The Fat Smash Diet
The Fat Smash Diet is the book-length version of the nutrition and fitness regimen that Dr. Ian K. Smith has used with great success and to widespread acclaim on VH1’s popular weight-loss reality show, Celebrity Fit Club. In the book, Smith outlines a simple weight loss plan that foregoes trendy gimmicks and focuses instead on a rigorous, commonsense approach. Dr. Smith avoids delving into the emotional complexities that many other experts regard as the chief component of weight problems and instead emphasizes the physical mechanics and bodily processes that have been consistently linked to successful weight loss efforts, both in scholarly research and in Smith’s experiences working with a diverse range of clients.
Smith’s Fat Smash Diet plan proceeds in four distinct, but interrelated phases that are designed to carry the reader through not only the initial weight loss, but also through a lifetime of healthy weight maintenance and beneficial nutrition and exercise habits. The plan is geared to be flexible and adaptable to the ups and downs, changes and transitions that characterize real life. As such, Dr. Smith has included some latitude for social situations and stressful times that may impede one’s ability to stick to a healthy fitness and nutrition program. If a person who has reached the maintenance phase of the plan regresses, slips up, or otherwise regains weight, Dr. Smith recommends returning to the first phase of the diet for a 10-day period of rehabilitation. This unusual level of flexibility distinguishes the Fat Smash Diet from other, less realistic weight loss plans, and positions individuals using this approach to develop the skills and strategies that are necessary to achieve and maintain weight loss in the long-term.
More About The Fat Smash Diet:
The Fat Smash Diet is the book-length version of the nutrition and
fitness regimen that Dr. Ian K. Smith has used with great success
and to widespread acclaim on VH1’s popular weight-loss reality show,
Celebrity Fit Club. In the book, Smith outlines a simple weight loss
plan that foregoes trendy gimmicks and focuses instead on a
rigorous, commonsense approach. Dr. Smith avoids delving into the
emotional complexities that many other experts regard as the chief
component of weight problems and instead emphasizes the physical
mechanics and bodily processes that have been consistently linked to
successful weight loss efforts, both in scholarly research and in
Smith’s experiences working with a diverse range of clients.
Smith’s Fat Smash Diet plan proceeds in four distinct, but
interrelated phases that are designed to carry the reader through
not only the initial weight loss, but also through a lifetime of
healthy weight maintenance and beneficial nutrition and exercise
habits. The plan is geared to be flexible and adaptable to the ups
and downs, changes and transitions that characterize real life. As
such, Dr. Smith has included some latitude for social situations and
stressful times that may impede one’s ability to stick to a healthy
fitness and nutrition program. If a person who has reached the
maintenance phase of the plan regresses, slips up, or otherwise
regains weight, Dr. Smith recommends returning to the first phase of
the diet for a 10-day period of rehabilitation. This unusual level
of flexibility distinguishes the Fat Smash Diet from other, less
realistic weight loss plans, and positions individuals using this
approach to develop the skills and strategies that are necessary to
achieve and maintain weight loss in the long-term.
The Fat Smash Diet plan begins with a relatively strict phase of
limited food choices and regular exercise. Dr. Smith refers to this
nine-day period as the “detox” phase of the diet, during which a
simple, largely-plant-based eating plan is designed to clear the
body of unhealthy toxins. In addition, the mandated avoidance of all
fast food, fried food, coffee, desserts, alcohol, and soda during
this period is geared to help participants begin to loosen the grip
of all of the bad eating habits that may have been ingrained over
the course of a lifetime. This strict eating regimen is accompanied
by a fitness routine that consists of thirty minutes of
cardiovascular exercise five days a week.
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. In phase 2 (“The Foundation”), a number of the strict
limitations imposed during the initial phase are eased, with program
participants regaining the option to chose foods such as lean meats,
seafood, eggs, dairy products, cold cereals, and coffee. The
exercise requirements are also increased slightly during phase 2,
with participants required to up their five-times-a-week
cardiovascular workout sessions to 35 minutes each.
