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Fat Flush Diet
The Fat Flush Plan can be found in a book by Ann Louise Gittleman. Ann has previously written a number of books and articles about nutrition and detox diets.
Fat Flush – Detox and Weight Loss
The Fat Flush Plan is both a detox diet and a weight loss diet. The idea is to provide all the necessary ingredients to boost metabolism, reduce water retention, and promote fat loss.
The program has 3 phases:
Phase 1 – 2 weeks
This is a restrictive phase of between 1100-1200 calories per day. The intention here is to “lose bloat” – which refers to reducing water retention as well as some fat loss. In this phase you are not allowed to eat; margarine, alcohol, sugar, oils or fats (except flaxseed oil), grains, bread, cereal, starchy vegetables, dairy products. Even the herbs and spices are restricted to a small list.
Phase 2 – Ongoing
Here the calorie allowance is lifted – to 1200-1500 calories. The idea is to continue on with the program until the desired weight loss is achieved.
Phase 3 – The maintenance phase
Essentially a weight maintenance phase, with a caloric intake of 1500 calories or over. Some starchy carbs are gradually re-introduced, along with @gluten-free grains@, and some dairy.
Exercise
The program contains a significant exercise component. This can be anything from 20 to 40 minutes of exercise per day, depending on the phase. This is typically low-impact (walking). Strength training (lifting weights) is also on the list (twice a week). A sleep prescription of exactly 8 hours per night is also required.
Sample Meal Plan – Fat Flush Phase 1
| Upon Waking “Long Life” cocktail [psyllium husks in cran-water - see below] |
| Before Breakfast 8 oz hot water with lemon juice |
| Breakfast Vegetable scramble – 2 scrambled eggs, with spinach, green peppers, scallions, and parsley. 8 oz glass of cran-water [diluted unsweetened cranberry juice] |
| Snack 1/2 Large grapefruit |
| 20 minutes before lunch 8 oz glass of cran water |
| Lunch 4 ounces of salmon with lemon and garlic, warm asparagus, mixed-green salad with broccoli florets and cucumber, 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil, and one 8 oz glass of cran-water |
| Mid afternoon snack 2 8 oz glass cran-water |
| 4pm Snack 1 apple |
| 20 minutes before dinner 8 oz glass of cran water |
| Dinner 4 ounces of grilled lamb chop with pinch of cinnamon and dried mustard, sautéed kale in broth, baked summer squash with a touch of cloves, and 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil |
| Mid evening “Long life” cocktail |
Look for other recipes that could be used with the Fat Flush Diet here.
Program Costs
The Fat Flush Plan retails for $24.95.
Your grocery bill may also raise due to special foods needed such as gluten-free items.
Fat Flush Pros and Cons
The Up side
The Fat Flush program has all the elements of a good and healthy weight loss program. It isn’t hard to find success stories regarding this program (however the true test is always the test of time – is the fat loss sustained or temporary?).
Remember this diet is a detox or cleansing diet, thus the very restrictive phase one. Unless healthy eating patterns are applied to your lifestyle, any benefits gained will soon be lost.
The Down side
One criticism is that the calorie level in Phase 1 may be too low for some people (particularly men), and the lower calorie levels could have the affect of slowing down metabolism rather than speeding it up.
There is a significant exercise portion (which is a good thing) and fortunately the longer exercise is added during phase 3. However there is little chance the calorie levels of phase 1 (or 2) will support a strong exercise regimen.
This diet is like many other diet books – the one size fits all approach will never suit everyone. Eight hours a sleep a night may be excellent for some, but with 40 minutes brisk walking a day, plus 2 weights sessions per week, this sleep is simply not enough for some people.
Recommendations
This diet is a book and like all those hundreds of diet books sitting on the shelves, you need to be a fairly motivated and focused person. This is why many of the on-line diet programs have been successful – they offer community, personalized support, lots of on-line tools and menu generators etc, AND can personalize your diet for YOU.
How many times have you tried the “latest new diet”? Only to find yourself back where you started 6 months later. It’s good to have a buddy system.
NOTE: Many medical professionals question the validity of most detox diets as there is little empirical evidence to suggest that any detoxification occurs.
See Also
Fat Flush for Life which is Ann Louise Gittleman’s latest book.
