The Flat Belly Diet
 

:carrot: Is anyone else on this or thinking of going on it? Here's a link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/Flat-Belly-Die.../dp/1594868514

Here's a little more background on me and why I'm loving this plan.

If you have been following me at all on these boards, you know I've been trying to find a good plan for about two years, since after my second baby was born. I've done WW, Bob Greene's plan, my own plan, pulled out my Richard Simmons Food Mover from the 90's, tried Alli, and got into Intuitive Eating/Paul McKenna. I had a bit of a breakdown last week over my fat pants being too tight, and ended up seeing this book in the store. I just sort of glanced through it and realized that it was do-able for me, so I got it.

I have spent a LOT of time in the past week shopping for the foods, planning my meals, etc. But I finally committed to something and I feel like I can maintain this in the long term. I started on the plan on Saturday (yes, SATURDAY, not Monday!) and I feel SO much better about myself already. It was that easy.

The plan sounds gimmicky but I assure you, it is not. I'm not even really wanting to get a flat belly per se, I just needed a weightloss plan that I could stick to. It starts out a little sketchy: you go on a four day anti-bloat plan. This involves eating about 1200 calories a day, drinking a lot of water, and avoiding salt. Pretty bland, but it was amazing in terms of setting me up for the real deal. By the end of the four days I was SO excited to start the real plan and I was in fact feeling less bloated. That's what I need to stick with a plan, a quick difference up-front.

The real plan involves eating four 400 calorie meals a day, each of which should include a MUFA (mono-unsaturated fat). These are things like dark chocolate, avacados, nuts, EVOO, etc. So it really is about moderation in the end, but with some really good stuff mixed into the plan. The book includes journaling space for 28 days, and suggests following the meals as described in the book for the 28 days. After that time you should kind of be in the habit of eating like that and not need to follow the meals to the letter necessarily. I can easily see maintaining this sort of diet indefinitely.

I'm also excited about exercising! Exercise is encouraged and there is a plan to follow, but it's not required. I feel so good about the diet though, that I am encouraged to workout more so I can achieve better results.

So anyone else interested? I'd love to chat! I can't say how much weight I have lost so far since I am deathly afraid of scales right now, and that is only a slight exaggeration. BUT I can tell you that waistbands are in fact looser already, after only six days.

I'm not, but you should check to see if they have it at your library! It's at mine :-)

I found this link on the prevention website:
http://www.prevention.com/cda/catego...lat.belly.diet

I was just perusing it. Only thing I am surprised about is that they don't limit dairy since dairy is something that'll bloat you.

Thanks, I already have the book!

I tried it - and found the food good, and lost weight - but in the end the 4 equal caloric meals a day simply did not work for me. If it works for you, then that's great!

I have happily incorporated some of their food ideas into my life, so I'm very glad that I tried it!

I bought the book yesterday. Im going shopping today to prepare for the 4 day anti bloat.

I have incorporated many of the principles into my plan. It seems to work well for me.

I'm not on the FBD, but for those that are interested in this diet...a FBD kit is available on QVC. I just happened to see it when watching a couple of days ago. It should be easy to find it if you go to the site and do a search for Flat Belly Diet.

There's lots of information at the Prevention website (being new I can't post links-sorry).

I've bought the book and will start on Monday. I'll probably be choking down the sassy water though...I'm one of those rare individuals that loves water without any taste - lol!!

I saw some good results in the prevention book. It actually showed how much visceral fat people lost! It was amazing. Viseral fat is the kind that is on the insides, surrounding organs. This kind of fat is deadly and MUFA's really do bring it down. Good luck to all those starting!

just finished preparing my meals and sassy water for tomorrow. I thought I would feel overwhelmed but I actually enjoyed putting it all together.

Well, breakfast went okay...except that Sassy Water - as expected I had to choke that down!!

