Does the Flat Belly Diet Really Work?

The Flat Belly Diet enjoyed a lot of popularity a few years back, as many people were trying it out, getting results, and it was on the New York Times bestseller list. But are the principles inside of it sound, and what about keeping the weight off? We go further into this diet to see what it’s all about and report on whether you should belly up to it.

Overview
Belly fat is one of the most targeted fats when it comes to losing weight. It is typically one of the hardest areas of the body to lose weight from, and is often the last area to see results. Many people are prone to gain weight in this area if they start regaining the weight they’ve lost. The unfortunate part of it all is that they can make pretty accurate predictions on what sort of diseases you are more likely to get based on the circumference of your gut. That’s why it’s an important area to focus on, not just for aesthetic reasons.

The Claim
The Flat Belly Diet says that you can win the battle over your belly fat without giving up all of your favorite foods, and without having to follow an exhausting exercise routine. They say you’ll be able to lose those unsightly rolls, ripples, and folds once and for all. This will definitely speak to all women that can quickly reach down and touch one of those three things. It’s not hard to see why this received so much success and attention. Anything that allows peanut butter and says you can lose weight is going to get some praise.

The Hype
Any time a diet book makes it onto a bestseller list there is immediate hype. Now they’ve turned the book into a website and made it all interactive. It’s a smart idea, since the book can only make so much money, but a website can earn monthly income as people keep their memberships to receive new meal plans and other tools. They’ve definitely trying to milk this cash cow for all it’s worth.

The Cost
You can try out the online version of the Flat Belly Diet free for 3 weeks, but you need to enter your credit card information first, and remember to cancel if you don’t like it. This should give you ample time to try it out and cancel, but if you know that you usually forget to cancel things like these it might be a better idea to get the book instead. A paperback version can be found on Amazon for a little over $10, and the Kindle version is a little less than $10.

The Commitment
The diet is broken down into sections, each requiring a different level of commitment. The hardest part would be the start, because that’s when you’re expected to stick to only the allowed foods, and it’s a way to drive a wedge between your old way of eating and your new way. As you move through the different phases, you should see things start to ease up, as it starts to feel more natural. If you contrast that with typical diets that get progressively harder to stick with, this seems like a winner in the commitment realm.

Evaluation
The Flat Belly Diet is written by Liz Vaccariello who gets her credentials by being the editor-in-chief of Prevention magazine. This give her some clout as to being a credible source, but the weight loss industry is full of people that gladly trade in their credibility for a big payday.

We don’t like the idea that they’re not endorsing exercise along with this new way of eating. The body needs to move, and advocating that exercise is not required just doesn’t seem like a good thing to be telling people, especially when they write for a magazine all about living a healthy lifestyle. Perhaps they could have said that you don’t need to do exercise, but some light movement here and there wouldn’t hurt.

Final Flat Belly Diet Review

The Flat Belly Diet is getting our Try rating since it is focusing on eating healthy foods, and remembers to include the good fats. There are too many weight loss programs out there that still advocate not eating any fats at all, so it is nice to see that they’re showing the importance of eating the right fats when it comes to losing fat.

Our Recommendation
When you are trying to lose weight it is important to go with a diet program that speaks to you. Not the outer you that is desperate for a fix and ready to try anything, but the inner you that knows what is best for you and knows what will get you in trouble. If that still small voice is telling you that this sounds good, then give it a try. But if you’re still on the fence about it, there’s probably a program out there that would suit you better.

What do you think? Does Flat Belly Diet work or not?