By the fourth and final phase of the Fat Smash Diet (“The Temple”),
the food choices available to diet participants have increased
considerably. In keeping with his stated goal of gearing the diet
toward real-life success, Dr. Smith has added food and beverage
choices ranging from pizza to pancakes, with daily desserts and
occasional alcohol consumption both allowed in moderation. However,
the weekly exercise requirement during this lifelong maintenance
phase has been increased to 5 sessions of one hour each in order to
compensate for the increased caloric consumption. Dr. Smith also
reiterates the near-inevitability of plateaus and backsliding in any
long-term health and fitness plan, reminding readers to return to
the strict “detox” plan outlined in phase 1 for nine days if they
experience a ten-to-fifteen percent weight regain.
Chapter 1 -- The Fat Smash Diet Philosophy
Dr. Smith introduces readers to his tough-love diet philosophy in
the bold first sentence of this chapter: “Diets don’t fail people;
people fail diets.” If you eat healthier foods in smaller portion
sizes in small but frequent meals and get frequent, consistent
cardiovascular exercise, Smith contends, you are virtually
guaranteed to lose weight. Obesity is a growing problem in the
United States, as are the host of related health problems that often
co-occur with obesity, such as heart disease, high blood pressure,
and diabetes. Taken together, all of these problems can
significantly diminish an overweight person’s health, happiness, and
quality of life. Smith promises readers that if they will make the
commitment to adhere faithfully to the tenets of the Fat Smash Diet
plan, they will be able to lose weight, improve their fitness
levels, and enjoy life more fully.
In this chapter, Smith also emphasizes the realistic approach that
he favors in the Fat Smash Diet plan, including an eating plan that
can stretch to accommodate social gatherings, trips to the ice cream
or pizza parlor, and the occasional cocktail party. At the same
time, Dr. Smith calls into question the all-too-prevalent belief
that exercise is an optional component of weight loss. In sharp
contrast to this lackadaisical attitude about fitness, Smith’s Fat
Smash Diet plan revolves around participants’ commitment to
consistent cardiovascular exercise undertaken at least five times
per week. Without this strong commitment to consistent aerobic
exercise, Dr. Smith claims that any weight loss initiative is likely
to be doomed to failure. At the close of the chapter, Smith exhorts
his readers to use the tools they will gain in the book to attack
their excess weight mercilessly.
Chapter 2: Phase 1: Detox (9 Days)
This chapter lays the groundwork for the entirety of the Fat Smash
Diet plan. Although the diet evolves over the course of the four
phases, the basic parameters for the plan are outlined in this
initial phase. Dr. Smith suggests a formal introductory weigh-in,
accompanied by three unvarnished photographs in a swimsuit that
depict the front, side, and back of the body at the starting point
of the dieting process. Before describing the nutrition and fitness
components of the Fat Smash Diet plan, Dr. Smith emphasizes the
importance of mental and emotional focus on success, reminding
readers that diet success is “at least 50% mental.”
The first component of the diet that Dr. Smith outlines is the
increased number of meals that participants should eat, with a
recommended guideline of 4-5 daily meals consisting of small portion
sizes. He also reiterates that meals should not be skipped as a
means of decreasing caloric intake, as this actually has the effect
of slowing down the metabolism and slowing the weight loss process.
With a few exceptions, vegetables and fruits can be eaten freely
during the detox phase of the diet. Beans, legumes, tofu, oatmeal,
and brown rice are also important staples of this phase. Low-fat
yogurt and egg whites are also key features of the detox phase menu.
Allowed beverages include 2 cups of herbal tea and unlimited water.
All herbs and spices can be used freely, as well. Virtually all
other foods and beverages are restricted during this nine-day phase.
In addition, at least thirty minutes of daily cardiovascular
exercise is required five days per week.
Chapter 3: Phase II: Foundation (3 weeks)
After dieters’ bodies have been detoxified in the strict first phase
of the Fat Smash Diet plan, the slightly more lenient “Foundation”
phase begins. During this phase, a number of foods and beverages
that were disallowed during the first nine days of the diet are
gradually re-introduced. However, the same basic parameters and
guidelines that were set forth in the initial phase remain in place.
Dr. Smith reiterates the importance of distributing the days’
caloric intake over four to five servings. These servings vary in
size from heavy snacks to small meals, with the last food intake
occurring at least 1.5 hours prior to bedtime. A short walk or
comparable period of mild exertion is suggested after dinner, as a
means of kick-starting the metabolism at a time that is usually
associated with metabolic inactivity.
