 |
The Fat Smash Diet: The Last Diet You'll Ever Need by Ian K. Smith
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Ian K. Smith Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2006-04-04 ISBN: 0312363133 Number of pages: 160 Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Book Reviews of The Fat Smash Diet: The Last Diet You'll Ever NeedBook Review: My Positive Experience With The Fat Smash Diet Summary: 5 Stars
I am nearing the completion of Phase I. I'm not the best of writers so what follows is pretty much stream of consciousness.
I am, however, a very fine cook and teach classes in my home. Maybe too good a cook, as what I prepare usually tastes so good that portion control is a big problem for me.
Knowing that I need to drop 30 pounds, it is time to find a diet and exercise program that suits my personality. Which is what the Fat Smash Diet has done for me because the recipes that I have pulled from the book are tasty. They are also repeatable meaning that you will want to make them again.
What the "detox" phase is doing for me is weaning me from my craving for wheat products, starches, chocolates, etc. Fruits and vegetables are not forbidden, so that there is a source for "sweet". Four to five meals a day keeps the hunger pangs down, although I still have stayed hungry. Protein sources come from skim milk, egg whites, yogurt, tofu, beans and lentils in Phase 1. I am not a fan of dairy with the exception of yogurt. So, I have been making yogurt on a daily basis and straining it to thicken into a cheeselike consistency (1 quart low fat milk brought to 180 F then cooled to 105 F, add 1 tablespoon,no more than, yogurt (Dannon works as does Mountain High) and let sit in a closed unheated oven for 24 hours, then strain with cheesecloth; add chopped de-seeded cucumber and garlic if desired).
Now, by focusing on whole fruits and vegetables rather than processed products or juices, Fat Smash gets you into the mode of adding more fiber to your diet, which is excellent.
I eat oatmeal (not instant, which is so powder-y you don't get any fiber) and I eat it savory, seasoned with a little Tony Chachere seasoning rather than with milk and cinnamon.
Recipes tried, the green bean salad (excellent) and the vegetable soup (also excellent, the mushrooms add a surprisingly nice flavor component. Carrot soup ( I think he messed up on the quantity of curry powder unless he was using very old curry powder. Three teaspoons seems more apprpriate than 3 tablespoons. Lentils and grilled mushroom, asparagus and asparagus broth, also an excellent recipe.
No white rice but brown rice is part of Phase 1. Normally I would prepare brown rice in a rice cooker from scratch but I am cheating and using the Success Rice brown rice boil in bags. One of the rare commercially produced products that is pretty good.
Will you get hungry? Yes. But if you can fight the urge to eat, your tummy will shrink and you will be less hungry the next day.
Have I lost weight? Going into day 9 the answer is yes. I have dropped at least 5 legitimate (not water weight) pounds.
Do you need to exercise? Absolutely. I've been doing the recumbent bicycle at 30 minutes and a heart rate of 135. I plan to increase as time goes on.
Major impact: I haven't had any bread products, non-fruit sweets, or chocolate. The diet allowed me to burn out my constant craving for starches.
Have I cheated? Yes. Sort of cheating was to toast some lentil based pappadums as "chips". I went to a Chinese cafe with the intent of getting a tofu dish, ordered Ma Po Tofu, and when I discovered it had pork and oil, I ate around it anyway. Still hungry, I went to a Middle Eastern restaurant for tabouli.
Best discovery: Find yourself a Middle Eastern buffet restaurant. Here in Houston, Dimassi's is best. You'll be able to eat tabouli, fatoush, greek salad, bean dishes to your hearts content. Lots of flavor and variety so you won't get bored. No pita though. Watch the oil. Yep, definitely find a Middle Eastern cafe to eat at.
At first it seems like an overwhelming diet to follow. But you can get through Phase 1. You may want to stay in Phase 1 longer though.
