The Flat Belly Diet

Dieting is an illusion. Almost any diet will work when you're following it, but is this something that you can see yourself doing forever? If not, then what happens is that the diet slows down your metabolism and when you get bored and go back to eating "normal" you put the weight on, plus more.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over, expecting a different result. Dieting falls into this category. Although the specifics of each diet are different, the core is the same, and ultimately the results are as well.

There are much better ways to permanently transform your body. Dieting is dead!

For everyone wondering what the point of the water is, check out this link

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=54

Check out the rest of the site while you're there also, tons of valuable information on having a healthy lifestyle(i.e. Diet)

Christy, Just wanted to say "hang in there girl".I understand. Hand-clap to you. I raised 3 children alone, I also went to school (at age 30), I also had to commute to town. It's not easy. But it makes you stronger. I try to eat a raw fresh fruit or vegi at every meal + healthy fats (Avacado, Nuts, Olives, EVOO, etc.) My husband lost 25 lbs on the South Beach Diet. I hav a muscle disease so started taking Brewers Yeast & Goat Whey at the same time we started the diet. I only lost 10.
Keep up the good efforts!
Kudos to you!!!
Edna from California

I promise you all, this diet is a bunch of crap. I tried it and failed, miserably. After the 4-Day Jumpstart, I had lost about 3 inches from my tummy and an impressive 6 pounds! WOW, after 4 days?? I was so excited, I thought this is the SECRET!! After about a month into the actual plan, you'll never believe another 9 pounds!!! It's a miracle!!

But then I went on vacation...for FOUR days. I didn't even get excessive on vacation, as I was still able to eat "healthy" ordering salads, fruit plates, low cal alcoholic drinks. Upon return, the scale that was so exciting to me suddenly became my enemy again...+10 pounds. Are you kidding me? I gained 10 pounds in FOUR days actually trying to eat healthy on vacation??? What a waste of those lovely margaritas I passed.

To end this, I am just saying that more than likely most of your loss will be water weight. And as Jim said above...can you see yourself doing this diet forever???

"Miffy" ,Tara and Cynthia: C'mon ladies! I come to this site for one thing only: to get people's opinions, +/- progress and meaningful comments with this diet. I am so tired of you uptight women that have nothing better to do then to trash and accuse one another of lying, being paid, etc. Is it possible for you to just use this website for it’s intended purpose? Tara, give me a break. Just because the diet didn't work for you, it's then deemed "crap", as you put it? Seriously, does the whole d*mn world really evolve around you? Sounds to me that if you gained 10 pounds in four days, you, my friend, were eating for two! Back to the point: No diet is going to work for everyone, that’s proven. But it sure would be nice if we could discuss like mature adults the fundamentals of this diet (pros, cons, questions etc.) and refrain from leaving juvenile remarks. And no, “Miffy”, I was not paid for these comments.

On the 4 day jumpstart program, I get that you have to drink the Sassy water, and the smoothies, but how often do you drink the smoothies and do they suppliment a meal or something?? Or do you drink the water, eat your four meals AND drink the smoothie on top of all that?

Christina,
I'm not sure about this diet, that's why I'm searching here online. I just heard about it today. I've have my 15 year old son on a diet I got from the doctor. Breakfast eat 300 calories, Lunch eat 400 calories, Dinner eat 500 calories. One 125 calorie snack if you need it. Don't skip breakfast, eat a food bar. A snickers bar has 280 calories. Not something you want to eat all the time, but sometimes you just want something good. I know it works and you eat what you like. My mom has been doing this and lost 15lbs. My son's lost 10lbs.

i've requested the book from my library, then i'll have 3 weeks to look through it and copy any recipes...FREE! great to hear everyone's comments, i'm trying it to get rid of the muffin top that appeared after my 40th birthday - ugh!

right, we are all just filled with gas, not fat- but wait- after farting, we're still fat, so that is incorrect.

Diet programs like this are just around to make money and why not people buy into them. Do the research about burning fat. You burn fat and eat right so you don't gain it back. Your body stores fat but not protien so why not eat high protien foods. I eat fish all day long and salads and chicken and I don't gain weight. I drink protein shakes. I have more protien than I will ever need and guess what. I'm not fat, I'm never hungry, I'm healthy, I'm more fit than I was in highschool. Stop buying silly diet programs than make you pay for online garbage you can get for free. Stop buying hope and making excuses and just use common sense.

