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any one trying the Flat Belly Diet..from Prevention magazine?

I saw the Prevention magazine while online at the checkout counter the other day..did not purchase just read in line b/c I saw you have to go online. FlatBellyDiet.com while doing it I saw the good morning video that the creator was on describing the diet and it's results. It is said to focus only on belly fat and there is a four day kick off period. There is a book I am hoping to get to Barnes and Noble tommorow to purchase it. I just was wondering if anyone has tried it or knows anyone who has.It seems like a safe and interesting diet...the focus is to take a MUFA w/ every meal (a healthy fat)

I'll try to post anything that I discover about it and if I deciede to do it after I hear from you folks and get the book...The results claimed by the creator sound amazing in four days people are losing like 1.5 inches of belly fat.


Sat. Jan 19, 9:37pm

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op here

Ok I am responding to my own thread...could not find book at Barnes and noble or Borders...so just ordered book through the prevention web site $31.95 free S&H...anyway I was a little reluctant but after speaking w/ hubby and came up w/ what we spend on a dinner outing I was told that I could be the guinne pig..he said he would try it if I have success(no pressure there) so I will I actually can not wait for book to get here...
so have you heard anyone w/ success ...I'll let ya know how it goes

Sunday, January 20, 2008, 2:55 PM

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flatbellydiet

Hi,
I am on day 2 of the jumpstart plan and so far so good. Haven't had any desparate cravings for anything. The scale and tape measure around my waist seem to be going down slightly but I think it is way too early to tell. I also just joined a gym so I'm hoping that with those two combined I can lose the jelly belly!
Here's to both of us having success!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 1:30 PM

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Can you tell us what the meals include? What kinds of food are you allowed to eat? Is there anything extra to buy?

Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 1:37 PM

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My Aunt lost 2 inches off her waist in one week and my Mom lost 1. I don't know any of the details REALLY about the diet but I think it basically adds a good fat: nuts, avacado, olives, etc to each meal.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 1:57 PM

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flatbelly diet

I misspoke earlier. I'm actually on Day 3 of the jumpstart plan. To answer the question about the foods. There are 2 sections in the book. The first is a 4 day jumpstart with foods that are supposed to be easy on your digestion and make your belly less prone to bloating-corn, rice, steamed vegetables, dried poultry, fish, etc.. To this you add a good fat at each meal(3meals plus 1 snack). This part is all laid out in detail in the book. There is even a grocery list included which made it very easy for me to start. I'm reading as I'm doing it so I'm not sure of the specifics of the next 28 days but it seems you plan out 3 meals plus 1 snack adding a good fat to eat meal. There are meal suggestions in the book and it's up to you to figure out how you want to put it all together. Looks like protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables plus the good fat. I'm not positive but II think you try to have each meal equal 400 calories plus the good fat. The only thing that I think is helpful to have right now is a blender. A smoothie is the snack recommended for the 4 day jumpstart.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 3:58 PM

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oops

I meant dried fruit above, not dried poultry-that would not be good

Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 3:59 PM

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OP Here

So good to hear from some people and there successes..I have my book it is on the way a matter a fact just got confirmation this am that it will be here in 5-10 days..I am so anxious or I should say excited to get going I wish I had it now! I have been reading as much as possible on line and my understanding this far is that when you get to day 5 you have 3 >400 calorie meals and one 400 calorie snack the one I read was popcorn, 2 tsp of peanut butter and a small apple...I am curious though how is the SASSY WATER I keep reading about I thought you just were able to have that for the first 4 days or something..Ok I promise I will keep you posted w/my results ... good luck to those that are trying it...come on book get here already!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 4:24 PM

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wouldlove to hear some details about this diet. thanks!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008, 11:38 AM

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OP Here, I can not beleive I am saying this but..I still do not have my book, I am getting a little frusterated w/ that and there was no ability to have it sent quicker when I ordered it via Prevention.com unless I missed that option, so I am still waiting I promise I will keep you posted when I begin oh perhaps it will be here in today's mail.
Anyone else have or heard anything,? I figured someone would have tried it by now.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008, 11:51 AM

