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220 of 282 people found the following review helpful:
It works for me!
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...
Published 19 months ago by Emmey
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120 of 150 people found the following review helpful:
Just another restrictive diet
The book begins with a lecture about different types of fat. The authors of the book explain the difference between two types of primary body fat: subcutaneous and visceral. Not only the visceral fat is very difficult to get rid of, but according to the authors it is also far more dangerous to your health.
So far I was very impressed with the book. It seemed...
Published 20 months ago by wilson
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120 of 150 people found the following review helpful:
Just another restrictive diet, January 10, 2009
The book begins with a lecture about different types of fat. The authors of the book explain the difference between two types of primary body fat: subcutaneous and visceral. Not only the visceral fat is very difficult to get rid of, but according to the authors it is also far more dangerous to your health.
So far I was very impressed with the book. It seemed to be well based on scientific research. Then the authors introduce the concept of MUFA, the mono-unsaturated fatty acid. According to recent research MUFA diet is the only diet that reduces belly fat. And this is where the fun begins. The authors practically limited themselves to focusing exclusively on MUFA diet. In effect this diet is very difficult to follow, especially because of the many ingredients that are often to be found only in specially shops.
In addition, as much as I trust the scientific research I do not support the idea of another restrictive diet. It might well reduce your belly fat at some point (the book cites a number of stories of people who have lost inches off their waistline using this program), but because of being a restrictive diet it is bound to fail sooner or later. Therefore I suggest reading books that are not so much about dieting as about accepting a healthy lifestyle. One of such books with a much more comprehensive approach to nutrition, health and longevity is "Live 150 Years". You will find there not only proven tips for losing weight but also great advice on general nutrition and proper food combination, as well as most common habits that lead people to obesity, all kind of gimmick dieting programs being just one of them...
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220 of 282 people found the following review helpful:
It works for me!, January 27, 2009
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!
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63 of 88 people found the following review helpful:
Get a flat belly!, June 13, 2009
If you are totally serious about getting that flat belly and want to expend the effort, this book will work wonders on that problem area. It is filled with good, useful tips that I've overlooked in the past. I know that this area is a problem for most of us, that's why I decided to get this book and just see if I could do it--with not so many sit-ups or crunches! A must read if you want to rid yourself of that belly fat. I also liked and would suggest Goodbye, Fatty! Hello, Skinny! How I Lost Weight And Still Ate The Foods I Loved-Without Dieting as it helped me to get inspired to start the weight loss.
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32 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
Healthy diet!, April 16, 2009
I've tried the diet just to see if the MUFA concept would really make a difference. I've lost on average a half pound a week inspite of having numerous meals at home that have been changed at the last minute into grabbing meals on the road or that included pot lucks at church or birthday and holiday dinners out. I have 7 pounds to lose to get down to my good BMI and want to lose an additional 10 vanity pounds beyond that, still being well within the middle of my weight range. As a nurse, I know it's important to get in healthy nutrition while losing weight, and exercise is important to include so muscle tone and bone mass is increased and maintained during fat loss. Weight training is not hard to get in 2-3 times a week if you get it in early before work or schedule it into your day. I also include walking 30 minutes a day on my lunch break and walk the dog when I get home, or I go for an hour long walk listening to an audio book. I eat 4 meals at 400 calories a meal, including usually avocado, oven roasted cinnamon sugar almonds (I count them out and put them in baggies), individually wrapped 72% dark chocolate squares, and olives or olive oil. I buy several avocados a week and eat them in sandwiches and salads. I keep mini cans of slice olives and put them on sandwiches, salads and diet pasta dinners. I keep baggies and jars of most of the MUFA items in my locker and work bag to always have something around. It's 1600 calories a day, regardless of the form the calories are in, so most people will lose weight on this diet. Nancy Clark, the well-known sports nutritionist, recommends people who are active eat no less than 1800 calories because any fewer and it's very difficult for people to get in all the nutrients thay really need. 1600 calories forces you to have to really focus on working to make sure you get in enough vegetables and fruits, so the junk food has to be non-existant as with any healthier lower-calorie diet.
I still feel some hunger eating this many calories but I feel hunger sometimes eating as many as 1800 calories, so that's just how it is. Staying busy and not sitting around is the best way to not notice hunger. Getting enough sleep is crucial to not feel tired and want to eat to keep my energy up. Another issue I have is dealing with high stress at work (I'm a psych nurse), which causes me to want to stress eat. The big plus with this diet is that you're getting significantly more of the good fats that increase your HDLs. That's an extremely good thing to do. So if nothing else, you will lose weight and have more of the "happy" high-density lipoproteins coming from the MUFAs, which helps reduce bad cholesterol. Most people get significantly less of the HDLs they should get from their daily food intake, so this diet is one of the more healthy ones out there if the dieter does get in sufficient fruits and vegetables, whole grains and good quality protein in their 4 meals each day.
