| | |  | Loss Prevention | Home » » Flat Belly Diet! | | | | | | | Description: | | Join the million-plus people who have found the answer to losing their belly fat while eating satisfying and delicious foods. With the Flat Belly Diet you can: - Lose inches in just 4 days
- Drop up to 15 pounds in 32 days
- Boost your energy as the weight falls off!
Prevention, America’s most trusted healthy-living magazine, presents the New York Times-bestseller Flat Belly Diet in paperback--now with a new foreword by Dr. David L. Katz describing new research about the many health and weight loss benefits of this amazing eating plan. Enjoy delicious dishes such as Seared Wild Salmon with Mango Salsa, Slow Cooker Chili, and Pumpkin-Maple Cheesecake--and you will lose belly inches and greatly enhance your likelihood of living a longer and healthier life.
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Liz Vaccariello | | Paperback:
| 368 pages | | Publisher:
| Rodale Books | | Publication Date:
| December 22, 2009 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1605295620 | | Product Length:
| 9.26 inches | | Product Width:
| 6.84 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.91 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.4 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.1 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.1 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.15 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 262 reviews |
| | | | Used and New: | | | |
| All | |
| $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.01 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.07 | Used
- Good | | | $0.07 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.08 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.08 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.08 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.08 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.08 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.08 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.25 | Used
- Good | | | $0.43 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.44 | Used
- Good | | | $0.75 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.75 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.88 | Used
- Mint | | | $0.90 | Used
- Good | | | $0.99 | Used
- Good | | | $1.00 | Used
- Good | | | $1.05 | Used
- Good | | | $1.50 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $1.99 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $2.00 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | Used
- Good | | | $2.48 | Used
- Good | | | $2.48 | Used
- Good | | | $2.50 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.50 | Used
- Good | | | $2.50 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.73 | Used
- Good | | | $2.88 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.99 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $3.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.02 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.02 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.13 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.14 | New | | | $3.14 | New | | | $3.14 | New | | | $3.15 | New | | | $3.16 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.16 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.19 | New | | | $3.21 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.21 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.22 | New | | | $3.23 | New | | | $3.25 | Used
- Good | | | $3.41 | New | | | $3.49 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.59 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.59 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.65 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.69 | New | | | $3.85 | Used
- Good | | | $3.94 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.95 | New | | | $3.95 | New | | | $3.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.99 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.99 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.99 | Used
- Good | | | $4.00 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $4.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $4.00 | Used
- Good | | | $4.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $4.06 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $4.19 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $4.44 | Used
- Good | | | $4.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $4.59 | Used
- Mint | | | $4.79 This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | Used
- VeryGood | | | $4.87 | New | | | $4.89 | New | | | $4.90 | Used
- Mint | | | $5.00 | New | | | $5.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $5.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $5.00 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $5.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $5.00 | Used
- Good | | | $5.00 | New | | | $5.19 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $5.50 | Used
- Mint | |
| New | |
| $3.14 | New | | | $3.14 | New | | | $3.14 | New | | | $3.15 | New | | | $3.19 | New | | | $3.22 | New | | | $3.23 | New | | | $3.41 | New | | | $3.69 | New | | | $3.95 | New | | | $3.95 | New | | | $4.87 | New | | | $4.89 | New | | | $5.00 | New | | | $5.00 | New | |
| Used | |
| $0.01 | Used
- Good | | | $0.01 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.01 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.07 | Used
- Good | | | $0.07 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.08 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.08 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.08 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.08 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.08 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.08 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.08 | Used
- Good | | | $0.25 | Used
- Good | | | $0.43 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $0.44 | Used
- Good | | | $0.75 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.75 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $0.88 | Used
