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March/April 2004 Featured Stories
Fat Flush Fitness Plan and Low-Carbs
A Candid interview with Ann Louise Gittleman

by Miriam Knight

Ann Louise Gittleman

For years Robert Atkins, the father of the current Low Carb diet revolution, was a voice in the wilderness crying out against refined carbohydrates and the traditional food pyramid. It is ironic that mainstream acceptance of the principles he had been preaching skyrocketed after he died. Once the media and marketing machines got cranked up, "Low Carb" has turned into a $2.5 billion a year industry. So is the Low Carb diet the answer for America’s growing epidemic of obesity? The magic bullet in the quest for beauty and longevity?

Leading nutritionist, Ann Louise Gittleman, has just co-authored The Fat Flush Fitness Plan together with TV fitness guru Joanie Greggains. This book is a sequel to her most recent best-seller, The Fat Flush Diet. Although it is billed as "the perfect fitness plan for Low-Carb dieters," in fact nutritionist Gittleman advocates "controlled carbs" rather than Low-Carbs. Importantly, she and Greggains firmly believe in the necessity for a fitness plan to complement any diet program.

Q: What is unique about this fitness plan?
A: I think it is high time we really focus on the lymphatic system, which nobody has been talking about in this country. As far as I’m concerned, it is one of the keys to immunity; it’s one of the keys to overall health, and it is certainly the key to keeping your waste materials, fats and fluids moving though the system. So specifically targeting the lymphatic system is what sets us apart from any other fitness plan that has ever been created."

Q: I noticed you focused on three principles: detoxifying the liver, stimulating the lymphatic system and reducing stress.
A: Yes, they are intertwined. The liver is important not just in detoxifying but also in weight loss. The lymphatic system is to Fat Flush Fitness what the liver is to the Fat Flush plan itself. They both meet to keep stress down because of the Cortisol response. If you take care of yourself in the way that we suggest, by targeting the circulation of the lymph with the specific 3-phase exercise program – whether it be rebounding, aromatherapy, skin brushing, deep breathing or special lymphatic massage – that will also reduce stress.
By making fitness bigger than just exercise, moving it into a higher plane in terms of lifestyle habits, it integrates all of those elements effortlessly. I’m after lifestyle changes, not just a fad diet or exercise program.

Q: I’ve noticed that the new books coming out now are echoing this. They are all saying you cannot have permanent weight loss without a lifestyle change.
A: Absolutely. The Fat Flush Plan is still the third or fourth best selling diet plan in the country, but we’re the only major diet brand that has a designated fitness program, because you can’t do it with diet alone. By unclogging the lymph system you can flush away the pounds and you can be healthy in the process. In a European study, they found that sluggishness of the lymph was directly connected with cellulite.

Q: I seem to recall that lymphatic sluggishness or blocks were also implicated in breast and prostate cancer.
A: Without a doubt! The reality is that congested lymph is connected to a wide range of problems from allergies to chronic fatigue, headaches, PMS, fibromyalgia, infections, nonmalignant fibrous growths. This has huge implications for how the immune system is functioning.

Q: You say in the book to be honest with yourself and if you’re not going to exercise, put the book down now!
A: The reality is that movement is exceedingly important. You have to find what’s going to work with you long term, and we know that you don’t have a lot of time. That’s why we have focused on rebounding, one of the most effective exercise known. Because it is so efficient, economical and effective – six minutes of rebounding equals one mile of jogging – we’ve tried to make the program as easy and effortless as possible. Anyone can find the time to bounce on the balls of our feet or get one of those mini-trampolines or rebounders for $60 and up. It is the perfect exercise for all ages and stages of life, and all weather, and it strengthens, clears and oxygenates all the body’s cells. Bouncing is back, and we show people the proper ways to do it and how incredibly effective it is.

Q: Does the reader need to get your diet book first?
A: I believe it is a stand-alone book. It is perfect for anybody who wants to embrace a healthy lifestyle or who is a Low-Carb dieter. We feature smarter, not harder exercises, which are ideal for low-carb, low-calorie eating, where you don’t have a lot of energy to burn with exercise. It is also the only program I know that targets the lymphatic system. We build on the best elements of cardio, strength training, yoga, stretching and muscle endurance, so it is a wonderful adjunct to whatever fitness or diet program you may be resonating to.

Q: You are considered a real nutritional guru. What is your opinion of this whole low- carb thing?
A: We have to look at the underlying principles. We used to think that all fats were bad, but now we know that not all fats were created equal, and some are essential for health. Well the same thing for carbohydrates, for God’s sake. You’re throwing out the baby with the bathwater, and there are certain carbohydrates that are absolutely essential because they provide you with wholesome, quality food. We’re talking about the slow acting or low glycemic fruit and veggies. Those elements are exceedingly important for a healthy diet.

Q: Don’t the low carb diet foods eliminate refined sugars, flour and hydrogenated fats from the diet?
A: I believe that eliminating those insulin-raising foods is going in the right direction, but the public and the marketing people have taken it to new heights of ridiculousness. I cringe at seeing all these synthetic foods labeled "Low-Carb", as if they’re healthy. These aren’t real food. It’s a marketing bandwagon that I have trouble with and I predict it will backfire.

Q: So, it is not "Low Carb" per se, that you object to, but more the synthetic, processed foods that are sold under that banner?
A: Absolutely! I am upset, worried and flabbergasted that the public can’t see beyond the marketing tactics. Just because something is low carb doesn’t mean that it’s quality or good for you. This is similar with what we saw with "low fat."
Some of the things that disturb me the most are the overuse of soy protein isolates and artificial sweeteners. Soy protein isolate is not a whole food; it is a primary allergen in the American diet and it may wreak problems with the thyroid down the road.
The use of sweeteners like aspartame or even Splenda, which is a chlorinated molecule, makes me crazy. I predict that Splenda is going to turn out to be even more detrimental than aspartame, which is a neurotoxin and excitotoxin. As a chlorinated molecule, Splenda has the ability to be absorbed and chlorine is an estrogen mimic.

Q: Isn’t it a bit like the drug companies ignoring natural remedies because they can’t patent and make money off them?
A: It’s abominable and very frightening to think of what we’re going to see happening in the name of profit. I’m afraid that quite a lot of nasty immunosuppressant problems are likely to surface as the years go on, and they will be the result of all these synthetic foods and elements marketed as the next best diet.

Q: So who bears the ultimate responsibility here?
A: You know, the bottom line is that nobody is going to care about your body as much as you. If you don’t prepare for your future health today, you can look forward to extending the period of longevity, but with a poor quality of life. We have extended the period of dying for so many people once they reach their 70s and 80s. The concept is quality in longevity, and the only way you are going to reach that is by incorporating the principles of cleansing, rejuvenation, purification, looking at your lymph, targeting your liver and supporting the detoxification elements that Mother Nature has so beautifully orchestrated within your body.

The Fat Flush Fitness Plan by Ann Louise Gittleman, M.S., C.N.S. and Joanie Greggains (McGraw Hill, 2004; Hardcover, $19.95) Visit Ann Louise’s website for excellent articles and resources - www.annlouise.com.