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Fat Smash Diet

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Written by Sam · Filed Under Weight Loss Programs  10,031 views

Fat Smash Diet

Diet Plan Summary: The Fat Smash Diet was created by Dr. Ian K. Smith best known from VH1′s Celebrity Fit Club where Hollywood celebrities competed to lose weight by following his plan.

It focuses on eating as many fruits and veggies as you like instead of meat, dairy products and processed foods. The formal diet is a 90 day program divided into 4 phases wherein your cravings for unhealthy foods are supposed to be smashed.

Phase 1 – Detox (9 days)
Phase 1 of the Fat Smash Diet is a nine day detox period where you are supposed to lose all your bad habits. But really, can you rid yourself of all your bad habits in 9 days? Already I see a problem with this phase 1 as most people I know will not be able to stick to this for 9 days. Nevertheless, the idea is to reduce calories significantly and drinks lots of water to flush your body. 4-5 meals are mandatory regardless of you being hungry or not and you aren’t allowed to skip meals. Do you already see a problem with this diet like I do? That means you have to preplan all your meals and you can’t go off course even at work. Some quite rigid and strict guidelines, but I guess it is only for 9 days!

Even though Dr.Smith doesn’t want you to count calories he does want you to eat foods that are only raw, grilled or steamed (noting fried and no processed foods) in this first phase. Foods that are allowed include unlimited amount of fruits and vegetables (unlimited? Who are you kidding Dr. Smith? From experience I can tell you that if you eat more than 10 servings of fruit a day you will see results you don’t want to see as fruit sugars are usually stored in your body as fat. ), chickpeas, lentils, tofu and beans. Also allowed in limited quantities include: brown rice, low fat, skim or soy milk and yogurt, oatmeal, egg whites and herbal teas. Fats limited to a max of 3 tablespoons, with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil/day and no potatoes or avocados. Remember – 9 days!

Phase 2 – Introducing Additional Foods (3 weeks)
3 week period introducing other foods but still maintaining the schedule of 4-5 small meals throughout the day and enjoying them raw, grilled or steamed still. Foods allowed in limited quantities in this phase include lean meats, seafood, whole egg, cheese, avocado, a variety of whole-grain cereals, butter, fat-free mayo, coffee (10 ounces a day), granulated sugar, fruit juice, diet soda, lemonade, and club soda.

Phase 3 – Bigger portions & Dessert (4 weeks)
Still embodying the first two phases but portions are now a little larger and pasta & bread plus 1 desert/day are introduced for the first time. Desserts are chosen from a small list of those accepted by Dr.Smith.

Phase 4 – Beer & Pizza
Well this is supposed to set the “Temple” for the rest of your life. You can include beer, pizza, wine and potatoes, but guided with exercise, portion control and not skipping meals (sticking to 4-5 meals/day).

Claimed Diet Benefits: The Fat Smash Diet claims to change your relationship with foods and get you hooked on physical activity for the rest of your life (how it does this is a bit cloudy!). Upon completion of Phase 4 and 90 days later you should be making better food decisions, eating fewer calories per day, exercising and most importantly losing weight. During Phase 1 (the detox stage) your cravings are supposed to be smashed (that easy hey? Who knew?!).

Possible Diet Dangers: If your body is used to a high calorie diet consisting of several thousand calories a day, switching to a low calorie diet may cause major health problems. Consult your physician if you are thinking about this diet beforehand. My recommendation is that you will want to start off with gradually limiting your calorie intake at first by dropping all processed and fast foods, therefore doing a pre-phase stage to prepare your body for the diet.

My Personal Conclusion: The fat smash diet is definitely more suitable for those who are not clinically “obese” as the first stage is rather strict and does not prepare you for a major shift in your diet. I would also like to see more of an emphasis on exercise plans that go along with the diet to gradually adjust your body for a healthier lifestyle. In agreement with my conclusion -the spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (Tara Gidus) has been also noted as saying that the first phase is too strict and may be too difficult for deters to get through.

It is almost like the Fat Smash Diet was written backwards from someone who has already succeeded with their goals and that is what many may have a problem with unless they have someone like Dr.Smith monitoring them and providing them with constant motivation. Have you tried the Fat Smash Diet? Please let us know your experience with this Diet in the comments section below.

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Comments

  • Gerry

    Sam,

    I see a lot of flaws, risks, dangers and fallacies in the assumptions and claims of this diet.

