The Fat Flush Plan [Hardcover]

 

 

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For one, it's very similar to the Atkins diet in that it is very low carb and high protein. For a week this might give you a jump start but for the long haul it's far from ideal. For another, the protein sources are quite limited and the recipes and meal plans are VERY RIGID. ...

The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of just 1 star is that there IS some valuable information here. Adding flax and borage oil to your diet is a very healthy choice. Omega-3 oils and fatty acids are proven to aid in weight loss. Cranberry juice mixed with water (unsweetened, as she said) and lemon juice are both good for your kidneys and liver which aids fat loss.

The author is on the right track in some places, but I am extremely disappointed that she went for the gimmicky ultra-strict quick fix low-carb idea rather than being a bit more flexible and health-conscious.

In it's rigidity, it is not going to be as feasible in the long term for most people as it sets people up for failure either due to the complexity or the costs. It would be especially hard for families with children, as it would mean two separate plans for each and every meal. And if you're strapped for time or on a budget, forget it. The reviewer who said that this is like a full-time job is absolutely right. That is NOT necessary for effective weight loss!

A better idea would have been to emphasize the omission of unhealthy foods (caffeine, white sugars, white flours, excessive dairy, pasta, over-processed foods) and the inclusion of healthy foods (omega-rich healthy fats and oils, whole grains such as organic whole wheat, brown rice & quinoa, lots of low-glycemic fruits, plenty of vegetables). Teaching better overall health habits and food choices will help you lose weight and keep it off a lot more easily in the long run...

The book is written in an easy-to-follow format, and best of all, the plan makes sense. The science is thoughtful and sound, the instructions clear and the quality of your life and the shape of your body can be your reward. I had decided to give the plan two weeks and have ended up incorporating it permanently. I'm not overweight, but this book is more about improving your overall health, digestion, and the effectiveness of your body's functions. Weight loss is just a natural response to the positive changes you make following The Fat Flush Plan. It will help you adopt healthy eating habits. I think this is an important book for people to read because of the health information even if they don't need to lose weight/fat. However, since this book is at times limited in its contents I suggest supplementing it with more informative "Can We Live 150" by Dr. M. Tombak. Dr. Tombak's philosophy well fits the Fat Flush Plan, while at the same time it will extend your healthy lifestyle by some important factors outside of nutrition (body cleansing, proper breathing, etc.) Many excerpts from the book can be found at the author's internet site. You owe yourself the honor of making the commitment to read these books and take action!

