Customer Reviews

Flat Belly Diet! Pocket Guide: Introducing the EASIEST, BUDGET-MAXIMIZING Eating Plan Yet

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I don't "do" diets. This is so easy to follow, with meals that I would eat anyway. I lost 7 pounds in 11 days. I'm still losing!! I tried this on a recommendation from someone who lost over 30 pounds by following the Flat Belly Diet. She travels quite frequently and was able to do it. If you don't want to invest in the large book version...the pocket version has just as much information.

I work in Washington DC. I confess to being a blackberry junky because of job demands. I'd order food to go back to my desk. I was picking the wrong foods to eat. I never really planned to eat, I just ate when I was starving grabbing something quick. I did not have time in my day to eat and did not want to think about what I should eat. When I had to go to the WOMAN's side of the department store to find a suit to wear - I knew I had to do something. I wanted it to be a long term solution to eating right. I don't like canned tuna or turkey and I can do this diet using the substituion. I did the jump start and stuck more or less to the 28 day plan concentrating on the restaurant guide to selecting 400 calorie meals and sticking to the rule to not go 4 hours without eating. This diet worked for me, so well folks would stop me in the hall tell me how great I was looking and what did I do?

Well, I got a pedometer, loaded my MP3 player with some Audible books and music and this book. I walk 10,000 steps a day, I try to work in a bicycle ride on one of our beautiful trails in DC or a Zumba class which, even here can be found for $5 a class and I use a 75 cm balance ball to do some admominal exercises for 10 minutes twice a day at home. I have given my book to 3 people and I am now buying my 4th copy. MUFAs and the better eating help me have energy to live life after working long hard days. Once my exercise was my commute which is still good for a few thousand steps and then walking from one meeting to another. I now fit in one walk around the Capitol Mall or downtown during the week. The size I am now is not yet my target size, Still I look in good in spandex for my size and that is a great start. Definitely consider this eating guide. I highly recommend it.

I haven't tried the actual diet yet. BUT WAIT!! Before you get click happy and say my review wasn't helpful, hear me out. I bought this because the title says it is "BUDGET-MAXIMIZING". My husband and I have gained about 70lbs between the two of us since getting married. I thought this plan would be the answer to the financial problems we face when trying to diet. IT'S NOT! The "4-day Anti-Bloat Jumpstart" has a shopping list with 25 items and the amount you will need of each item. Keep in mind I am buying these items for two people. The total grocery bill comes to a whopping $160.00 Yep... That's right, this is only for 4 days (And at a grocery store WV... You know that super poor state. ~JK~). This is the amount we spend on groceries over two weeks. Now here's the real kicker. The grocery list for week one has a total of 76 items. This means that for two people, week one of this diet would cost approximately $400. I don't know about you all but $1600 a month in groceries for two people isn't something I could swing even if my salary were doubled.

I really thought this plan would work perfect for me, as I'm the type of person that needs structure to really stick with something. Unfortunately, this like many other diets, isn't for the people working for minimum wage. It looks like I'm back to trying to reduce how much I eat instead of trying to break the bank buying healthy food.

The theory behind the diet sounds like it would work, however, being that one of the selling points for the book is that it is budget maximizing isn't really true. I could sign up for nutrasystem or Jenny Craig and have all my meals delivered to me for about the same price.

There are plenty reviews about whether this diet works or not, so that's why I felt justified in reviewing the book without trying the plan. If I am ever able to afford the shopping list this diet requires, I will update my review at that time.

Good luck to those of you trying it!

Not sure which Flat Belly Diet book to get? This is it. Especially if you live alone, if you hate buying fancy one-off ingredients, if you spend so little time cooking that your monthly chore list includes the item: Dust Kitchen.

These menus have you in and out of that kitchen in record time, leaving you with simple, healthy good food in satisfying quantities. Don't waste your money on the cookbooks or the original full-length book. Get this handy little guide, and get started!

