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Fat Flush Plan

The Plan

The Fat Flush Plan is aimed at weight loss and detox. It was started by Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD. She is a former nutritionist at the Pritikin Longevity Center. She says it will melt away fat in just two weeks while also detoxifying your body.

How Might This Plan Work?

Dr. Gittleman thinks we need to detoxify our bodies, mainly our livers, to lose extra weight. Dr. Gittleman says that getting rid of some foods and adding others can help the liver work better, flush fat, and speed weight loss.

What’s Do You Need to Do?

Dr. Gittleman thinks that there are five hidden causes of weight gain: liver toxicity, waterlogged tissues which cause bloating and cellulite, fear of eating fat, too much insulin and swelling, and stress.

There are three phases:

Phase One: Two Week Fat Flush

Dr. Gittleman says this program speeds weight loss from the hips, thighs, and buttocks, while detoxifying the liver.

Calories

1,100 to 1,200 per day

Focus
Foods You Can Eat in This Program
  • Green leafy veggies like kale, collards, watercress, and broccoli; other non-starchy veggies
  • Some fruits
  • Flaxseed oil
  • Eggs that have omega-3
  • Fish, lean meat, skinless chicken, and turkey
  • Unsweetened cranberry juice diluted with water
Foods You Cannot Eat in This Program
  • Trans fats
  • Caffeine
  • Colas, diet sodas, alcohol
  • Aspartame, sugar, and many spices, such as curries, chili peppers, and black pepper
  • Any vinegars other than apple-cider, soy sauce, mustard, and barbecue sauce
  • Grains, breads, cereals
  • Starchy veggies such as potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, parsnips, pumpkin, winter squash, and beans
  • Dairy products
  • All oils and fats other than flaxseed oil

Phase Two: Ongoing Fat Flush

This is designed to keep you losing weight. You stay in this phase until you are at the weight you want to be at. This may take two weeks or many months.

Calories

1,200 to 1,500 per day

Focus
  • Like to phase 1, but with journal writing
Foods You Can Eat in This Program
  • Same as phase 1, but with 1 to 2 friendly carbohydrates (carbs) back on the menu each week, such as flax bread and sweet potatoes
Foods You Cannot Eat in This Program
  • Same as phase 1

Phase Three: Lifestyle Eating Plan

This is the part of the program that keeps you at the weight you want to be at.

Calories

over 1,800 per day

Focus
  • Like phases 1 and 2
  • Also has food combining: not eating fruits and veggies together, eating one protein per meal, or having flaxseed oil with dairy.
Foods You Can Eat in This Program
  • Same as phase 2 with more fruit and oils and not many dairy items
  • Can now work up to four friendly carbs per day
Foods You Cannot Eat in This Program
  • You still cannot have the foods that were taken away in phase 1, such as coffee, regular tea, diet sodas, alcohol, sweeteners, sugar, and white flour. Note that herbal teas are okay to drink.

Dr. Gittleman says these supplements should be taken during all phases: dandelion root, milk thistle, Oregon grape root, methionine, inositol, choline, lipase, chromium, and L-carnitine.

There is also a plan for working out. You will need to bounce on a mini-trampoline and walk each day. You will also need to strength train 2 to 3 times each week. The other focus is getting enough sleep. There is a bedtime of 10 pm.

What Does the Research Say?

There is no strong research that says we can detoxify our livers to lose weight. Flushing fat away is also misleading. Dr. Gittleman also thinks that bouncing on a mini-trampoline will help clean your lymphatic system so you bounce off fat. There is no proof of this.

Are There Any Concerns?

There are many concerns. You will need to stop eating many foods and take many supplements. The first two phases are so low in calories and carbs that they are not healthy. They may even be harmful. It should not be used by certain groups of people, such as women who are pregnant or nursing, older adults, teens, or athletes.

You will not have the energy you will need to workout. Not drinking caffeine and alcohol also makes it hard to stick to.

The use of supplements is a worry because many are not well researched. The US also does not have laws for them. They can also cause problems with medicines you get from your doctor or those you get from the store. Talk to your doctor before taking them.

The good parts of the program are that you will eat lots of fruits and veggies, eat whole grains, drink plenty of water, workout each day, and get enough sleep.

Bottom Line

You may want to try this program, but there is no proof to support that it will detoxify your liver. It is not right for people who are looking for a healthful weight-loss plan. You will lose weight because you will be eating fewer calories. The plan is hard to stick to and studies show that the most helpful diets are those that you can stick to.

Research supports that eating a balanced diet works just as well at weight loss. Take time to do some research and talk to your doctor before starting any weight loss program.

RESOURCES:

Eat Right—Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
http://www.eatright.org

Weight-Control Information Network
http://win.niddk.nih.gov

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca

Health Canada
https://www.canada.ca

REFERENCES:

About fat flush. Fat Flush website. Available at: http://fatflush.com/about/. Accessed March 11, 2019.

Diets for weight loss. EBSCO Nursing Reference Center website. Available at:https://www.ebscohost.com/nursing/products/nursing-reference-center. Updated June 16, 2017. Accessed March 8, 2019.

Last reviewed March 2019 by EBSCO Medical Review BoardDianne Scheinberg Rishikof MS, RD, LDN