by OJ Eppers
The Fat Loss 4 Idiots Diet is a diet based on Shifting Calories or Calorie Shifting. Even though this diet generally is considered idiot proof, in combination with a cardio exercise program it has been shown to be one of the easiest, fasted and healthiest weight loss solutions available. There is also a newer version available, called "Beyond Calories Diet"
Browsing the web you’ll find many reviews of the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet and unfortunately, many of these are simple promotion for different diet products. The goal of this brief article is to bring some light into the darkness and to provide a comprehensive view of what it actually is and how it can be improved.
The diet is based on calorie shifting, a method applied since many years by body builders and adapted by the Fat Loss 4 Idiots team for the purpose of losing weight rapidly and without starving yourself. Calorie Shifting or Shifting Calories is a nutrition-based weight loss approach that focuses on eating patterns, rather than on what types of food to eat or avoid. The result is a rapid, but safe, weight loss. As a nutrition-based diet, very little exercise is required to achieve the weight loss. Losing pounds basically is achieved by sound nutrition and a constant change of what you eat. As a consequence, your body doesn't get used to any routine and your metabolism remains accelerated causing your body to burn fat faster and more efficiently.
The basic principle of healthy loss diet with calorie shifting: you have to eat meals up to 4 or more times a day and no snacks or tiny meals are allowed in between. Each of the meals should have different calorie values, but must be a full meal. It is important to drink a lot of liquids, recommended are up to 10 glasses of water a day (but you can also drink sodas, coffee and juices in addition to this). The water is essential to speed up the weight loss process as it helps to flush out the food and to keep the metabolism high.
Eating meals with different calorie values and types of food results in a unique reflex in your body, raising the metabolism (and fat burning process) and keep it high for as long as you keep doing this calorie shifting diet. With an increased metabolism you are even burning fat while you sleep! Combining 4 different meals each day and drinking plenty of water is the main idea behind how to calorie shift.
The developers of the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet call it with some enthusiasm the “Extremely Fast Weight Loss Diet” as it really is a diet giving rapid results that can be applied easily and by everyone. They praise it almost as the Holy Grail of the diets. The simplicity and the fast weight loss of the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet is the bright side of the story but there is an other side with some more shadow. As the diet does not include physical activities, there is a risk that the dieters not only lose fat but also muscle mass. Here is the reason why: First and preferred energy source of your body are carbohydrates (usually simply called carbs). Carbs are stored basically in your muscles and liver in the chemical form of glycogen, a core protein of the enzyme glycogenin surrounded by branches of glucose units - analogous to the function of starch in plants. The storage of this primary “fuel” in your muscles and liver is a form of survival mechanism as in extreme situations your body needs a fast resource of energy to react instantaneously. Body fat is only used when not sufficient glucose is available.
As a consequence, Fat Loss 4 Idiots is only idiot proof if the diet is accompanied with an exercise program that avoids the reduction of muscle mass and favors the consumption of fat as energy resource. This exercise program preferably is a cardio exercise performed in the morning and even better before having breakfast. At that moment of the day the carbs stored from your last meal will be almost depleted and your body will be burning your fat instead.
It has been shown that the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet, combined with physical activities preferably of the cardio type, is a very powerful tool for rapid and sustainable weight loss. Depending on the average daily calorie reduction and the performed physical activities, dieters usually experience a weight loss in the range of 3 to 8 lbs in the first 11 to 14 days. But it also true that not all people succeed with this diet. The most common reason for failure is that the diet is not correctly applied, even though the application is really simple and straightforward as the diet instruction book comes with an online diet generator that automatically generates individual diet menu plans for 11 days.
The Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet is not the Holy Grail of weight loss diets, but correctly applied and in combination with a cardio exercise program, this is one of the easiest and fastest and weight loss solutions currently available. As no diet pills are required and in contrast to other restrictive diets like low carb, low fat, low cal, etc. no food groups are excluded, it also can be considered one of the healthiest diets you can choose to get rid of your extra pounds.
Read more about the author's experience with the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet.
