Rating: 
Summary: Not much for a vegetarian
Review: This book is well written but for a Vegetarian it simple won't work as far as the menu's are concerned. You are allowed eggs for instance but no yolk. Apparently you can make a omelete with egg whites ! yuck. The menu's aimed at meat eaters leaving some valuable sources of protein on the do not eat list which vegetarians would normally eat for the meat substitute. No potatoes, no bread, no pasta and I think also no lentils/beans - etc... needless to say I was VERY hungry on this diet.
Rating: 
Summary: IMPROVE YOUR SENSE OF WELL BEING
Review: I liked this book for the strong approach it gave to creating a healthy body. The book, written by a top nutritionalist, provides information on a cleansing program of essential fats, proteins and carbohydrates, which will detoxify the liver and improve metabolism. The end result is an improved PH balance, weight control, better sleeping habits and fewer bouts of depression and/or anxiety. Most of us do not stop to think that our body needs to be periodically cleansed of toxins which can accumulate over a period of time. It is not until we have "detoxified" that we can notice an increased amount of energy and general feeling of well being. While I found this book was based on a lot of common, practical sense, I do wish the author had applied a little more elegant creativity to the name of their plan and the book. There is something about the title, "The Fat Flush Plan" that lacks style and class, and conjures up images of a high pressure hose frantically flushing great balls of swirling fat down an enormous drain. Surely, the plan is deserving of a more appealing and refined title. If you can digest the title, the book is certainly worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Phenomenal Book!
Review: This is Ann Louise Gittleman's BEST BOOK EVER! I just finished this book, and it is a great way to start my new year. I just started the Fat Flush Kit for the Phase One plan of the book and I feel WONDERFUL!!! This book is easy to read and informative with lots of food ideas and sample menu plans. Consisting of Three Phases, The FAT FLUSH PLAN is the only book you need to determine healthy flushing for a lifetime!!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but Perhaps a Bit Outdated
Review: There is no question that Gittleman has an interesting plan here for weight loss. Her focus is upon purging the liver of toxins in that the liver metabolizes fat and so, if the liver is impaired or sluggish, then the body's ability to lose fat is affected. This is an interesting premise and one that many of the diet specialists who emphasize detoxifying diets strongly support. The main culprit in many of these detoxifying diets is caffeine, and Gittleman is no exception here. She states that caffeine stresses the liver and so should be eliminated--especially in the first 2 weeks of the diet, which are the most restrictive. This book has a 2002 publication date, and the question is whether new research supports this view or not. Actually, no. On May 18, 2004, researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and of Digestive and Kidney Disease in Bethesda, Maryland and from Yale University made a presentation to the Digestive Disease Week annual conference in New Orleans that confirmed after an extensive study of 5,944 men and women at high rsik for liver injury due to excessive drinking, hepatitis B and C, obseity, or impaired sugar metabolism that caffeine actually reduced the risk of liver damage. In other words, caffeine was actually good for the liver! As the researchers pointed out, several other studies had confirmed this same finding that "people at high risk for liver problems can reduce their risk by drinking coffee and other caffeinated beverages." So, so much for that part of Gittleman's fat flush program.
