The Abs Diet: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life Hardcover – June 19, 2004

Kudos to David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker for this highly worthwhile addition to our understanding of why Americans are so overweight and out of shape. The Abs Diet is an eye opener, even for someone like myself who has learned some valuable information from Drs. Sears, Atkins, and Agatston. The Abs Diet stands out among the rest, mostly for its presentation of wholesome nutrition AND regular weight-training exercise combined with interval training as the double-edged sword that will get real and lasting results.I haven't been on the diet and exercise plan long enough to give a testimonial to the results, but I think I know enough about the subject to recognize sound and truly helpful advice when I see it. The authors also focus on two harmful substances (manmade) that the other authors do not: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and Trans Fat, also known as partially hydrogenated oil.I have tried other approaches, but am somewhat disillusioned with the idea of using expensive sugar-free candy and other processed food products to satisfy my sweet tooth. Now that I realize that carbs can be very good for you, I will focus on fruits instead. I also appreciate the authors' efforts to educate us on the difference between beneficial versus harmful carbohydrates and fats. The nutritional knowledge imparted in this book, especially the 12 food groups that are the core of the eating plan, plus the no-nonsense truth that muscle mass is probably our best weapon in fighting flab and staying healthy, should help anyone willing to work patiently at conquering the effects of American living: too much processed and junk foods and too little physical activity. I'm now reading the companion guide "The Abs Diet Eat Right Every Time Guide" but will withhold my comments until I'm able to report my progress in losing pounds and inches.My one request is that their next book be one specifically written for women. Sure, men and women should both benefit nicely from the nutrition and exercise principles in The Abs Diet, but the recipes tend to be too caloric for a woman, especially a small/petite woman who cannot eat as much as a man (no matter how healthy the food is) and expect to lose weight. Women also have special nutritional requirements, particularly calcium and iron. I don't know any women who long to have "washboard abs" but they certainly do like the idea of a midsection that is flat, firm, and feminine. How about it, fellows?Bottom line: If you want one book to motivate and educate you toward fulfilling your New Year's Resolution to be lean, fit, and healthy, The Abs Diet is the one get.

I think I have read every diet book written and I doubted that this book had anything more to add to my knowledge. Alas, I was wrong. This is a good book but if you are looking for instant magic, then this book or any other, will not help you. Covered here are basics that can help anyone, even someone that is not seeking to loose weight. Your food intake is composed of a balance of foods that are all good for you. Only the traditional junk is left out. There is an emphasis on fiber and protein that will keep you filled up without overeating. Sorry no bacon! I have religiously charted my progress in terms of calories, and clearly on the days that I follow the diet, I always consume less calories than I utilize, which equals weight loss. (and I do this without any agony) On the days that I stray, I tend to overeat! Duh!! Exercise is focused on the mid area (abs) but includes aerobic as well. You abs show by reducing fat (everywhere including the abs area) and building muscle. Basically adding muscle increases caloric demand. As we age we loose muscle etc. Additionally, the book has a great series of illustrated exercises, that can be done in a gym or at home. Too many books expect you to have access to a gym or have $5K worth of equipment in your home. Not required here. A worthwhile read for sure!! Oh by the way, I have actually read this book cover to cover several times, unlike some of the reviews posted here. It works, what more can be said.

This review will be evolutionary as I finish the book and start implementing it into my next 6 weeks. It's a Wednesday and I want to start into the principles of this book on Sunday, and I'm 75 pages into it so far. However I have thoughts already so I want to list them out here:Week 0I am well aware of the idea of eating several small meals throughout the day, and I've made it several weeks on those plans and dropped weight very fast. However, I am trying to stay mostly plant-based and after a few days of quinoa + black beans + broccoli, I'm just not that hungry anymore, and I want more diversity. I also recently bought the book "Power Training", also by Men's Health, and someone reviewing that book recommended this book so I gave it a shot.At first I am skeptical of Men's Health (even though I buy it) since everyone knows most health magazines exist to pimp out more supplements, and a small set of people know that most supplements are crap. However, I'm keeping an open mind and starting into the Abs Diet.There are some decent principles here but also some questionable science. First off, one of his power foods is Dairy. Any CrossFit/Paleo or vegan would tell you that dairy is bad, bad, bad news for you. Just read the China Study and find out how bad. Humans are not meant to consume the milk of a 4-legged bovine creature designed to grow an infant cow several times its baby size in under a year. While calcium is great, getting calcium in the form of dairy increases the acidic load on the body, which requires a base to neutralize so the body can maintain pH balance. Guess what base it uses? Calcium, stripped from your own bones. Interesting that the countries with highest rates of osteoporosis also have the highest rates of dairy consumption. You can live without dairy and if you really love pizza, try that new pizza made with Daiya plant-based cheese.Another big issue I'm seeing in the first 75 pages is his dissing on cardiovascular work. Yes, regular cardio only burns during and briefly after a workout, but high-intensity interval training burns for over 24 hours after a workout. (Power Training references this too) This is why sprinters/ultimate frisbee/soccer players generally are pretty ripped, while distance runners are thin but definitely not ripped. You can read about HIIT elsewhere.My final big issue I'm going to face in this book is that I'm trying my best to stay on a plant-based diet, or at least pesco-vegan. Part of the reason is I don't like cooking meat, it takes a while, it's expensive, and research from books like the China Study show the relation between high animal protein diets and cancer growth. Another reason for staying mostly plant-based is that more and more research is showing that whole food, plant-based athletes outperform their omnivorous comrades. Some thoughts are that recovery time is less for plant-eaters (again has to do with pH balance as well as our biological makeup, i.e. long curvy stomachs of herbivores vice short stomachs of carnivores).In that respect I'm angry that the author continues to pimp whey protein, also a dairy derivative. I'm going to do my best to provide alternatives to his suggestions such as the brown rice protein powder (SunWarrior is really amazingly good). Perhaps someone out there reading this in the future will want to try this on a vegan diet, and I know from searching this book's reviews on Amazon that the word vegan doesn't show up yet.Also remember that it's unreasonable that 6 weeks will give you a six pack if you're 40 lbs overweight, but ideally if the food is good and people enjoy it, you can stick to the plans indefinitely, or at least until you reach your target weight.I'm giving this book a 4 to start because I think he has good ideas, but which way my review goes will depend on the next couple hundred pages and, more importantly, the results I get after a solid 6-week go on the principles of the book. There is no single book out there that tells you how to get a six-pack on an entirely plant-based diet, i.e. eat this every day, cheat 1-2 meals/week on the same day, and do such and such exercises (like HIIT). I intend to find out if this is doable.For the record, I am 6'2", weighing between 200-203 lbs, and my Tanita scale reports my bodyfat % at 15%. My target bodyfat % is 8%. I don't care about absolute weight for obvious reasons.