Fat Flush Plan

My wife and I have both been on hormone therapy the last three years, she for breast cancer.   We have each gained the obligatory 30 pounds or so and we are sick of it.   I am coming off HT and hope the weight drops.   She has to stay on her HT for as long as ten years.   Due to an increase in a liver test she saw her gastroenterologist last week.   He is not alarmed as the scans were negative, but he said she could have a little fatty liver and strongly suggested weight loss.

He suggested the book "Fat Flush Plan" by Dr. Ann Gittleman.   The book is more than ten years old so it is not the latest fad and she has published several books since.   I ordered it and it arrived today, so I will read it over the weekend.

My question is are there any of you that know of this plan and perhaps have used it?   Any information or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jack  

Jack,
After gaining 22 lbs and tipping the scales at 198lbs on my first round of HT I started a weight loss program. Actually I just returned to my prior routine. I lost 35lbs in three months. As Logo says, calories in and calories out is the key. Diet was about 1500 calories per day give or take. No attempt to limit what I ate just how much I ate.
Exercise sessions were daily for approximately 50 minutes. Moderate weight lifting working muscle groups. Took about 20 minutes. Minimum resting between sets and stations. But the most effective thing, at least I believe, was doing maximum effort intervals on the bike. One minute warm up and then five thirty second intervals of maximum effort with remaining time at moderate effort total of 30 minutes. Once the weight started coming off it just seemed to melt.

Best of luck to you and your wife in this effort. Getting started is the hardest part and one must fight the devil to quit after a week. Work through it and you will be successful.

I have not read the fat flush book so really have no comment on that.

Don

I guess I'll be a dissenting voice here. I don't think it's as easy as dropping caloric intake and exercising more, at least for a large number of people. Yeah, in the short run, that will work. And eventually, it's likely to stop. In his book "Why We Get Fat and What to Do about It", Gary Taubes talks about the CICO (calories in, calories out) theory of weight loss as a tautology that's absolutely worthless to us. Yes, the laws of thermodynamics are inviolable. The problem is that the body reacts to the calories in and the stresses it is put through, and adjusts calories out based on what it views as a threat to homeostasis. So, this may work for a while, but the body will down-regulate metabolism over time, forcing calories to decrease further or exercise to increase more.

I've been an ardent exerciser for almost 30 years - much more exercise than almost anyone I know. I've run over 600 running races, including marathon distance or longer about 200 times. I've started 11 different 100 mile trail races (but not finished all of them). I think I've done 50 triathlons. I ski 50 days every winter. Lift, hike, cycle, etc. And, I have fought my weight every step of the way. It's a never ending battle for me and I know that's true for many others.

The other thing that I think is true about what we eat is that it has to be sustainable - a lifestyle rather than a diet. Something that you can't live with long term may succeed initially, but will ultimately fail when you can't maintain it.

So, over time, it's become clear (for me) that certain food types do matter. I know lots of athletes who can thrive on diets of 80% carbs, but when I do that, I get fat. When I eat fat at 50%-60%, protein at around 25%, and limit carbs (mostly) to those found in veggies, with some occasional fruit, I can eat all the food I feel like eating and lose weight. Some people call this a Primal or Paleo diet. But, the term Paleo is often thought of as being a meat-heavy diet, and that is not my goal. I find that fat keeps me full, protein gives me the nutrition I need to recover from my current training, and lots and lots of veggies give me nutrients that I need. I don't follow it perfectly (pizza is required on occasion to sustain life, IMO, along with adult beverages), but I try.

A side effect of eating this way has to do with some re-emerging theories on cancer, and the belief some hold that many cancers are partially metabolic diseases (PCA included) rather than purely genetic diseases.

I think the writings of Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson, Chris Kresser, and Gary Taubes are all helpful in this area. Here is a link to Robb Wolf's web site where he discusses cancer as a metabolic disease. There is a specific anecdote (and that's all it is - one person telling his story) about PCA in the article:

http://robbwolf.com/2013/09/19/origin-cancer/

In the end, I think all of us need to find the combination of foods that works best for us. For some, basic calorie restriction works both short and long term. For others, this is simply not sustainable, and if it was, given that it's our current "conventional wisdom", I can't imagine we'd be in the obesity epidemic that we see on a daily basis. I have found over the years that despite all of my training, I simply cannot out-train a poor diet. I need to train effectively and eat in a way that doesn't make me fat.

My primary focus has been to greatly reduce sugars of all types and grains as much as possible. I also try to reduce grain-based fats (grain oils like canola, safflower, corn, etc.). Most of my fat comes from butter from grass-fed cows, grass-fed meat, olive oil, coconut oil, and eggs and dairy products (heavy cream!).

