The Abs Diet by David Zinczenko (Rodale, £12.99)

6/10

REVIEW By WLR Dietitian

Juliette Kellow BSc RD

What’s the theory?

For every extra 1lb of muscle you gain, your body burns an extra 50 calories a day. This means if you can build 10lb of muscle, your body will burn an extra 500 calories a day – enough for you to lose 1lb a week without dieting. The Abs Diet plan aims to help you build more muscle by eating the right foods and exercising so that your body burns fat faster, with the result that you lose weight.

What does the diet involve?

For six weeks you’ll fill up on 12 nutrient-packed powerfoods that provide all the vitamins, minerals and fibre you need for good health, while promoting muscle growth and fat burning. Added to this, you’ll do a 20-minute workout three times a week.

What can I eat?

You’re allowed to eat six meals a day consisting of 12 powerfoods – almonds and other nuts, beans and pulses, spinach and other green veg, low-fat dairy products, instant hot oat cereal, eggs, turkey and other lean meats, peanut butter, olive oil, wholegrain breads and cereals, extra protein powder and raspberries and other berries. All other foods are off limits.

What else does the book include?

Information on how fab abs can improve your health and sex life, together with easy-to-understand explanations of health problems. There’s also a good guide to basic nutrition, success stories, detailed information about the powerfoods, a 7-day diet plan and illustrated exercises.

How much weight will I lose?

Expect to shift up to 12lb in the first two weeks followed by 5-8lb in the next two

Juliette’s verdict on the Abs Diet

Having too much fat around your stomach is a risk factor for heart disease and several other health problems so it’s important to lose weight if this is the case. However, it’s impossible to lose fat from one specific area of your body like your stomach – dieting will help you lose fat from all over. Nevertheless, this diet and exercise plan – which is aimed mainly at men – is really achievable and will certainly help you shift those pounds and tone up. And though it initially looks like you can only eat 12 foods there’s still plenty of variety within each food.