For most of us, our biggest problem area seems to be around the midsection and there is countless talk of how to lose it. From foods that reportedly help you achieve a flatter belly — these include cucumbers which help to prevent bloating, bananas, which can prevent water retention, and Papaya, which contains the enzyme, papain, which helps your body to digest foods — to flat belly tips, such as when to eat and to chew your food more, it's clear that there is an overwhelming amount of information available on how to fight the belly bulge.

So, it should probably come as no surprise that there is a weight loss diet called The Flat Belly Diet. It was started by the editor at Prevention magazine, Liz Vaccariello, and registered dietitian Cynthia Sass, who claim that if you follow their diet plan you could lose up to 15 pounds in 32 days.

The diet consists of two phases: The first is designed to reduce bloat and is the "anti-bloat" phase which lasts for four days and is the most restrictive part of the diet. Calories are restricted to 1,200 a day and according to US News, each day you will eat four meals of 300 calories, from an approved food and drinks list. Among the list of foods are cucumbers, baby carrots, skim milk, extra virgin olive oil, and chicken breast. You also need to drink 2 liters of something referred to as "Sassy Water" (which is homemade and includes ginger, cucumber, and mint leaves).

The idea in this phase is to reduce gas and prevent fluid retention.

Then you can move on to the second phase, which lasts four weeks and consists of 1,600 calories a day (consisting of four, 400 calorie meals a day) focusing on foods that are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) — which reportedly aid the loss of belly fat. As well as lean protein, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

But does it work? According to Mayo Clinic, there are no clinical trials that suggest that the Flat Belly Diet works any better than other calorie restricted eating programs, and while it may sound appealing to lose such a large amount of weight in such a short time frame, the publication claims that long term weight loss is achieved through regular exercise and healthy eating.

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