[Sha]

Have any of you heard of it, or tired it???? Thanks for any help..

[srmb60]

Well, I skimmed the exerpt of the book at abcnews.com and I'm not sure how 'abs' is any different from eating less, moving more and doing abdominal exercises. The very valid point I read was that muscle uses more calories than fat. Good common sense.
If your question is 'should I buy the book?' ... naw, you can figure it out yourself. Look how far you've come already! You're an old pro.

[Sha]

Thanks Susan...

[MrsJim]

That's what I thought too. I read the reviews at Amazon, and skimmed through the book at B&N.

Just basic stuff IMO. Focuses on abs because that's the IN body part right now (actually it's been the IN body part for some time!). Ever since all those Ab machines and doodads came out in the mid-90's, the Diet Marketers have been focusing on the elusive six-pack - because it's something both sexes are concerned about - most guys (using my husband as the classic example here!) gain weight in their bellies first, and keep their lean legs and arms for quite some time unless they gain a HORRENDOUS amount of weight. From the ads for CortiSlim to the cover of the South Beach Diet ('lose that belly fat') the ABS are the IN BODY PART. Unfortunately for 98% of us, we will never see that elusive six pack - to get to that point your bodyfat needs to be INCREDIBLY low, unless you're genetically blessed! As I've said before, the fitness models with the perfect sixpacks in the ads you see are generally given 12 weeks to diet down to that level in their contracts prior to a shoot...from the 12%-14% that they maintain at to probably 6-8% so those abs show. And just to make the striations show up more, they employ a little artistic expertise by using makeup to highlight the striations...

Anyway sorry for the rant. Basically the Abs Diet is nothing new. But if you *must* read it, try the library

[BigJimBoy]

You are so right, the ab infomercials and diets are all a load of hogwash. It is very very hard to get those abs. Trust me I tried and tried, but mine are still 'flabs'.

It takes a very very careful diet, and for the informercial shoots, some are even using diuretics for a few days to lose any 'bloated' watery look.

A lot of deception really.

[aphil]

Yes-I have been after the coveted six pack for quite a while now through diet and exercise. In two years of hard work (belly dancing and ab exercises-both traditional strength training and Pilates inspired) I do have striations in my stomach-but part of that is because I am an hourglass body shape-I carry less fat in my abdominals-my problem areas are in my upper arms, buns, and legs. So-while I can get a great looking tummy-I could probably be 110 pounds and not show the definition lines in my legs the way I want to.

As well as using the extreme dieting right before a photo shoot, the self tanners, and the magazine tricks with the airbrushing and all-a lot of the fitness models do a little strength training right before the shoot as well-to pump those muscles up and make the definition more apparent.