If you’re seeking Flat Belly Diet reviews, you’ve landed on the right page.
With new diet plans released all the time, it’s difficult to know which to follow. One that has stood the test of time is the New York Times Bestseller, Flat Belly Diet Book.
The creators of this scientifically proven diet claim that it strips abdominal and all over body fat, as it delivers health benefits including lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, regulated blood pressure and more.
After hearing so many good things about the book, I purchased a copy. After reading it, I decided to write this Flat Belly Diet review.
I haven’t undertaken the diet myself, but I have made a few of the meals. I found them to be tasty and satisfying. Whether this would be the case if I ate them for 32 days in a row, I can’t say, but looking at reviews from people who have followed the diet, the vast majority have found it easy to follow, and they say they didn’t feel deprived.
What is the Flat Belly Diet Plan?
The Flat Belly Diet Book contains a 32-day diet plan that promises to help those who follow it lose an average of 15 pounds and several inches of stomach fat.
According to the authors Liz Vacariello and Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, nutrition and weight loss experts with impeccable credentials, it is possible to lose around 7 pounds and up to 5 3/4 inches of abdominal fat by following the diet for just four days. Vacariello and Sass say that you will not feel hungry during this time. They recommend a 5-minute walk after meals but say you will still lose weight without increasing your activity level.
The diet comprises two phases, starting with the Flat Belly Diet Jumpstart (AKA the Four-Day Anti-Bloat Jumpstart). With only 1,200 calories per day allowed, this initial phase is quite restrictive. The calorie allowance is split evenly between three meals and one snack.
One of the main components of the Jumpstart phase of the diet is a drink called Sassy Water, named in honor of one of the diet’s creators. The beverage consists primarily of water with some ginger tea, cucumber, lemon, and fresh mint. 2 liters of Sassy Water must be consumed each day to ensure the dieter stays hydrated. Along with alleviating belly bloat, Sassy Water provides fiber and increases energy levels.
From day 5 until the end of the diet, your calorie allocation will be 1,600 per day. Again, this is split into three meals and one snack. Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) must make up part of every meal.
The next section of this Flat Belly Diet review, looks at the type of foods you will be eating if you follow the diet.
Flat Belly Diet Plan Video Review
Flat Belly Foods List & Meal Options
Options on the Flat Belly Foods list include such things as olives, olive oil, avocado, peanut butter, specified seeds and nuts, and semi-sweet chocolate. The foods you eat will be filling, so you should feel quite satisfied. This significantly reduces or even eliminates the urge to over-eat.
Flat Belly Diet meal options include a choice of four starches, four proteins, two dairy products, and seven fruit/cooked vegetables.
Breakfast consists of one food from the starch list, one from the dairy, and one fruit. You can also have 1/4 of a cup of sunflower seeds, and one glass of Sassy Water.
For lunch, you can choose one food from the protein list, one dairy product, one vegetable, and one glass of Sassy Water.
Dinner consists of one protein, one starch, one vegetable, plus one teaspoon of olive oil on your vegetable or starch.
Mid-afternoon you can have one fruit smoothie.
Sample Daily Meal Plan
Following is an example of a typical Flat Belly Diet Daily Meal Plan.
Breakfast:
One flax-enriched waffle, topped with 1/2 a cup of sliced banana, 2 TBS of pecans, and a dusting of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Lunch:
Four small corn tortillas filled with a total of 1/2 a cup of burger meat, 1/2 a cup of baby spinach, 1/4 of a cup of sliced avocado, and some salsa.
Dinner:
3oz of grilled wild-caught salmon, and 1 1/2 cups of green beans mixed with 2 TBS of sliced almonds.
Snack:
1 packet of hot, instant oatmeal, plus 1 cup of blueberries, and 2 TBS of almonds.
Foods to Avoid
You should not add salt to your food during the Jump Start Phase of the diet. Processed foods are off-limits for the duration of the diet. Likewise, gas-creating foods such as onions, broccoli, and beans, along with certain carbs including pasta, bagels, and bananas.
Fried foods, spicy foods, alcohol, carbonated beverages, acidic fruit juices, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and gum are also off-limits.
Flat Belly Diet Recipes
The 1,600 per day calorie allowance is relatively standard, but with this diet you are allowed foods not often permitted on weight loss plans. 
Flat Belly Diet recipes (included in the book) consist mainly of Mediterranean-style foods. Examples of some of the healthy and appetizing recipes on the menu include Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal, Greek Lemon Chicken, Almond Encrusted Chicken, and Balsamic Roasted Carrots. Desserts include Citrus Ricotta Cannoli and Pumpkin Maple Cheesecake.
Along with the diet and recipes, the Flat Belly Diet Book contains a selection of fast food recommendations. You will also find useful lifestyle tips and advice aimed at helping you change the way you eat.
If you want access to even more variety, you should like the Flat Belly Diet Cookbook, which contains 200 delicious and nutritious recipes, each coming in at 400 calories per serving. Recipes include Banana Pancakes with Walnut Honey, Pineapple and Pork Tacos with Avocado Crema, and Chocolate-Zucchini Snack Cakes.
Final Thoughts on the Flat Belly Diet Plan
To get the most from the Flat Belly Diet Plan, you will need to cook some meals. There’s a list of permitted store-bought food, but check the salt content of any pre-packaged meals you buy.
Because the diet has a high (healthy) fat content, your portion size will need to be monitored to keep your calorie count down. A chart in the book makes this a relatively straightforward task.
While many people have successfully lost weight on the Flat Belly Diet, something to keep in mind is that with any quick weight loss diet, the likelihood of regaining the weight is high if, after finishing the diet, you do not remain vigilant about what you eat.
While the diet alone can give you excellent results, combining it with exercise will enable you to reach your goal weight faster. The Flat Belly Yoga No Crunch Workout is the perfect fitness program to pair with the diet. Consisting of short yoga workouts incorporating weights, plus walking for cardio, the workout is suitable for people of any age and fitness level. To read a review of Flat Belly Yoga, click this link
