Diet, Fat Smash?
Related Terms
Celebrity Fit Club, disease prevention, exercise, Ian Smith, weight loss.
Background
The Fat Smash diet is a program of weight loss that was written by Dr. Ian K. Smith in 2006. The diet takes place over a period of 90 days, a time frame that allows for the incorporation of healthier eating patterns and more exercise into the individual's lifestyle. Secondary to the goal of weight loss is disease prevention. The diet is divided into four phases. Each phase of the diet is designed to help the body adjust to new, healthier eating and exercise patterns.
"The Fat Smash Diet" was published after Smith appeared on the VH1 reality TV series "Celebrity Fit Club" as a judge who contributed weight loss and personal advice to contestants. An extended form of this advice later appeared in book form.
The promotional literature claims that the Fat Smash diet will promote overall health and help to prevent or decrease the severity of medical conditions including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and osteoarthritis while also helping individuals lose weight. The Fat Smash diet program also encourages individuals to use meal recipes designed by Smith. Online resources are available to those who buy the book.
Though the promotional literature for the Fat Smash diet claims to be scientifically based and the book was written by a doctor, no citations are provided within the text to support this claim. The website for the Fat Smash diet contains testimonials and a feature called "SMASHER of the Month," which features an individual who lost weight using Smith's diet plan as evidence. The diet plan has supposedly been designed by the author's experience treating a large number of individuals who wanted to lose weight. Smith has a nationally syndicated radio show.
The Fat Smash diet is appealing to some readers because it provides instructions for cases where an individual may be tempted to eat something that is not within the range of a healthy diet.
No higher quality trials have been conducted to test the safety and efficacy of the Fat Smash diet.
Theory / Evidence
The Fat Smash diet disregards calorie and carbohydrate counting as the primary tools of weight loss. Rather, Smith tells the reader to eat only to a point of "pleasant fullness."
Emotional resolve is an important aspect of the Fat Smash diet. Contrary to other popular diets, Smith does not encourage the reader to examine emotional reasons that may influence unhealthy or self-destructive eating patterns.
The diet is designed to allow for occasional deviations (less than once a week) from the eating and exercise plan, provided that the reader adheres to the lifestyle advocated in the Fat Smash diet for a majority of the time.
While the author claims that his diet plan will decrease the reader's risk of developing medical conditions such as heart disease and breast cancer, no higher quality studies have been conducted to evaluate the validity of this statement.
Author information
This information has been edited and peer-reviewed by contributors to the Natural Standard Research Collaboration (www.naturalstandard.com).
Bibliography
American Heart Association. .
Fat Smash Diet. .
Fat Smash Forum. .
Diet
The Fat Smash diet includes four phases, which usually take about 90 days in total to complete. These phases are designed to not only help the reader lose weight, but also to help them maintain healthy eating and exercise practices for the rest of their lives. The author claims these phases will also "rewire" the body to conduct physiological processes in a healthier manner. Each phase builds upon the previous one and the phases are designed to be carried out in succession.
Each subsequent phase of the Fat Smash diet plan builds on the foundation established in the "detox" phase of the program, with a number of additional food and beverage options added during phases 2, 3, and 4.
Phase I: This phase is aimed at detoxifying the body and therefore has the most food restrictions. Readers may eat unlimited amounts of mostly vegetables and fruits. Brown rice, oatmeal, legumes, any type of beans, eggs, low-fat yogurt, and any type of tofu comprise the primary staples of the diet. Herbal tea of any variety and water are the only permitted beverages. Soda, alcohol, desserts, coffee, fried food, and fast foods are forbidden. A recommended eating schedule of four to five daily meals is encouraged and skipping meals is discouraged. At the same time, the reader begins a cardiovascular exercise regimen for 30 minutes, five times a week. This section also tells readers commitment to the new eating plan is crucial to the success of the diet. This phase lasts nine days.
The author suggests that readers weigh themselves at the start of Phase I, as well as taking pictures of the front, back, and side profiles of the reader in a bathing suit.
Phase II: The food restrictions of Phase I are loosened and the range of healthy foods the individual may consume is increased. Seafood, dairy, cold cereals, coffee, and lean meats are reintroduced in moderate amounts. Natural and artificial sweeteners, healthy fats, condiments, and some sorts of beverages, such as diet soda, are permitted in moderate amounts. However, the caloric intake at the reader's four to five daily meals should be relatively balanced, while the portion sizes may vary considerably; however, each meal offers about the same number of calories. The reader is not supposed to eat within an hour and a half of going to sleep for the night. All 30-minute exercise sessions are increased by five minutes. Weight lifting and other forms of anaerobic exercises are now permitted. This period lasts three weeks.
Phase III: A variety of foods, including lean meats, fruit juice, whole grains, pastas, and occasional (less than weekly) desserts, are permitted in this phase. All foods requiring cooking should be boiled, steamed, baked, or grilled to significantly reduce the use of fats in cooking. Eating foods raw is also permissible. In order to further accelerate weight loss, it is recommended that participants revert to Phase I for one day of every week. All exercise sessions are increased to 45 minutes and readers are encouraged to exercise twice a day several times a week in order to increase metabolism. This period lasts four weeks.
Phase IV: In this phase, the scope of permitted foods expands and pizza and pancakes may be consumed in moderation. All alcoholic beverages are permitted in moderation. All exercise routines are extended to a full hour. Strength training is encouraged at least three times a week to increase the body's metabolism and increase lean body mass.
Backsliding: If the reader regresses on their diet plan or gains weight, Smith encourages them to return to a 10 day period of Phase I, which he calls a "detox" phase.
Though the Fat Smash diet began as a book, several online communities are now devoted to this product. Additionally, the website has multiple features to motivate the reader, such as the Smasher's Club and a recipe sharing forum. YahooGroups has a FatSmash community.