Yay, there are others! :)

Hey, don't kill yourself to drink the Sassy Water. Honestly, it's fine to just drink water. That's all I did for the last two days (well, I did put some lemon in sometimes since it's a diuretic). Hang in there for the 4 Day Anti-Bloat. It's rough but worth it!

I read some info. about this diet several months ago and added many of the good fats they suggested into my daily caloric count. It really helped my cravings stop--almost altogether actually.

I do not have the book but would sure like a copy. The four-day antibloat sounds really good. I wonder how often you could do the anti-bloat thing.

Thanks Amy - I just nearly threw up the sassy water at lunch and I've opted to go with straight water (or some with lemon) instead. But the rest of the meals seem to work fine for me.

I will be glad to get into some of the regular recipes though...I've already picked out some for Breakfast and Lunch!!

But I can live through 4 days.

OMG that is so funny! I'm not even on FBD but picked up the book at the library and since I LOVE mint & ginger I making he sassy water for tomorrow not even going on the plan, LOL. Seriously? You don't like it? I thought that was a great idea, going without coffee? NOT REALLY TOO POSSIBLE. Seriously I got to the coffee ban and went, never mind.

But there's some great healthy recipes in the book!

I started this plan March 1st because my WL has stalled. I like the sassy water, I add cukes and mint and lemon or limes to my water sometimes for flavor anyway, not mad for the ginger but just used a bit.

I wanted a plan that is similar to my eating habits and that I could envision maintaining for a long time, if not life. And because I'm really hungry in the morning, I like that I can eat meal 2 at 10 or 11 if I need to, and know that I'll have something at 2 or 3 to tie me over til dinner and get me through a run after work.

What I don't like about this plan: the cheesy name.

What I do like: the MUFA's help me feel satisfied, eating often, a big variety of real foods, dairy is included, whatever I'm craving can be fit into the plan (within reason), and I only have to calorie count to figure out if my meal is about 400 calories. If it's close, then I know I'm eating approx 1600 cals a day and right now I'm not bothering to record everything OCD like into TDP or Fitday. So I'm taking a much needed break from calorie counting.

I started 6 days ago and there is no radical change, only down a few pounds. But I know that I will lose eventually if I stick to 1600 calories a day, so I'm not too concerned. I need to get off this plateau.

Interesting River! I had already incorporated MUFAs through picking up some principles of the Sonoma Diet & Med Diet....I def have olives, olive oil, avocados and nuts every day but where I get off track is portions. I have to start measuring more especially when it comes to stuff like walnuts. It's so easy to have a handful every time you walk in the kitchen! They're healthy but fattening in quantity.

I find though that if I DO manage just small amounts, like 1/4 of an avocado, and have lots of water along with the MUFA-infused meals, I am MUCH less likely to have food cravings & do crazy eating.

Starting today am doing my portions more like the book.....I had a half cup of oatmeal today and I almost always have a whole one and I was surprised that I didn't notice the difference hunger wise. I make huge batches of oatmeal and freeze it in 1/2 cup cupcake pans -- it never even occurred to me to only have the 1/2 cup, I automatically have a whole one! So that's what I'm working on this week.

K8, I love almonds because it's so easy to portion control, I count 11 for a half oz or 22 for an oz. Walnuts are harder because there tends to be more variation in size, for those I measure.

What does that sassy water taste like?

:cheese: Yes, I completely agree. When I mention to someone that I'm on this I always follow it up with "But it's not a fad diet at all, it just sounds like it."

Hmm, what does Sassy Water taste like? I guess that depends, I didn't follow the "recipe" exactly, but it just sort of tasted refreshing, like cucumbers and lemon. :lol:

I have been seeing this all over the internet - in the form of advertising. Sounds interesting. I wish you the best!

