Is Fat Loss 4 Idiots an Effective Weight Loss Plan?

One of the most popular diets right now is Fat Loss 4 Idiots, and it's surrounded by an incredible amount of hype, but in truth, this diet (like all diets) is not the silver bullet that it's made out to be, but it is a moderately effective weight loss plan for certain types of dieters. 

Fat Loss 4 Idiots claims that they are the only diet available that will help you lose 9 pounds every 11 days. To clarify: that's not 9 pounds in 11 days, that's 9 pounds every 11 days while on the diet. Obviously, this is a significant reason to be skeptical of this diet plan, or at least skeptical that its claims might be exaggerated, even for diets that claim to help you loose weight fast!

When you examine the diet, you begin to understand that this claim is dampened due to the nature of the diet. Fat Loss 4 Idiot espouses "off" days, where you are free to eat whatever kinds of food you crave. Every two weeks, you are entitled to three of these off days.

We all know that during the first four to five days on a diet, the pounds melt away, resulting from purging  your colon and shedding water weight. On the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet then, you get the benefit of this initial drop during each 2-week period.

Here's what that might look like: begin the diet and drop 9 pounds in 11 days, then gain 3 back during the next 3 days; drop 9 pounds during the second period and add 3 back during the off days. The end result is indeed 9 pounds lost every 11 days, but a total weight loss of only 6 pounds every two weeks. Of course, even those numbers would be very difficult to maintain over the long term, but it does illustrate how the diet creators justify their claims.

A very encouraging component of this plan is the off days. During every two week period, you spend 11 days on the diet and 3 days off the diet. This is a little-used approach, and is one that is shared with another leading diet, the Cheat to Lose Diet. The principle is that you prevent your body's fat burning hormones at full levels with the off days, and because you can satisfy your cravings at least once every two weeks, the diet is easier to maintain over the long-term than other diets that help you loose weight quick.

The diet is also very easy for anyone to implement because it spends no time, and I mean absolutely none, informing you about how the diet works. It simply tells you what to eat. On the positive side, this is the fastest, brain-dead-simple way to start a diet; but it is far from ideal for those dieters who are interested in the facts behind why a diet works the way it does. If you are an information consumer, this do-what-I-say approach can grow tired quickly.

One last point to note about the diet is the simplicity of it. It's easy and fast to start, and it's a low-maintenance plan because Fat Loss 4 Idiots doesn't place much emphasis on calorie and carbohydrate counting or even portion size; instead, the program constantly encourages you to "eat short of being full."

The major difference between the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet plan and other weight loss programs is that the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet plan is specifically designed to confuse your body so it never thinks it's starving.

You should also be aware that this is a quick diet loss plan, plain and simple. It's not a weight loss program and there is no exercise component involved. If your goal is to lose pounds quickly, you are probably aware that you will need to add your own exercise component like intervals and strength training to your complete plan.

Fat Loss 4 Idiots, like most other diets, works only if you work it. But Fat Loss 4 Idiots is easier to work thanks to its low amount of necessary maintenance, regular cheat periods, and easy startup. But you will be wise to avoid this diet if you want to learn the details under the surface. Personally, I like facts, and I need them to stick with a plan. If you're like me, you would be wise to consider another diet plan.