    First of all, during the first phase, calorie reduction is so aggressive (assuming of course we are talking about an overweight person, not slightly overweight) that it may cause problems in the thyroid gland. I am not an expert, but, I was once told by several nutriologists (with PhDs, by the way, not just quacks) that drastic change in calorie intake has some negative effect on the way that the thyroid gland works, which is implicated in weight control.

    Second, the best way in my experience, and in the opinion of many professionals out there, to lose weight – fast or steady – is not to cut calories but to increase the burning of calories, that is, the metabolic rate. Cutting calories will work at first, but the body is, after all, the most efficient engine known to mankind; it will adjust its caloric needs to fit a reduced calorie regime. The trick is to fool the body every day by supplying different types and differing quantities, albeit reduced, of calories. Going back to a point I made about raising your metabolic rate, this is achieved through exercise, but also by eating protein – lean, of course – since digesting protein takes a neat amount of calories to accomplish. The 5 meals a day is a good way as well, as it keeps the body working, but it is a hassle to plan each meal. The best advise is to have each main meal 6 hours apart with a healthy snack in between; that’s the five meals that will keep the metabolic rate somewhat high. There is also some research from the folks at Berkley, I believe, about calcium helping burn visceral fat and stopping the accumulation of fats in that area.

    Third point, beware of unlimited veggies and fruits. Yes, natural and green is good, but as with everything, moderation is the key. For instance, spinach contains vitamin A in overabundancy. Other vegetables are also high in vitamin A. What is the problem with vitamin A? It is not water soluble, but fat soluble and because of that, it is difficult to excrete and likely to be stored. Over dosification of vitamin A, called hypervitaminosis A, can lead to serious health problems. Some vegetables are also high in oxalic acid, which is a chelator (binds to minerals) and over consumption can cause mineral deficiency, as well as tannins, contained in some fruits like berries.

    In my experience, a balanced selection of veggies and fruits, along with lean proteins and some cereals, combined with the 5 meals plan (granted, I am a student and have some liberty in planning and taking my meals) as well as exercise has worked best. I also drink a lot of white and green tea because some studies have shown that catechins, an antioxidant that comes from these teas, helps boost the metabolic rate and stimulates fat burn. As an antioxidant, it also helps the muscles recover more quickly from exercise because they stimulate a de-inflamatory response from the body. It’s a much better option than coffee, and they do not contain tannins, though they are particularly high in oxalate (infusion teas have very low concentrations of oxalic acid, though). I have lost a lot of weight in relatively little time without any negative effects so far because I keep my consumption of essential micro and macro nutrients optimal.

    Getting off junk foods wont come about with a radical “detox” phase that will simply starve your body for a while. Its like using an A bomb for controlled demolition. Getting off junk foods is a matter of will. Have cravings for sweets? Incorporate protein shakes blended with a banana, for instance, in one of your snacks (as recommended in your whey protein article). It spikes the metabolic rate (remember, proteins) and triggers satiation mechanisms in the body.

    Fad diets, my friends, do not work as they claim they do.

  • Gerry

    Sam,

    I see a lot of flaws, risks, dangers and fallacies in the assumptions and claims of this diet.

    First of all, during the first phase, calorie reduction is so aggressive (assuming of course we are talking about an overweight person, not slightly overweight) that it may cause problems in the thyroid gland. I am not an expert, but, I was once told by several nutriologists (with PhDs, by the way, not just quacks) that drastic change in calorie intake has some negative effect on the way that the thyroid gland works, which is implicated in weight control.

    Second, the best way in my experience, and in the opinion of many professionals out there, to lose weight – fast or steady – is not to cut calories but to increase the burning of calories, that is, the metabolic rate. Cutting calories will work at first, but the body is, after all, the most efficient engine known to mankind; it will adjust its caloric needs to fit a reduced calorie regime. The trick is to fool the body every day by supplying different types and differing quantities, albeit reduced, of calories. Going back to a point I made about raising your metabolic rate, this is achieved through exercise, but also by eating protein – lean, of course – since digesting protein takes a neat amount of calories to accomplish. The 5 meals a day is a good way as well, as it keeps the body working, but it is a hassle to plan each meal. The best advise is to have each main meal 6 hours apart with a healthy snack in between; that’s the five meals that will keep the metabolic rate somewhat high. There is also some research from the folks at Berkley, I believe, about calcium helping burn visceral fat and stopping the accumulation of fats in that area.