Miffy-I find your comments about me and my sister to be sad. We are not paid by the company! I am just another person who has tried WW and several other programs with no success. Something with this book and plan made sense to me so I tried it. As I have said before I started on 1/6/08. As of Tuesday, I have lost 21 lbs. I stick to the 400 calorie per meal, make sure I get my MUFA's in and work out. I agree with everyone that the 4 day is hard to choke down at times. If you feel like this program isn't for you then don't do it but don't criticize or be rude to those who are. My question to you is what do you get out of being so nasty?

SOmebody could post the diet here??? I do not have money

Miffy, don't be jealous about our results. You are probably one of those people that try something the first 1/2 of the day and blow it by lunch! Or you are the "It don't work" people only because you are sneaking food you shouldn't and blaming it on everything and everyone but yourself! Or how about "all I ate was NO FAT pretzels" the whole bag! Hello look at the calories people that is what this is all about! I actually didn't know about this blog until my Sister told me. If we are being paid...I' am still waiting for my check! Here is the deal I lost almost 40 pounds watching calories and running on the treadmill four years ago had hernia surgery and put it back on. Short story long: I was walking a mile each day after having a hysterectomy nothing was working my pt told me to get on the treadmill and jog. I thought yeah right my 175 pound butt swinging left to right. I did it, each week I would up what I would run. I only started out running for five minutes and walked for 15. I couldn't run any longer, too out of shape. I eventually jogged for 20 minutes and walked for 10, did the elipical for 10, pilitees (sp) machine for 10-15 minutes and then like 5 different exercises with the exercise ball. It worked! I even got our younger Sister Wendy to come with me and she lost over 50 pounds! My comment was intended to give people hope that things do work and will work if you stick with them. Neither Steph nor I are getting paid or are these fake posts. We both needed a jump start and some help and we have found that The Flat Belly diet work. My intentions are to get back to the gym, right now I run stairs and do ball exercises. If someone can't afford the book or the foods that you should eat to jump start just watch your calories (eat 4x's per day 400 calories each time you eat do not go more than 4 hours without eating) and exercise and make sure you exercise with intensity. You will see results!

I have tried everything, have a bad back, exercise hurts my spine now my heart is fussing, so I went back to a book I had years ago. I work part time at the library and found the Beverly Hills diet by Judy Mazell. Started Jan 2, Valentines Day was the last day lost 25 # never hungry. feel good, but for the back. had a lovely cheat weekend at the church banquet. Eggplant Parm. and Tortilini and started week 2 of the diet again. as of today 29 pounds. It is good it is work it. check it out have 80 to go, will do this the rest of my life, cause I plan to eat what i wnat in order but with fun Whitedove, want to know more give me a line

oh buzz me at copperapples2@aol.com

Hi out there. I just ordered the book. Any hints for me on sticking with it? Do you or should you strictly follow the diet? Are there recipes in the book? My problem is: cooking for the family & then cooking "special" stuff for me. How do you handle this? Any advice on that? With 3 kids & a meat/potatoes husband, it is tricky & I find I always get off track trying to make them all happy.
I want to take off a good bit of weight - my problem is that after dinner "snacking" on the bad stuff.
thanks to any/all who offer advice.

Where can I get the recipe for Sassy Water? Thank you.:)

Joy, here is what someone posted on the first page:

The sassy water is....2 litres of water, 1 tbsp of fresh grated ginger, 1/2 lemon thinly sliced, 1/2 of a cucumber, thinly sliced, and fresh spearmint leaves. Mix and leave over night, strain and drink the next day...the whole 2 litres.

*I did a whole lemon and cucumber and 12 spearmint leaves along with the ginger.

The water doesn't help you lose the weight...maybe water weight since you are drinking what you should normally drink, but most of us don't. Follow what you shouldn't eat and drink and what you should eat and drink.

MRJ-Will power, believe in yourself and believe it will work. I have two teenage boys and a meat and pasta Husband (no fruits or veggies). I do not buy what I think would tempt me. I would say 90% of the time I' am making myself something different for dinner. Make your seperate meals the first four days as you are suppose to after that you have 400 calories to work with for dinner. Watch your portions, a serving is a serving measure and read lables. I eat Lean Cuisines most of the time and have a 100 calorie snack later (I don't mind cooking seperate), out to dinner be sensable, Applebee's has a Weight Watchers menu giving you choices for 300 and some calories. Late snacking-100 calorie snack packs only, eat slow, chew alot and enjoy oh and if you are eating because you are not doing anything do some ball exercises. Make sure you are eating within your 4 hours 4 times a day and EXERCISE getting your heart rate up and keeping it up for 30 minutes. My thing or problem was not eating enough no breakfast, lunch or snack only eating dinner late. So now to eat breakfast, lunch and a snack especially those first four days I felt like I was always eating. I have to admit that anytime I ate or almost anytime my IBS would act up. I have not had those types of problems eating really the right nutritional foods. GOOD LUCK!

