Are you trying to lose weight quickly and easily? There’s a diet for that, you know. The slow carb diet was created by Timothy Ferris about a decade ago in 2010. The purpose of the diet is to keep a healthy metabolism while denying our bodies any chance to gain weight by mostly avoiding carbs. I would classify it as a specific type of keto diet.
The key strength of the diet is how simple and easy it is to follow. With this ease will come some restrictions but if you can overcome them, you are basically promised weight loss. If ignoring the amount of calories you consume, having a cheat day each week, and being limiting your exercise sounds appealing, then you need to keep reading!
The 5 Rules of the Slow Carb Diet
1) Avoid “White” (refined) Carbs
Any processed carbohydrates are off the menu. No pasta, no bread, no cereal, no rice, no added sugars. You make make the small exception for some fibrous whole grain, but be careful of doing it more than 2 or 3 times per week. Additionally, if you choose to exercise during this diet, you may have some extra carbs near your workout.
2) do not deviate from the allowed foods
According to Timothy Ferris, there are only a few foods that truly do not contribute to weight gain. We are more than welcome to mix and match our foods throughout our meals, but do not start deviating or you will compromise your diet. It may get repetitive but again, that is the main drawback of this diet and your challenge to overcome.
3) Drink beverages that lack calories
Let’s be honest. Almost ALL drinks are just a pile of sugar with some water. Aside from protein shakes (which are allowed), you must avoid any beverages with calories. This leaves available water, unsweetened tea, and black coffee. Other drinks have very little nutritional value and are not worth the sugar intake.
4) avoid fruit
Does it sound risky to cut fruit from your diet? They are part of a balanced diet, after all! Well, the creator of the slow carb diet excludes all fruits but tomato and avocado, and for good reason: fructose. Fruits are filled with sugar and I cannot stress enough how much we need to avoid sugar for this diet to work.
5) take a cheat day each week
One day per week, you are allowed to consume pretty much anything you want. Sugars, alcohol, you name it. There are no restrictions in the amount you consume, no worrying about when you consume it, just go and eat your heart out! The purpose of the cheat day is to release the psychological stress of committing to a strict diet, as well as engaging our metabolism and hormone production. Introducing ‘unhealthy’ foods wakes up our metabolism and increases our leptin production. Leptin is the hormone that makes us feel full when eating. This helps us not get unbearably hungry or overeat during our dieting days. Here’s an article you can read to look further into the science behind cheat days and their effectiveness.
Note the one exception to the ‘anything goes’ of your cheat day: You need protein within your first meal of the day. This is just a general recommendation and does not absolutely have to be followed every time.
When and what to eat
The when of the slow carb diet is very simple. You get 4 meals per day, each spaced 4 hours apart. Consume your first meal within an our of waking up.
You are free to eat as much as you like of the following: Proteins, vegetables, legumes. You are also allowed to eat fats and spices in moderation. I will break down each to provide examples and general guidelines.
Proteins
I recommend sticking to complete proteins. Complete proteins include basically all meats, eggs, dairy, soybeans, quinoa, and buckwheat. I’ll note now that you are not allowed dairy outside of cheat days, so scratch that off your list. If you need an extra source of protein to make this easier, consider protein supplements! I have another post regarding them, which I will link to here. Because this diet recommends against a lot of exercise, I recommend casein protein as your supplement of choice.
Legumes
Legumes basically come down to lentils and beans. This can be black beans, pinto beans, red beans, and soybeans. I generally caution against soy due to its estrogenic properties, though.
Vegetables
- Spinach
- Broccoli and cauliflower
- Kale
- Brussel sprouts
- Sauerkraut and kimchi
- Peas
- Asparagus
- Green Beans
Fats and spices
For spices, you should stick to salts and herbs. Garlic is very desirable as it lowers bad cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
When considering fats, try to stick to healthy fats such as olive oil and nuts. For high heat cooking, consider grapeseed or macadamia oil. Beyond, you will find the most flexibility on your diet days through fats. This can range from a bit of butter to a bit of coffee creamer- just be sure to limit yourself.
Quirks of the slow carb diet
- Excluding fruit from your diet means you may lack certain vitamins and nutrients. I recommend taking simple supplemental vitamins in general to sustain this diet and keep your health high. This is not required, as your cheat days can make up for any deficiencies.
- Drinking diet soda and dry red wine is actually okay most of the time. Do NOT consume more than 2 cups per day of either- including in combination!
- You will not need to count calories or macronutrients. Just eat until you are full and make sure you have protein for breakfast. The health and weight loss will come naturally, since you are eating the correct foods.
- Exercise only to 2-3 times per week. Your diet will do most of the work for you.
Afterthought
Now that you understand what the slow carb diet is, you may be realizing that it really isn’t very special. Most diets around weight loss advise that you refrain from consuming added sugars, only consume healthy fats, and get enough protein. The only thing that separates it from a generally healthy diet is the exclusion of fruit, recommendation against lots of exercise, and a complete cheat day. If you take anything away from this post, it should be that a healthy diet will support your weight loss, as will cutting down on carbs. If you really want more freedom with your diet while hitting your goals, check out my series on the 3 macronutrients: fat, carbs, and protein. Dieting can actually be incredibly simple and easy once you arm yourself with basic knowledge and get started.
