Flat Belly Diet 4-Day Anti-Bloat Cleanse

Before I started the whole journey to eating clean, I did a 10-day Advocare Cleanse to clear out my system, so to speak. It did wonderful things for my energy levels and helped get my mindset into eating clean. Well, nine months later, I decided I needed another push of the reset button. I've been doing really well overall, but summer has been hard for overeating and not choosing good foods. So, I am doing another cleanse, but this time I am doing the Flat Belly Diet 4-day Anti-Bloat Cleanse.

I am not a fan of diets at all because I think they set you up for eating unrealistically and while you may have success at the beginning, it usually fades pretty quickly. I'm more for lifestyle changes that you can adopt for the rest of your life. I came across the Flat Belly Diet and was skeptical at first, but after reading through the book, I decided to try the cleanse and then adopt some of the diet. The diet is basically a 1600-calorie Mediterranean diet that includes a MUFA (monounsaturated fat) in every meal. You can read more about it here and here.

I'll talk more about the diet as I go along, but I wanted to tell you all about the cleanse. I definitely felt less bloated afterwards, but pretty hungry each day. I definitely did not consume enough calories for my 14k training and bonked on one of my runs. Overall, it was a great way to reset my appetite and I did lose a few pounds. I will continue to drink the Sassy Water because was very refreshing and suppressed my appetite.

Here's what was on the menu for each day (plus my modifications). I took some creative liberties and swapped out some of the sides and changed them between days:

Day 1
Breakfast
1 c unsweetened cornflakes
1 c skim milk
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce (I did not eat this...gross)
1/2 c raw or roasted sunflower seeds
1 glass sassy water

Lunch
4 oz turkey
1 light string cheese
1 pt fresh grape tomatoes
glass of sassy water

Smoothie: 1 c skim milk,1 c frozen blueberries blended then add 1 Tbsp cold pressed organic flaxseed oil (This can be eaten as a mid-morning, mid-afternoon or after dinner snack...whenever you need the pick-me-up)

Dinner
1 c fresh/frozen cooked green beans
4 oz grilled/cooked tilapia
1/2 c roasted red potatoes drizzled with 1 tsp olive oil.

Day 2
Breakfast
1 c Rice Krisipies
1 c skim milk
1/4 c sunflower seeds
4 oz pineapple tidbits canned in juice (left this out...not a pineapple fan either)
glass of sassy water

Lunch
3 oz light tuna in water (I did turkey every day b/c I don't like tuna)
1 c steamed baby carrots (I used raw, regular carrots...too much sugar in the baby ones)
1 light string cheese
Sassy water

Smoothie: 1 c skim milk, 4 oz canned pineapple tidbits in juice in blender, stir in 1 tbsp flax oil

Dinner
1 c fresh crimini (bella) mushrooms sauteed in 1 tsp olive oil
3 oz grilled chicken breast
1/2 c brown rice
Sassy water

Day 3
Breakfast
Same as Day 1 except for 2 Tbsp raisins instead of applesauce

Lunch
Same as Day 1

Smoothie: use 1 c frozen peaches w/ 2 tsp flax oil

Dinner
Same as day 1 except for 3oz baked turkey cutlet instead of fish. (I did chicken again)

Day 4
Breakfast
1 pkg instant cream of wheat
1 c skim milk
1/4 c sunflower seed
2 dried plums

Lunch
Same as Day 1

Smoothie use 1 c frozen strawberries/2 tsp flax oil

Dinner
1 c fresh/frozen yellow squash sauteed in 1 tsp olive oil
3 oz grilled chicken breast
1/2 c brown rice
Sassy water

During 4 days you also must avoid coffee, any soft drink, sweeteners, salt, excess carbs, bulky raw food, gassy foods, gum, fried foods, spicy foods.

The Sassy Water Recipe

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.