Hi Angie H, Thanks so much...I seem to be totally dense..I could not find it even when I was told where to look...Thanks for responding to my question...Thanks so much...Love, Joy

Why do you have to cook differently for your family? The meals on the plan are all really good and not "diet" food at all.

Wonderful, as if the price of avocados on the east coast weren't high enough already.

I did the best life diet a year ago. I lost 31 pounds. I am now 5'6 and 165. I have almost effortlessly keep the weight off but have been unable to lose that last 15 pounds that stays in the middle. I just ordered the book, but before I did I tried just adding sunflower seeds and avacado to my already healty diet and lost 2 pounds! Oh and lemon to my water. Instead of fresh avacados which are 250 each here I bought a container of all natural guacmole and put 2 teaspoons in my turkey wrap. I am very exicited to try this new approach. I think just eating some new foods will do the trick!

I am also a late night snacker, just can't give this up but instead of chips and cookies I replaced this with popcorn and choclate milk. Low fat milk and just enough Nesquick to satisfy. This did not make me a super model but did keep me from gaining the weight back.

Hey all - I've read all of your comments - I've purchased the book but haven't received it yet. I made the sassy water but was not able to find spearmint. Do you think peppermint would work? I have lots of that.

I've also tried a handful of the meals listed on their web site and was quite surprised how good they tasted! I've been very interested in mediterannean way of eating and this looks like it - Even my kids like it! Is the 4-day jump start a must?

I think any diet that limits your consumption of calories, fat and processed foods will work if you follow it. There's no miracle in that. What is questionable is how much better this diet targets the belly area compared to other diets. Is there any way to even substantiate such a claim? Where are the empirical results? It would be next to impossible to get them. You'd have to find people who were willing to go on another diet, lose a certain amount of weight, measure their stomachs, then gain it back, then go on this diet, then measure their stomachs again to see if they lost more belly fat this time.

There are experts who say that there is no basis for this claim and that people will tend to gain and lose weight in different areas of the body depending upon their genetics. You can't fight that even with a diet. I lost an amazing amount of belly fat just doing Jenny Craig. But then again, that is the area where I tend to gain it so that is also the area where I tend to lose it. How could you possibly separate out what is the result of the diet and what is the result of genetics? There is no possible way. I say this diet is good if it helps people to lose weight, but as far as the claims it makes regarding belly fat go I see no reason to believe them until some real evidence is provided. And by the way, while the photos they offer show women who have lost a significant amount of weight in their mid-sections, a lot of them by no means have anything close to a "flat" belly, and we still have no idea how much weight they would have lost in their bellies on other diets. In my opinion that claim is a bunch of hooey designed to take advantage of people whose mental acuity is not sharp enough to figure all this out. People will believe anything if they want to believe it. They will believe they've lost more weight in their bellies than on other diets just because they want to believe it. I wouldn't even take the claims of some of these people seriously.

I have done the diet for just over 32 days. I lost 6 inches in my waist and about 12 lbs. I feel much better. It really isnt a diet. I hate that they use that word. It really is a way of eating. I am not hungry. I do eat more than 5 fruits and vegeatables a day. I love the food. And I have been able to adapt to eating out. This is the first time I have lost more than 2 inches around my waist after losing 10lbs, so on me it is targeting belly fat. Of course I am also losing inches elsewhere. This has been working for me like nothing else. I like the website the best. The kinks seemed to be worked out, the book was ok, but for me the website is easier to follow. The reason to me that this diet is not just a fad. Is I feel so full of energy. I have never felt that way on any other plan. I hope that this is helpful.

If we weren't intested we wouldn't have looked up the "Belly Flat" diet too... unfortunately the truth is eating "Whole Foods" watching calories, and simply exercising is what we've been told works... then why do we all keep looking at the newest and lastest? I try to do all I can but the mid-section is always there from having kids and now surgical menopause at an early age.... I think sucking it in is asking too much... i think i'm going to put my money into a pair of SPANX! Sigh........

Are you deluisional? Or do you have nothing else to do? Your "short story" about "blind masses" doesn't make much sence. You need to focus your creative writing skills in a positive manner, one in which others may be inspired by your words...not confused.

