

It's been easier this time around (1st time Dec 2010 6 weeks, 2nd time Jan 2012, ongoing) and I know what works and doesn't, so it's been easier to not obsess.

## Favourite mod has to be the protein shake of a morning: gets my psyllium into my for healthy bowel, and starts me off with a lot of protein without having to cook at sparrow-fart-o-clock. ##

1) Lower the total amount of Protein /day

Since huge amounts (more than 100 or 120g a Day, which can easily achieved bei eating lentils twice a day in combination with meat or fish) are considered to be not really great for the kidneys in the long run, I'm experimenting a bit:

Breakfast: as Tim recommends it, 30g Protein (without beans, I barely make it through the eggs, if you're used to muesli with fresh fruits, they are disgusting enough )

Lunch: Grains with low Insulin-response (see 2)), Vegetables, Beans optional

Dinner: Just Protein and Vegetables, NO Beans

Should some up to a Protein-Intake between 60-90 g/day max, which is pretty much the "perfect" dose.

2) I just discovered, that there are in Fact Grains which provoke a very low Insulin-response (Value identcal to the response caused by lentils), like Sorghum.

Same for Oatmeal, which I might add to Breakfast with some coconut-milk, cinammon and some of the core of 1 Vanillabean. (I'm getting hungry while writing this, can't wait to taste this)

xo

nimmermehr

GREAT question!! I love seeing what is working for other people so that I can try it myself! Ok here are my faves:

- I couldn't stomache the eggs so soon after getting up so I opted for a protein shake (pea protein) with almond milk

- I nixed the nut butters as I could not be trusted lol

- I added 1 cup of berries to my breakfast smoothie with no ill effects

- I cut the beans at dinner time

- I now limit my cheat day to two healthy somewhat carby meals with some sweet treats but still stay away from the breads and pastas and crap (before I was eating complete garbage)

- I cut down the amount of sugary treats on cheat day as cravings would carry over to the next day

This week I may try cutting the sugar out completely on cheat day as I find it is still an issue the next day for cravings. I know this isn't slow carb to the letter but I'm finding it easier to stick to which is more important to me in the long run.

I have been doing Intermittent fasting on non-workout days. I only eat one good sized slow carb meal between 8 and 10 pm. When I workout I have a post-workout shake and then another protein shake an hour later. I also only stay strict Monday thru Friday and take the weekend off for my reset. I've been doing this for 2 months and have lost between 1-3 pounds every week. My waist has also gone down 4 inches in that time.

1. I also have dropped legumes from most of my dinners. I figure that they are there to keep me feeling full, and I don't need that when I'm going to bed soon. 2. I don't worry at all about how much butter, avocado or olive oil I eat -- I know that my fat consumption on this is SOOooooooo much lower than before 4HB that I am not concerned. If butter lets me enjoy all my veggies, lentils and beans even more, I am totally cool with it. I've even made Hollandaise sauce twice during this -- what a treat!! 3. I don't eat beef, pork or poultry, so all my protein comes from eggs, fish, shrimp, or cottage cheese (but one week, I went crazy on the cottage cheese, and it was the first week I gained. I keep it to fewer than 3 meals a week now.) 4. I also have cheddar or mozzarella sometimes as part of my protein. It doesn't seem to bother things, as I am averaging a loss of 1.71 lb per week. Maybe I'd lose even more without it, but I'm very happy with that rate and it feels luxurious to have cheese now and then. 5. On Sundays, I find I'm hungrier (my Anything Day is Saturday), so I start with an early breakfast of 1 Muscle Milk + a scoop of protein powder, water added. After a few hours, I have a second breakfast. 4 meals on Sundays works well for me as I am cooking things for the week ahead.

I read another book called metabolism miracle which had many similarities to the SCD plan listed in 4HB

While I recommend the book because of the great explanations of how the body works (more in depth than 4HB and the cookbook in the back) the main theme relates to net carbs. Basically, the author suggests that you need to focus on net carbs which are carbs - minus (hence why legumes are ok in 4HB)

4HB is definitely easier to follow, TF simplified the rules but the problem was he doesn't give us an end game, rather suggests we eat like this for the rest of our lives. I am not into that. She on the other hand discusses how to reintroduce carbs slowly.

Also, once you check out the net carbs concept, you can introduce all sorts of things like low carb tortillas, bread, etc.... low carb tortillas are w/o a doubt my favorite mod

1. Beer. I review beers, bars and breweries on a blog OAS well as YouTube. I drink beer almost every day and some weekends I drink the equivalent of a six pack of beer. Doesn't seem to hurt my results.

2. Nuts. If I am hungry but I don't have time for dinner I grab a can of nuts which usually lasts me about two days.

3. Dairy. I have started to drink milk on occasion as I have added cheese back in to my diet.

4. Not worrying as much. At first I was dead strict with diet which meant I would have the same routine every morning which lead I be groggy or tired at work. Now I know that if eat something bad or miss breakfast I can easily make up for it the next meal.

5. Coffee. Didn't drink coffee before but know I drink it every morning.

6. Exercise. I lift weights and run a few miles 2-3 time a week.

This routine seems to keep me at a weight I am comfortable which and lets me be stress free about the way I eat.

I have a whey protein shake in the morning, and I've tried it with water only or Lactose free whole milk only, and I lose the same amount of weight regardless of which I use.

I also add a raw egg to my protein shake to up the protein amount.

I also view this as a lifestyle plan instead of a diet, so when I'm at home I eat slow carb, and when I'm eating out, there is a holiday with traditional food or whatever, I partake freely, using PAGG, cinnamon and Tim's other methods that help blunt insulemic response. Consequently, I don't stay on a 6 day on and then a cheat day off, I just let the natural interruptions of life be my "cheat" days. I'm still losing weight at a nice rate.