The Abs Diet Weight Loss Program

Want a plan that allows you to eat whatever you want? On the six-week Abs Diet plan, you get to eat six times per day without counting calories, as long as you eat two or three "Powerfoods" at every meal - and for one glorious meal per week, you can eat anything you want. Through eating the Powerfoods (mostly protein and dairy) and following a prescribed exercise regime (heavy on the abdominal work, of course), this diet promises weight loss and a flatter stomach in six weeks. This, creator David Zinczenko says, will help decrease the risk factors for diseases such as heart disease and cancer, help resolve back pain, and improve your sex life.

What makes The Abs Diet a different Weight Loss Program?

The Abs Diet combines a balance of food choices (heavy on protein, dairy, and high-fiber vegetables) with a targeted exercise plan to reduce belly fat and improve abdominal muscle tone. The program only lasts for six weeks, so it's better viewed as a problem-solver than a lifestyle choice.

What is The Abs Diet?

In The Abs Diet six-week plan, three meals and three snacks are eaten throughout the day, with snacks being eaten two hours before lunch, two hours before dinner, and two hours after dinner. Twelve main "Powerfoods" are the focus of this plan. These Powerfoods include almonds and other nuts, beans, green vegetables, berries, extra-protein (whey) powder (which may be difficult to find at the grocery store), whole grains, peanut butter, lean meats, and low or non-fat dairy items. These Powerfoods are so named because they incorporate one or more nutrients that have been shown to have certain health benefits such as fiber, calcium, protein, and mono- and polyunsaturated fats.

No calorie counting is necessary on the Abs Diet and advice about portion sizes is (maybe overly) simple. Each meal should be no bigger then the diameter of a plate and should include one or two servings of each food group (i.e. carbohydrates, fat, and protein). Also, each meal should provide two or three Powerfoods, while snacks should provide at least one Powerfood.

Unsure how to get all those Powerfoods in? Dig out your blender and start making the recommended high-protein smoothies. Unlike many other diets, you get one meal per week to splurge and eat whatever you like.

Exercise is an important component of this diet. The Abs Diet Workout plan is twenty minutes of strength training, three times per week, including abdominal exercises two of those days. Walking and interval training are suggested for the non-strength training days, but are optional. In fact, any kind of exercise is entirely optional for the first two weeks. The book details the program complete with photos (of a very fit man and woman!) and a workout DVD is also available.

There is no detailed maintenance plan described at the end of the six weeks, just two guidelines. The first is that instead of "cheating" for one meal a week, you can now "cheat" for an entire day. The second is that you can decrease your exercise, if you like.

An online Web site is available for a nominal fee, where you can gain access to special features such as a customized program, or you can just log on to drool over what your abs should look like in 6 weeks - was that guy airbrushed?

What are the weight loss expectations?

In six weeks, Zinczenko says a maximum of 20 pounds of fat loss can be expected on the Abs Diet, but that's offset by a 4-6 pound muscle gain in men and a 2-4 pound muscle gain in women. This is one where you really have to pay attention to your shape, not the numbers on the scale.

Is exercise promoted?

Exercise is a large part of this diet, but is optional for the first two weeks, since diet is supposed to be the focus during that time. The Abs Diet Workout plan includes strength training three times a week (two of those sessions are abdominal exercises). Zinczenko suggests cardiovascular exercise such as walking and interval training on non-strength training days. If you buy the book or log onto the website, you'll get detailed directions on the exercises, including photos and equipment needed. You can buy a workout DVD, too.

Are supplements recommended?

The Abs Diet recommends "Extra-protein (whey) powder," ground flaxseed, a multivitamin, and vitamin C during times of stress.