    Third point, beware of unlimited veggies and fruits. Yes, natural and green is good, but as with everything, moderation is the key. For instance, spinach contains vitamin A in overabundancy. Other vegetables are also high in vitamin A. What is the problem with vitamin A? It is not water soluble, but fat soluble and because of that, it is difficult to excrete and likely to be stored. Over dosification of vitamin A, called hypervitaminosis A, can lead to serious health problems. Some vegetables are also high in oxalic acid, which is a chelator (binds to minerals) and over consumption can cause mineral deficiency, as well as tannins, contained in some fruits like berries.

    In my experience, a balanced selection of veggies and fruits, along with lean proteins and some cereals, combined with the 5 meals plan (granted, I am a student and have some liberty in planning and taking my meals) as well as exercise has worked best. I also drink a lot of white and green tea because some studies have shown that catechins, an antioxidant that comes from these teas, helps boost the metabolic rate and stimulates fat burn. As an antioxidant, it also helps the muscles recover more quickly from exercise because they stimulate a de-inflamatory response from the body. It’s a much better option than coffee, and they do not contain tannins, though they are particularly high in oxalate (infusion teas have very low concentrations of oxalic acid, though). I have lost a lot of weight in relatively little time without any negative effects so far because I keep my consumption of essential micro and macro nutrients optimal.

    Getting off junk foods wont come about with a radical “detox” phase that will simply starve your body for a while. Its like using an A bomb for controlled demolition. Getting off junk foods is a matter of will. Have cravings for sweets? Incorporate protein shakes blended with a banana, for instance, in one of your snacks (as recommended in your whey protein article). It spikes the metabolic rate (remember, proteins) and triggers satiation mechanisms in the body.

    Fad diets, my friends, do not work as they claim they do.

  • http://weightlossandtraining.com/ Sam

    I completely agree with you Gerry. Well said!

  • http://weightlossandtraining.com Sam

    I completely agree with you Gerry. Well said!

  • Bman

    I dont see how any diet that includes beer and pizza can be beneficial. Drinking beer will negatively affect your workout for the next day as your body wont be running at your optimum performance level.

  • Bman

    I dont see how any diet that includes beer and pizza can be beneficial. Drinking beer will negatively affect your workout for the next day as your body wont be running at your optimum performance level.

  • Toni

    My family went on the Fat Smash diet (except the husband). I lost 14 lbs during the Detox, 10 lbs for my Sister in Law and 9 for my son (who started after third day)

    One benefit was the increase in metabolism and energy. I also had been suffering from hip pain with intense pain during walking and exercise. Through this diet I was able to walk freely by the third day and exercise regularly. I now have no junk cravings. I have to admit the hardest thing in the world has been to restart Phase 1.

    My son who was on the verge of being morbidly obese. Who used to hide and hoard food in his room is now a fit young man with washboard abs.
    He has claimed the health and vitality that he thought was for someone other then hisself.

    It all started with the Fat Smash and him seeing me be able to move without pain and a noticeable weight loss by only the third day. He now prepares his own healthy meals and prepares his own lunch for school.

    With any diet you should preplan meals and that is one of the benefits as well. It allows you to plan to succeed and keep you making sound food choices.
    It will be hard for some but worth the journey.

  • Toni

    My family went on the Fat Smash diet (except the husband). I lost 14 lbs during the Detox, 10 lbs for my Sister in Law and 9 for my son (who started after third day)

    One benefit was the increase in metabolism and energy. I also had been suffering from hip pain with intense pain during walking and exercise. Through this diet I was able to walk freely by the third day and exercise regularly. I now have no junk cravings. I have to admit the hardest thing in the world has been to restart Phase 1.

    My son who was on the verge of being morbidly obese. Who used to hide and hoard food in his room is now a fit young man with washboard abs.
    He has claimed the health and vitality that he thought was for someone other then hisself.

    It all started with the Fat Smash and him seeing me be able to move without pain and a noticeable weight loss by only the third day. He now prepares his own healthy meals and prepares his own lunch for school.

    With any diet you should preplan meals and that is one of the benefits as well. It allows you to plan to succeed and keep you making sound food choices.
    It will be hard for some but worth the journey.

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