The Four Hour Diet Meal Plan – Including Quinoa

Its now been 32 days since I started out on the Four Hour Body Diet. I have lost 14 lbs. This is not too far from the 20lbs the diet promises. If you have read my previous article on the Mystery Of The Four Hour Diet And Quinoa you will know that I was not too pleased to see that quinoa is not allowed apart from the binge day.

I had little idea that my article would create such a stir with around 5,000 people so far reading it and a fair few comments sent to me by email. I anticipate that this will be my last contribution to the debate. My view is that quinoa is a slow carb and is perfectly acceptable to eat on the four hour diet. Unless someone can convince me otherwise that is what I believe to be true. I will continue for a few more weeks to finish my weight loss and include quinoa in about one meal per day.

I had a few readers ask me what my actual meal plan is when I include quinoa. Well rather than give you a blow by blow account let me list the meals that I eat for the 3 meals I eat a day.

As Tim Ferris recommends I just have a few meals that I eat over and over again. The binge day gets over any cravings I might have. I attended a wedding yesterday which was a great opportunity for a huge binge so I went for it. That was a lot of fun.

So here is my meal plan or menu plan for the four hour body diet.

Drink lots of water all day.

Other drinks are Black coffee, coffee with cream, green tea and red wine.

I have no snacks at all. Just the 3 main meals each day.

Breakfast Meals (About 7.00 a.m.)

Bacon, spinach and lentil omelette

Beef steak with vegetables and black eyed beans

Scrambled Egg and fried bacon with mushrooms and peppers

Dinner Time Meals (About 1.00 p.m.)

Cooked Meat with salad and Tinned Mixed Bean Salad – (This does not change)

Evening Meals (About 7.00 p.m.)

Chilli Con Carne served with vegetables and quinoa

Stir fry Cajun Chicken with vegetables and quinoa

Beef Medallion steak with curried mixed beans and Vegetables

Binge Days – I eat anything I want and do not restrict portions at all. I also have the odd beer instead of wine.

The only problem I have found is the time to prepare all these meals. To overcome this I cook enough Chilli for 2 days. I also do this for the Cajun Chicken Stir Fry.

I have not been able to find Macadamia oil so I use Olive oil which I enjoy and use anyway.

This is my interpretation of the four hour body diet with the addition of quinoa. If you have read the book then you know that the information is scant to say the least. But it does work.

Please feel free to comment below and share your experiences with this diet. I read all comments. (I won’t allow trash and spam so don’t write it- sorry)

The Four Hour Body Diet

Recommended Reading

About Ken

My name is Ken and I am the author of The Quinoa Cookbook. My book is the top selling book worldwide on how to cook quinoa and has over 70 quinoa recipes included.
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18 Responses to The Four Hour Diet Meal Plan – Including Quinoa

  1. Tammy Hamilton says:

    Can I use Asparagus sprouts or sweet potatoes as vegetables?

  2. Ken says:

    I don’t know for sure about Asparagus sprouts – I think they would be OK
    Sweet potatoes are a definite no no for this diet

  3. Mariana says:

    I am starting my first binge day, wooooo whoooo, and I want to know if I HAVE to exercise before I put that chocolate cake in my mouth today

  4. norida says:

    I am truly glad to read this blog posts which includes tons of useful data, thanks for providing these data.

  5. Kellie says:

    I would think that quinoa is ok too, since it is more closely related to spinach. Here is what wikipedia says about it”
    “Quinqoa is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.”
    “The nutrient composition is very good compared with common cereals. Quinoa grains contain essential amino acids like lysine and good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, and iron.”
    “Quinoa, uncooked
    Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
    Energy 1,539 kJ (368 kcal)
    Carbohydrates 64 g
    – Starch 52 g
    – Dietary fibre 7 g
    Fat 6 g
    – polyunsaturated 3.3 g
    Protein 14 g
    Water 13 g
    Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.36 mg (31%)
    Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.32 mg (27%)
    Vitamin B6 0.5 mg (38%)
    Folate (vit. B9) 184 ?g (46%)
    Vitamin E 2.4 mg (16%)
    Iron 4.6 mg (35%)
    Magnesium 197 mg (55%)
    Phosphorus 457 mg (65%)
    Zinc 3.1 mg (33%)”

    I’ll be using it as well, since I will really miss my rice.

