30 Days of the Slow Carb Diet: Results and Conclusions

Note: This post is the last update in an experiment with the slow carb diet. For a better understanding, read about how it all started.

It’s been a full 30 days following the slow carb diet. After the first couple weeks it became routine and I barely noticed it. If anyone wants to lose weight, I’d recommend giving it a try. The hardest part is cutting out all the white carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes, etc.) and the sugar, especially from drinks.

Slow Carb Diet Results

My weight decreased from 191 pounds 7 ounces to 182 pounds 2 ounces, for a total loss of 9 pounds 5 ounces. This amount was greater than I expected. These results would have been even better if I’d been able to follow the Colorado experiment workout routine for the entire period and had been a more disciplined dieter.

Overall, I’m very pleased with the results. In addition to the fat loss, I’ve also become slightly more defined and added a bit of muscle. I’ve started eating 3 full meals a day, stopped skipping breakfast, and have noticed an overall increase in energy levels.

Conclusions

As a first time dieter, the slow carb diet was a great place to start for a few reasons.

1. It didn’t require me to buy all new food or drastically change my eating habits. The only changes were substituting beans/lentils for rice/pasta and avoiding sugary drinks and snack foods.
2. You don’t have to reduce the amount that you eat, so you never feel deprived. I actually started eating more after going on the diet.
3. Food preparation is fast, easy, and inexpensive. Using frozen vegetables, canned beans, and cooking on a Foreman grill, I was able prepare complete meals in under 15 minutes.
4. The once a week “eat whatever you want” day gives you a chance to satisfy all your cravings. This makes resisting temptation much easier during the rest of the week and gives you something to look forward to.

The Colorado experiment workout routine was also an interesting experience, and although my results are minimal, others have reported significant muscle gains. Here are my most important observations.

1. Breathing is very important. I can’t emphasize this enough. You can’t follow the same breathing rate you use for normal weight training. Before I started following the breathing technique explained in this post, I came very close to hurting myself (thanks Eugene Thong).
2. Using the 5-5 cadence (5 seconds up, 5 seconds down) changes a workout completely. You need to lift much less weight and sets are much more exhausting. Just try it once and you’ll understand. Lifting until absolute failure with this technique is extremely strenuous and I’d recommend taking extreme caution or consulting a doctor.
3. The intensity of the work out creates a significant testosterone boost. The day after each work out, I experienced a pleasant increase in energy levels and overall exuberance.

Next Steps

Now that the 30 day experiment is over, I won’t be posting weekly updates anymore. The regiment has become routine, I’ve already shared the bulk of my observations, and weekly results aren’t interesting enough to be posted.

However, I do plan to continue following the diet and workout, so if you’re also following the program, I encourage you to keep us updated with your progress by commenting on this post or sending me a message with the contact form. I look forward to hearing your results, and also if you plan to keep following the diet or not.

Overall this has been a very positive experience and I plan to continue optimizing my diet and exercise. In the future I plan to modify the diet to promote muscle gain instead of fat loss. Unfortunately, due to a very stupid move by myself (hanging on the rim during basketball), I’ve fractured my elbow and won’t be able to work out for a few weeks.