Recent research has shown that children who ate breakfast on a regular basis were less likely to become obese than their peers who did not eat a regular breakfast. The study examined the link between breakfast eating frequency and body weight changes in more than 2,000 adolescents. They were monitored over a five year period. The results indicated that the daily breakfast eaters tended to gain less weight and have lower body mass index levels – an indicator of obesity risk – compared with those who had missed breakfast as adolescents.
Over the past two decades, rates of obesity have doubled in children and nearly tripled in adolescents. It has been estimated that between 12 and 24 percent of children and adolescents regularly skip breakfast. This percentage of breakfast skippers has been found to increase with age, the researchers said.
Although adolescents may think that skipping breakfast seems like a good way to reduce calorie intake, findings suggest the opposite. Eating a healthy breakfast may help adolescents avoid overeating later in life and prevent unhealthy eating patterns.
Summary
The Flat Belly Diet appears to be a sound diet but offers nothing particularly novel or revolutionary. The basic diet plan involves a 1600 calorie Mediterranean-style diet with an emphasis on wholesome, unrefined foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, seeds, lean protein, and very little red meat. The diet is based around MUFAs, an acronym which means “monounsaturated fatty acids”. MUFAs are a valuable addition to the diet, but they are not “the antidote to belly fat”. There is no miracle diet cure for belly fat. Complex restricted diets requiring calorie counting, and MUFAs at every meal, are unlikely to succeed any better than many other calorie controlled diets.
Overview
There is a huge marketing campaign behind the Flat Belly Diet book. The editors have launched not just a diet, but a book, a cookbook, a website, an online program and more. They have made appearances on the Rachael Ray Show, Good Morning America and many other TV and radio talk shows.
The Flat Belly Diet promises a flat belly and weight loss of up to 15 pounds in 32 days. The diet book is written by Liz Vaccariello, editor in chief of Prevention Magazine, along with Cynthia Sass, nutrition director at Prevention.
According to the authors, the key component of the Flat Belly Diet that attacks abdominal fat is monounsaturated fats, or MUFAs. These are the healthy fats found in olives, avocados, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, soybean, flax, and olive and sunflower oils. The authors emphasize that exercise is not a mandatory part of the Flat Belly Diet. They claim that weigh loss can be achieved by simply following the diet.
The Flat Belly Diet
The diet plan (based on the famous Mediterranean diet) involves eating MUFAs with every meal. That is rule number one. The other two rules are; stick to 400 calories per meal, and never go for more than 4 hours without eating. The daily calorie limit is 1600.
Before starting on the 28 day plan, dieters are asked to prepare their bodies by reducing food intake to 1200 – 1400 calories per day for a 4 day period. This preparation time is designed to reduce bloating, and get dieters into the mind-set of a healthy eating plan. During the jump-start, dieters drink 2 liters of “sassy water” a day. This is a blend of spices, herbs, citrus fruit, and cucumber. Exercise is optional but encouraged. An entire chapter is devoted to the flat belly workout with diagrams of exercises, walking plans, and a 28-day workout plan.
The basic diet is one of calorie restriction. The aim is to eat 4 meals a day, each consisting of 400 calories. Naturally, dieters will lose weight if they have been eating 2,000 or more calories a day. There is nothing revolutionary in that. So in essence the Flat Belly Diet is a basic calorie counting diet. Experts agree that the eating plan can work, but largely because the diet itself is sound, not because there is anything particularly special about MUFAs.
Whether dieters are vegetarian, or meat eaters, have food allergies, or are lactose intolerant, this plan can be adapted to meet individual needs. Strictly speaking, dieters do not count calories. Instead, they choose from a list of 28 interchangeable mix-and-match breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snack packs. Food lists with portion sizes and calories allow flexibility in creating snack packs. Eighty recipes are included with nutrient analysis of calories, protein, carbohydrates, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and fiber.
Flat Belly Diet claims
Lose up to 15 pounds in 32 days: Experts consider that losing 15 pounds in 32 days is generally attributable, in no small part, to losing water weight, and not fat. A pound of fat equates to 3500 calories, so to lose 15 pounds of fat in 32 days, it would be necessary to burn off 1640 calories each day – not an easy thing to achieve without very vigorous exercise. Real fat loss on diets is slower. The recommended safe rate of real fat loss is 1-2 pounds per week.
Never do a single crunch: Proper toning of the belly area is best achieved through exercise of the underlying muscles, specifically abdominal crunches. The diet underplays the importance of exercising the abdomen.
Conquer emotional eating: Easier said than done. There are many causes of overeating and weight gain. The issues involved are often complex, and are best dealt with by qualified professionals and not diet books.
Eat delicious foods and never feel hungry: Most of the recipes are relatively low calorie (which is what actually makes them work). There will be dieters, however, whose appetites will not be satiated on 400 calories per meal.
Pros
• Experts agree that weight loss is possible using the Flat Belly Diet
• The diet is supported by a book, a cookbook and a website
Cons
• The book costs over $30
• The diet program is gimmicky
• Dieters are encouraged to join an online paid subscription program
Conclusion
Although the holy grail of dieting is to lose weight with no effort, the bottom line is that the body must burn more calories than it consumes in order to do so. No weight loss can take place without a caloric deficit. The healthiest way to do achieve this is by a combination of healthy eating and exercise. There is nothing particularly groundbreaking about the Flat Belly Diet.
For more information check out the website at FlatBellyDiet.com
