The 4-Hour Body’s suggestions might intimidate some dieters

Every so often, a new diet or fitness plan takes the world by storm and becomes a kind of buzzed-about fad, with people flocking to it en masse.

Eye on the prize · Tim Feriss’ new book The 4-Hour Body challenges readers to test their ability to resist foods such as sugary treats and dairy items to effectively lose weight. - Photo courtesy of Amy Hogg

The last decade saw the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet. Workout programs like Insanity or P90X have become more recent hits as well.

Now the new buzz fitness guide is Tim Ferriss’ book, The 4-Hour Body.

Ferriss, whose first book, The 4-Hour Workweek, was an unconventional approach to escaping the everyday white-collar job, brings that same level of innovation to his new book.

It’s not quite a straightforward guide to physical health.

Instead, Ferriss’ book can best be described as a health version of the Choose Your Own Adventure series we read as kids.

If you want to lose weight, follow a certain set of chapters. Looking to bulk up and build muscle? There’s another set for that. Aiming at overall good fitness? Skip to the last few chapters and adopt the tips to help your running and swimming skills.

In a way, The 4-Hour Body is a catch-all book for every stage of physical health, from those trying to get in shape to those trying to increase their strength or skills.

The book is built around the idea of the minimum effective dose, the least amount of work that has to be done to achieve the best physical benefits.

With that in mind, the book focuses on the pragmatic.

At times, its content can be grating or difficult to keep up with.

The center piece of Ferriss’ weight loss plan is what he calls the Slow-Carb Diet.

The diet is centered around eliminating sugary, fat-building foods like fruit, juices, white bread, white rice and dairy, with the exception of a once a week “cheat day” splurge where anything goes.

Put into practice, the diet works quite well and can be very effective at burning body fat.

Its limited options, however, can drive the practitioner a bit crazy. It takes a good deal of restraint to keep caloric splurges limited to the “cheat days.”

When it comes to workout advice, Ferriss keeps it simple and minimal.

There are only four exercises for the abdomen and limbs combined, designed to be compound and to build a variety of muscles through simple movements.

One aspect that feels a bit unnerving is Ferriss’ heavy use of drugs to help with his fitness.

Though he doesn’t advocate for anabolic steroids, Ferriss still uses chemical cocktails of supplements and integrates them into daily life.

For anyone trying to avoid creatine or other supplements, many of Ferriss’ principles might need to be adapted.

Yet there are numerous benefits to be gained from the book. Little tips and factoids can help readers make more informed decisions about their health, in terms of diet (spinach is a nutrient super food) or even things like sex (guys, if you’re looking to have kids, don’t put your cell phone in your pants pocket) and running faster (use fewer, longer steps rather than many short ones).

Of course, when put into practice, the book’s goals becomes a bit more difficult to achieve.

For a college student, especially one splitting groceries with roommates who might not be on the diet, keeping enough groceries stocked to maintain the Slow-Carb Diet can be hard.

Many of Ferriss’ practices require strict adherence and patience.

The workouts can seem underproductive and readers may end up doing much more, despite what Ferriss prescribes.

The Slow-Carb Diet can drive people insane if they don’t know how to add some variety to the food they eat (spices, and lots of them, are a must).

What is most effective are Ferriss’ methods for tracking change.

He suggests doing body measurements and taking photos before starting any fitness program.

Weight can always fluctuate, but these methods give people working on their physical health a solid base to judge their improvement on.

The 4-Hour Body might cater to the interests of an eccentric fitness freak over those of a casual gym member.

After all, a good diet and regular exercise might be all a person needs to stay healthy and in shape.

But, if a radical regimen is desired, or if the minimal effective dose is what works best with a busy schedule, then The 4-Hour Body is the book to pick up.