- Mint | | | $0.90 | Used
- Good | | | $0.99 | Used
- Good | | | $1.00 | Used
- Good | | | $1.05 | Used
- Good | | | $1.50 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $1.99 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $2.00 | Used
- Good | | | $2.00 | Used
- Good | | | $2.48 | Used
- Good | | | $2.48 | Used
- Good | | | $2.50 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.50 | Used
- Good | | | $2.50 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $2.73 | Used
- Good | | | $2.88 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $2.99 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $3.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.02 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.02 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.13 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.16 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.16 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.21 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.21 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.25 | Used
- Good | | | $3.49 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.59 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.59 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.65 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.85 | Used
- Good | | | $3.94 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.99 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.99 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.99 | Used
- Good | | | $4.00 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $4.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $4.00 | Used
- Good | | | $4.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $4.06 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $4.19 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $4.44 | Used
- Good | | | $4.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $4.59 | Used
- Mint | | | $4.79 This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | Used
- VeryGood | | | $4.90 | Used
- Mint | | | $5.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $5.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $5.00 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $5.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $5.00 | Used
- Good | | | $5.19 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $5.50 | Used
- Mint | |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 262 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
102 of 108 found the following review helpful:
 shocking results...and I'm a weight loss coach...How it works:Sep 26, 2011
By Chandler
The visceral fat (belly fat) properties of MUFAs have been featured on Dr. Oz. For a recap of the show go to the fan page called drozfans. This recaps each show. He did a game as to which item burned belly fat (such as prunes or olives?) the answer was of course always the MUFAS. When this book came out there were few studies on MUFAs and old school docs scoffed. Now after numerous studies it is accepted science in medical journals and, yes, even on the Dr. Oz show. While this already has a great rating and almost 300 reviews I know that one more positive won't change that...but knowing the science behind it and how it blew my mind in my own fast weight loss, there is no doubt I'm adding my positive review to the pile.
First off, I study the major medical changes in diets. That means, I scoff at the "university studies" you see in the news or magazines with "shocking" news that was only done in limited time on a limited number of people, not using things like a hyperbolic chamber to measure caloric expenditure etc. Some diet news is simply not regulated and only done to MAKE the news.
However, there are other medical studies that are accepted as fact and have changed dieting as well as updated medical journals of physicians...because they are done as long as an 8 year study with almost a thousand people or with major medical controlled studies at, for example, Johns Hopkins University.
These I discuss with clients and these go into the medical journal as fact and working.
And this book took ALL of them into each meal.
I am small, I work out often, I have never been able to go over 1,300 calories per day however when I want to lose weight. And I'm always hungry...so much so that I used to break my meals into 6 small meals to rev my metabolism and keep up energy. I know how to lose weight so when I kept hearing about this I said it would work on heavier people due to the 1,600 calorie per day intake...with my small frame and short height...that doesn't coincide with what I know I need 1,200-1,300 for 2 lbs per week.
So why does this diet of 1,600 calories a day amaze me?
1. They combined ALL the major medical studies of recent years into ONE diet whereas other diets simply incorporate part of the principals. Those who believe this is simply about adding MUFAs (monounsaturated fats) or counting calories are completely missing the mark. That is one small component of this diet and no, you cannot eat anything you want as long as you add a MUFA regardless of what anyone tells you. It's the combination of components that does the major work in fast weight loss on this diet...which is why the very book tells you not to go over the 1,600 calorie per day limit.
2. For the first time I can remember, regardless of my constant running around or even when I worked out hard, I was NEVER hungry. I can honestly say I don't ever remember not being hungry in between meals. I said "no way can I now cut down to 4 meals per day when I am used to 6 small ones to keep me going for the last several years." I thought it would take an adjustment. There were times, however, I didn't feel like I even needed to eat! I was always perfectly satisfied.
Why?
3. Here's part of the rest of why it works: It's not just a 1,600 calorie per day diet. Try that on your own with eating out or frozen meals and you simply won't get the same results...even if you add a MUFA each time. It'll help, but not the crazy fast loss you are likely to see on this diet because of a few things...
