Thermal Diet

How to decide if the thermal diet promoted by Tim Ferriss in the book "The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss" is right for you.

If you think you've tried every weight loss plan out there, you might be surprised by the thermal diet, which many inherently know the basics of, but few actually implement into their lifestyle as a means of losing weight.  However, if you're looking for a diet on the edge and a brand new method your body and metabolism likely hasn't experienced before, this might be the one for you.

If someone has ever told you to sleep with the windows open and turn down the temperature, you may or may not have taken them seriously.  But it turns out that research just might be on their side, and the basics come down to brown fat, also termed BAT (brown adipose tissue).  This particular fat actually burns energy, as opposed to storing it.  According to the National Public Radio, a mere few ounces of it with the right trigger can potentially burn 400 to 500 calories a day, and the right trigger involves cold temperatures.  A New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) noted that 96% of the men involved in the study experienced brown fat activation when temperatures dropped to 16 degrees Celsius (60.8 degrees Fahrenheit).  Even NASA backs this up with studies showing that astronauts experience higher metabolisms when living under conditions equivalent to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

So, what does this mean for the average person hoping to lose a few pounds?  The basic idea is to put the body into conditions in which the temperature is cool enough that that brown fat is activated, causing the body to dramatically increase it's fat burning for the day.  Small steps toward this can be simple: turning down the temperature, drinking ice water throughout the day, sleeping in cool environments, working in a space with air conditioning, working out in cool temperatures, etc.  However, some take this to extremes, which is why the thermal diet is also known as the "ice diet".

Tim Ferriss, author of the book "The 4-Hour Body", submits his body to ice baths three times a week, involving 15 minutes of sitting in a tub of cold water with 20 pounds of ice.  Although he never puts his hands or head in the water, he does endure waist high levels for around 10 minutes and then a remaining five minutes all the way up to his neck.  He firmly believes it keeps his body lean and can work for others as well, forcing the body to work extra hard to stabilize itself at the normal 98.6 degrees, activating brown fat and burning calories in the process.  A win-win?  Perhaps.

However, it's crucial to know that exposure to extremely cold temperatures such as those Timothy Ferriss undergoes, can be detrimental to one's health.  Risks include hypothermia, damage to the central nervous system, a loss of one's muscle control and in the most severe cases, even death.  If you're interested in pursing a thermal diet, it is extremely important to consult with your doctor first.  You'll be able to get an assessment on whether or not your health history and current state makes you a safe candidate for this new method of weight loss.

About the Author: Lisa Trent is a freelance writer currently researching portable air conditioners and their overall effect on metabolism and weight loss.

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