The Abs Diet by David Zinczenko (Editor of Mens Health magazine) has been a very popular book.
It is quite similar to Bill Phillips’ Body For Life, and aims to get people thinking of the whole picture – strength training, cardio, as well as eating right.
The Abs Diet has now gone online – offering a subscription based program with a selection of excellent tools.
They currently have a Free 10 day trial (but nowhere could I find the ongoing costs of the program).
Can It Really Produce a 6 Pack?
The Abs Diet has been expertly marketed by Rodale (who also market the South Beach Diet). It has a lot of good sensible advice (eating 5-6 times per day, whole carbs, good fats). It is very strong in providing clear workout plans (many with an emphasis on abdominal muscles).
However, it does stretch things a bit with the claim on abdominal fat.
Lose Extra Pounds and Inches: With belly fat coming off first.
Unfortunately fat tends to come off where it will (often like layers peeling off an onion).
Anecdotally, it seems to come off in the opposite way it goes on. If you get a fat tummy first, that’s usually the last place the fat will exit from. The Abs Diet also has other claims such as “…you’ll convert fat to muscle”. Fat is burned off, muscle is built – perhaps that’s what is implied.
The Abs Diet 12 “Power Foods”
- Almonds and Other Nuts eaten with skins intact.
- Beans and Other Legumes
- Spinach and Other Green Vegetables
- Dairy: Fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese
- Instant Oatmeal: Unsweetened, unflavored
- Eggs
- Turkey and other lean meats. Lean steak, chicken, fish
- Peanut Butter – All-natural, sugar-free.
- Olive Oil
- Whole-Grain Breads and Cereals
- Extra-Protein (Whey) Powder
- Raspberries and Other Berries
A great selection of foods that the author has cleverly selected and arranged to spell the word “ABSDIETPOWER”.
Verdict?
Nothing really new in the Abs Diet – but you wouldn’t go too far wrong by having either Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, Body For Life, or The Abs Diet in your collection.
See Abs Diet Online here.
Thanks for putting together such a great site. I will be bookmarking this.
I’ll try to answer a few of these
-Yes, whey protein is expensive. No real way around it. But I’ve found that even having a smoothie every single day, it took me about 2 months or more to get through it all
-Good work on drinking milk! Chocolate tends to have a lot of sugar and/or HFCS (really bad). Save it for your cheat meal.
-You’re looking for packages that say “100% whole grain”. Emphasis on the 100%. Anything that says, “Made with” or “Contains” is phony marketing. Also check the nutrition facts. You want the most fiber content you can get.
-I’ve found it easiest not to count anything. Stick with the absdiet foods and 6 principles and you’ll be good to go.
AbsDiet isn’t a “get thin quick scheme”. Discipline and patience still apply. Find the foods you like most. Enjoy them, and take it one day at a time. This isn’t a diet you’ll HAVE to stick to. It’s a diet you’ll WANT to stick to!
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This eating plan really did change my life. After my brother had been killed in a car wreck at age 17, I decided to get my life back together and became emotionally vested in a simple, yet measurable goal: reveal my abs. At this point I had no idea that the AbsDiet book/program existed. I started tracking my calories through a software on my Palm Z99-still eating crap food, but losing weight by ensuring I ran a calorie deficit each day.
Then one day I was walking back from class and a powerful thought had entered my mind. What if there are certain TYPES of food that will actually increase my results by maintaining or even building muscle mass WHILE getting rid of fat? I went home and immediately discovered the AbsDiet. I bought the book, STOPPED counting calories, lost about 15 additional pounds, and yes, found my abs. I recommend this book to anybody.
I am going to be purchasing this online program after Christmas (my las fatty hurrah..haha) but I felt the need to comment on the people who are posting that they are gaining weight. Everyone is letting the most basic principle of weight loss escape them. Calories consumed > Calories burned = Weight gain. Calories consumed < Calories burned = weight loss…and when they are balanced that is maintaining. Perhaps some of you who are following the diet to a T and are gaining weight need to work harder in the gym to burn off more calories. Not everyones metabolism is the same and some of you will need to work harder to get that heart rate up and keep it up longer.
Hey Guys!