*** It's a low glycemic diet...Your blood sugar won't spike and drop. High glycemic diets (simple starches, white flour, sugars, white bread) aren't always more calories, but they are high glycemic so your body digests the food quickly and you are left with none in between meals, dropping your blood sugar and playing havoc with your metabolism and hunger. Which brings me to:
***Like the "volumetrics diet" it stacks up the meals with low-glycemic veggies. These not only keep you full, but these kind of veggies take as many calories to digest as are in them, so you actually essentially fool your body into eating less calories while eating more food. That's one of the reasons you'll see a faster loss on this kind of diet. The fiber in these kind of veggies also is another component of keeping you full. These veggies are low starch, high water, high fiber. (red and green bell peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, cabbace, broccoli, mushrooms, celery, onions, etc.) Your plate will have a huge serving via these recipes. And you'll likely aquire a taste and cravings for things full of energy and good things for your body even if you add things you hadn't thought of before; the ideas in the book will change the way you think of eating.
***A MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acid) is added with every meal. Large diet plans like Weight Watchers incorporated adding a MUFA as part of the requirement when several studies (undisputed) not only showed the health benefits of these good fats (olive oil, olive, avocados, dark chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, pumpkin seeds etc.)when added to the daily food intake, but that participants over an 8 year study who incorporated these into the same diet intake as the other diet participants lost MORE weight overall but specifically from their belly fat. Meaning you can't eat a whole cake and add an avocado and lose weight but if you are dieting, counting a MUFA into your 1,600 calorie intake will create a greater loss and specifically in one area in addition to having loads of other health benefits.
***The diet consists of all-natural, "whole" foods and whole grains. Major diet plans have also taken in this as fact after massive studies now show that we actually have a greater loss with the same amount of calories if we don't eat processed foods and artificial ingredients within that caloric intake. This is why diet plans did a rehaul, including Weight Watchers, to build points and suggestions of what to eat around this way of eating. America has not begun taking in more calories. There was an EXTREME upward trend in weight gain when artificial ingredients that are cheap for manufacturers but harder on our bodies, were introduced into most grocery store foods. Countries who shun these have far less obesity. Why do we know this helps you lose MORE weight in the belly area?: A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that a calorie-controlled diet rich in whole grains trimmed extra fat from the waistline of obese subjects. Study participants who ate all whole grains (in addition to five servings of fruits and vegetables, three servings of low-fat dairy, and two servings of lean meat, fish, or poultry) lost more weight from the abdominal area than another group that ate the same diet, but with all refined grains. And this is one study among many. Note: vegans and vegetarians can get the pocket guide for substitutions but most recipes are pretty easy to sub on your own if needed.
"Eating a diet rich in whole grains while reducing refined carbohydrates changes the glucose and insulin response and makes it easier to mobilize fat stores," says study researcher Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, a distinguished professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University.
"Visceral fat is more metabolically active and easier to lose than subcutaneous fat, especially if you have plenty of it and the right conditions are met, such as the ones in our study."
***4 meals per day rather than 3, and 4 hours apart (I eat at 7am, 11am, 3pm and 6 or 7pm)Why? This keeps your metabolism revved because you don't have any blood sugar dip and also stops cravings as the food digestion takes about that long.
***You are asked to journal your food and hunger during the first 30 days. All studies show that people totally aware of what they are taking in can lose up to twice as much weight and keep it off as compared to those who aren't as mentailly aware.
***The components of these meals are high fiber. This keeps you full in between meals and digests slowly. AND up to 10% of all calories we eat at each meal go through our bodies undigested (can be as low as 5%)...BUT the more fiber you eat, the higher this number climbs. Update the same day I posted thie review from Science Daily: A FIVE YEAR Medical Center obesity study was recently completed: According to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the way to zero in and reduce visceral fat is simple: eat more soluble fiber from vegetables, fruit and beans, and engage in moderate activity. The study found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber eaten per day, visceral fat was reduced by 3.7 percent over five years. In addition, increased moderate activity resulted in a 7.4 percent decrease in the rate of visceral fat accumulation over the same time period. SO Flat Belly was on the cutting edge...one more reason this diet results in greater losses than usual, especially around the belly.
