Ferriss Weight Diet Review: The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex

First things first. There was a lot of praise about Tim Ferriss when his first book, Four Hour Work Week (4HWW), came out. It remained a top seller for many months.

When his second-book, Four Hour Body, came out in December 2010, there was a lot of noise. Many marketing specialists (including yours truly) said good things about the vigorous marketing of the book.

Tim employed many proactive strategies for the publicity of the book.

Which is where the problem started. The excessive noise raised expectations. Tim was too aggressive. There were concerns raised about Tim's first book, Four Hour Work Week, rather the approach he advocated in the first book.

There were doubts raised about the ethics behind the techniques he used to win the world kickboxing championship. Then there are doubts raised about the authenticity of his claim about the championship.

I loved Tim's first book, Four Hour Work Week, when it came out and read it three to four times. In fact, I refer to it every now and then.

So with all this background, I picked up Tim's latest book, Four Hour Body, wondering is it possible to shed weight fast?  Here's what I think.

Is 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss a scam?

Most common New Year's resolutions are to lose weight, get back in the bikini shape and become fit again. The search begins for tips about how to lose weight fast, exercises to lose weight free, and diet plan to lose weight.

However, Most of those resolutions to get fit are forgotten before the end of the first month of the year. Then comes valentines day, and the excitement to get a girlfriend or win back your ex revitalises the urge to look attractive to the opposite sex.

In addition to weight loss tips, there's a surge in search for low carb diet meal plan, high protein low carb diet plan, or low fat low carb diet plan.

It is not hard to diet. It's neither hard to do exercises. The problem is mostly in two areas:

Consistency of diet

Intensity of exercise

These two factors make all the difference. I know a friend who followed a weight loss diet plan and lost close to 20 kilos in about six months by following a strict diet. That's rapid weight loss. She followed weight loss tips closely for six months. Then she took a break from her diet for a month, and gained 5 kilos. I have known a few weight loss success stories who gained weight after stopping their weight loss diet.

That is why weight loss requires hard work with weight training, aerobics and discipline with diet. Timothy Ferriss is a single-minded individual and the benefits that he claims to have achieved in the book 4-Hour Body are a proof of this.

The 33-year-old Silicon valley investor conducted an intense experiment on himself. He gained 35lb in muscle in four weeks.

In the 4-Hour Body book, Tim Ferriss shares his quick-fix, four-week strict routine for great results.

Did I say four weeks? What about four weeks that's mentioned in the title? Yes, Tim achieved these results with just four hours in the gym.

Tim's exercises were simple, yet very exhausting and almost torturous.

Of course, these are not his own inventions. He used a less-known routine based on an experiment conducted many years ago. It is known as the Colorado Experiment. (Read more about the Colorado Experiment.)

Can you get the same results as Tim Ferriss?

It depends on your mental framework. Tim conducted a few weight-related exercises, but these were done to the point of "complete failure", a point where your muscles completely give in. These are high-intensity routines that require a strong willpower.

Which brings me to the title of this paragraph - Should I buy 4-Hour Body book?

If you have never exercised before, then you shouldn't.

The tips in this book can be injurious if you have not been initiated properly. Even those who have previous experience with weightlifting would do well to familiarise themselves with the exercises, by beginning with light weight.

Having said that, if you are committed to changing your body and are interested in making the change, then you must buy the book. If you don't mind doing weird diet and exercises, then you should buy this book.

Also read:

Five Foods to Stay Fit

Tim Ferriss became famous with his bestseller, Four Hour Work Week, which has been published in over three dozen languages. The book is also the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and BusinessWeek bestseller, and earned Tim a place in Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People of 2007. He is a tango world record holder, former national kickboxing champion (Sanshou), guest lecturer at Princeton University, and faculty member at Singularity University, based at NASA Ames Research Center.

• The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman

• 592 pages
• Publisher: Crown Archetype; 1 edition (December 14, 2010)