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121 of 131 found the following review helpful:
My fat smash journey Sep 05, 2006
By J. Nutini
Let me give you my stats. I am beginning this diet at 5'5, 250 pounds and I'm a 25 year old, male. I have been going to the gym and weight lifting for 1 year and have already lost 100 pounds prior to this. I got stuck and needed a change. I am going to update this review as I go along this diet. So keep on checking as time goes on...
I rated this book 4 stars because I believe that the jist of this diet is quite healthy and effective. However, the book is poorly written. I am a graduate student so it only took me 30min to read the book. The theory behind his diet is simple. He doesn't go into a whole lot of depth explaining it. This can be both positive and negative. It's simple to understand but if you are like me, you may want to more know of the "why?" behind it.
Also, the lists are a little confusing. If you stick with what "you are not supposed to eat" you will be fine. Even that list can be a little confusing because it's not all encompassing. You will notice the phase two list has foods that you are now allowed to eat that you weren't allowed to before. But those aren't listed on what you can't eat during phase one (corn for example). With that said, it's my educated guess that you don't have to follow the plan religiously. What i mean is, as long as you eat on a schedule (outlined in the book), do the excersize (also well outlined in the book)and do not eat the "bad" foods (or types of foods) listed during each phase you will lose weight.
As for the diet itself. The detox is simply 9 (I'm doing 10) days of the diet. It's simply meant to wean you off cafine and refined carbs/sugars and cleanse your system. It is hard to do and takes some commitment. You will be lethargic and you will crave bread, meat and sugar. This is all part of detoxing your system. I will write more about this as I am completing it.
In phase 2 you add some lean meat, seafood, eggs, cereal and drink options. There are portions listed and you should stick to them as close as possible. The excersize is very important. He is asking at this point, that you do about 35 min of cardio 5 days a week. This shouldn't be that hard. You can go to the gym, take a walk, walk the dog, walk around the mall, ride a bike, go to the zoo etc. As long as you are getting 35 min in.
In phase 3 you add some more foods including wheat bread/pasta and small desserts. The excersize is now up to 45 min of cardio 5 times a day.
In phase 4, he lists some recommended portions of fast foods, pizza, ham etc. The goal is to get 1hr of cardio 5 days a week and lift 2 days a week. In my opinion if you did 45 min of weights and 20 min of cardio 2 days a week then the hour 3 days a week you'd be fine. He's not suggesting you power lift. Just tone up because you are going to be losing a lot of weight.
Another important element to this diet is to surround yourself with supportive people. He says this in the beginning of the book. You are working on changing life-long eating habits and it is not going to be easy. But having folks who support you is very important.
My Journey...
So far I've been on the detox phase for 6 days. The first few days were really hard. I felt like I was starving and was very tired. Now it's getting better. I'm hungry 30-40% of the time. For most of my life I have been a meat and potatoes sort of guy. So tofu and vegis etc. didn't sound great. But I'm actually doing well with it. I actually ate tofu and liked it. Not to mention all the good fruits. I weighed myself and I've lost 9 pounds in 6 days. This is kind of fast but not for a detox period. My body is getting rid of a lot of junk. Technically, I don't think you are supposed to be eating vegi burgers but i did have one and it had a trace amount of seeds (which you aren't supposed to have). I also drank a smoothy made with soy milk one day. Compared to waht I was eating, this isn't so bad. I will post my weight at the end of this phase and keep updating.
Edit 1. I ended up doing the 9 days of detox as the book recommends. I weighed in at 240.4, That's almost 10 pounds lost! I will say that I felt quite lethargic during this time and my muscles felt sore. So far I am 2 days into phase 2. My muscles are feeling better overal but have started cramping occassionally. However, my energy level is much higher and I feel good about the diet. I look forward to weighing in at the end of this phase. I will keep you up to date...three weeks from now will be the end of phase 2 and i will be into phase 3.