On the issue of food quantities, Dr. Smith recommends a fairly
relaxed approach that doesn’t revolve around the arduous process of
detailed record-keeping, calorie or carb-counting, food weighing,
and tabulating points that many other popular weight loss methods
require. Instead, Dr. Smith recommends eating a sufficient quantity
to attain a feeling of fullness and satisfaction, while avoiding the
uncomfortable sensation of being overstuffed.
Phase II of the diet involves the reintroduction of lean meats,
seafood, some dairy products, select cold cereals, limited
artificial and natural sweeteners, fats, and condiments, and an
expanded selection of beverage options. The five-times-weekly
exercise requirement is increased by 10-15%, so that a 30-minute
period of cardiovascular exercise is now increased to 35 minutes.
Dr. Smith reiterates that any exercise completed over the required
amount will be beneficial, although weight lifting and similar forms
of anaerobic exercise are discouraged during this phase of the Fat
Smash Diet plan.
Chapter 4: Phase III: Construction (4 weeks)
Once again, the third phase of the Fat Smash Diet plan builds and
expands upon the system set forth in the previous phases. In this
phase, which continues for a duration of four weeks, dieters
continue to build upon the changes and successes of the previous
phases, while also beginning to gradually reintroduce additional
food and beverage options and increasing the length of the
five-times-weekly sessions of cardiovascular exercise.
With a continued schedule of four to five meals daily, participants
in the Fat Smash Diet plan focus on maintaining their newly-honed
nutritional and fitness behaviors during this phase of the diet,
using the structured guidelines to make positive choices among a
broader array of food and beverage options. As with the previous two
phases of the diet, Dr. Smith recommends that foods should be eaten
raw, steamed, baked, or grilled, in order to minimize the amount of
fat added in preparation. It is also recommended that participants
revert back to the stricter Phase I guidelines for at least one day
a week during Phase III in order to boost their rate of weight loss.
New choices that are permitted during this phase include limited
amounts of fresh fruit juice, increased daily allowances of lean
meats, expanded choices in dairy products, small amounts of whole
wheat grains and pastas, and daily servings of a choice of several
desserts. In terms of exercise, Dr. Smith requires another increase
in the duration of the five-times-weekly cardiovascular exercise
sessions amounting to a 25% extension over the 30-minute minimum of
Phase I. As such, participants in Phase III of the Fat Smash Diet
plan are expected to engage in at least 45 minutes of cardiovascular
exercise five times a week. In addition, Dr. Smith recommends
exercising twice a day several times a week in order to achieve an
extra metabolic boost.
Chapter 5: Phase IV: The Temple (for life)
In the maintenance phase of the Fat Smash Diet plan, even more food
and beverage options are allowed, while the exercise requirements
are increased to compensate for increased caloric intake. In order
to accommodate the fluctuations and changes that characterize the
ebb and flow of real life, Dr. Smith includes recommended guidelines
for weekly consumption of a broad array of foods and beverages,
ranging from beer to pizza to pancakes. In terms of exercise, Dr.
Smith requires five hour-long sessions of cardiovascular exercise
each week, as well as consistent strength training in order to
increase the body’s lean muscle mass and further enhance fat-burning
efficiency.
Chapter 6: Busting Through the Plateau
Dr. Smith notes that every sustained weight-loss efforts are beset
at times with periods of seemingly inexplicable failure and
stagnation. This, he explains, is a vestige of the periods of famine
that often faced our distant ancestors. A plateau represents a
manifestation of the body’s preventive defense against starvation.
The strategy that Dr. Smith suggests to break through a weight-loss
plateau is varying the nutrition and/or fitness routine slightly.
For example, increasing the duration of exercise by 10%, or focusing
on another type of cardiovascular exercise than the one usually
engaged in, can both fool the body into dropping its overprotective
defenses against starvation and help dieters move past even the most
stubborn plateaus. During extended periods of stalled progress, or
after a weight regain, Dr. Smith recommends that dieters return to
the limitations of the first phase of the Fat Smash Diet plan.
Chapter 7: Tasty Recipes
In this chapter, Dr. Smith provides an array of recipes suitable for
each phase of the Fat Smash Diet plan. In addition, nutritional
information for commonly used foods is provided, along with menu
suggestions and snack ideas.