***The diet has a limited caloric intake. It takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose one pound. Meaning that we have to expend more than we take in by that amount ot lose a pound. That may mean 500 fewer calories per day to add up or 100 calories per day to take longer to lose that pound...but you can't eat as many calories as you want regardless of the above mentioned weight loss boosters. But here's the thing...because this is so full of the aforementioned "goodies" of weight loss boosters, you are eating a heck of a lot of food in this 1,600 calorie per day diet so even little people lose a lot of weight and big people lose a GREAT deal of it faster.
Because, unlike most diets that pick one of the above components or utilize a small percentage of it (for example, Weight Watchers only asks that you take in a few teaspons of oil per day. Far less than this diet does that makes it work.) this diet coincides ALL of the major diet breakthroughs to create this crazy high fat (but only GOOD and beneficial fats--very different!!), crazy filling, low glycemic, loads of food, low calorie, low sugar, low salt (no water weight!)major good food diet.
Even I scoffed that it could make THAT much difference when merely combining the components together at EVERY meal. It made a HUGE difference. I can't normally lose weight this fast...no, I can NEVER lose weight this fast without working out and I did. I lost a pound a day the first week and I did NOT have time to work out and I was busy and I have hardly any weight to lose and I'm short. My friends who tried it lost 8 pounds in one week. We are on the second week and down a dress size.
I know diets. It's what I do. I know all the medical facts. I already worked incorporating MUFAs, veggies, whole foods...I just never did it to this extent...every meal, in high concentration, controlled calories the same each meal so your body adjusts to that...
I thought I knew it all. I could talk for days about weight loss and never repeat the same thing twice...I can tell you all the stupid bogus stuff that is marketed and people believe. But the way they wrapped it all up in a neat and tidy bow for maximum loss...yes, it makes a HECK of a lot of difference in no hunger, loads of energy I mean like twice as much) and RAPID loss...for some twice the amount or more they normally lose.
I tried it as an experiment. It is DA BOMB! I'm a huge fan.
Negatives: The organization of the book. Sometimes it's hard to find the recipe again and the index doesn't always help since you can't look it up by the name of the recipe. Also, someone familiar with cookbooks didn't write out the recipes which can cause confusion. For example, one recipe uses soy crumbles and it says to add "half a bag of soy crumbles (12 oz). In recipe lingo, that means to add 12 oz. But they don't make 24 oz bags of soy crumbles so they weren't telling you to add 12 oz but that the bag size is 12 oz. Also there will be a recipe that feeds 4 people (some feed one or two, some 4 etc.) and it says to "add 4 wasa crackers to make a meal" 4 per person or 4 for the meal that feeds 4? I had to add up the calories to discover it was 4 per person.
How are the meals? While they may not have all been created by someone with cookbook writing experience they were obviously created by a chef. Even with my own culinary background I remain completely WOWED with the little things they do to make the tastes seriously good enough to serve at a dinner party. I am not at all reaching when I say that.
But if you have no time they give you components of fast meals you can simply put together that incorporates the plan.
Does this create long term change? Yes, you are told the calorie count of each item so you learn to do counts in your head for meals you wind up inventing on your own in the future. You journal--and writing it down means you bear it to greater memory and recognition of what's working and things you may have done wrong if you didn't lose or changed food around incorrectly, you learn correct portion sizes, you learn to eat whole foods and see the energy difference and your body will crave them, you get variety in what you eat so you are more likely to stick with it, you LEARN.
I recommend: the separate cookbook. It's easier to navigate through and gives you loads more ideas so there is never boredom. I have the yellow cover one but just now ordered the family cookbook just so I can cook one bigger meal and have leftovers and hardly cook at all during the week.
Conclusion: Genius. The weight I lost is nothing compared to how fast my belly shrank. I would normally have to lose twice that amount to have my belly be this tiny. I kid you not, I measured daily and the measuring tape actually went down around my waist twice as fast as normal.
Note: I did NOT do the first week anti-bloat part of the diet. High blood pressure runs in my family so I already take prescription diuretics to rid my body of salt and excess water. So none of my weight loss was water weight. This held true in body measurements...I did lose more belly fat, as promised.