That said, though, she does offer an interesting diet plan that probably will create weight loss--primarily because it is fairly low in calories for the first phase (the most stringent one) and because it is jam-packed with good foods, from the essential fatty acids (EFAs) in flaxseed to the two servings of fruits a day required. That plus you can eat unlimited amounts of most green vegetables, which will keep you feeling full and also give you lots of vitamins and minerals. She also restricts your daily protein intake to no more than 8 ouces a day, plust two eggs. This limit on the amount of protein guarantees that your body will not convert excess protein to sugar (through the process of gluconeogenesis, also called glycolysis) and thus undo your weight loss regimen of fat burning for fuel. She does emphasize that you must eat 2 eggs a day every day (which of course you must prepare without butter) and avoid ALL dairy products in order to lose weight. The 2 eggs a day reduce belly fat, she says, which may have more to do with that eggs are high in lecithin, which is a fat emulsifier and thus helps break down fat. So you may wish to take lecithin as a supplement in place of the eggs or to amplify their effects. And you drink a lot of water with unsweetened cranberry juice added, and you rule out nearly all diet foods and beverages in that you can only have Stevia as your sweetener. This actually is a good idea as there are concerns about aspartame (Nutra Sweet) and saccharin (Sweet 'n Low) from numerous studies, and some new studies alaso raise questions about sucralose (Splenda). Her plan is very detailed and seems to have a good basis in fact, except for here and there. There are oddities--like she says don't eat high starch vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, and then she has one carrot a day as a possibility for your vegetable selections. Also, she is a strong advocate of using conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) as a supplement, while Jonny Bowden in Living the Low-Carb Life: From Atkins to the Zone says there are concerns about CLA and don't use it. And Bowden cites new studies on flaxseeds as having an adverse effect on men's health by contributing to enlarged prostates, so Bowden encourages caution for men--but not women--in using flaxseed products. Even so, he gives Gittleman's diet a 5 star (highest) rating--so go figure. One other thing I find odd is that in the list of unlimited vegetables, Gittleman includes some that seldom make the list because they are high on the glycemic index and have quite a bit of sugar--such as tomatoes (actually a fruit) and okra. Overall, though, it appears that this diet could be a healthy one, especially for people who have lived on high amounts of sugar and processed carbohydrates. And definitely switching away from those products to more healthy and lower-calorie ones will aid weight loss, too. And because Gittleman's diet, while not actually saying so directly, is one that favors a low consumption of saturated fats, it may well find more favor with doctors and dieters concerned about saturated fats--even though the research strongly indicates that saturated fats are not the problem, but the consumption of saturated fats in conjunction with highly processed carbohydrates is. In other words, the average American diet of junk food and little else.
Rating:
Summary: Not another "Diet" Book
Review: When you're reached the end of your preverbial rope when it comes to health, this book is one of those that you should consider. The content is very well laid out, the concepts are not hard to understand, and the recommendations seem to be based upon solid medical fact. It is well worth a read and, if you're serious about your health, you'll follow it to the letter.
Rating:
Summary: Fan of Fat Flush
Review: Before this book, I thought I was quite familiar with the basic fundamentals of nutrition. When the Fat Flush Plan was recommended to me by a friend, I read it, highlighted it, doggy-eared it, and now I recommed it to all my friends.
Ms. Gittleman gets to the bottom of things. She gives explainations as to why certain foods are good or bad for the body on a cellular level. What the chain reaction is once certain food ingredients hit the blood stream. Why keeping the liver, the most important organ, healthy and clean so the rest of the body can be healthy.
While most of us in this day and age are not only nutritionally deprived, but unwittingly have plenty of toxins pumping through our bodies due to over-burdening our liver with processed and refined foods, the rate of obesity rapidly increases. Gittleman presents the solution. There are no gimmicks, no low-fat, low-carb methods here... Just clear, simple, nutritionally sound information.
Once you first start to "give your liver a vacation" by detoxifying your body, pumping it full of healthy fats along with vitamins and nutrients, the task can seem somewhat daunting. But once you start noticing beautiful skin, a decrease in water retention and cellulite, increase in energy, loss of cravings, you'll be hooked. This is my food BIBLE. Brilliant!
Rating:
Summary: My life will never be the same- and that's a good thing!!!
Review: The mind can be a funny thing. After weighing myself today, I was actually upset that I weighed 168 pounds. I had apparently forgotten where I had come from. The heaviest I weighed in at was 229 pounds. I know that I weighed more than that, but stopped getting on the scale after I saw 229. I was so tired of seeing the numbers going up. I had been out of control, overwhelmed by my new role as mother to 2 little boys. It was the same vicious cycle for me as it is for everyone. I ate because I was sad, then was sad because I was large.
Hindsight being 20/20, I did what a lot of people do. I put myself last, everyday slowly losing who I was. With my hindsight, I can also see that I was becoming desperate, not knowing how to find myself again. My sister-in-law told me about the Fat Flush, and I gave it a last ditch effort. I had tried so many times to lose the weight, and told myself "If it doesn't work this time, just give it up." The first time I tried the plan, I found that it removed my physical cravings after about 3 weeks. It was those darn habits and emotional cravings that did me in. Although I fell off a few times, I got back on everytime. Sometimes it took a couple of days, sometimes a couple of months. Each time I came back, it got easier. As I write this I am in Phase 2, and have been on track for a couple of months. I feel successful because I don't have those horrid habits coming at me anymore. The thought of eating my old regular, garlic bread, fettucini alfredo, ice cream for dessert, makes me cringe. After all these years, I am actually standing on the "other side". The side where people talk about healthy food being yummy while being genuine. The side where cheese on everything is truly not appealing. The side where I can think clearly, my mood swings are gone and I am not tired all the time. And to top it all off, even though I still have about 25 pounds to lose, I can boast that I have lost 61 or more pounds, 6 dress sizes(from 22 to 10), and 58 inches. My waist alone has gone from 45 inches to 32!!! I have lost 5 feet of fat!!!
