The Flat Belly Diet

Featured recently on such programs as Good Morning America and Rachel Ray, latest weight loss miracle, The Flat Belly Diet is taking the nation by storm today in the news! As we head toward the warm, spring season and prepare to shed our bulky winter sweaters for more appropriate sunny weather attire, many of us first need to drop a few of those nasty, unwanted pounds. If putting on a pair of sexy, cotton Capri's and a barely legal midriff makes you want to scream, then The Flat Belly Diet could be the secret to your weight loss success during the up and coming season of sunshine! But before you buy into the Flat Belly hype, you may want to read a bit further....

The Flat Belly Diet was developed by Editor in Chief, Liz Vaccariello and Nutrition Editor Cynthia Sass, both of Prevention Magazine. Yes, that is correct, the latest breakthrough in medical science was created by two magazine editors! Can you believe it! When you visit the website, www.flatbellydiet.com, you have the option of buying their new book for $31.95 which details the diet and when purchased, allows you to receive 3 months of free on-line support. According to the website, some of the major claims made about the diet are as follows:

1. Lose up to 15 pounds in 32 days.

2. Eat delicious food and never feel hungry.

3. Get a flat belly without ever doing a single crunch.

4. Conquer emotional eating.

If this sounds like a lot to swallow, in some ways, it is. Dieters should be leary of any diet plan that offers them a quick fix and losing 15 pounds in 32 days is just that. While quick fixes may result in rapid, initial weight loss, it tends to be short term and can lead to an even greater weight gain in the future. Additionally, physicians recommend that weight loss that is most beneficial for your body, your health, and will ultimately be the easiest to maintain is that which occurs slowly, at a rate of about 2 pounds per week. Therefore, losing 15 pounds in one month's time, although an attractive concept is not very healthy! Losing weight is really such a simple matter, yet most individuals make it so difficult, especially when people are brainwashed by this "quick fix" mentality. It's a matter of a simple balancing act of diet, exercise and then maintaining your weight loss with your continued efforts. The bottom line is you must either eat less than you burn, or burn more than you eat! It is all about calorie intake vs. calorie expenditure, period!

The Flat Belly Diet claims that "a flat belly is about food and attitude!" But the real key to this weight loss wonder diet is is eating four, 400 calorie meals per day and including a food from one of the five MUFA groups with each meal. Sometimes coined as the "heart healthy, good fat," MUFA is a term used by nutritionists that is short for mono unsaturated fatty acid. According to weight loss specialist Anne Collins, MUFA's are linked to lowering LDL's (bad cholesterol) and increasing HDL's (good cholesterol). Furthermore Collins states that MUFA's are associated with reducing the risk of heart disease and protecting against certain types of cancers. The Flat Belly Diet plan includes eating a MUFA with every meal from the following 5 groups:

1. Oils

2. Nuts and Seeds

3. Avocados

4. Olives

5. Chocolate

But, recent studies shed a different light on the miracle of the MUFA meals! According to "Dietary Fat and Heart Health: in Search of the Ideal Fat", MUFA intake at the expense of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA) and saturated fatty acids, (SFA) does not actually counter the presence of dietary cholesterol very well and can lead to an actual increase in LDL/HLD ratio. A balanced SFA/MUFA/PUFA ratio, which is a blend of each type of fatty acids, is said to incorporate a better fatty acid balance than just MUFA alone. In general, their study found that a balance of 1:1:1 produced the best LDL/HDL ratio. While it is true that cooking with MUFA's help foods to taste better and help you feel fuller longer, precaution should be taken in thinking that MUFA meals are a "cure all".

The website's mantra "A flat belly is about food and attitude. Period. Not a single crunch is required," is splashed upon each page and is a bit of an exaggeration, at best. Truly, having a flat belly has much to do with genetics, cardiovascular exercise and muscle strengthening. If you lose belly fat without firming up underlying muscle tissue, then what will remain is flab. It may be less flab than you had before, but it will still be flab!

On a more positive note the Flat Belly Diet website offers customized meal plans, shopping lists, hundreds of delicious on-line recipes and even a dining out guide. You can meet fellow Flat Belly dieters along the way through message boards and buddy networks. To help track your success, are food logs, journals, weigh-ins and periodic belly measurements. Experts in nutrition are also available to help with a multitude of videos and articles related to weight loss. Finally, although they say the fitness component is elective, they do include an optional fitness plan to help each member accelerate their weight loss.

If eating Shrimp and Snow Peas drizzled in tasty olive oil or Cheesy Spinach Ziti sounds good to you, then The Flat Belly Diet is definitely worth a click of your mouse. It is up to the consumer to decide, however, if the Flat Belly Diet can live up to its claim of being yet another weight loss miracle or just a brilliant marketing scheme!