Who wouldn’t buy a diet book that promises flat abs in six short weeks? Well, having read just about every diet book on the market, I can assure you that few people could resist the promise of so much in so little time, and The Abs Diet not only makes that promise, but shows you the goods behind the bravado.

Written by Men’s Health editor-in-chief David Zinczenko, with Ted Spiker, The Abs Diet is a simple plan for optimum eating and weight training, along with some good, solid ab work that should have men and women flocking to the bookstores before they hit the gym. Although written more for men, the diet and exercise plan is perfectly applicable to women, and focuses on revving up metabolism by building lean muscle through the proper foods, weight exercises and of course, the crunches and ab work. The idea is to get the body burning calories all the time, whether engaged in exercise or not, and only the increase of lean muscle mass can accomplish this goal.

The diet itself, based upon solid research and good common sense, sounds a lot like the South Beach and Protein Power diets, but with a little more simplicity and a more generous selection of foods to choose from. The focus is on what the author calls the “Abs Diet Power 12,” twelve food groups that spell out ABS POWER DIET with their first letters (your only hint! Buy the book!) and promise to stoke the metabolic fire. Using these twelve food groups, the diet allows for plenty of variety, ease of planning and flexibility and is detailed in the book.

The exercise angle focuses on weights and using the body’s own weight or basic equipment for approximately half an hour three days a week to build more lean muscle, which in turn burns more calories even while the body is resting (yahooo!). There are plenty of great photos in the back of the book showing just how easy these exercises are, for men and for women, as well as some awesome ab exercises that the authors suggest are incorporated into the overall plan to strengthen all parts of the abs, back and core.

With recipes and plenty of great smoothie ideas, and very simple and direct language, this book is one of the most easy to read and easy to do “diets” I’ve come across, and perhaps the title doesn’t do the entire plan justice because of the focus on abs. Don’t think this is just a book about doing a better crunch or sit-up, because it is really about adopting a workable and healthy lifestyle that not only burns body fat, but lowers bad cholesterol reduction, reduces blood pressure and helps control a host of other obesity-related problems.

Kudos for The Abs Diet, which most folks should have no problem following and losing weight with. Why didn’t I give it five stars, you ask? Well, I’m reserving that honor for a diet book that allows you to lose weight JUST BY READING THE BOOK.