This handy guide really seemed to have all the important information you need to accomplish the flat belly diet. It's the big book, minus the testimonials, heavy scientific talk, and journal pages. This diet works and is so easy to do. There are certainly flavor filled recipes out there to stay on target, but this little guide gives you a 28 day plan including every single item(and brand) you need to purchase as a head start. It may look monotonous, but you learn quickly how to substitute here and there with your own choices. Lists of instant item by item substitutions are given, as well as numerous other choices of menus, and the book ends with a thorough list of common restaurants and the exact choice to order from each to stay on track. It's VERY accomplishable in every day life and DELICIOUS even with the "Keep It Simple" menus provided. A whole grain waffle drizzled with dark chocolate chips smothered in strawberries?!?! Choices like that provide plenty of seemingly decadent eats to keep a sweet tooth and a carb lover happy, but it is a balanced nutritional choice in disguise. The calories are typical of a moderate weight-loss diet of 1600 a day - but the results have been exponentially faster than South Beach or other low-carb methods that I've tried. I lost 5.5 lbs. the first week and they showed in inches immediately.

The concept of the diet is that eating MUFA's such as nuts/seeds, certain oils, avacados, olives, dark chocolate, and avacados, will target visceral belly fat in the weight loss process. Incorporating a MUFA at each of four 400 calorie meals seems to work some kind of magic. These MUFA foods also are very filling and delicious. It's been the easiest "diet" I've ever done. You get to eat meats, fruits, nuts/seeds, vegetables, bread, and even dark chocolate!

I've got both the hardcover Flat Belly Diet and the Pocket Guide. They each have their own strengths, I'd say. I've been following this diet now for 22 days and I've lost 14 pounds so far AND lowered my cholesterol score by 13. I've been able to stay on this diet in airports, at a wedding rehearsal dinner and reception, and out with friends.

Overall, there's a lot of variety and flavor to be had. I highly recommend the 4-Day Jumpstart (I usually skip this part of most diets). For me, it was worth it because I discovered that I was eating a lot of 'gassy' foods, I was eating when I was really thirsty, and I get hungry about every 4-5 hours.

Now...do you need this book?

Buy the pocket guide if:
you're looking for a more prescriptive approach
you want to buy groceries that will be used for more than just one meal
you're a solo dieter
you often eat out or on the run
you want to take it with you

Buy the hardcover if:
you have someone dieting with you or that you can share multiple servings with
you want a completely free-form approach
you grocery-shop frequently or don't mind buying a few special ingredients for one or two meals
you mostly eat at home
you like to understand the background behind a diet
you're looking for an exercise plan as well

Personally, I have both books, plus the journal.

This is a true pocket guide. Healthy suggestions, readily available information, easy options, specific guidelines are all found in this pocket sized book. If you have tried all kinds of diet combinations and desire some specific guidance, this is a great choice. The flat belly diet is a four meal,four hundrend calorie each plan, that is so easy follow the book is seldom necessary - but is is great to have as an easy to use reference. The plan suggests four small meals each day with each meal including one portion of a specific food item like nuts or dark chocolate. It is amazing how satisfying the options are throughout the day.I think it may be the answer to the question:"What do thin people eat and stay thin?" !

This was the PERFECT diet for me to follow, because I do not like to cook. It gives simple, few ingredients, and VERY tastey HEALTHY recipes for eating each meal throughout the day. I absolutely have been enjoying these meals.

I'll be honest about the cons though:
(1) i've had a difficult time finding all the ingredients at one grocery store; I've since shopped at Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Wegmans, & Shoprite and I could find most of the ingredients at Whole Foods, but not all.
(2) not budget-maximizing - since most of the ingredients need to be purchased at health food markets, my grocery bill is twice as much (for less items) as what I used to spend at the grocery before this diet.
(3) i could be a unique case because I'm having a difficult time losing my last 15 lbs, but I've been on the diet for 4 weeks and have only lost about 5 lbs (plus I do 30min of cardio five days a week).

Overall, regardless of the non-weightloss, I still LOVE this book.

This is a good book in theory,especially for those who need to lose 20 lbs.or better.The only problem I have with it is during the 4 day diet in the beginning(getting rid of bloat)there was a bit of controversy for me.On the 4 day de-bloat one of the steps is to cut out salt,yet some of the foods suggested to buy(to my standards) are high in sodium and I normally would not eat them,such as cornflakes(yes cereal)the deli meat,cheese,etc.Just be sure to read labels if you are watching your sodium intake.I understand how the MUFAS are good and over all the 28 day diet plan is helpful-great recipes etc.If you are already eating healthy foods and only need to lose 5-10 lbs,you could check out the book ULTRA METABOLISM(written by a doctor)It explains more about how our bodies process the foods we eat.

I purchase this book for my Kindle and I can't read any of the charts or tables in the book making this totally useless. Hard to say if the book is good or bad if you can't read it. Don't waste your money if you plan to buy it as an e-book.