Hey, I’m 14, 5′3, and weigh in at 124 pounds. I know I’m not fat but would love to loose a few pounds as my birthday in in the next 3 weeks. I’m just finding it difficult to understand how this diet works. If I do the stage 1 of this diet, does anyone know how much weight I might loose. I’m not doing this diet if it won’t do anything. Please reply x
my friend just recommended this diet and I plan to start it soon. I hope that all will go well.
DAY 1! I am starting this diet today! I plan to follow it exactly & I am hoping to loose a pound a day. I am looking to loose 11 lbs in 11 days. Some people are posting losses of more than a pound a day, so I figure this is a reasonable goal. Wish me luck. Will keep you posted on my success.
you can make your own cranberry juice by cooking and straining the berries and
sweetening it with a fruit sweetener or you can drink it unsweetened.
1 pound bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1 quart water
Wash and drain fresh or frozen red-ripe cranberries.
Combine cranberries and water in a large pan.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until berries burst.
Strain juice through a fine strainer lined with cheese cloth.
Sugar can be added to juice to your taste.
Reheat juice until it is almost, but not boiling.
Pour into jars. Allow to cool before refrigerating.
Hi I am amazed to read here:
“Your grocery bill may also raise due to special foods needed such as gluten-free items”
I have Celiac Disease and require a Gluten free diet. I gained a LOT of weight going Gluten free because many GF Foods are made with a lot of starches rather than healthy whole graine. I have never tried this diet because I thought there was a sprouted wheat bread required. I cannot eat wheat on a GF Diet. Can anyone expand on this, Is this diet reall THAT Gluten Free friendly that foods needed would be those that are Gluten Free? Thank you.
really
I weighted 197 pounds when I started the diet and 5 months later I weigh 163 pounds. The single biggest thing this diet did for me was give me more energy. I think it forced me to stop eating all the carbs. I did lose about 10 pounds in the first 2 weeks. When I went to phase 2, I started a cardio routine and have not stopped running. I run 5-6 times a week for at least 30 minutes. I have learned to maintain my habits. So when I have a drink now, I make sure to burn it off by exercising. Calories in, calories out. No secret here.. the diet will get you started in the right path, but you have to maintain it.
i havnt bought the book yet but i want to start the plan based on what i have found on the internet
the sample plan given here, is this a proper plan? iv read that primrose oil and some supplements should be taken as well? if someone could please tell me a list of foods allowed n what supplements etc have to be taken. and is the cranwater 1 part cran to 4 part water or 7 part water?
I love the science and health behind the fat flush plan. I had mid section weight, not much, but enough to limit me. I did not lose weight for over 2 weeks, but then it started falling away and especially around the midsection. It was those stubborn 7 or 8 pounds that I did everything to get rid of in the past. By the time I got to phase III, I felt I could stay on this forever. I do the phase I & II 4 times a year and phase III the best I can the rest of the time. I feel and look better than I did in my 20’s!!!!
When i was 14, i was 166 pounds, and a size 14/16. I was a fat girl. Everybody told me i wasn’t, but i knew i was just when i looked in the mirror. It didnt help when all these girls in my grade were size 0’s. When i graduated my 8th grade year I decided i was DONE being the FAT girl. My mom helped me with this too, she did the Fat Flush Diet with me. By the end of the summer I had lost about 26 pounds, and weighing about 140 pounds. Im 17 now, still about 140 pounds, but i’ve decided id like to lose some more weight…so i started back on the diet last Sunday. Me and my mother took our “fat pictures” and we are going to picture ourselves every two weeks to calendar our losses. I weighed in at 141.5 on Sunday, it’s Thursday now and im weighing in at 138.5. Im very pleased so far…not just with the loss…but i feel so much less bloated and so much more energized!
My husband and I have been on this fat flush cleansing diet for 3 weeks and have not lost any size in the mid section. We both lost 10 lbs everywhere else but nothing changed in the midsection, which is why we went on this diet. My husband doesn’t need to lose anywhere else because he is fit and lean except for ab area. I have developed a red bumpy rash under my eyes that we think may be from flax seed. No fat is flushing here and we don’t know why. very discouraging.
Regarding the recipe above for cranberry juice, you cannot add sugar if you are using it for the fat flush plan, there is absolutely no sugar allowed. The only sweetener allowed is stevia.
I went on the diet for two weeks and lost 1 stone!
10 pounds in the first week and then another 4 in the 2nd!
