Extreme Fat Smash Diet

"This book has a lot of good information in it, but is definitely for a person who wants to follow a very strict diet. If you want to follow something a little more flexible, try his other books The Fat Smash Diet, or better yet his older one about taking control of your eating."
~ Written on 2008-09-03

" I don't usually write reviews but I had to for this in hopes that it helps people to look more closely at the TRUE results they are getting from this diet. I consider myself to be fairly educated in the area of health and fitness, and also to have the willpower required to stick to this diet as it is outlined, and I went into it very optimistic of the effect it would have. I had three weeks until a vacation to Las Vegas and was hoping to lose my last few stubborn pounds quickly so I would feel more bikini ready for the pool. I have been, however, sorely disappointed.

I followed this diet TO THE T. I work from home which helped tremendously. I ate each of the meals exactly as specified, being sure to drink a 20 oz. bottle of water with each one (a total of 80 oz. per day). I also ate both of the snacks each day, pulling them directly from Dr. Ian's list. Each meal and snack was spaced 2 hours apart, starting at approx. 8am and ending at approx. 6pm. In addition to this I also took a multi-vitamin and a daily dosage of fiber each morning to be sure that I was getting all of the required nutrients my body needed. I believe myself to be a B type and I followed each of the cardio routines exactly as specified, doing each morning session first thing when I got up before I ate anything (there are claims that early morning fasted cardio burns 300% more calories). On the mornings where I had to do 60 minutes of cardio I would do 30 min. of steady jogging followed by 30 minutes of sprints (1 minute of running followed by 1 minute of walking). On the days where my sessions would be split I would do 40 minutes of steady jogging in the morning and 30 minutes of sprints in the evening. In addition to this I wanted to be sure that as much of the weight loss as posible was due to fat loss and not muscle loss, so I continued to follow my regular 3-days-per-week weight training program using 'The Body Sculpting Bible for Women' by James Villepigue and Hugo Rivera. My goal is to lose 8.5 lbs and 5% body fat (I am 5' 6" and 30 years old).

After 5 days here are my results:

Day 1 -
Weight = 134.88
Body Fat % = 24.90%
Lean Body Mass = 101.29
Lbs. of Body Fat = 33.59
Waist Measurment = 28.5"
Thigh Measurement = 23"

Day 5 -
Weight = 132.88
Body Fat % = 24.90%
Lean Body Mass = 99.79
Lbs. of Body Fat = 33.09
Waist Measurement = 28"
Thigh Measurement = 23"

I was concerned beginning this program by the extremely low amount of calories allowed each day as everything I have learned shows that cutting calories so drastically will cause your body to go into 'starvation mode' and will result in slowing your metabolism, but I decided to try the diet anyway because of all the rave reviews I have read about it. One thing I did notice however is that very few people commented on their body fat % (out of ALL of the reviews I read on MULTIPLE sites I only counted 2). Nowhere in the book does it talk about body fat % either, only pounds lost. As you can see I DID lose weight, however it was 3 times more lean body mass then it was fat. I also did lose 1/2" from my waist but my personal belief is that it was due more from loss of water retention and/or bloating then actual fat loss as I did not lose any from around my thighs, and if I was losing fat it should have been lost evenly throughout my body, not just one specific area.

I do believe the book helps to teach you good habits with portion control, smaller more frequent meals, and better choices of healthy food, and for that reason I gave it two stars, but as far as actually helping you to lose fat I believe it fails miserably. Many of you might see results in the loss of weight, but I urge you to buy a personal body fat caliper (I use th Accu-Measure Fitness 3000) and track your progress to be sure that the weight you are losing is the actual FAT that you want it to be, this diet is way too extreme to waste your time on if it's not.

What I would suggest instead (what I had been following before this that helped me to lose over 8 lbs. of pure FAT, almost 5% body fat, and at the same time gain an additional pound of lean body mass, all of this while eating almost twice as much food, doing half as much cardio, and even having quite a few cheat days/meals) is Tom Venuto's 'Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle'. If you have the time to read through it completely it will help you to understand how your body works when it comes to food, cardio, and weight training, which will help you to lose the weight (slowly and in a healthy way) and keep it off for the long term. It's not a fad diet but instead a lifestyle change, and I highly recommend it."
~ Written on 2008-08-29

"The suggested menus for each day left me STARVING and although calorie counts weren't given, I would estimate that even with the optional snacks it was under 1000 for any given day in week one. I must admit that I didn't make it a full week without some minor cheats, and did not lose even one pound while on this EXTREME plan, though I did lose two the following week when I returned to my regular eating habits. "
~ Written on 2008-07-31

"I began this diet in January and reached my weight loss goal of 25 pounds by mid-March. I am not exaggerating when I say it changed my life. This diet gave me energy I haven't felt since I was a kid. I no longer suffered the dreaded 3 o'clock slump at the office, my insomnia went away, and my skin became healthier, among other things. Now four months off the diet, I still feel these benefits.

This diet requires an immense amount of time, not only for exercise, but also for planning out your meals. Part of my success was due to the fact that I began in the dead of winter, with no parties, vacations or other distractions on the horizon. Yes, the diet did have a negative (but temporary!) effect on my social life, but that is a small price to pay for being healthy.

Once you reach your goal, there is a maintenance plan to last the rest of your life so you do not gain back all the weight you lost. I have followed the maintenance plan and have not gained back any weight. The maintenance plan is easy to follow and does allow you to treat yourself occasionally.

"
~ Written on 2008-07-24

"you **WILL** lose weight on the recommended 1000 calories per day no matter what you put in your body.. Of course fruit, veggies and lean proteins are the best thing to put into it.. More diet scams.. Eat less and you will lose weight, you don't need to know anything special! just eat less and eat fresh! KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)"
~ Written on 2008-07-23