When you start the slow carb diet, one of the first supplements you will look for is this “stack” known as the PAGG. It’s called a stack because you have to take a stack of pills at a time to do it (more on how to fix it later).

The whole idea for PAGG started when Tim Ferriss spent some time talking to a homeless man. The guy told her that the secret to losing 100 pounds was eating garlic. That took some experimentation and eventually we get the stack.

To help figure this out, I’ve broken the pieces down into easier-to-understand chunks.

What is PAGG?

PAGG are actually four different supplements that are taken together. The trick is that you don’t take them all together at once. You will take them at every meal and once before bed, but which ones you take will depend on when you are taking them.

First, let’s go over what’s in the PAGG stack.

Policosanol it is a plant extract that people take to help with their cholesterol. Tim Ferriss also found that it also increased his fat loss.

Alpha lipoic acid It is an antioxidant that your body uses naturally to help convert the glucose you eat into energy for your muscles.

Green tea flavanols They are extracts from, you guessed it, green tea. They appear to help direct sugar to the muscles, like ALA, but they also help remove unused fat cells as they empty (apoptosis). That means they cannot be refilled!

Garlic it is something that many people have been using for a long time to gain health benefits. It is useful for regulating cholesterol. Ferriss includes it because of tests dealing with cholesterol levels and a notorious connection between allicin (the reason garlic is included) and (the lack of) fat gain.

When do you take it?

There is a very specific dosage in The 4 Hour Body.

At meals:

Alpha lipoic acid, 300-900 mg.

Green Tea Flavonoids, 325 mg.

Garlic extract, 200 mg.

Before going to bed:

Policosanol, 23 mg.

Alpha lipoic acid, 300-900 mg.

Green Tea Flavonoids, 325 mg.

Garlic extract, 200 mg.

Do you have any concerns?

Everything in the PAGG stack occurs naturally anyway, so there are no weird chemicals to worry about. However, there could be some side effects (not everything natural is safe too, you know).

The most common side effect I have come across in the 4HB community is minor headaches. I have never experienced them myself, but I think they are only temporary. The other common is bad breath, but what do you expect from eating garlic? Finding better aged garlic can help with that.

I recommend that you consult your doctor before starting any supplement regimen, especially if you are already taking something else. Blood thinners and policosanol don’t work well together, for example, because they thin the blood a bit on their own. Also, it may not be a good idea if you are a woman who is breastfeeding or pregnant.

It works?

I haven’t found any studies that show precisely that it works as a compound, but each of the ingredients has had some studies (that’s why they were included in the first place).

As an anecdote, many people who take PAGG while on a low carb diet report that it does help. When I started taking it, I lost more weight and inches than before, but I never did controlled studies. There are others who will say they took it and didn’t notice any difference. Between those who saw a difference and those who didn’t, it’s hard to tell how well they were sticking to the diet anyway.

My recommendation is to treat it like any other supplement. Many people take fish oil, for example, because it is said to help with many things. Many people also do not take fish oil. It all comes down to personal preferences. Will you get benefits from it? Very likely. Will you fail if you don’t take it? Absolutely not.

If you have any doubts, try it and you will see. If you find that it helps you lose fat, then you have just found an advantage over others who are also trying to lose weight.

Where do you find it?

You can get them separately at most vitamin stores, or you can find them online. You will find the four components sold separately, but you can also find a couple of versions that have combined the dosages in one pill each. So instead of 3-4 pills per dose you are only taking 1. Googling “4hb pagg stack” to find some good places to get it from.