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46 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
Flat and Healthy Belly, October 29, 2008
Ask your doctor about belly fat. You will learn about a special kind of fat that resides deep within your torso. This so called `visceral fat' is the kind of fat that is the most difficult to get rid of. Not only that -- too much of visceral fat is also dangerous to your health.
The co-author of the book, Cynthia Sass, has developed a "belly-shrinking eating plan that is grounded in the latest and most credible science and offers the most filling, satisfying, and delicious meals that you will ever have the pleasure of eating." However Liz Vacareillo's vision went beyond food. In her book she proposes mental tips, tricks and strategies that are designed to inspire, motivate, and "set you up for a better relationship with food for the rest of your life!"
The Flat Belly Diet Program takes 32 days and it is divided into two parts - the Four-Day Anti-Bloat Jumpstart, and the Four-Week Eating Plan. These 32 days is just enough time for one to make appropriate dietary changes leading to a new lifestyle. After you learn the program and observe desired changes in your body, Liz gives you the tools to keep your belly flat for the rest of your life.
The program is not only about getting your body to fit your desired dress size, but it is also (and especially so) about feeling confident, powerful and proud of you body. Essentially Liz offers to her readers to adapt a new way of living. And this is what appeals most to me. The new lifestyle that results not only in a flat belly, but that also has a detoxifying effect and lets you live healthier and longer. This is a good continuation of the idea so well presented in Your Body Maintenance Handbook with a few chapters specifically devoted to dieting programs and body cleansing. To properly understand how your body works and to get the most of the program I suggest reading "The Body Maintenance Handbook" BEFORE "Flat Belly Diet."
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244 of 346 people found the following review helpful:
The Deja Vu Diet All Over Again, November 3, 2008
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.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Easy to Follow!, January 18, 2010
This review is from: Flat Belly Diet! (Paperback)
As a veteran dieter, I found this plan exceptionally easy to follow. If you have a sweet tooth, this is the healthy eating plan for you! Chocolate and peanut butter are encouraged as sources of belly-busting MUFAS. But what I really like about this plan is the variety of options that customize it to the user's lifestyle. You can make it as healthy as possible with whole foods, and you can make it as convenient as possible with light frozen entrees. The Flat Belly Diet plan has helped me lose 20 lbs...and counting!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Better than some, October 19, 2009
This book is pretty good for a diet book. It has reasonably sound information in it and doesn't seem to be such a radical fad. My biggest contentions with it are that it doesn't give you all the counts for items. It will tell you how many calories, but not how many carbs or fats, for specific items. Such as MUFA's, it will tell you the calorie count but not the amount of fat, so it makes it difficult to substitute one for another. The book's focus is on women. If you are a man attempting this, it isn't so easy. It takes you to 1600 calories per day, and that just doesn't work when you are well over 6 ft. tall. It also focuses on a woman's emotional response, and my husband and I are quite different. We have been following the plan, though somewhat modified for medical reasons, for about 5 weeks, and we have both lost weight and inches. I would say the book is fine for anyone who wants to give it a try. It can't hurt since it isn't too extreme, and has some sound advice.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Great way to eat healthy!, October 11, 2009
My husband and I did this together. We both lost weight and felt better than we had in a long time. This meal plan is easy to follow, and the recipes are delicious! I really like this plan because it promotes healthy food choices instead of crazy combinations or "going without." I always had enough to eat, and sometimes I couldn't finish what was allowed for that meal. Enjoy this one!
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69 of 98 people found the following review helpful:
Overpriced Advice with a New Gimmick, December 31, 2008
Like some other readers, I was disappointed in Flat Belly Diet, and I feel like a complete idiot for wasting money on something that made me suspicious when I first read about it. However, curiosity, a non-flat belly, and wishful thinking joined forces to persuade me into another unwise diet-book purchase. It is indeed another calorie-restricted diet with a gimmick that, however science-based, is based on very specific foods in weird combinations. I was very interested in MUFAs until I actually tried to follow the diet. For me the best success comes with eating a little bit of everything. I originally read about this diet in Prevention magazine, which used to be a great nutrition and health information resource. In recent years, however, it seems like one of those brochures that you get with your junk mail advertising books. The articles are often "teasers" for expensive publications that contain a little bit of information in many, many words. I have now read several of these Prevention books, and they have mostly been deadly dull and the information so fragmented, so poorly organized, that the reader cannot easily use the information provided. Though Flat Belly Diet is a step up from that, it is certainly no different from any other diet that focuses on a particular food group or food category as the key to weight loss. Multiple weekly shopping trips to find particular brands, items you have to buy in quantities that you will never use up--if you are a repeat dieter, you know the drill. Skip it.
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