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Flat Belly Diet Info

I'm on day 4 of the flat belly diet jump start. I don't have the book yet, but I got the info I needed from the URL included with my post. I have lost .5 lb. each day so far. After the first day, I had lost 2" on my waist, but that was apparently bloat. I seem to have it back today. Yesterday, I didn't use the sassy water, but plain water instead. Maybe that's why I'm bloated today. Anyway, I have had HORRIBLE headaches on and off (probably half of the time altogether). I was only used to 1 serving of caffeine a day and the first headache didn't start until evening, so I don't think that's it. It could be the extreme weather change and not related to the diet. It was 40 deg. and foggy here yesterday morning and last night it was -25 deg. with the wind chill (gusts up to 50mph). I think this is a good start to recognizing which healthy foods you can eat without gaining weight. It seems to me I'm eating more than before, but lower calorie foods. I'm going to start exercising tomorrow. I thought I might not follow through on the jump start if I tried to do too much at once. BTW, my family doesn't mind the dinners at all. I just season theirs.

Link

Wednesday, January 30, 2008, 3:07 PM

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OP Again
Ok I got the book yesturday as I had hoped,began diet today weighed in
weight:195
waist: 42"
Thoughts so far it is doable not looking like a diet or at least what I was expecting. I still need to finish my Sassy water today. But as far as the food well it is real , you have carbs protein and fats. 3:07 I agree that my husband too said the dinner tonight was actually good, I too spiced his up a bit. Also I did have a head ache this afternoon, and again currently. Not as a severe as you described. I was thinking that mine is perhaps a shock to the lack of sugar b/c I do not drink coffee or soda actually I always drink water and milk mostly so that part of the deit was a breeze for me, But I could really g for a brownie right now..3:07 please continue to post as I will too I wish you the best...

Wednesday, January 30, 2008, 8:57 PM

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Brownies are evil ;)

Here is a link that shows that this diet is on the right track, except they actually say visceral fat is easier to get rid of and worse for you and subcutaneous fat is harder to get rid of but not as harmful. It explains the different kinds of body fat, which ones are good and bad, etc. See the part about the experiment with monkeys to see that indeed, MUFAs are the way to go.

If you're trying to reduce for your health, then that's a very good reason. I also found this list at Vitaminstuff.com (also verifying the diet):

1. Burn more calories by becoming more active. If you don't have time to go to the gym, at the very least try a morning or afternoon walk and do it consistently. Even getting a minimal amount of physical activity into your daily routine can, over the long haul, make a difference in your health. Consistency and repetition are really key. And if your job is sedentary and requires you to be chained to a desk, keyboard, and monitor all day long, make sure you get up and stretch or walk around frequently. Recent evidence indicates that the mere act of remaining sedentary for prolonged periods without interruption can sabotage an individual's attempts to lose weight.

2. Reduce your portions and eat more meals, not less. Those who vacation in Europe typically notice two things when Americans and Europeans are dining in restaurants. Americans are larger and they take bigger portions at meal time. The truth is, however, that few of us really need to consume the portion sizes that we have become accustomed to. By reducing portion size, you can begin to get a handle on appetite control and satiety and make life easier for your gastrointestinal processes. And eating a number of smaller meals throughout the day versus 2-3 large meals each day can help facilitate this. Not only that, it can help you avoid glycemic overloading and spikes in blood glucose levels, which, over time, can lead to insulin resistance.

3. Eat more monounsaturated fats. There's a reason why the residents of certain countries can include a significant amount of fat in their dietary intake without increases in average weight and added visceral fat. And it has everything to do with the type of fat they consume. Monounsaturated fats have been linked to weight loss and a more efficient metabolism. Where do you find monounsaturated fats? Olives, avocados, nuts (including peanuts, almonds, pistachios), seeds, and even peanut butter. However, from the standpoint of meal preparation, substituting olive oil for standard cooking oil is an excellent idea.