There is no question that Gittleman has an interesting plan here for weight loss. Her focus is upon purging the liver of toxins in that the liver metabolizes fat and so, if the liver is impaired or sluggish, then the body's ability to lose fat is affected. This is an interesting premise and one that many of the diet specialists who emphasize detoxifying diets strongly support. The main culprit in many of these detoxifying diets is caffeine, and Gittleman is no exception here. She states that caffeine stresses the liver and so should be eliminated--especially in the first 2 weeks of the diet, which are the most restrictive. This book has a 2002 publication date, and the question is whether new research supports this view or not. Actually, no. On May 18, 2004, researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and of Digestive and Kidney Disease in Bethesda, Maryland and from Yale University made a presentation to the Digestive Disease Week annual conference in New Orleans that confirmed after an extensive study of 5,944 men and women at high rsik for liver injury due to excessive drinking, hepatitis B and C, obseity, or impaired sugar metabolism that caffeine actually reduced the risk of liver damage. In other words, caffeine was actually good for the liver! As the researchers pointed out, several other studies had confirmed this same finding that "people at high risk for liver problems can reduce their risk by drinking coffee and other caffeinated beverages." So, so much for that part of Gittleman's fat flush program.
That said, though, she does offer an interesting diet plan that probably will create weight loss--primarily because it is fairly low in calories for the first phase (the most stringent one) and because it is jam-packed with good foods, from the essential fatty acids (EFAs) in flaxseed to the two servings of fruits a day required. That plus you can eat unlimited amounts of most green vegetables, which will keep you feeling full and also give you lots of vitamins and minerals. She also restricts your daily protein intake to no more than 8 ouces a day, plust two eggs. This limit on the amount of protein guarantees that your body will not convert excess protein to sugar (through the process of gluconeogenesis, also called glycolysis) and thus undo your weight loss regimen of fat burning for fuel. She does emphasize that you must eat 2 eggs a day every day (which of course you must prepare without butter) and avoid ALL dairy products in order to lose weight. The 2 eggs a day reduce belly fat, she says, which may have more to do with that eggs are high in lecithin, which is a fat emulsifier and thus helps break down fat. So you may wish to take lecithin as a supplement in place of the eggs or to amplify their effects. And you drink a lot of water with unsweetened cranberry juice added, and you rule out nearly all diet foods and beverages in that you can only have Stevia as your sweetener. This actually is a good idea as there are concerns about aspartame (Nutra Sweet) and saccharin (Sweet 'n Low) from numerous studies, and some new studies alaso raise questions about sucralose (Splenda). Her plan is very detailed and seems to have a good basis in fact, except for here and there. There are oddities--like she says don't eat high starch vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, and then she has one carrot a day as a possibility for your vegetable selections. Also, she is a strong advocate of using conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) as a supplement, while Jonny Bowden in Living the Low-Carb Life: From Atkins to the Zone says there are concerns about CLA and don't use it. And Bowden cites new studies on flaxseeds as having an adverse effect on men's health by contributing to enlarged prostates, so Bowden encourages caution for men--but not women--in using flaxseed products. Even so, he gives Gittleman's diet a 5 star (highest) rating--so go figure. One other thing I find odd is that in the list of unlimited vegetables, Gittleman includes some that seldom make the list because they are high on the glycemic index and have quite a bit of sugar--such as tomatoes (actually a fruit) and okra. Overall, though, it appears that this diet could be a healthy one, especially for people who have lived on high amounts of sugar and processed carbohydrates. And definitely switching away from those products to more healthy and lower-calorie ones will aid weight loss, too. And because Gittleman's diet, while not actually saying so directly, is one that favors a low consumption of saturated fats, it may well find more favor with doctors and dieters concerned about saturated fats--even though the research strongly indicates that saturated fats are not the problem, but the consumption of saturated fats in conjunction with highly processed carbohydrates is. In other words, the average American diet of junk food and little else.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing results
I bought this book because my husband had tried it years ago before we met and lost 30 pounds in 1 month. Read more

Published 11 months ago by mmiler

2.0 out of 5 stars Left me wanting more....
I needed either a lot more time or a personal chef to adhere to this diet. The recipes are tasty, but very labor intensive, and the demand for all fresh and often exotic veggies... Read more

Published on May 18 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars looking at it from another viewpoint
Many of the ideas in this book are good; getting off of coffee, regularly drinking an anti-oxident rich drink, etc. Read more

Published on May 7 2004 by .

5.0 out of 5 stars Eating Plan that Works
So far I have lost 50 pounds following the Fat Flush Plan. Ann Louise Gittelman does a great job of explaining the role the liver has in weight gain and weight loss. Read more

Published on April 3 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars not what it seems
I did what this book said to do, which is eating more protein than I am used to. As it turns out, it is easy to follow but I gained 4 pounds in the first week. Read more

Published on Mar 26 2004

2.0 out of 5 stars Possible problems with the science.
Ann Louise Gittleman, The Fat Flush Plan (McGraw-Hill, 2002)

We were doing so well there for a while. Read more

Published on Mar 17 2004 by Robert P. Beveridge

5.0 out of 5 stars A couple years later and I still recommend the Fat Flush
I started the Fat Flush a couple years ago and have tried other diets like Atkins and Dr. Perricone. Read more

Published on Mar 6 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars LIFE SAVER!
Ann Louise's book will change your life. This is not just another diet book...but, a nutritionally balanced life style that will cause your body to shed fat rather effortlessly... Read more

Published on Mar 3 2004 by Emily Stinnett

5.0 out of 5 stars So Much More Than Just A Diet!
The book The Fat Flush Plan is amazing! Not only does Ms. Gittleman describe each of the three phases of her weight loss plan in detail - including sample menus, she educates the... Read more

Published on Mar 2 2004 by Ellen Hoel

5.0 out of 5 stars The Fat Flush Plan Works!
This plan is not easy, nor is it inexpensive ~ but it does work! After years of yo-yo dieting on diet plans such as Atkins, CAD, low calorie and fad diets I was left weighing... Read more

Published on Feb 26 2004

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