Slow-Carb Diet For Weight Loss: Pros And Cons

Keto and other low-carb diets may be popular for rapid weight loss (especially when combined with regular exercise and other healthy lifestyle choices), but there is another well-known dietary plan that can help you shed unwanted pounds this season in the form of the Slow-Carb Diet. 

What Is A Slow-Carb Diet? 

This eating plan was first featured in the book "The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman" (2010) by entrepreneur, author and podcast host Timothy Ferriss. It involves eating five main food groups -- namely, animal-based protein (e.g. eggs, meat), vegetables, fats, legumes and spices -- and eating four meals a day for six days a week. You can also get a cheat day on which you can eat whatever you want, explained New York City-based dietitian Brigitte Zeitlin. 

"Basically, the idea is to follow a very low-carb regimen on the premise that it will increase your body's ability to break down fat for energy and reduce your overall fat stores," Zeitlin said. In turn, this reduces your body weight. 

Although Ferriss talked about various supplements such as calcium and magnesium that can be taken, they are not required when following the diet.

The diet is based on five fundamental rules that are outlined in great detail on Ferriss' blog: 

Avoiding processed "white" carbohydrates (e.g. bread, pasta, baked goods) for six days.

Eating the same meals over and over from any of the five approved food groups.

Watching what you drink - This means drinking water and unsweetened tea or coffee only for six days.

Avoiding fruits since they contain natural sugar which affects weight loss.

Taking one cheat day per week.

Like most dietary plans, the Slow-Carb Diet has pros and cons that need to be known:

Pros 

Slow-Carb diet cuts out processed food, sugary drinks, and other less nutritious food, with significant weight loss results. Allowing yourself one cheat day may make you feel less deprived. 

Though online reviews about the Slow-Carb Diet are mixed, there are many positive ones. "Even if you don't actually apply any of the techniques, (The 4-Hour Body) will likely make you think about your overall health in a different way," wrote one reviewer on Amazon. "There is a wealth of information in this book, and it has helped me lose weight, gain strength, and run faster in the last 12 months." 

The same reviewer then went on to explain that "like most of Ferriss' work, it could easily be misunderstood," adding that "it isn't about shortcuts or 'hacks'—it's about efficiently getting maximum benefit from the minimum input—but that 'minimum input' still requires effort and dedication. You'll get out what you're prepared to put in."

Cons 

According to Zeitlin, there are very few pros to the Slow-Carb Diet and other fad, restrictive diets. Although you can definitely lose weight, she warned that it may not be sustainable for everyone. "As soon as you reintroduce the healthy food groups that have been removed, like whole grains and fruits, you will regain weight and likely gain back more weight than you originally lost," Zeitlin said. 

Zeitlin also warned that you may feel guilty if you fall off the plan, and you may end up consuming too much of carbs, alcohol and other restricted foods while omitting them six days a week. She then added that the concept of a cheat day "can create a messed-up relationship with food, reinforcing the notion that (there) are 'good' foods and 'bad' foods, when some of those 'bad' foods are vitamin-rich fruits and whole grains."

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