92 of 100 found the following review helpful:
 This book will change you! Aug 23, 2006
By E
"Msuaholic"
I just finished Phase 1 and I am in love with this program! I went on this plan not just to lose some extra baggage, but also to become much healthier. I am a true believer in the mind, body, soul connection and that everything has to be inline in order to utilize your optimum self. I do have to mention that living off only fruits, veggies, tofu, and legumes is not hard for me, since I was a vegetarian for a few years back in college. The hardest part for me was not being able to eat any cheese, wine or sushi; I did crave blue cheese olives and sushi from time to time. But, it was well worth it, because not only have I lost a total of 9lbs in 9 days, my skin looks more radiant, my energy levels are way higher, I am sleeping better, and not to mention my clothes are getting much bigger on me. I don't view this as a diet at all. I also want to mention that I did drink coffee everyday with a little splenda and Horizon creamer and I did not get in 2 1/2 hours of working out the first week. I am going to move into Phase II today, which allows me to eat small portions of meat, fish, and cheeses again. I honestly could go on not eating meat, so I may stick to Phase I for awhile with occasional helpings of chicken and fish.
A few tips for people to help with this plan:
1. Middle Eastern food is a life saver. I ate a lot of Hummus with carrots and celery, Tabouli, Lentil Salad, Garbanzo Bean Salad, and Lentil Soup. I am spoiled with literally 7 Middle Eastern restaurants within a 5 mile radius of my house and two gourmet markets that carry several brands of this type of cuisine and also make their own versions fresh at the store. Important, read the labels. I noticed some brands of Hummus add a lot of extra junk into their recipes, steer clear of these.
2. If you have any Sushi restaurants/Japanese grocery stores by you, good picks are Miso Soup (I get the instant packs which are also sold at World Market) and Seaweed Salad.
3. If you have Trader Joe's and Whole Foods nearby, these are great places to find all sorts of frozen and fresh veggie dishes.
4. Sticking to eating 4-5 meals will make this plan easier than you can imagine. I was never hungry. I have a crazy work schedule and my job entails of meetings scattered at different locations in my area so I always bring a snack with me so I stick to the eating every 3 hours or so.
5. I grilled an assortment of veggies every couple days. My favorite is portabella mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, yellow zucchini, red, orange, and yellow peppers. I tossed these veggies with either fat free Italian dressing or balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, sea salt and ground pepper.
6. For extra protein,in a blender, mix 1 scoop of Whey powder, fresh or frozen fruit, skim milk, and ice. This makes a very tasty shake. I prefer vanilla whey that doesn't have any added sugar.
6. Drink lots of water
7. Get creative with your dishes and utilize fresh herbs and spices.
I hope this review helps a bit and will edit my review as I continue on with this plan.
31 of 32 found the following review helpful:
Simple, but effective Sep 21, 2006
By M. Grabulosa
This is a simple book with straightforward advice. Easy to read and it costs only a few bucks, so everyone can try it. Fatsmash is not a diet. It's rather a program for a permanent lifestyle change. Dr. Smith presents eating plan together with a reasonable exercise plan. The plan is indeed very sensible - there is no counting of calories but a slow, progressive change of eating habits and lifestyle.
The Fat Smash Diet program is very simple. There is no need for large, encyclopedic diet books. It's unnecessary. In fact the Fat Smash Diet it is so simple that it is good idea to supplement it with another great book titled "Can We Live 150." This book is much more comprehensive, with more emphasis on healthy living and longevity, proper nutrition being an important, but only small part of it. When you combine the advice from those two books, the only possible outcome is a slow but permanent weight loss over a period of a few months. Additionally I recommend signing up for daily yoga exercises. You won't believe how quickly you will succeed. I did.
46 of 50 found the following review helpful:
Great Eating Plan - so, so book Sep 21, 2006
By S. Jones
"sjones301"
First my profile. 39 years old, 5'9", starting weight of 192 pounds. About 30 pounds over my weight of 15 years ago. I was drinking 2-4 cups of coffee per day, at least 3 Mochas per week, and several glasses of beer or wine each night at dinner. I also developed high blood pressure in the last 18 months. All this and I am very athletic - running half marathons in addition to being a pretty serious recreational cyclist.