4. Get more polyunsaturated fats in your diet. Polyunsaturated fats can help to reduce overall cholesterol levels and can also help to lower your levels of bad cholesterol, or LDLs. These good fats can be obtained from fish oil, seafood, and nuts, foods that are coincidental for omega-3 fatty acids.

OP, IF you have trouble staying on the diet after a while, then I would suggest making modifications to it that make it more appealing to you that don't trash the whole thing. For example, I like sunflower seeds, but I could only find salted ones and I didn't feel like that OR pineapple first thing in the morning. I substituted unsweetened applesauce (I got flavored ones like strawberry, blueberry, etc.) and pecans that day. Also, I think that before I would go off it completely if I'm tired of it, I might try just doing the healthy dinners for a while to take a break, since that's the meal most likely to stick with you anyway. Then instead of feeling guilty about it, I might feel more successful and ready to go back on it full time for a while again. Does that sound reasonable? I hope to stick with it for the 32 days.

I ordered my book from Half.com and it's not here yet because I chose media mail. On the morning of day 5, I hadn't lost any more weight but I lost some of the bloat and kept off the 1.5 pounds so far. Also my pants felt looser. It wasn't nearly as hard to make it through the jump start as I thought it would be. Actually, I haven't usually done this well at sticking to a diet in the past, so it's encouraging. I had lost a couple pounds the week before I started this diet on my own, so it's good to keep it off and take off a little more.

I wonder if they'll make a men's version with the appropriate number of calories? My husband has high bp and cholesterol, but he works hard physically and can't have this few calories and make it through his day. I'll try to get him to stick with the dinners so he can at least get that much benefit, though.

Link

Thursday, January 31, 2008, 11:50 PM

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I must admit I wondered if overcooked chicken could count for "dried" LOL

Friday, February 01, 2008, 1:19 AM

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Op Update

Ok began day 3 today: 11:50 you are right it is not that bad, what I like is it is real food, like last night has the browns rice, grilled chick, and sauteed mushrooms....I was very satisfied! I did have that w/ my husband so I agree I hope they modify for males, espesially since my husband is seeing me eat these meals and is like wow that is not bad for a diet ! I am determined to stick w/ it but actually after finishing the book last night I feel very good about being able to keep this up for a life time . I was in need of some guidance w/ portion sizes and that is what I like about the jump start , I am learning that. also it is only 4 days, I can so do this, b/c I feel like my sweet tooth will be able to be handles w/ the choc. chips you are allowed to have. I have to say so far I am so glad I purchased this book. And it is not b/c of the immediate weight lose or lose of inches it is b/c I feel like I am going to do this forever. Even the book says, you can always have a treat just cut back else where or work out extra that day. I know it is common sense, I think that is what I like it is no miracle drug or anything. I have to put in the hard work, that is how I kind of got here, I worked hard to get this weight on.
weight: 190.8 lbs
waist: 41"


Friday, February 01, 2008, 10:05 AM

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Awesome OP!

You are doing fabulously and I love your attitude! If this helps with the portion sizes, I noticed that on most (but not all) of the packages I used during the first 4 days, the serving size was the portion size on the diet. That was helpful. I hadn't realized that I was having more than one serving at once sometimes before the diet.

Friday, February 01, 2008, 10:12 AM

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I know 10:12 I agree, it sounds like we should have known this all along and I guess I did but never really payed to much attention to it. I hope you are having success too. I appreciate your feed back.
OP

Friday, February 01, 2008, 10:19 AM

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Update

On day 6, I lost another 1/2 pound. I made the chocolate pudding with bananas from the website recipe tonight. It wasn't my favorite, but my family liked it. I used dark cocoa and the 1% milk, and between those, it just wasn't as creamy as the 2% with milk chocolate that I'm used to. I only ate half of mine (and no crust), so that was a diet bonus. :) The recipe just said cocoa, so maybe I would have liked it better with regular cocoa instead of dark. It had to be healthy this way, though. I only used about half the chocolate chips, too. It seemed like too many when I was putting them on. Mini chips might be better.

