Over 25 years ago, Anne Louise Gittleman created The Fat Flush diet concept. This diet instructs you to eliminate certain “toxic foods” from your diet while drinking 64 ounces of fat flush water every day. Anything with the words “fat flush” in the title sounds intriguing, right? A magical beverage that will pump adipose (fat) tissues out of my body without the hassle of exercise? Sign me up! And did I mention this drink is also promising to flush cellulite out as well? Why isn’t everyone drinking the elixir? So I researched this flush, tried it myself and am here to give you the nitty gritty details.
The Drink
The fat flush water consists of:
-8 ounces of 100% pure, unsweetened cranberry juice (I used Lakewood Organic Pure Cranberry-pictured below)
-56 ounces of water
*Makes a 64 ounce batch, which is to be consumed over the course of one day
The Claim
This water claims to cleanse your liver so that it can be more efficient at burning fat. Our livers are actually designed to detoxify and cleanse themselves (think of your liver having a “self cleaning oven” function). So why do we need to chug pure, tart cranberry juice to detoxify our body? Gittleman says that a liver clogged with poisons and fats cannot perform it’s fat-burning duty. Cranberry juice is rich in phenols and antioxidants, which are supposed to help clean up your liver to help clear the pathway for fat loss. Okay, okay, so a bunch of facts and terms that we have to take scientists’ word for. Does it really work? Let’s find out…
The Results
I couldn’t find any solid stats on weight loss for this particular diet. I found plenty of comments on forums where people claimed to lose 6-7 pounds within a week. I also found out that Rebecca Romijn (yes, the super attractive, former model, Rebecca Romijn) drinks a similar drink to the fat flush water. She combines 8 ounces of pure, 100% cranberry juice with 32 ounces of water and 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed and drinks this mixture every day for a week to help slim down when she is wanting to drop 5-10 pounds. After 25 years, if this drink was really that effective, I think there would be more studies and research done to back the idea up. Regardless, I gave it a go myself. Here were my personal results:
Day 1-
I tried the Rebecca Romijn cranberry flush on day one with the added flax seed. Be ready to continually shake your drink up because the flax immediately settles at the bottom of the glass. I suggest using a plastic water bottle or a blender bottle. The taste wasn’t awful, but it also wasn’t delicious. Pure cranberry juice is extremely tart/sour so be prepared for a dry, tart taste. The flax definitely helps you to flush things out of your system…that’s all I’ll say about that! By the end of day one I didn’t see fat dripping off my thighs to the floor, but I did feel energetic and the concoction curbed cravings in a severe kinda way.
Day 2-
On day two I dropped the flax seed (Rebecca Romijn doesn’t have to travel to client’s homes all day so I’m sure she can run to the restroom as frequently as necessary) and I doubled my liquid intake to the 64 ounces of cran-water. On my second day I experienced zero hunger pangs even when I went 5+ hours without a meal. Absolutely no cravings. Chocolate cake? No thanks, I have my trusty cranberry flush. I felt pretty awesome at this point and loved that the cran-water was completely alleviating the sadness that accompanies skipping soft drinks or cocktails with dinner. As friends and family reached for a fizzy coca-cola I would simply offer- “fat-flush, anyone?”
Day 3-
This day fell on Easter Sunday. I drank my pretty cranberry beverage during Easter brunch and for the remainder of the day. I didn’t eat a single piece of Easter candy. Maybe this drink IS a miracle!
After my 3 test days I decided to weigh myself. Definitely had not lost a single pound, but keep in mind my goal wasn’t necessarily to lose weight. Overall, the experience was a good one. I stayed hydrated, made healthier choices, and experienced no hunger pangs or cravings. I believe that this could aide in weight loss, but is certainly not a cure-all that takes the place of healthy eating and consistent exercise. As for me, I’ll continue drinking cranberry-water because well…I’m addicted! The taste became a craving and it helped ensure I was drinking an adequate amount of water. So give it a try, y’all! You may not flush out cellulite in a matter of days, but it surely won’t hurt you at all either. Good luck and leave a comment if you give it a go! I’d love to hear about your experience 🙂