There will always be bad days along with the good days, but I am better equipped to handle things when I am eating according to the Fat Flush Plan. With the book as my guide, and the iVillage message board as my support, I know I can be good to myself, and set a great example for my boys. I am in a new never-ending cycle, and in this one, the more I eat well, the more I feel great. Life is pretty good now, and I am finally looking forward to my future.
Grinning like an imp,
Claire Lacroix
Rating:
Summary: I LOVE THE FAT FLUSH PLAN
Review: My name is Wendy and I'm doing a Total Transformation! Working on everything from the inside to the outside. The Fat Flush Plan is playing a huge part in all this. I have dieted many times in my life and always lost a few pounds, but was miserable during the process. I started the Fat Flush Plan 5 days ago, and I must tell everybody, I have already lost 4 pounds! I feel absolutely Great. I'm not a bit hungry and my husband tells me he is surprised that I'm not grumpy and actually enjoying this plan. I have so much more energy. It is easy to follow and this plan allows you to eat healthy while also cleansing your liver. Something so extremely vital for weight loss & good health. I would recommend this Nutrition Plan to anyone out there. The support you receive on the Forum is Phenominal. I love getting on there and feel as though I have made instant friends for life. The moderators are great and there is no question they can't answer. This Gets 10 stars in my book!
Rating: 
Summary: diet made me sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: this diet is very expensive. expect to spend hundreds of dollars at the health food store besides grocerys. the supplement combinations mixed with the natural cranberry juice (followed with hot water and lemon juice)made me sick for two days. it was a waste of time and money. i suggest the southbeach diet.
Rating:
Summary: Say "Arriverderci" to your extra pounds
Review: About a year and a half ago (April of 2003), my husband and I went on another trip to one of our favorite countries - Italy. Then recently, after a couple of months on the Fat Flush Plan, I was looking back at the pictures that we took on that trip and I realized that my legs looked about the same size as the columns I'm standing next to at Pompeii. Mamma Mia!!
I finally decided I had had enough of being heavier than I wanted to be. I started Weight Watchers in September of 2003 and stayed on it through November of 2003 (my birthday month). I lost about 13-15 pounds. I maintained that weight loss through the holidays and several trips, including South Africa and London, so I was pretty pleased with that. However, I wanted, and needed, to lose more weight but couldn't get past the plateau that I seemed to be stuck on.
I heard about Joanie's (Greggains)fit camp and went there on May 1st and 8th, 2004. We learned about the Fat Flush Plan and I got to exercise with my guru (Joanie). I started the Fat Flush program on May 3rd. I couldn't believe how the weight seemed to drop off! I've lost another 12 pounds. I am now averaging 7-9 pounds below my Weight Watchers goal weight!! No more Pompeii column legs for me. Next time we go to Italy, it will be easy to tell the difference between me and the ruins at Pompeii.
I have been exercising faithfully and people are often commenting on how good I look. What a great feeling! I can easily tell how much my body has changed by the fit of my clothes. I have taken my belts in about three-four notches, and I have dropped four dress/pant sizes. It's fun to go shopping for clothes now. So, it's not just the pounds, but the inch loss that is so impressive.
One of my secretary's told me that I was an inspiration to her. And, another secretary even called me "skinny". My husband is also following the program and is shedding pounds very quickly. He looks as though he is "melting" before my eyes. I am thrilled with the program and the spectacular results. I will even wear shorts in the summer now.
Although my weight loss may not seem like a lot, the results are huge. As we all know, it is usually more difficult to lose weight as you get closer to your goal, but this plan has made all the difference. I love the fact that I get plenty of food to eat and still lose weight! This is not a diet for me, this is my new lifestyle.
Thank you AnnLouise and Joanie.
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