Last night, I made a variation of the website recipe with grilled chicken and avacado, except I forgot to put in the avacado. I served it with a vegetable and sunflower seeds for the MUFA. I don't like radishes, so I put roasted red peppers and fresh lemon slices on top instead. My family really liked that--they don't like avacado anyway, so that would probably have been a waste of money.

How are you doing, OP?

Saturday, February 02, 2008, 10:16 PM

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op here

hi day 6 also today now weight 189.2lbs. waist 41'
i too have been making my own menu and arrangements, me the choc chips are so helping w/ my sweet treat I actually had that w/ pasta today on the side ..weird but it was like a dessert after the w/w pasta w/ manara sauce.
I am really finding that even the superbowl party I attended is like not a challenge, I am learning portion sizes in the sense of recognizing the way it looks on a plate w/out using measuring cup. Also I am subbing one MUFA for another and I think that is why it will work, b/c I am making it to my liking and staying w/ in the correct caloric intake,
Great job to PP I also am drinking more water then b/f I am thinking of making Sassy water a once a week life style commitment, like every Monday to stay on track and focused....what do you think about that

Monday, February 04, 2008, 6:58 PM

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Please keep reporting. You all are my guinea pigs - and you are making me very interested in this diet.

Monday, February 04, 2008, 9:07 PM

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Days 7-8

I didn't lose any more weight, but a little on my waist. Tonight I made the "veggie" burgers from the website with Portabella mushroom caps, except my family needed beef. So I made lean hamburgers (small ones) on the Foreman grill, so they were even more lean that way. It was really good. I tore up a light string cheese and put that on top of the roasted red pepper. There was no need for ketchup, which I think was the idea.

We've been getting a lot more use out of the Foreman grill and also our blender. I'm not hungry or deprived, so it's not a problem to be on this diet.

Good job making it through that Superbowl party with flying colors, OP!

Monday, February 04, 2008, 11:44 PM

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op- how are you doing now?

Saturday, March 15, 2008, 11:58 AM

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OP Here

Hi..I am still plugging along ..I still love the "diet" I now weigh 186 and waist is 39".....
I am making my own adjustments to the book mixing and matching MUFA's, it works for me and i continue to become more aware of portion sizes. I just got back from vacation 2 days ago and had no problem having treats and keeping with my goal. I need to loose 25 more pounds.
How is everyone else progressing?

Saturday, March 15, 2008, 5:06 PM

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Does it work

Does anybody know if this works or not? I read this article on prevention http://buzz.prevention.com/flat-belly-diet-the-role-of-stress/ and I really am interested. Does anybody have any sucess stories? email me at lividyancy@yahoo.com =)


whats a mufas?

Link

Monday, August 11, 2008, 2:47 PM

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I am on it, and using their on-line website, I love it, so far no issues 6th day and their website is very helpful.

Monday, August 11, 2008, 5:47 PM

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Very interesting site. I enjoy Prevention Magazine and have been curious about this book, so this is quite helpful.
What is Sassy Water?

Keep up your logging, it will be great to hear your success stories and the way you modify meals.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008, 10:04 AM

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What is the sassy water???

Tuesday, August 12, 2008, 2:53 PM

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help me please

HI, I NEED SOME INFORMATION ON HOW THIS DIET WORKS? AND IF IT HAS GIVEN YOU GUYS SOME GOOD RESULTS? AND IN HOW MUCH TIME? I REALLY NEED TO REDUCE FAT, AND JEANS SIZES!!! IM DESPERATERLY PLEAE HELP ME GUYS...GIVE ME INFORMATION ON THE DIET....THE RECEPIES.....AND ON.....