Update 1: I have completed the Phase 1 detox and am pleased to confirm that by diligently following the recommendations, I have successfully eliminated my craving for bread products and white rice. I have been able to say "no" to naan at two Indian restaurant outings and home-made bread at one restaurant and at home. Of note is Dr. Smith's recommendation that meals not be eaten too closely to bed-time. This has proved to be beneficial. Yesterday I made the asparagus and lentil soup. It is flavorful and filling, so, of all the recipes tried, all have been good. My weight has dropped 6 pounds from the start of the diet.
Uodate 2: Again, it is critical that you stick with the Phase 1 "Detox" program. It truly burned out the continuous cravings for bread and sweets in my case. I have been able to say "no thanks" on multiple occasions now to desserts and bread. I discovered that the sugar free Pep-O-Mint brand of Lifesavers is a good aid when one gets the craving for something sweet. Additionally, I've had the opportunity to make the gumbo, substituting a finely chopped chicken breast and spicy turkey sausage for the seafood. I used a vegetable broth ("Imagine" was the brand name). Be sure to prep all of the ingredients first before you make the gumbo to make it go easily.
Update 3: Right now, I have a crockpot going with chick peas, great northern beans and lentils cooking away, waiting to be added to onions, carrots, celery and spices. In addition to the significant lifestyle change brought about by reducing the amount of white rice, white potatoes, white bread, etc. from my diet, I have switched to organic fruits, biting the bullet and paying the (almost double) price. I have renamed "Whole Foods Market" "Whole Paycheck Market". There is the issue of pesticides of course, when one increases one's intake of fruits, but I am doing it more for the flavor benefit. Organic grapes and plums taste terrific. With the shift in my diet to home-made soups with lots of lentils, chick peas, carrots, bell peppers, chicken breast,etc. I have become overly aware of how much starch and sugar really is in most packaged products. Just comparing, for example, Special K, which is touted as a weight loss cereal (but has corn syrup and sugar in it) and Cascadian Farms Purely O's (high fiber, mostly grain, no sugar but very tasty)...just clarifies that the Fat Smash Diet really is about a lifestyle change. You do start looking closely at ingredients lists. So the "10 day detox phase" really worked for me.
Update 4: On my last visit to my cardiologist we were able to confirm that I had lost 8-9 pounds since my previous visit. He remarked that it isn't often that a patient of his actually follows his advice. But then there was a serious relapse in November and December brought about by stress at the office and more difficulty in sticking with places to eat at lunch that allowed Fat Smash Diet choices. Also, my friendship with a spectacular local chef at his Indo-Pak restaurant and my visits there for lunches (high fat, delicious naan bread. I have been able to avoid all breads, crackers, etc. with the exception of his. I learned that, for me at least, it is not possible to "have a special treat every once in awhile". I really do have to cold turkey from bread products. So, I am having to start over again. I regained some pounds, but more critically, due to fatigue at the end of the day, I let my exercise curriculum slip.
January 1 and I am making a carrot soup from page 66 and the green bean salad from page 62.
Summary of The Fat Smash Diet: The Last Diet You'll Ever NeedDr. Smith's diet has been featured on VH1's number-one rated show, Celebrity Fit Club, where Hollywood celebrities follow his customized diet plan and compete to lose weight. Now, with The Fat Smash Diet, everyone will have access to the revolutionary eating plan that leads to lifestyle changes and permanent weight loss forever. The Fat Smash Diet is not a gimmick or short-term fix. It is a four-phase diet that starts out with a natural detox phase to clean impurities out of the system. Once this nine-day phase is completed, the next three phases encourage the addition of everyday foods that promote significant weight loss. In just thirty days, most dieters will complete all four phases and be on their way to a thinner lifetime of good health. Best of all, there is no calorie counting, and Dr. Smith guarantees there never will be. As an added bonus, there are over fifty easy-to-cook, tasty recipes that make it easier to stick with Dr. Smith's plan. The Fat Smash Diet is unlike any other program on the market. In fact, it's the LAST DIET YOU'LL EVER NEED!
|
 |