Yes, I was one of those people who scoffed at this and said "Just reduce calories." But combining the biggest finds in ramping weight loss, and specifically those that target a high reduction in belly fat (yes, it really is possible.) result in more fat loss all over, faster, with less hunger.
TIP: It calls for 1/4 cup avocado but for the calorie content listed that is 1/4 of a medium avocado. If you cram avocado into a 1/4 cup measuring cup you'll wind up with 2-3 times that. They should have specified slices filling up the cup or chunks. At any rate, cute a 1/4 and you will equal the calorie count they want you to have, without measuring. I also counter-checked this with a scale comparing oz. to calories in avocados per ounce.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
63 yr old grandfatherMar 21, 2011
By M. Stine
"Tablemaker"
I am 63 yrs old and grandfather of 6 soon to be 7 grandchildren. I am in the best physical condition of my life due to this diet and regular "hard" excercise. I lost 15 pounds in 30 days, 10 pounds in the first 4 days! This diet is the answer for me as to how exactly to change my eating habits and eating lifestyle in a way that will not leave me hungry for the food or other items that made me overweight. The most remarkable results were my blood test after the 30 days. My total Cholesterol is 140 which is the lowest in my life! All the other results were also the best, my good cholesterol was up, bad Cholesterol down and triglicerides the lowest ever. I and my doctor are elated over these results. If you are borderline dieabetic as I am or have high Cholesterol as I did you must follow this diet to correct it. you'll be amazed how good the food is and will not miss the bad stuff you are eating now. This will show you how to replace the bad fat with good fat and maintain a healthy lifestyle. It's never to late to start so do it now, I guarentee this diet works. Thank you,
Mike
318 of 403 found the following review helpful:
It works for me!Jan 27, 2009
By Emmey
This diet works for me. In any successful weight loss program you must be able to incorporate it into your life style and enjoy the foods that are recommended. Changing habits and adjusting your life style is not easy and requires a commitment to a program you can adhere to. The four small meals and whole grains, nuts and seeds seem to be the best diet for my tastes. I also love avocado and dark chocolate.
I am 57 years old and as many others my age can attest to, I have had the pounds creep on year after year. I have tried Weight Watchers, South Beach and many others and had some success but always ultimately quit.
Constant hunger was my struggle while on Weight Watchers and when I fell off that wagon I would hit the ground hard with more cravings than ever. South Beach is healthy, but as soon as I added even a few extra carbs I would quit loosing and seemed to have a lot of nagging headaches.
I almost didn't buy the Flat Belly Diet book thinking it would be one more diet book on my shelf, but I am glad I did buy it!
I was a little hungry and bored the first two days! Now I am never hungry if I stay with the program. I travel and the suggestions on little snack packs are great! Little things that I can carry in my purse really help. (The whole wheat english muffin and peanut butter is my favorite!) I love the abundance of whole grain foods. They really fill me up and keep me from getting hungry. As the weight slowly comes off, I am exercising more and enjoying it.
At first it didn't seem like I was loosing much weight nor did the tape measure prove that I was loosing many inches, but my family and friends kept commenting on my weight loss and actually thought that I had lost more weight than I actually had! Maybe it is because it does seem to be coming off my mid-section. (Could be the middle age thing for me.)
I would suggest joining the on-line Flat Belly Prevention site if you plan to stay with it. The site helps me to log my meals, makes suggestions for menus and you can create shopping lists.
I too am frustrated with those who shoot this diet down and have not tried it. I am glad that their diet and life style works for them, but this one works for me. Good luck to anyone struggling to control their weight, I feel your pain!
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Love this dietJan 18, 2011
By sadieapple
I bought the little pocket guide and did the four day jumpstart. My biggest complaint was no coffee so I suffered with the caffeine withdrawal headache on Day One. Day Two was better but lingering headache, craved a burger but overcame. Day Three was wild, so much energy. Day Four left me a new person, 9 pounds lighter, smaller belly and endless energy. Helpful Hint: warm up the sassy water they make you drink in the microwave and you can deceive yourself into thinking it's tea/coffee. I was so thrilled I went and bought the cookbook.
