Facts About The Fat Loss 4 Idiots System

If you are frustrated with low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie or slow weight loss programs that entail checking in at meetings, the promoters of the Fat Loss 4 Idiots plan say they may have the dieting answer you are seeking. In fact, promoters claim you'll lose up to 9 lbs every 11 days by using the right timing to eat the correct foods. Always consult a health care professional before trying a new diet plan.

Identification

With this online program you receive a detailed program of what to eat and when to consume your foods after you input your general food preferences. For example, if you are a vegetarian your eating program would be different from the program for a non-vegetarian. You do not use any supplements or diet pills with this 11-day diet plan. After completing the strict eating plan you get three days "off" to eat treats such as pizza and cake. Following that, you can repeat your 11-day cycle as often as you'd like.

Features

You eat four meals per day on this plan. You must follow your meal plan exactly, including the time intervals allotted between your meals. While the website promotes a "non-starvation" weight loss system, in the initial days of the plan you have some very low calorie days that are meant to "shock" your system into burning fat.

Theories/Speculation

This plan is based on the premise of calorie shifting. That means you alternate bouts of eating lower amounts of calories with times of consuming higher calories. This type of diet is supposed to keep your dieting morale up because you don't constantly deprive yourself. It's also meant to trick your metabolism so it does not adapt to a lower calorie intake by slowing down. However, while calorie intake does play a role in metabolism, other factors, including muscle mass and age, also play a role, according to Leia Kedem of the American Dietetic Association. Calorie shifting works because you take in fewer calories than you need to maintain your current weight most of the time, which over time, leads to weight loss, Kedem notes.

Expert Insight

This weight loss plan does not include an exercise component, note the experts at Diet Spotlight. In fact, the Fat Loss 4 Idiots website states that losing weight has nothing to do with "starving yourself or jogging." However, exercise is key for successful weight loss---especially if you want to keep that weight off, says Dr. Donald Hensrud of MayoClinic.com. If you lose weight via dieting alone -- especially if you cut calories drastically -- you are unlikely to keep it off. The Fat Loss 4 Idiots program also does not have clinical research that backs its dieting claims, according to Diet Spotlight. The strict nature of the plan also may make it difficult to follow. While the Fat Loss 4 Idiots claims to be revolutionary, there are many calorie-shifting plans to choose among out there -- some of which are available free via the internet or in books.

Considerations

While losing 9 lbs in 11 days sounds appealing, you're much more likely to keep the pounds you shed off if you use a weight loss rate of 1 to 2 lbs. per week, according to MayoClinic.com. You can achieve this rate by burning 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day. You can calculate the number of calories you need for weight loss by subtracting this number of calories from the number of calories you need to maintain your weight. Gain this number by multiplying your weight by 13. Multiply by 10 if you are sedentary and obese or by 15 if you are extremely active.