Well, thanks to all you "well-wishers" but even if this diet is a hoax, at least it has people paying attention to what they are eating and taking more concern for their health. I weigh 140 lbs which is the heaviest I've ever weighed! I started this diet on Monday and I have begun exercising again too. If this diet does nothing but motivate me to eat better and exercise more, than YEAH for me...and all the other people out there giving it a try!!! xox ;-)

Okay so I was reading all of the comments on here (WOW)

most any diet where you lose alot of lb's really fast you are going to gain back lb's really fast

but if when you go out of town you do a Weight Managment "diet" you wont gain any weight and you won't lose any

so when you get to the weight where you want to be go on a Weight Managment "diet" its free easy and is really just a life style.

(oh and for all of you who think these people are trying to steal your money, maybe they just put some thought into it and would like to get paid for what they have done)

good job all of you! =)

Diabetics beware! I am type2 diabetic. According to the authors claims, this plan is beneficial. On the 1st day of the 4 day cleanse, my blood sugar shot up to 300 (2x higher than it should have been at that time of day). I was tired, sleepy, and had a horrid headache all day. On the 2nd day, more of the same. My fasting blood sugar level was 60 points higher than normal. Still had a headache. My blood pressure and pulse rate were high. I guess I would have less belly fat if I were in a coma or go into cardiac arrest. The only thing I recommend on this diet is the sassy water. The recipe is not worth $32 though.

Karen, You said:
" It really isnt a diet. I hate that they use that word. It really is a way of eating. "

A diet IS a way of eating. It is what you consume.

After reading this book, I think you should save your $30, and pick up "Skinny Bitch" instead for half the price. Now THAT book will change your way of looking at food and your health.

I agree, everyone has a "diet" of some sort. What is "skinny bitch"? is this book the one that has a bunch of different ways of looking at eating and dieting? I think I remember seeing it. People say it's all a matter of proportion, but what proportion? Some of us still need guidelines of what works for each body type as we age and what our bodies are going through at that time, stupid as that may sound. I wish it was as simple as just "sound eating" and just getting out there and exercising. Still on the fence about Flat Belly... simply it sounds good because of the area I need to target.

Let's get serious here. We all know that diets simply DO NOT WORK. Diets tend to slow down the metabolism and therefore are more damaging than beneficial. Maintaining an accepable/healthy weight takes simply common sense such as avoiding fastfood restaurants, cooking healthy meals and avoiding food items that are fattening and non nutritious. Also critical is physical activy such a walking, hiking, running or any physical activity which will help increase your metabolism.

I can't afford to buy the book.But I found the 4-day kick start on another blog. I am on page 4 of the kick start, but don't know what I should be eating after this. Can anyone help. As of this morning I was down 4 lbs.
thanx

Thanks to all of you. I purchased the book only, (still watching the mail) not the online help, didn't want the revolving charge to my card. I can't wait to start this. Have tried many various diets over time, some worked most didn't. The only place I really have a problem is directly around the middle. I'll be one happy camper if this works. Really sounds like a healthy and 'brainy' way to get healthy. Do suggest exercising with it though, not necessarily for the belly fat, but for the 'heart strength'.

I just started the 4 day jump start today, and I found it interesting to eat breakfast because I'm one of those people who usually don't eat it. However, I'm a big coffee drinker and have found that it's noon and I have a terrible headache that is probably caffine related. When does this go away?

Most of my friends are doing the flat belly diet but are using it in conjunction with portionpals (portionpal.com)or you can buy on amazon or drugstore.com. The reason is because the fbd does work but when you want to just portion your food, you can and the portion discs work great. I am now down 17lbs. Yipeee

Where would I found the spearmint leaves?

I recently read about "Flat Belly Diet" from Prevention Magazine...I followed up with a visit to there web page to read up a little more...there is a few recipes and testimonials..but that is about it. If you go to google and type in "Sassy water recipe" you can find it very quickly...and web sites like this one gives you great info. including a few more recipes. For what I have tried last night and today the food is great, healthy and seems that you'd be able to change some ingredients to make the dishes differnt...Use your creativeness.
I started last night drinking the sassy water...and I don't know about everyone else...but I am peeing like a racehorse!:) As for the flaxseed...I don't think so...everyone know it tastes like @#$%. So I leave that out of my smoothies and sweeten them with a little honey...As for wieght loss..Only 1 pnd since yesterday.Going to keep on it though...It can't hurt and it is helping me eat better and the health benefits are huge...Let's face it...we aren't getting any younger and we all have to make sure we lead healthy lifestyles. So good luck to all of you trying out not only the diet but a new lifestyle!