But, I've never found that counting calories, putting a limit in place and increasing exercise works for me at all. It leaves me hungry and miserable within a week or two of starting.

Best of luck.

I am in basic agreement with dmlvt. You can limit your calories, but your body will slow down its metabolism to accommodate. I believe the main problem with the Standard American Diet (SAD) is the over consumption of refined carbohydrate foods and bad fats which are basically what you find in most processed foods. Cut them out and your good to go. Unfortunately that makes up 80-90% of what you find in the grocery store aisles and what makes up the bulk of the SAD. Even those supposedly healthy whole grain crackers and breads will send your blood glucose skyward, taxing the body to convert them to fat.

I personally do not want to eat so many animal products as dmlvt and the paleo people advocate. I believe there is a correlation between excess animal consumption and cancer. Also it is destructive to the planet, ineffective in its overall energy consumption, and to some inhumane and immoral especially the way in which animals are now factory farmed.

That leaves whole natural food, minimally processed. This does not include natural whole wheat bread or granola bars or the like. Food combinations like brown rice or quinoa and legumes (beans, lentils, tofu) and nuts/seeds offer protein quality as high as animal protein without the carcinogens, antibiotics, planet tax, etc. while giving you fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The star of the plate should be organically grown vegetables, the more colorful the better, with emphasis on green leafy and cruciferous vegetables, minimally cooked. Replace your previous desserts with berries and low glycemic fruits. If you think the vegetables, berries, etc are expensive, they are cheaper in the long run. Use extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil for cooking and give up frying and high heat.

I personally do eat wild cold water fish on occasion and think it is probably healthy to eat free range meat and eggs from time to time.

The main point is to eliminate refined sugar and flour products. I am convinced that these are the foods that feed the cancer not to mention cause diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Just doing that will take the weight off and take you to a stable state. Eat eggs with avocado instead of toast. Snack on carrots and celery with hummus or bean dip or nut butter. Eat a handful of nuts instead of pretzels. You will lose weight and feel great.

Of course, exercise is extremely important, even if it is just getting up from your chair more to take a break, walk and stretch.

I think the Fat Flush method the doctor recommends is basically sound but it sounds like it is presented as a temporary course after which you can return to your old ways when you reach your weight loss goals. Hopefully you can lose the weight, see how well your body responds, and then start your journey with a healthy natural low carb whole foods diet.

Good luck!

JNF said...
My wife and I have both been on hormone therapy the last three years, she for breast cancer. We have each gained the obligatory 30 pounds or so and we are sick of it. I am coming off HT and hope the weight drops. She has to stay on her HT for as long as ten years. Due to an increase in a liver test she saw her gastroenterologist last week. He is not alarmed as the scans were negative, but he said she could have a little fatty liver and strongly suggested weight loss.
He suggested the book "Fat Flush Plan" by Dr. Ann Gittleman. The book is more than ten years old so it is not the latest fad and she has published several books since. I ordered it and it arrived today, so I will read it over the weekend.

My question is are there any of you that know of this plan and perhaps have used it? Any information or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jack

Hey Jack,
On another note, I'm looking for some information on hormone therapy for Breast Cancer for my Mother-inlaw. I've tried the Breast Cancer forum, but no luck so far. Can you help?

Jack,

Put me down as another Gary Taubes fan. I think his book -- Why We Get Fat: and What to Do about It -- provides a good theory about the current obesity epidemic and what you can do if you are tired of participating in it. That said, from a Gary Taubes point of view there's a lot to like about the dietary prescriptions of the Fat Flush Plan diet -- it's basically a high protein, high good-fat diet plus a number of supplements that may or may not help and a great deal of detox-your-liver mumbo that makes me skeptical. But if you look at what people following the plan actually eat it follows Taubes' prescriptions pretty closely.

My only regret in exercise is that I didn't do core and balance tng when I was younger. Back then Gymnyst and professional athletes seemed to be the only ones. I had a decent core from the distance running, as I did a lot of hills. But since I started a couple of years ago, I am amazed at my core and total body strength. I seriously feel stronger today then when I was younger. Now... not faster or quicker,{ there is a difference },but bodily strength wise, yes, and endurance and stamina, absolutely. My plan is to maintain a high fitness level, well into my 90's, get sick of something, even PCA{it ain't gonna kill me, tee hee} and pass on quickly and healthy. Stick with it JNF, exercise is a shower for the inside. That observation is not original, been out there a long time for those in the mindset. Dmivt, sounds like you are right on the power curve. I like that in a human being….

I don't need no stinkin' books.

I need to eat less.

Mel

Agreed. I have never regretted a gym session.

Very few 100's

Mel