I would love to sign up to the Abs Diet online but it seems only to offer either for US or Canada residents, whilst I live in the UK. Does anyone know if I can sign up some other way, even though I live in the UK? Thanks!
great comment that mate,i’ve never understood why people go out to be robbed of there money.Do you have a six pack?
i am 5’3 170 lbs and need to lose. i have been trying to do low cars but i just can’t get satisfied with just meat/eggs and cheese with very little veggies and no fruit. however, i find the speciality foods rather expensive. i would like to use all of the whey proteins because the book reads as if you “have” to have it. however, i can’t find anything but those big canisters of this stuff and they are $30 a piece. some of the recipes call for just plain the other vanilla then other choc.
i love milk and drink only 1% both white and choc, how much can i have and not go over board? how can i really tell if stuff is real “whole” grain
whole wheat flour
whole grain wheat flour
stone ground whole wheat flour
7 or more grains
???????????????????
does it matter how many carbs as long and the carbs come from the foods that are on the power 12?
i just have lots and lots of questions, need help
i want to suceed with this
Oh and drink water all day..about 60 oz
I love the ABS Diet. I started it in 2008 within 6 weeks I reached my goal of 187 down from 204. I was never hungry. I am still on the program in late 2009. I am not a die hard fanatic. I do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and run 2-3 times a week each. I squeeze like 2 days of weights in a month. I am on it now at about the 60% level. I live in a country where I cant have the smoothies (no yogurt)
However my weight stays from 191-194. (194 is my max weight for the military, I am 5’11″ and 42). Basically I drink the water, eat on the schedule, enjoy lots of nuts or protein bars. I do the workouts I want and make weight with no fuss. Everyone says I look great, and everyone that I tell about the ABSDIET that actually tries it becomes a convert for life.
Do the diet…I used the book…read it in less than 2 hours and stated next day.
KEYS
Eat 6 times a day: Meal 1 when you wake up + 8oz water. Eat snack one 2 hours before lunch, Eat lunch. Eat snack two 2 hours before dinner, Eat dinner, 2 hours later eat snack 3 (just a small portion if late).
Finally WORKOUT..the book wants you to lift weights because the muscle healing process burns calories for up to 48 hours after the lift…use the plan if you arent lifting now..you can be out of the gym in under 30 minutes…Be sure and use the abs diet target and dont get hungry…GOOD LUCK
Vince, there are a couple reasons the diet might not be working for you. It looks like you might be eating too many servings of the same foods. Zinczenko states to have only one or two servings of an item a day. You are having over two servings of berries and bread. If you notice, Zinczenko doesn’t have fruit with the meals. Cut back on fruit and bread, the latter being more important. Almonds are more nutritious than cashews(make sure they don’t have salt or are roasted in oil). Try adding more greens and legumes to your meals. Drink green tea to help suppress your appetite, drink lots of water (diet pop makes you crave foods and dehydrates.
Make sure you are changing up your workout routine to keep your body changing. And add more cardio.
Hi..guy, just for you all information. I have one friend use healthy diet system in one month she loss 10kg. Very nice…If you all want to know more, i can sharing with you all…
I just will tell you guys this, it works!!! ABS diet is the best thing on the market it dose not restrict you as much as other, it’s actully so basic that when reading it you will be like jesus this is common sense. lol. I am on it and I do cheat a lot and in last 3 months I went from 237 to 200lb, and lets not even talk about how much better I feel about my self and in the gym. ABS diet is a good book and easy read as long as you wont focus on portion control it appears that everyone has that problem. Remember is not abut the size of the portion but what you put in it. If you put all the good stuff eat till you blow.
Help! I gained about 2-3 lbs so far my first week of Abs Diet for Women. Is this normal? I can handle not losing weight…but gaining weight? There’s no way it’s muscle gain already.
Um.. 1 gram of protein for every pound you weigh is quite sensible. That means an average 150 lb person should eat about 5 oz of lean protein a day. Maybe your thinking he said an ounce per pound??
What is the difference between the book and the online program? Is the book really that hard to follow? (I’ve seen a few comments that say this..) I am afraid that I will get off track if I use the online program and forget to input food, or if I can’t access the internet at the exact moment I need to.
Any suggestions as to which is better?
I’m about to start the Abs diet for women on Monday the 5th, any success story?
On the Men’s health website, the breakfast is so small, and the meals later in the day often seem larger. Does anybody have any input on whether or not i can eat a big breakfast and no so big of a lunch and dinner. and of course i am supplement my diet with protein after my workouts.
thanks much
I’ve been on the abs diet for about 8 weeks. I haven’t actually LOST any weight, but I did a body fat analysis and my body fat has gone down by 1%, and I’ve put on 8 lbs of muslce. CRAZY! I went from 178 yo about 186lbs. My shoulders are huge! BTW I don’t do the abs diet workouts, they’re for beginners
I do a program from t-nation.com called “Stripped Down Hypertrophy”. Its basically a few large lifts (deadlifts and squats) combined with some accessory back and chest work.
I was wondering if Terri ever got a response to her question. After my first week, I am concerned because I have gained a few pounds and haven’t lost any inches so I don’t think it’s muscle.
Don’t forget that muscle weighs more than fat. If the scale says you’re heavier but your clothes fit better than you know the extra poundage is muscle and the fat is disappearing.
I’d throw the stupid scale out and keep on going!