The Flat Belly Diet

The Flat Belly Diet: What You Can Eat continued...

Sample Anti-Bloat Menu

Breakfast: 1 cup Rice Krispies, 1 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Lunch: 3 oz chunk light tuna in water, 1 cup carrots, 1 light string cheese

Dinner: 3 oz chicken breast, 1 cup mushrooms sauteed in 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/2 cup brown rice

Snack: pineapple smoothie (1 cup skim milk, 4 oz. pineapple, and 1 tablespoon flaxseed)

2 liters sassy water

Sample Flat Belly Menu

Breakfast: Apple almond oatmeal

Lunch: Pesto ham and cheese sandwich on whole-grain English muffin with lettuce & tomato and 1 cup grape tomatoes

Dinner: 3 oz grilled salmon steak with 2 tablespoons almonds, 1 1/2 cup green beans

Snack: 1/4 cup hummus with 2 tablespoons pine nuts and 1 cup red pepper strips

Calories of meals and snacks during the diet phase are controlled at 400, but the other nutrients can vary. "You can get up to 40% of your calories from fat if you choose the higher fat menu items," says Sass, which exceeds the National Institutes of Health recommendation of 20%-35% of calories.

On the web site, individuals can alter the calorie levels from a low of 1,200 to a high of 2,000 by modifying the snack. Dieters can also send email questions to the authors.

The Flat Belly Diet: How It Works

The premise of the Flat Belly Diet is that if you trim calories to 1,600 per day, add a MUFA at every meal, eat every four hours, and get regular exercise (although this is optional) you will lose weight and belly fat.

Chances are you will lose belly fat on the Flat Belly Diet, but not because of the MUFAs. When you lose weight, you are more likely to lose it in your midsection regardless of the type of weight loss plan, says Michael Jensen, MD, Mayo Clinic obesity researcher and endocrinology specialist. The plan promotes a lifestyle of overall healthy eating, weight control, stress reduction, and exercise that could be sustained beyond the 32 days. Log onto flatbelly.com for added support, motivation, additional menu plans and the option to print shopping lists or track nutritional intake. For people who skip meals or don't eat breakfast, the structure of the diet can help change bad habits into good ones.

The Flat Belly Diet: What the Experts Say

While losing belly fat is important to your health -- extra pounds in your midsection increase your risk of cardiovascular and other diseases more than extra weight in your hips and thighs -- scientific research is scant on diets that specifically target belly fat, Jensen says. And MUFAs are no magic bullet.

"There are so many variables associated with weight loss that it is premature to associate belly fat with a specific food or diet plan," Jensen says.