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  Flat Belly Basics The 4-Day Jumpstart   The 28-Day Program   Day 33 and Beyond   Going Online  
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4 Day Jumpstart
 

The Anti-Bloat Jumpstart isn’t just about beating bloat; it’s also extremely important in sparking your emotional commitment to the entire program. The four-day plan includes a prescribed list of foods and drinks you can eat that will help flush out fluid, reduce water retention, and relieve digestive issues like gas and constipation, which can make your belly puff unnecessarily. You’ll drink Sassy Water (a signature recipe developed by Flat Belly Diet co-author Cynthia Sass) while eating healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

The Four-Day Anti-Bloat Jumpstart abolishes the foods, beverages, and behaviors that cause your belly to pooch out. And—as a bonus—the four-day plan provides guidelines for reducing the chances of ever feeling this way again. The Four-Day Anti-Bloat Jumpstart is carefully designed to deflate your tummy and spur your body to release excess fluid.

The following information describes the foods you’ll eat and those you’ll need to avoid during the four-day program. Keep in mind that we make it easy for you—all your meals are already planned, based on where you are in the program. For information about how to use the Meal Plan, go to MY MEAL PLAN.

  
Four-Days - foods to avoid  
  The following foods are off-limits for the four days of the Jumpstart:  
 
  • The saltshaker, salt-based seasonings, and highly processed foods
    Water is attracted to sodium, so when you take in higher than usual amounts of sodium, you’ll temporarily retain more fluid—which contributes to a sluggish feeling, a puffy appearance, and extra water weight.

  • Excess carbs
    As a backup energy source, your muscles store a type of carbohydrate called glycogen. Every gram of glycogen is stored with about 3 grams of water. But unless you’re running a marathon tomorrow, you don’t need all this stockpiled fuel. Decreasing your carbohydrate intake temporarily can train your body to access this stored fuel and burn it off. At the same time, you’ll be draining off all that excess stored fluid.

  • Bulky raw foods
    A half-cup serving of cooked carrots delivers the same nutrition as one cup raw, but it takes up less room in your GI tract. Eat only cooked vegetables, smaller portions of unsweetened dried fruit, and canned fruits in natural juice. This will allow you to meet your nutrient needs without expanding your GI tract with extra volume.

  • Gassy foods
    Certain foods simply create more gas in your GI tract. They include legumes, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, onions, peppers, and citrus fruits.

  • Chewing gum
    You probably don’t realize this, but when you chew gum, you swallow air. All that air gets trapped in your GI tract and causes pressure, bloating, and belly expansion.

  • Sugar alcohols
    These sugar substitutes, which go by the names xylitol or maltitol, are often found in low-calorie or low-carb products because they taste sweet. Like fiber, your GI tract can’t absorb most of them. That’s good for your calorie bottom line, but not so good for your belly. Sugar alcohols cause gas, abdominal distention, bloating, and diarrhea.

  • Fried foods
    Fatty foods, especially the fried variety, are digested more slowly, causing you to feel heavy and bloated.

  • Spicy foods.
    Foods seasoned with black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, chili powder, hot sauces, onions, garlic, mustard, chili, barbecue sauce, horseradish, catsup, tomato sauce, or vinegar can all stimulate the release of stomach acid, which can cause irritation.

  • Carbonated drinks
    All those bubbles end up in your belly! Avoid these completely.

  • Alcohol, coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and acidic fruit juices.
    Each of these high-acidic beverages can irritate your GI tract, causing swelling.
  
Four-Days - what to do  
 
  • Drink 1 full recipe of Sassy Water each day.
    The ingredients in Sassy water aren’t just for flavor: the ginger helps calm and soothe your GI tract. Even more important, the simple act of making this Sassy Water every day will serve as a reminder during the Jumpstart that life is a little bit different and things are going to change.

    Sassy Water
    2 liters water (about 8 ½ cups)
    1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
    1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
    1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
    12 small spearmint leaves.

    Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and let flavors blend overnight. Drink the entire pitcher by the end of each day.

  • Take a quick 5-minute after meal walk.
    Moving your body helps release air that has been trapped in your GI tract, relieving pressure and bloating.

  • Eat slowly.
    When you eat fast, you take in large gulps of air, which get trapped in your digestive system and cause bloating.

  • Follow the Four-Day Meal Plan exactly.
    This includes four smaller meals, one of which is a refreshing, belly fat-blasting smoothie. This reduces the amount of food in your digestive system at any one time, cuts back on the release of stomach acids, and gets your body used to a four-meal-a-day schedule (which you’ll be following on the rest of the Flat Belly Diet.)

  • Eat four meals a day.
    The Four-Day Jumpstart includes fewer calories—about 1,200 daily—than you’ll be eating on the rest of the Flat Belly Diet, which allows about 1,600 per day. Eating less for these four days reduces the amount of food in your GI tract at any one time, cuts back on the release of stomach acids, and gets your body used to a four-meal-a-day schedule.
  
Mind tricks  
  The first days of a diet are never easy, and these four days are no exception. To make it easier for you, we’ve developed Mind Tricks to help you through. You’ll see these Mind Tricks along with the meal plans for each of the meals during the four-day program.

Mind Tricks are a way of giving a meal importance, making it a special, you-focused moment. They’ll help you stay mindful of what you’re eating and why. As you embark on the four days’ worth of Mind Tricks—sixteen in all, one at every meal—you’ll surely find that you’ll want to repeat them again and again. In fact, you should repeat your favorites until they become a ritual. I’m all for doing whatever it takes to make you feel special.		  
Tracking your progress  
  Keeping a food log is an excellent way to help you focus on your new way of eating. Research has continually shown that keeping a log of what you eat significantly helps you stay on track with new lifestyle choices. For more information on how to keep a food log, see MY FOOD LOG
 		 
Journaling  
  In addition to keeping a food log, keeping a record of how you feel while dieting can help boost your chance of success. This site includes an online journal tool to allow you to record your thoughts and feelings as you progress through the program. For more information on using the Journal tool, see KEEPING A JOURNAL.  
     
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  Flat Belly Basics The 4-Day Jumpstart   The 28-Day Program   Day 33 and Beyond   Going Online  

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