I started the 4 Day Jumpstart today and so far so good. I've changed things around a bit, as I'm a vegetarian, so I substituted the meat for other proteins (turkey soy slices, tofu, etc.) I also can't stomach the cucumber, so I just made the sassy water with the lemon, mint, and ginger and it's delicious :D. The only problem is that I think I'm going through some detox stuff. Right after the first glass of sassy water at breakfast, I developed a headache and some low energy and the headache is still with me. But that's a good thing - I really need to detox from the past few weeks of bad eating!

Tam

I would like more info, tried the link at Prevention but could not get the 10 foods to avoid :(

May be just my computer skills, not sure.

Anyone here interested in joining me?

Donna

Congrats on starting! I just did a two day version of the Jumpstart again last week to get me back on the wagon. It worked pretty well! As far as the headache, I got one the first day (when I originally started) due to caffeine withdrawal (I'm guessing). I decided that I was not willing to give up my morning coffee permanently so I just went ahead and added it back in on the second day. No big deal, I still felt less bloated! :carrot:

Hi everyone! I am on Day Five (meaning I just finished the 4 day Jump Start.) I lost 5 lbs. on the 4 days, and one inch on the waist, so I’m very pleased with the results! I put my jeans on last night for the first time since I started on Saturday, and I could actually feel the difference already! I have high blood pressure and I want to get off the meds, so this is great. My doctor is wholeheartedly behind it, since it’s a variation of the (heart) healthy Med. Diet. I love almonds! Eating 1 handful at breakfast 5 days a week resulted in a 40 pt. drop in my cholesterol in 6 weeks. My doctor was astounded! I consider them the best food ever!

Only thing is, 1600 calories, at my age, will not lead to much weight loss. I'm modifying it down to about 1200 calories a day. :)

Looking forward to getting to know you guys and keeping in touch here!

Have a BEAUTIFUL day!

Sunny Gee--awesome news abou the cholesterol drop...mine did too! I am also a daily raw almond eater.

:: high fives :: :lol

and thanks! :)

Fbd
 

Hi all!
I am so excited to have others to talk to about the FBD. I wish I found this the first day. I tried looking for a forum because of the headache (one I didn't have to pay for) and could not find one. I had the headache for two days. I did not cut out my coffee but went from 8 cups a day to 2 cups and I think that is where the headache came from too.
I will weigh in tomorrow and get the measurement too. I can't wait. I know my clothing is fitting nicely.
I am not sure if I want to continue on the FBD 4 week plan or if I want to go back to WW. I don't think my family could handle the FBD. As for the sassy water, the first day I thought I would die drinking it. The second day I cut the mint in half and it was so much better. I love how much more energy I have and how much "happier" if feel. It makes you want to stick with it.
I am thinking of checking out the Cook Yourself Thin cookbook next.
Brenda:cb:

Hi Brenda! After about 2 weeks in, I decided to combine the MUFA portion with South Beach. At my height, no way was I doing 1600 calories a day. (at least at that time, I wasn't exercising enough to do 1600 a day and lose any weight.) It's been working out GREAT. I am totally devoted to the MUFA concept (which is part of South Beach too, but they just don't emphasize it quite as much.) I bought the book and I'm glad I have it, but I dropped off of their website because it's so woefully inadequate. :( This is my lifestyle change home now. :) But I'll keep you company here if you are sticking with FBD! :)

Thanks. I am not going to stay with the FBD plan either. I am a lifetime member of WW and will also be doing a combination of the two. Do you still have all the energy doing the combo? That is one thing I am concerned about that I will not feel this great in a few days.
I did lose 6.5 pounds and 1 (maybe two, not sure if I measured right the first day) inches. I am very very pleased.
Thanks for the offer to keep me company that is very sweet. I think I will move to another forum too.
brenda

Sorry I didn't come back to this thread.

I feel great! Maybe not AS great as the first blush of this program, but come on, marriages can't stay in that first blush forever and neither can diet lifestyle changes. However, what's replaced that is the awesomeness of seeing the scale continue to drop, clothes already starting to get loose, etc. It's all good! I have WAY more energy than I did even 3 weeks ago! :)