The Abs Diet for Women: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Belly and Firm Up Your Body for Life

I just finished reading The Abs Diet for Women. It only took me a couple of days. It was a real easy read and I found it very helpful. I love to exercise but I am not very big on eating healthy. I finally caved and figured I should know how to do both. Even though I am only about 8lbs more than I want to be and I workout about 2hrs a day the weight just wasn't coming off until I used this book and started eating healthier. It truly is a great buy if you dont already understand how to eat healthy. I always get confused on what's healthy and what isn't, this book truly clears it all up. It also gives you great tips on what food goes good together and what doesnt. I always thought that if both foods were health you could eat them together but I guess that's not always the case. The book explains that some foods are better to eat together than others and some are best by themselves. I love that the book shows pictures of different ab exercises, I get sick of doing the same thing. It also has a list of health foods and a good workout route.

I already had the Abs Diet for Men book but wanted to see how they modified the womens' version. I think women need to be more sensitive to quantity of food intake then men do, and I was curious as to how this book addressed it. They still stick to the theory that eating the 12 power foods will keep you from over eating, but in case you don't buy it, they spend some time crunching numbers for those who want to calorie count. The math they use, though a little complicated, seems valid and useful.The contents of this book are VERY similar to the men's book. If you already own the mens' version, you probably don't need to shell out cash for this one. BUT where this book really impressed me was the quantity of exercises. It goes way above and beyond the mens' version, and I love this book for that reason alone. They also do a great job showing you gym versus home versions of exercises so you can do variations with more basic equipment (dumbbells only, etc.).I'm looking forward to digging in and getting results. Even if I can't get a six pack, following what this book outlines will definitely make you healthy.

This book offers sensible, up-to-date health advice for a sound diet that will allow you to lose weight and stave off disease by eating reasonable portions and "superfoods" loaded with antioxidants. The exercise plan is good, unless you are more advanced and wish to build bigger muscles (because muscles burn calories, and if you love to eat, you can eat more and maintain your current weight by building lots of muscle)there is not much advice on weightlifting.I already knew most of what was in the book, but if you're a beginner to resistance training and want a healthy, modern diet, AND only have 10 pounds or so to lose, this is a good book for you. Frankly, I found Jackie Warner's This is Why You're Fat to be a bit more helpful and realistic in terms of diet.

I've not read the regular Abs Diet book (the one not specifically for women) but I don't think this one is a whole lot different. The author does address some specific woman issues such as childbirth, menstrual cycle and also addresses vegetarianism (not that that is woman-specific). Also this has a calorie guide for many foods at the end of the book, if you are counting calories, which he says is not completely necessary. So I wouldn't recommend paying more for this book just because it is "for Women".Overall the book and plan is easy to follow but it is also not super specific. There are meal recommendations and even a two-week meal planner example. However, this plan gives you information so you are able to plan your own meals and snacks.I haven't been following this plan to a "T" but I have taken many of the suggestions from it and am losing a little over a pound a week, which I consider a success.The workout plan is fairly simple and a little too easy for me, but I have just been doing my own plan involving strength training and cardio (I am training for a half marathon). So if you don't workout no need to be hesitant of the program.Pros: not too restrictive, has wiggle roomCons: workout plan is too little, if you want something that tells you exactly what to eat this isn't good

Overall, this book is full of good information, presented in an easy-to-understand format. The dietary recommendations are sound, advocating a balance of protein, healthy fats, and carbs with the majority of the diet coming from whole food sources. The only objection I had was to the use of chromium picolinate supplements - this substance has been shown in animal studies to cause cancer and there is not enough evidence to call it safe for humans. If you need it, chromium is found naturally in brewer's yeast and other foods. The exercises presented were excellent, with both gym and home workouts. The ab-focused moves range from beginner to advanced, and cardio and yoga exercises are also included for variety. I personally like the book's focus on improving health - weight loss is a natural secondary benefit of a healthy lifestyle. Reading was a bit choppy though, with vignettes scattered throughout, frequently in the middle of a paragraph, which makes you flip back and forth through the pages to catch everything. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I have followed some of the recommendations given. In 2 weeks I have already noticed results. I highly recommend this book.