We’ve written an Idiot Proof Diet Review after seeing yet another ad for it and having read a couple of reviews posted on blogs…interesting name, but does it work?
The Idiot Proof Diet from Fat Loss for Idiots…hmm, what does that say about people who buy it? Wouldn’t you rather try the “Healthy Eating for Smart People Diet”?
Hey, but if there are a few idiots out there who need a foolproof way to lose weight then good luck to them!
Seriously though, apart from a dodgy but very memorable moniker that smacks of clever reverse psychology – it caught our attention! – what’s this diet all about?
Idiot Proof Diet Review – How Does it Work…?
The Idiot Proof Diet is an online program that claims you’ll lose 9lbs every 11 days.
Nearly a pound a day. Really? Sounds a bit scammy to me so we’ll come back to that claim later.
We like online programs because they’re generally very cost effective, personalised and easy to follow.
At $27 for 12 weeks registration it’s not the cheapest program around, but there is a 3 day free trial period.
The basis for the diet is something called ‘calorie shifting’.
The theory as far as we can tell in this Idiot Proof Diet review, is that if you eat the same things day after day your body gets used to it and adjusts your metabolism accordingly.
Calorie shifting means changing the kinds of food, the nutrients and the calories you eat every few days to keep your body guessing.
By eating mainly carbs for a few days, then mainly protein, eating a little more then a little less fat, a few more then a few less calories each day your body can’t find a metabolic set point.
The calorie shifting theory promoted by Fat Loss for Idiots concludes that you burn more calories and lose more weight.
Granted, the inevitable consequence of dieting is a slowing of your metabolism resulting in less and less weight loss the longer your diet progresses.
The Idiot Proof Diet is based on two week cycles. 11 days following a set of meal plans then three free days where you eat literally whatever you want.
The free period is designed to shock your metabolism, boosting it ready for the next 11 days on the plan.
It also breaks the ‘diet mentality’ that is counter productive in the long term – who wants to be on a diet for the rest of their lives?
You start off by downloading the Idiot Proof Handbook and then generate a 11 day food plan using the Diet Generator.
Tell the online program what you like to eat and you’ll get a personalised plan.
Then simply log on each day and follow the online instructions.
Idiot Proof Diet Review – The Rules…
The Fat Loss for Idiots diet is based on 10 rules, which you need to follow:
#1. Manipulate Your Food Calories
Basically, you eat mainly carbs for a few days then mainly protein for a few days.
#2. Eat 4 Meals a Day
Leaving 2.5 hours between each meal. We’d suggest 5 meals with gaps of 3 hours, but the theory is sound.
#3. Prepare Meals at Home
That way you’re in control of what you eat.
#4. Rotate Your Meals Each Day
Carbs at one meal, protein at the next.
#5. Minimise the Condiments
The premise being that they add unecessary calories.
#6. Know When to Stop Eating
Common sense really, stop when you get full.
#7. Drink Low Calorie Drinks
Less than 10 calories a pop – alcohol and fruit juice are out then!
#8. Drink Water
Sound advice as 8-10 glasses of water keeps you hydrated and enables you to burn more calories.
#9. Walk Daily
Two 30 minutes sessions or one 45 minutes session if time is tight.
#10. Avoid Sweets
No-brainer, really. You’d have to be an idiot to eat sugary snacks and desserts and expect to lose weight!
Idiot Proof Diet Review – Does it Work…?
First off, in researching this Idiot Proof Diet Review we could find no scientific evidence that calorie shifting will boost your metabolism and enable you to burn more fat and lose more weight.
Whatsmore, the faddish weight loss principle of not combining carbs and protein in the same meal has little or no scientific basis.
Eating a varied diet is important and this diet will encourage you to do just that.
However, eating fewer calories than your body expends and doing some exercise – aerobic and resistance training – is what will lead to weight loss.
We would suggest that if you lose weight on the Fat Loss for Idiots plan it will be for those reasons, not because of calorie shifting.
However, we’ve no problem with the principle of calorie shifting, which is unlikely to do you any harm. It’s the weight loss claims that we have trouble with!
You may well lose 9lbs in the first 11 days. As a recent e-mail we received from a successful dieter testifies, it’s not uncommon for very overweight people to lose that kind of weight early in a weight loss program, but most of the initial weight lost will be water.
You will not lose 9lbs every 11 days after that. Period.
Check out what the FTC has to say about claims like that!
I would expect a pound or two every week or two max. It’s simply not possible to consistently lose much more than 1-2lbs a week.
All in all, though, our Idiot Proof Diet review found the food choices wide and varied.
Although you’re not counting calories as such, follow the plan and you’ll be eating around 1,500 calories a day on average, some days more, some less.
That combined with the walking, the best fat burning exercise off them all, and you’re bound to lose some weight!
Don’t be disappointed, though, when it’s a lot less than the promised 9lbs every 11 days promised by Fat Loss for Idiots!
Idiot Proof Diet Review – The Bottom Line…
Get past the outrageous and ridiculous weight loss claims – only an idiot or someone very desperate will buy into that! – and there’s a lot to like about the Idiot Proof Diet.
It’s got a novel approach and as far as this Idiot Proof Diet review is concerned, most of the 10 rules are sound and effective weight loss tips.
The diet makes effective use of its online format and has a wide and varied range of food choices, personalised to your likes and dislikes.
At $27 it presents reasonable value for money, although for our money programs like eDiets may offer better value online choices.
Whilst claiming that low carb diets don’t work, this diet has low carb meals and low carb days.
Whilst claiming that low calorie diets don’t work, this diet is calorie controlled and you’ll eat fewer calories than you burn off.
Whilst claiming that low fat foods don’t work, you’ll eat plenty of naturally low fat foods on this diet.
It’s all a bit contradictory in the end, which chips away at its credibility for us.
At the end of the day, I can’t help feeling that the overblown weight loss claims will drive subscribers away when they don’t lose 9lbs a day.
A scan through some online weight loss blogs and forums would confirm that. Rapid weight loss like that is just not possible nor sustainable in the medium to long term.
Besides, the evidence is clear, the faster the weight comes off, the faster it goes back on again once you finish your diet.
Our Idiot Proof Diet review verdict?
The free 3 day trial may be worth a try, but are there better online choices around that don’t make outrageous weight loss claims to get you to part with your cash?