So I came to the realization I had to make a change. The Fat Smash book sounded like a great plan AND IT IS.
I just finished phase I and it was not that bad minus the headaches from I guess alchohol and caffiene withdrawal. After 9 days I lost 9 pounds. I was urinating a lot, which means a lot of that was water weight, but I don't care. I feel a TON better both physically and mentally.
I did not miss meat that much and after a couple of days did not miss the coffee or booze.
So I started Phase II yesterday (It lasts 3 weeks) and I'll stop back and update my progress after each phase.
I do still see a bag of potatoe chips and I'm craving them, but I'm sticking to this thing as best I can. One thing I really like about the philosophy of the book is he says you will most likely have days where you get off track. He just says go back to the phase one plan for a few days until you lose any weight you gained back when off track, and then start back into the phase you were on. Very realistic. Don't beat yourself up and screw it all up, just get back on the horse and keep riding.
Regarding the book. As many other reviewers stated, it isn't the greatest written book. None of the WHY am I doing this is covered and the suggested eating plans can be confusing. Maybe that is the idea. He doesn't give you an exact roadmap, but a roadmap that gets you 90% of the way there and you figure out the rest because you are smart and dedicated to the diet.
Example: No nuts are allowed in phase I, it is clearly written. But then in Phase II they are gone from the "Don't" list, but he doesn't add them to the "OK" list. So I take it that they are OK now and I had a handful for a pre-dinner snack last night.
I am rarely hungry as eating every three hours is actually pretty fun. Instead of an hour lunch at work, I take two 30 minute breaks, one arond 11:00, another around 2:30.
- Morning meals mainly are yogurt with frozen fruit, or oatmeal with frozen fruit.
- Mid-morning and afternoon meals I have primarily gone with all fruit on one, and then rice/beans on the next.
- Dinners - I am getting as creative as possible. Use the internet and check out vegan websites for recipes. I found a lot of good stuff. With meat and sweet potatoes comeing back into the menu for phase II, it'll be easier to cook for family.
At $10, I easily recommend the book. If you are feeling mentally weak at any given time, picking it up and re-reading some sections or looking ahead to when you can have certain foods again is reinforcing. I also look at is this way. If I lose 20 pounds and keep it off, I paid 50 cents per pound. A pretty good deal.
This diet works. So many reviews are saying it is all fruits and veggies. IT IS NOT. Beans, Brown Rice, Milk, Yogurt, Eggs, Nuts, Meat (after 9 days). I have not been hungry once since starting it.
Update on Progress:
- Starting Weight = 191 pounds
- Phase I, 9 days = lost 9 pounds (182 pounds)
- After two weeks = lost 13 pounds (178 pounds)
- After three weeks = lost 15 pounds (176 pounds - I guess this is when it starts to get more difficult. Just two pounds the past week. It is discussed in the book and what to do to jumpstart it. But honestly, 2 pounds a week is healthy so I won't change anything just yet. 15 pounds in three weeks is amazing).
19 of 20 found the following review helpful:
i've lost 60 pounds with this book!! Sep 10, 2007
By T. Di Capo
ok, i have always been skeptical about diet books--none of them ever worked. but...i tried this one. i started it in january of this year at the weight of 232. i lost 10 pounds in the first 9 days....40 pounds in the first 3 months...and within 6 months was down a total of 60 pounds which i have been able to keep off using his guidelines for how to eat for the rest of your life. my cholesterol went from 249 to 164 and my blood sugar corrected itself so i didn't have to go on medication for being pre-diabetic. it's the easiest diet i've ever done---once i got through the first 9 days. my hairdresser has done this now and lost 30 pounds. it's an amazing diet--and all it really does it teach you how to eat healthy--we could all use lessons in that!! there are no special shakes or pills. it is a wonderful diet that helped me go from a size 20 to a size 12. i don't know what i would have done without it.
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