I picked up the book Extreme Fat Smash Diet by Dr. Ian Smith for a friend and ended up reading it myself. I'm always looking to learn more and add new things to my repertoire. This diet works in 3 week cycles and they just rotate until you reach your goal weight. This diet isn't for long term use because the calories are too low. If you stay on this diet too long your body will eventually go into starvation mode and will start to break down muscle. My first week on this program is the hardest because a lot of foods are elimintaed, but you get used to it very quickly. I only consumed foods high in protein and fiber during this cycle. In the the second cycle I was allowed to eat healthy sugars, almonds, and other foods with low glycemic ratings. In the last cycle I was able to reintroduce more food options including bread, but all food must fit your macros. After the final week I had lost 15 pounds and was able to transtion into the maintence phase of this diet. I definitely would recommend this diet for short term dieters.

kingoftheink

Westchester, IL

I read so many good things about this diet, made myself aware of the warnings, and researched it pretty hard before I tried it. I knew the first nine days were going to be very hard and I was right. It was actually much harder than I had anticipated and I almost gave up on the seventh day. It was my husband who convinced me to persevere, but in the end all of it did not matter. I could keep myself eating beans, veggies, rice, and other filler food with no real taste. I really did try. I stuck with this diet for about a month. To me, it just ended being another fad diet that I could not stick with because I felt denied, starved, and unsatisfied. All of those feelings created bad moods, fighting, and just overall a bad feeling about myself. Going to this kind of extreme definitely did not work for me and it is not a diet I would recommend trying, especially if you are new to the diet scene. Side Effects I felt sick after the first day because I was so hungry. I was also feeling light headed, nauseous, and tired constantly because I was not getting enough to eat.

Fairyrhi

USA

This diet will make you lose weight, but you may also feel hungry. I lost 15 lbs the first 3 weeks of this program but I could feel myself starving. I would get headaches and jitters. I wasn't a big fan of the foods you were allowed so I would force myself to eat them and I wouldn't be able to eat the entire meal. I felt like I was starving and deprived. Maybe if you like rice, beans, and veggies for every meal you can make it through.

exercisejunkie

Cordova, TN

Dr. Ian Smith is actually a real doctor, unlike some of those weight-loss plan writing con-artists out there and he has actually published several diets, I have read a couple of his others but I am a big fan of this one.  It is not a con, it is not a fad, the fat smash diet really and truly sets you up to succeed at your goal of losing weight and gives you a fallback plan if you ever, well, fallback into your old, naughtier eating habits.  The diet takes place in phases the first of which basically forces you and your body to mentally and physically reset yourself and prepare to learn how to eat for a healthier and thinner life.  After "phase one" (which is really a nine day flush) you slowly build on the changes that you made in the first phase, sticking to the schedule that you set for yourself in phase one and adding back in more foods throughout the remaining phases.  This diet is very much based on increasing the metabolism by eating mini-meals and teaching you what to eat.

yaharlow

Missoula, MT

Try it, try it, try it!  It works. The first 9 days were difficult. Days 4 and 5 we're the worst, but I persevered. The results were worth it. I exercised and lost 10 lbs. in the 9 days. That kicked me off for healthy eathing. Thusfar I've lost 20 lbs. I've been eating healthy, yet enjoying some snacks and foods when I want them.  Exercising really helps. I'm going back on the 9 day Phase 1 the first of September in order to drop the last 10 lbs. I put never hungry as a con because if you follow the program you'll never be hungry and will only eat when you have to 'cause you have to. But you'll never have that starving, ravished feeling again. Try it, 'cause it really works!

AMWilson

West Sacramento, CA

The former celebrities on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club follow Dr. Ian Smith's Extreme Fat Smash Diet. Unlike his forst book used on the show, the Fat Smash Diet, this program is not a detox diet. **The Meal Plan** The focus of the Extreme Fat Smash Diet is to find your body type and eat based on the plan that will work best for you. For me, that meant having to cut out even more carbs than the average person. While someone with a different body type may be able to eat a full cup of brown rice with lunch, I would be limited to a half cup or none at all. Bing a carb addict, this didn't sit well with me and I knew it was something I couldn't realistically live with for the rest of my life. The meal plans are set up in 3 cycles, which you can repeat until you reach your goal weight. While phase one is very strict, you get to add back in some foods in phases 2 and 3. **Exercise** If you've seen Celebrity Fit Club, you know you aren't going to get off easy on the exercise with this diet. Harvey is hard-core when it comes to kicking your butt into shape. Does it work? Yes. Is it challenging? Absolutely! **Recommendation** Dr. Ian provides a lot of information on metabolism, dispels myths and teaches you how to lose weight The only problem is that it is a very strict plan that requires a lot of willpower. I can last a day or two on this type of diet, but after that the withdrawal symptoms and lack of food leave me feeling sick and drained of energy. I do'nt recommending going to this extreme to lose weight and keep it off.    

roserighter

Milford, MI