Recipes in the Cookbook are great, especially if you are cooking for more than yourself. My first breakfast was the Huevos Rancheros and if I didn't know better I'd have though I had a big plate of potatoes and eggs. I dislike beans intensely but followed the recipe and again, never would have known I was eating them. Later that day I made the Olive Bread and followed the suggestion of serving it with a Green Goddess salad. I was stuffed!!! The Olive Bread was like eating a big pizza and the dressing on the salad was delicious. It was a big hit with the family too. Now I am back to the Week One guide and suffered terribly yesterday (kidding) with the waffle covered in chocolate and strawberries. What a diet!!
I also love the fact that they give you a list of restaurants and what you can eat there, ie Red Lobster: 2 shrimp cocktails and 2 orders of steamed broccoli or lobster and baked potato, or go to Starbucks for the reduced fat berry cake and a large latte. I had no problem finding the ingredients to make the meals, though I did spend alot of time in the natural food section and produce aisle. I shop at Wegmans and Giant. They had it all.
My advice: If you don't want to be on a diet that leaves you hungry, want more energy than you know what to do with and feel like losing weight fast in a sensible way, try this. They do recommend you exercise in addition to following the diet but to be honest, I didn't the first four days. I don't think I needed to, I couldn't sit still. Take the few minutes that it takes to prepare the meals and enjoy them. You are eating everything from soup to nuts but in a very healthy way. I really look forward to my next meal and am eating more often than I used to. Thumbs up from me.
325 of 426 found the following review helpful:
 The Deja Vu Diet All Over AgainNov 04, 2008
By Laura D
It's cheerful and bouncy. It's encouraging and hopeful. But haven't I heard all of this somewhere before? Some of it went a long way to sound fresh (I'm looking at you, Sassy water). A lot of the recipes are so exotic they're just weird (yes, hot dog cooked in peanut oil and topped with celery seed--I mean you).
Of course I like hearing that I should eat more avocado, olive oil, cashews and chocolate. Where do I sign up? And I'm a sucker for a new plan that's based on scientific studies. But the real crux of the diet is good old calorie restriction: The author recommends 1,600 a day. I have two problems with that. One is that I'm not so sure that the calorie count is low enough for me or other people who are just looking to trim by 20 pounds. The other problem is that if calorie counting were so effective, would any of us need another diet book? I think not.
Of course, the book argues that because they've worked a MUFA (short-hand for mono-unsaturated fatty acid) into every meal, you won't be hungry and this time you will finally be able to stick to your (possibly overgenerous) calorie allotment. Maybe so. I do find myself buying more avocados lately, and they do tend to hold me pretty well. And I love me a peanut butter and banana smoothie (the recipe is online at Prevention in the Flat Belly Diet area, but I didn't see it in the book), which is very satisfying. So the plan is not totally without merit. But it's not a major breakthrough, and it appears to have some pretty serious flaws.
For example, maybe you can lose weight without exercise, but this book appears to be pandering to a crowd of couch potatoes. Who wouldn't love someone authoritative to tell them it's really not necessary to pry their butts off the couch for a few minutes a day? I'm reminded of a comedian who said,"I've been really trying to lose weight but it just isn't working. I've tried everything short of diet and exercise." That joke's only funny because we all know you've got to get moving to be healthy and trim down. This book makes that sound optional. Sure, the last chapter has some workouts and pictures of people lifting weights, but that's long after they've already made the point that you don't have to do any of it to be successful with this diet. Call me a skeptic for questioning that promise.
Which makes me wonder--is it true that I should be eating more chocolate and avocados, or is someone just pandering to those of us who have trouble putting down the fork when we know we should? Pass me the guacamole while I think about that one.
If you need a reminder to eat whole grains and vegetables, to write down what you eat, to slow down and enjoy your food, then okay, maybe this book will be valuable for you. Or, for no charge I can tell you that you really ought to control your portions and exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.
In return, maybe you can send me some avocados. I seem to be out.
See all 262 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