I was simply amazed by the results! I went from a size 14 to a size 10 and went from weighing 10stone 4 to 9 stone 4!
I strongly reccomend the fat flush diet to anyone!
I’m on the 10th day of the lemon juice only plan and have went from a tight 36 inch Levi to a loose 34 inch one. My hardest part is SMELLING FOOD; one whiff and I go off to a magical All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Reastaurant in my mind.
As a serial dieter, I realized this past spring that I had reached my highest weight ever. (I am 45, mother of three, high school teacher.) I bought the book and tried this diet. I found it the easiest plan to stick to. Always in the past, I had found it difficult to give up carbs and alcohol. On this diet, I didn’t even crave them. I lost 10 lbs the first week and 5 in the second. I am hoping that I am able to continue until I reach my goal of losing 40 lbs, and sustaining that loss. My daughters are 18 and 19. Should they ever need to lose some weight, I would recommend this plan.
I find it humorous that many of the comments about this diet are “Oh, I did it a few years ago, and it was great. Now I need to do it again because I gained back all the weight I lost when I was on the diet!”
Maybe it’s just the calorie restrictions that’s working in this diet, and not actually any kind of magical body detoxification. Also, what good is losing weight if you can’t (or won’t) maintain the protocols of the diet to keep the weight off? Why not just count calories, drink lots of water, and eat healthy instead of spending all your money and time on fad diets?
I was on this diet about 2 years ago and was sucessful. Just went back on it and this time it seems harder due to the headache I am constantly having this 1st week. I think after this week things should get better. I hope to achieve the same goal as I did 2 years ago. Also afterwards and during the maintenance I continued to drink 4 oz of the cranberry cocktail during the day along with my snacks/water and was able to achieve great results.
I did this diet years ago and felt great and lost weight slowly but steadily. It is a commitment but once you get in the groove it is very easy to live with. Medical tests at that time showed excellent results. now, at 51 and diagnosed with hashimotos and having gained 4 pounds in one month, I am going to try it again – for the health and weight reduction benefits. No one could argue that the diet isn’t healthy – and if you need more food, well eat it, but know that may effect how quickly weight comes off.
good luck
I love this program. I used it to “detox” my body before I got pregnant. Now that I am ready to lose the rest of my pregnancy weight (I gained 60 pounds and have about 25 left to lose) I decided to go back on the program to lose the weight. In 6 weeks I’ve lost 15 pounds and I feel great. It IS difficult to plan/prepare everything required- especially when you have kids to chase all day. But you can make your own modifications (for instance, I don’t use strictly organic stuff) and still be very successful with some simple planning ahead. It has helped me to “re-program” my mind and body to make better choices-even on those nights when I go out to eat. TRY IT! You’ll feel great!
well im gonna try this diet im a diabetic and have been trying to lose weight!!
This diet worked for me. I was only on it for around 2 months and lost about 20-25 lbs. The hardest part is sticking to it. I gained the weight back, but it took much longer to gain it back than it took to get it off. My goal was to lose 60 lbs. My goal now is to lose 70 lbs, and I hope to do that in 6 months.
organic stores and any bulk food stores should have the unsweetened cranberry juice it is usualy around 5 or 6 bucks a jug but…. you dont use a whole lot at a time so it does last longer then you may think i had intended on doing this diet…… i never could follow thru because of my low income… my dad bought it for me because he said i was to fat every time i saw him maybe i didnt do it partially cuz of him? i have candida … i am doing that diet starting today… its kinda like phase one with out the coctail and well… its just meat and veggies for few weeks
Lina ~~
you can make your own cranberry juice by cooking and straining the berries and
sweetening it with a fruit sweetener or you can drink it unsweetened.
1 pound bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1 quart water
Wash and drain fresh or frozen red-ripe cranberries.
Combine cranberries and water in a large pan.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until berries burst.
Strain juice through a fine strainer lined with cheese cloth.
Sugar can be added to juice to your taste.
Reheat juice until it is almost, but not boiling.
Pour into jars. Allow to cool before refrigerating.
I am 69 years young and am a cancer patient. However my treatments have made me gain 150 pounds over the past six years. I have started this plan and have lost 13 pounds in the past 9 days. My doctors have told me that I couldn’t lose weight because of my medications.I guess they were wrong! I have not taken any pain medication or sleeping pills during this time, for the first time in the six years. I’m doing fine and will continue to see what happens next.