The first phase of the diet—the Jumpstart— is designed to erase belly bloat. This part of the diet is somewhat regimented since each food is carefully selected to reduce bloat and soothe your digestive tract. For best results, you'll need to follow the meal plans exactly. You'll be eating four smaller meals each day which will reduce the amount of food in your digestive system at any one time, cut back on the release of stomach acids, and get your body used to a four-meal-a-day schedule which you'll follow for the rest of the Flat Belly Diet.

During the Jumpstart you will:

• Follow your meal plans exactly
• Eat 4 meals a day
• Take a quick 5-minute after-meal walk
• Eat slowly
• Work your mind-using a Mind Trick at every meal
• Drink a full recipe of Sassy Water every day
  

We call it Sassy Water because it's a heck of a lot perkier than plain old water. But the ingredients here aren't just for flavor: The ginger also helps calm and sooth your GI tract.

The Recipe:

• 2 liters water (about 8 1/2 cups)
• 1 tsp 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 throughout the day and make sure that you finish the pitcher by the end of the day.

Your Meal Plan can be customized to your own personal tastes and preferences by setting your Diet Preferences. To do this:

1. Click the EAT tab, then click "My Diet Preferences."
2. Check all of the preferences that apply.
3. Click "Update My Preferences" to save your preferences.

Any diet preferences you set will apply to the 4-Day Jumpstart period as well as the basic program. Please note if you change your preferences, your meal plans and shopping lists will probably change as a result.

Yes, you can repeat the Jumpstart at any time, but keep in mind if you do, you are also starting the program again. All the progress tracked up to that point will be lost. To restart the program and repeat the Jumpstart, just follow these steps:

1. Click the "My Profile" link in the upper right corner of the page.
2. Click the "Edit My Profile" button on the right side of the page.
3. Scroll down on the Edit Profile page until you see the My Program Settings section. Enter the date you want to restart the program in the "Change Start Date To" field.
4. Be sure to click "Save Profile Changes" button. Your start date will be updated to the date you selected, and any previous progress or meal tracking will be erased.

If you choose a new start date that occurs in the future, your meal plans will appear blank until your start date arrives. In this case, you can see your future meal plans and shopping lists by following these steps:

1. Click the EAT tab in the navigation bar.
2. You'll see a message on the page confirming your future start date. Click the advance to your start date link within the message to move ahead to see your meal plan or shopping list.

The jumpstart is a very effective way to eliminate belly bloat and get your system ready for the Flat Belly Diet, but if you don't want to follow the Jumpstart, you don't have to. It may not be for you.

The change in how you feel during the Jumpstart will depend on what, how much, and how often you were eating before. Some people feel incredibly light and energized during the 4 days. Others may feel hungry or irritable, and both can be perfectly normal!

Any time you make a change in the way you eat, your body has to go through an adjustment period. It's much like exercise. When some people start a new exercise program they feel fantastic. They'll say they've never felt better, they're sleeping better, feel less hungry, lighter, and more alert, younger even! But another person starting that exact same exercise program can report feeling exhausted, sore, starving, irritable, and old!

The Jumpstart should help you get your body and your mind ready for the regular Flat Belly Diet!, but if you're really not feeling well while you're doing it, or you think, "This isn't for me!" it's OK to go ahead and start the regular plan (click 4 days forward in your meal plan to see examples of the regular meals or follow the book).

The Jumpstart is not a flexible plan, and it may be too low in total calories for men, very tall women (over 5'7") and regular exercisers.