A diet centered around the abs - doesn't that go against everything we've been taught about health? After all, you can't spot-diet any more than you can spot-reduce fat with exercise. You can't center your food intake (or restriction thereof) around just one body part, can you? But there is more common sense behind The Abs Diet than you might think judging from the title. The most dangerous type of fat is abdominal fat, and the way modern man eats contributes to its growth (and your girth). Cut nasty items from your diet such as high-fructose corn syrup and trans fats while increasing the percentage of healthy protein and whole foods, and you have a formula to melt away that spare tire. Add muscle-building strength training to the mix and you'll wind up revealing a nice six-pack. That's what The Abs Diet is about, and it promises to give you results in six weeks.

The great thing about the Abs Diet is that it's not really a diet at all - you don't have to give up whole food groups, measure everything you eat or follow a strict menu that will never allow you to eat out or be spontaneous. Instead, you are given a list of 12 "power foods" as your focus - healthful, tasty items like nuts, berries, greens and lean meats. They all fall on the lower side of the glycemic scale, and while this is a lower-carb way of eating, you still include grains in your diet, with an emphasis on whole grains. And instead of starving yourself and binging later, you eat six smaller meals throughout the day so that you never go hungry. Although the diet lasts six weeks, it's really an invitation for you to change your way of eating for good, so you keep the fat off once you've lost it. To help you in your mission, you are given an exercise program to follow. Author David Zinczenko points out that muscle uses energy even while it's resting, so the more muscle you have, the more fat you will wind up burning.

Much of this information is probably familiar to you (especially if you spend much time perusing this site), but what makes The Abs Diet so worthwhile is that it takes everything you know - or claim to know - and organizes it into an easy-to-follow program. As inspiration, you will find a lot of success stories (in fact, one of the guys profiled in the book has even added an enthusiastic review to Amazon!). In addition, Zinczenko has an easygoing, conversational writing style that's fun to read. If you ever pick up Men's Health, his approach may be familiar to you since he's the magazine's editor-in-chief. If you're sick of your gut and ready to make some lifestyle changes that you'll wind up loving, then get this book. You'll lose your ab flab, and gain a whole lot of health in the process.

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