The Fat Flush diet is commonly referred to as the Cranberry Juice diet because the diet requires you start each day with an 8-oz. glass of cranberry juice with ground flaxseed. This diet, developed by nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman, promises rapid weight loss and detoxification. Consult your physician prior to starting any weight loss program.
Cranberry Juice Diet Guidelines
The Cranberry Juice diet is broken down into three phases. You drink a glass of cranberry juice in the morning with ground flaxseed everyday throughout the entire diet. The first phase is the detoxification phase and lasts two weeks. During this phase your intake is limited to 1,100 calories and you follow a strict diet, choosing only from low-carbohydrate foods appearing on the allowed foods list. The second phase is the weight loss phase and lasts until you reach your goal weight. During this phase your intake increases to 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day. Each week you add a new food containing complex carbohydrates back into your diet, such as butternut squash and brown rice. The third phase starts when you reach your goal weight and is adhered to for life. The third phase diet consists of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat. Two servings of dairy and four servings of carbohydrates are permitted each day.
Theory
According to "The Fat Flush Plan," this diet produces weight loss because you eat fat-burning carbohydrates and fat, which supposedly increase your metabolic rate and lead to rapid weight loss. Your daily glass of cranberry juice is required by the diet because it allegedly cleanses the liver of toxin build up, enabling it to better flush excess fat from the body.
Weight Loss
Initial weight loss on the Cranberry Juice diet is likely rapid, but not because of special foods or magical drinks. Weight loss requires you to eat fewer calories than your body burns. The restrictive diet and allowance of only 1,100 calories per day in the first phase creates a large calorie-deficit, resulting in quick weight loss. A balanced diet is important to overall health but plays no role whatsoever in maintaining a healthy weight. Weight maintenance is simply about balancing the number of calories you eat with the number of calories you burn.
Considerations
The first phase of the diet requires you to restrict your caloric intake to an unhealthy level. According to "Contemporary Nutrition," a minimum of 1,200 calories is necessary per day for basic metabolic function and is the minimum number of calories an adult should consume. The second phase does not take your age, gender, weight or physical activity into account when determining your caloric allowance, all of which factor into your caloric needs. Exercise and a balanced diet is all that is necessary for weight management; no special drink concoctions are required.
References
- "The Fat Flush Plan"; Ann Louise Gittleman; 2002
- "Diets Exposed: Analysis of Popular Fad Diets"; Kristina Benson; 2007
- "Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies"; Frances Sizer; 2008
- "Contemporary Nutrition"; Gordon M. Wardlaw, et al.; 2007
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