The Fat Smash Diet by Dr Ian Smith (Vermilion, £6.99)

Reviewed by Dietitian, Juliette Kellow BSc RD

We’ve had the Zone, Atkins and GI. Now, The Fat Smash Diet is set to become the biggest diet of 2007.

Already a New York Times bestseller, it’s written by Dr Ian Smith, diet guru for the American version of Celebrity Fit Club. In fact, it’s this very plan that helped the celebs in the show shift those pounds, including The Woman in Red’s Kelly Le Brock who lost 31lb in just 14 weeks.

The Fat Smash Diet is a 90-day plan that’s designed to change bad habits so you lose weight and keep it off for good. It’s divided into four phases with each phase building on the previous one.

You start off with very few foods and then add in more with each phase. One of the key elements of the diet is to eat smaller portions and not eat until you are stuffed. However, you’re allowed to eat four or five small meals a day.

The Fat Smash theory is quite simple: because you’re eating more often, you won’t get so hungry and so don’t need so much food on your plate to satisfy your appetite.

The Fat Smash Diet in Detail

Phase 1 - Detox

This first phase of the diet lasts nine days and only allows fruit, veg, pulses, low-fat yogurt, semi-skimmed milk, egg whites, brown rice, porridge and water. The main emphasis is on fruit and veg though. You are also encouraged to do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five times a week.

Phase 2 - Foundation

This phase lasts three weeks. In addition to the foods included in the detox phase, this phase also includes lean meat, seafood, a small amount of cheese, extra cereals, olive oil, fat-free dressings and diet drinks. Because you are taking in more calories, you now need to increase each exercise session to 35 minutes.

Phase 3 - Construction

This phase lasts four weeks and allows bigger portions of meat and dairy and re-introduces pasta, bread, fruit juice and treats like biscuits and low-fat ice cream. Exercise sessions should now last 45 minutes.

Phase 4 - Temple

This phase is the lifelong Fat Smash plan and includes advice on how much and how often you should eat high-fat, high-cal foods like sausages, pizza, croissants and chips. By now you should be aiming for hour-long exercise sessions.

WLR says…

For a celebrity-led diet, the Fat Smash plan isn’t actually that bad.

The initial detox phase of the diet seriously reduces choice, which in turn seriously reduces calories, helping to shift those pounds.

Much of the weight loss in the first week or so will be due to fluid losses but nevertheless it can be really motivating to see the pounds literally dropping off.

The detox phase helps you ditch all the junk from your diet and encourages you to eat more fruit, veg, reduced-fat dairy and wholegrains.

After the detox phase, the Fat Smash Diet becomes more balanced as more protein-rich foods are added back in and it’s also great to see that treats are allowed quite early on.

The idea of eating little and often is also a good one as it will help to stop you getting hungry, which is often a dieter’s downfall.

It’s great to see that exercise is recommended as an integral part of the plan.