Thursday, August 21, 2008, 1:47 PM

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You honestly don't need to follow this "diet" to lose weight. The reason this diet works is because it teaches you to eat sensibly and consume foods that keep you full. All you need to do is change the types of foods you eat, cut down on portions, and work out...and you'll lose weight. Simple as that, yet just hard to follow consistently.

Thursday, August 21, 2008, 1:55 PM

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Dried fruit

Thank God, I almost stopped reading at the dried poultry part :)

Sunday, February 07, 2010, 6:46 AM

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Although what you say is very true, for most of us if we could do that we wouldn't be needing a diet. I only wish I had that type of self control to do it on my own.

Sunday, February 07, 2010, 6:48 AM

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Sassy water

I think the sassy water is water made with lemon and ginger.

Sunday, February 07, 2010, 7:08 AM

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The web site alibris.com has used Flat Belly Diet books for sale starting at $1.99 plus $3.99 handling and shipping. They have the books that are new also. I don't know how to make a link, so copy this web site - the whole thing - and paste it into your address bar:

http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qwork=10983635&wquery=Flat+Belly+Diet&qsort=p&matches=27&cm_sp=works*listing*buyused

(www.alibris.com is a great for all your book needs!! Text books for college, too)

Sunday, February 07, 2010, 12:22 PM

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SASSY WATER

1 lemon sliced thin
1 cucumber peeled and sliced thin
1 tsp grated ginger
6 mint leaves
2 litre water

Put all in a 2 litre jug , put in fridge over night. Next morning strain and drink the full jug on that day. I leave it all in the jug and just strain per glass.

Thursday, October 06, 2011, 8:26 PM

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nice.

-PEERtrainer

Thursday, October 06, 2011, 9:38 PM

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Today is my first day on the flat belly diet, so lets see how it goes :)

Thursday, October 06, 2011, 11:16 PM

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Flat Belly Eating program...

4 yrs. ago my husband was told to watch his eating because his cholesterol was a bit elevated. I happened to see this Flat Belly Diet in prevention mag and it looked pretty good - the belly fat is the worst we all know, for our health. I sent away for the main book and shortly after that I sendt away (have seen it @ Chapters) for the FBDiet Cookbook - We use this cookbook ALL THE TIME for our regular weekly meals. They are easy, healthy & delicious ! So many meals we've gotten from the Flat belly program are delicious and pretty easy/quick. ANYONE can use this program and loose weight or just get healthy. We never really had to loose weight, the program (we don't call it a diet because to us it's a lifelong way of eating. Once you get the hang of calculating the calories (you can get calories for anything on caloriecounter.com or in the back of the cookbook) Making meals & eating becomes so easy... We eat 4 meals (ken will have 41/2 or 5 ) p/day, no more than 4 hrs. apart and we are never really hungry or tempted to cheat and eat stuff we shouldn't. I bake & eat a delicious snack everyday .. more than I EVER did yrs. ago, when I had weight issues and didn't know the nutrition or calories/fat etc of what I was putting in my mouth. We look forward to each meal we have and we have a variety of veggies and fruits, complex carbs (eg: steel cut oats for brekkie w/ 1 tbsp chopped walnute, 1 tbsp chop chips, 1/2 banana, cinnamon, a few raisins.. come on - who has a brekkie like that AND it's healthy !) If you have the cookbook DEFINITELY try the Cranberry pecan Scones, Pg 88.. sometimes I make this recipe and other times i make 1/2 pecans & 1/2 chop chips .. EVERYONE who tried these asks for the recipe. At 210 cal, I add 1/2 c no fat yogourt & fruit... This program is AMAZING, it's a way of life, when we go on vacation or have a dinner out (remember , it IS the 80/20 rule) We have the 4 day anti bloat to go go on and it gets us back to the basics.... LOVE that we have a program that works for us & our life :) good luck to any of you out there trying it. BTW -- you don't have to sign up for website - we did but didn't do much there and didn't sign up again ... :) :) ALL the BEST !! Ask me any questions or tell me what you think, love to hear !

Wednesday, February 06, 2013, 10:11 PM

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