  6. Molly says:

    When you say bacon, do you mean real bacon or turkey?

  7. Patricia says:

    I need help finding enjoyable lentil recipes that fall within the restictions of the 4HB plan.  
    I am having a difficult time finding recipes for lentil loafs without flour, bread crumbs, cheese etc.  I am trying to find different ways of discising the textures taste of lentils.

    I am not sure I can put up with just boiled lentils all day long.  My breakfast choice I think is fine (2 egg whites, green pepper and smoked turkey). 

    I live in the arctic so fresh meat is out (all meat is always frozen).  I consider chicken, and steak luxary iteams.  I spent $120 dollars on 3 bell peppers, a small head of cabbage, cauliflower and romain lettuce, a tray of sliced mushrooms, a bag of large onions, 4 green onions, a carton of 18 eggs, a box of 4 tomatoes, bushel of broccoli, a bag of spinach and parsnips, 2 pounds of frozen ground beef and a small tray if asparagus.

    When cooking, I don’t know if I am aloud to us vegetable stock cubes.

    I still want to exercise but, I don’t know what is too much. I just don’t want to stop cold turkey.

    With not knowing if what I am eating is breaking all the rules I find myself under eating on this plan, because I am not a regular eater of these things and I am not farmiliar on how to prepare some of these foods.

    Help and guidence is desperately needed.

    Help!

  8. Ken says:

    I mean real bacon – not turkey

  9. Ken says:

    Dear Patricia

    If you don’t like lentils and other pulses then you will struggle on this diet. And the problem is that the 4 hour body book has so little detail.
    In your situation I would choose another route to losing weight. Find a diet that has ingredients that are easy to obtain and cheap in the Arctic.
    It’s tough enough trying to lose weight without worrying about overspending the budget.

    Ken

  10. paul caruso says:

    Thank you so much for posting this. I didn’t want to start the diet until I found a resource like this one. I do have to asked what “cooked meal” is. I’m ready to do some shopping and see if this all works!!!

  11. Ken says:

    Hi Paul
    That was a typo – 100,000 visitors before you didn’t spot it!
    It should read “Cooked Meat” e.g. sliced chicken, turkey, ham, etc.
    Ken

  12. Lina says:

    I was looking at the 4 hour plan and while it seems workable, my biggest concern was no quinoa! I eat quinoa every single morning for breakfast along with a protein shake (no carbs, just 24grams protein), so I can’t imagine not doing it.

    I come from a similar yet different way of eating. I did Body for Life after I had my kids 6 years ago and weigh less and am more fit now in my 40’s than in my 20’s.

    I need a boost, and a bit of down-time from my current heavy training regimen (I work out 6 days a week, weights and cardio). I have to say that the idea of gaining strength while giving my body a rest is appealing to me.

    I’m glad to see you were able to incorporate quinoa into the eating plan. I can do with the no fruit, but have to say the no-quinoa was going to be a deal-breaker!

    Quick question, as you have lost weight, do you find it harder to continue to do so if you aren’t adhering exactly to the diet? The reason I ask is most of the stories/examples given, are of people who need to lose a good amount of weight. In my case, I’m looking to take off 5 – 10lbs of fat, so I’m wondering if I will see noticeable results too?

    Anyone else in that position? How did it go? Were you successful?

    Thanks!

  13. Greg says:

    Did you find bacon without sugar in it? Or do you just allow the amount of sugar in bacon?

  14. Ken says:

    Sugar in Bacon? I didn’t know there was sugar in it! So I paid no attention to it.

  15. Greg says:

    Check the ingredients…almost all bacon (sausage too) I have looked at has sugar in it! I have been using prosciutto as a substitute. It is more expensive though.

  16. Golda Mccook says:

    Lentils are also commonly used in Ethiopia in a stew-like dish called kik, or kik wot, one of the dishes people eat with Ethiopia’s national food, injera flat bread. Yellow lentils are used to make a nonspicy stew, which is one of the first solid foods Ethiopian women feed their babies.’`;,

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  17. katt says:

    can we use garlic and onions in cooking the beans and lentils or do we just have to boil them?

  18. Ken says:

    You can add anything that you like. Quinoa is very flexible.

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