Another diet book? You guessed it. Seems everyone has a gimmick when it comes to losing weight, and this time the gimmick is drinking protein shakes twice a day in replacement of regular meals. Yeah, right. Like that’ll work!

But apparently, for many users of The L.A. Shape Diet, it does work. Written by an international expert in nutrition who also happens to be a professor of medicine and public health at UCLA’s School of Medicine, The L.A. Shape Diet focuses on what Dr. David Heber calls a “personalized protein prescription,” part of which involves finding the exact amount of protein needed for optimum health in accordance with your body shape and body mass index.

The crux of the plan are these special Empowering Shakes, made with fruit and protein powder, which are designed to get you going and replace two meals each day (for as long as it works for you). Then, you build your own ideal diet that revolves around the usual suspects – fruits, veggies and whole grains. The book also includes the usual info about exercise, including weight lifting for muscle mass increase, and all the data is backed up by research and makes plenty of sense…well, most of it. The info on vitamins and minerals is lacking in detail, and not at all up to date with each new month bringing forth new studies into supplements that help promote lean muscle mass and loss of body fat.

I had a few other problems with The L.A. Shape Diet. One, I refuse to drink two protein shakes a day, and would much rather adopt a sensible EATING plan like the South Beach diet, which cuts out refined carbs but allows plenty of food choices. Two, if I hear one more diet book author bag on Dr. Atkins WITHOUT EVER BOTHERING TO READ ATKINS’ BOOKS, I will scream my head off. I am so tired of these competing diet books ragging on poor Atkins, then turning around and giving much of the same advise – cut the refined junk carbs and watch the sugar intake. And Dr. Atkins NEVER says to gorge yourself silly on fat and protein, something this book’s author would have realized had he read the actual books by Atkins.

Other than that, I suppose, like any diet that cuts caloric intake and advocates exercise, you can and will lose weight. Whether you succeed at keeping it off is anyone’s guess, but if drinking two protein shakes a day is your thing, go for it!