The Fat Flush Plan
By Ann Louise Gittleman
261 pp. McGraw-Hill
Are you wanting to lose those extra holiday pounds? Have you tried all the fad diets available but with still no success in reaching your target weight? Have you hit that point in your life where middle-aged weight gain happens – or are you a teenager whose curves filled out just a bit too much after puberty?
Wherever you are in your life and with your weight, I highly recommend The Fat Flush Plan
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About the Fat Flush Plan
The Fat Flush Plan is not another fad diet. It’s scientifically based to improve your health and body. It’s been around for years and is not just a new, popular diet that doesn’t quite work and isn’t healthy.
The Fat Flush Plan is designed to rid your body of the toxins that build up through unhealthy food, caffeine, alcohol, prescription drugs, and toxins we breath in (such as secondhand smoke, pesticides, car exhaust, and chemicals like cleaning products and ad paint). The diet is aimed at cleansing your liver, which is where fat can accumulate when overloaded with toxins.
The Fat Flush Plan gets rid of the belly fat often caused through stress and eating. It helps reduce and even eliminate food allergies. Food allergies are more common than is often thought. This is described in the book, as well as how to identify if you have a food allergy.
The Book’s Format
The Fat Flush Plan is clear and quite straightforward to read. The first three chapters describe the plan: what it actually does for your body, why certain foods are included in the plan and why certain foods are eliminated for a couple of weeks. Chapters 4-6 are devoted to phases of the plan.
One note I’d like to add is to be careful when taking supplements. Flaxseed oil and a multivitamin are known to be helpful in nutrition. However, there’s a lot of conflicting evidence about some of the other supplements recommended. Contact a doctor or nutritionist if you’d like to try the supplements.
In the book are a couple pages of description, followed by an easy-to-read chart of foods to include in each phase and even a menu plan if you want to use it. There are chapters on doing the Fat Flush Plan away from home, Fat Flush shopping list, Fat Flush recipes, commonly asked questions, and resources.
“The Power of Ritual”
An important chapter in the book is called “The Power of Ritual.” This chapter emphasizes the helpfulness of routine and consistency. It discusses the importance of exercise, journaling, and sleep to assist with weight loss, reduce stress, and create a level of peacefulness and self-control in your life.
Exercise and the Fat Flush Plan
The one area I disagree with in The Fat Flush Plan is what is said about exercise. There are some very relevant and good ideas, such as jumping on a rebounder, walking, and exercising daily. I agree that these are important to consider adding regularly to your schedule. Exercising while eating healthily and controlling portion size is the best and safest way to lose weight.
However, Gittleman recommends following her exercise plan, which is quite low intensity, and says that intense or more active exercising should be cut down when on the Fat Flush Plan. As a personal trainer and having studied nutrition for years, I find that exercising the same amount or even more while on this diet will be helpful.
An important thing to remember if continuing with your exercise routine is to include sweet potato in your daily diet to ensure you get enough carbohydrates for exercise. Sweet potato is just enough and is recommended in the book when continuing your typical exercise regimen if it’s fairly intense. But, if you are doing less exercise or about the same as is recommended in the book when starting the plan, I would advise following the book’s exercise plan or contacting an exercise professional, such as myself.
Reasons to Try the Fat Flush Plan
You may be thinking, “I don’t have time to follow a plan”, “I’ll never read the whole book,” or “I’ve tried other things that haven’t worked.” But the diet has been followed by very busy people and worked. Why not spend a few weeks to see if this could make a major improvement in your life?
Many diets don’t work because they are just that, “diets”. This is about a lifestyle and about learning what will improve your health now and into the future. This doesn’t mean you won’t be able to have some of your favorite, maybe not quite so healthy, foods after you’ve been on the plan for a while. It means you will have more knowledge, which is power, so you will be more likely to make healthier choices. Eating healthy also develops into a habit and helps you feel better… so it’s something you want to continue doing.
You can read the book cover to cover or just read the areas you’re wanting to try. You can make minor changes or incorporate key areas into your nutrition and life. Or… you can do it exactly as the plan says. It’s up to you! You will have quicker results by following the plan closely.
Make your goals today! This is something you can do for a few days or a week in the future once you’ve found the weight you’re happy with… or even while losing weight. If you indulge just a bit too much while on vacation in the future, you’ll typically only have a few pounds to lose.
The Fat Flush Plan