The New Abs Diet for Women

Everyone wants flat abs. Belly fat is not just an eyesore, but fat around the middle may be dangerous and is the target of the New Abs Diet for Women.

Author and editor-in-chief of Men's Health and Women's Health magazines, David Zinczenko claims to have the formula to burn belly fat and get washboard abs in just six weeks by changing the way you eat and exercise.

Updated with new research, a portion distortion decoder, and tips on using food to boost health, the New Abs Dietfor Women is easier to use and even more effective at melting belly fat than Zinczenko's 2007 book, Abs Diet for Women, he tells WebMD by email.

Diet and exercise work better together than alone. In order to get flat abs, you need both. Half of the book is devoted to strength and interval training exercise diagrams to guide your fitness plan of 20 minutes, three days a week during weeks three to six.

The plan promises up to 12 pounds of belly fat weight loss during the first two weeks of the plan, when exercise is optional, although walking is highly recommended.

Tips throughout the book provide solid and helpful dieting advice. But whether you'll get flat abs is less certain.

"While improvement in the appearance of stomach muscles is possible with a healthful diet and exercise, losing up to 12 pounds of belly fat in two weeks is unrealistic," says weight loss nutritionist Elisa Zied, MS, RD.

The New Abs Diet for Women: What You Can Eat

Front and center on the plan are the 12 power foods featured in the menu plans. These foods are highlighted because they are nutrient-rich, contain protein, calcium, and healthy fats. Portion sizes are prescribed to keep calories in check, even for power foods.

Within the 12 power foods, there are lots of options to add variety and satisfy a wide range of palates.

The New Abs Diet 12 Power Foods – (acronym spells abs diet power)

1. Almonds and Other Nuts eaten with skins intact.

2. Beans and Other Legumes

3. Spinach and Other Green Vegetables

4. Dairy: Fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese

5. Instant Oatmeal: Unsweetened, unflavored

6. Eggs

7. Turkey and other lean meats. Lean steak, chicken, fish

8. Peanut Butter – All-natural, sugar-free.

9. Olive Oil

10. Whole-Grain Breads and Cereals

11. Extra- Protein powder(Whey)

12. Raspberries and Other Berries

Eat six mini meals a day with an emphasis on protein, prescribed at every meal to keep you feeling satisfied and to repair muscles. Meals are centered on power foods showcased in three weeks of diet plans and recipes. Calories range from 1400-1600 daily.

Drink plenty of water, limit alcohol to 2-3 drinks per week, and once weekly you can splurge on a cheat meal and eat anything you like.

What's not on the menu are refined carbs, baked goods, sugar, white rice, pasta, high fructose corn syrup, fried foods, margarine, foods made with partially hydrogenated oils, whole-fat dairy, fatty meats, saturated fat, and trans fats.

Plank on Elbows and Toes

The plank exercise ranked number 10 in the ACE study and is a great way to build endurance in both the abs and back, as well as the stabilizer muscles.

How to:

1.        Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor.

2.        Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows.

3.        Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels.

4.        Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air or sagging in the middle.

5.        Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-5 reps.

Crunch With Heel Push

The crunch with a heel push looks like a traditional crunch, but in this version you push your heels into the floor, which engages the rectus abdominis muscles more than regular crunches.

How to:

1.        Lie on your back with the knees bent and the hands gently cradling the head.

2.        Flex your feet and keep them up as your contract the abs, lifting the shoulder blades off the floor.

3.        Try not to pull on the neck with your hands, but lightly support your head.

4.        At the top of the crunch, press your heels into the floor while pressing your back against the mat and slightly raising the glutes off the floor.

Lower and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.

Reverse Crunch

The reverse crunch comes in 7th place for effective ab exercises, with a focus on the rectus abdominis. You'll feel this move targeting the lower part of the abs, although the entire muscle is working.

How to:

1.        Lie on the floor and place hands on the floor or behind the head.

2.        Bring the knees in towards the chest until they're bent to 90 degrees, with feet together or crossed.

3.        Contract the abs to curl the hips off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling.

4.        Lower and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.

5.        It's a very small movement, so try to use your abs to lift your hips rather than swinging your legs and creating momentum.

Long Arm Crunch

The long arm crunch is ranked the 6th most effective ab exercise, changing the traditional floor crunch by straightening the arms behind you. This adds a longer lever to the move, adding a bit more challenge and difficulty. This move also emphasizes the upper part of the abs, although it's important to remember that your rectus abdominis is actually one long muscle that travels from your lower chest to your pelvis. While you can emphasize one part, any exercise you do will work the entire muscle.

How to:

1.        Lie on a mat and extend the arms straight out behind the head with hands clasped, keeping the arms next to the ears.

2.        Contract the abs and lift the shoulder blades off the floor.

3.        Keep the arms straight and avoid straining the neck. If you feel neck pain, take one hand behind the head while keeping the other arm extended.

4.        Lower and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.

Torso Track

The Torso Track comes out as number 5 for effective ab exercises, but this is one of my least favorite exercises because it can cause lower-back pain, particularly if you roll out too far. In fact, in the ACE study, researchers found that a significant number of subjects reported lower-back pain, so you may want to skip the expense, and discomfort, of this one and choose other exercises that can target the abs with equal effectiveness.

How to:

1.        Grip the handles of the Torso Track and pull the abs in without holding your breath (as though bracing them).

2.        Exhale and glide forward as far as you comfortably can. If you collapse in the middle and feel it in your back, you've gone too far.

3.        Contract the abs to pull your body back.

4.        Add tension by using more tension chords.

If you don't have a Torso Track, you can substitute by trying the ab roll out on the ball.

Vertical Leg Crunch

The vertical leg crunch is another effective move for the rectus abdominis and the obliques.

How to:

1.        Lie on the floor and extend the legs straight up with knees crossed.

2.        You can place your hands on the floor for support.

3.        Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet.

4.        Keep the legs in a fixed position and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement.

5.        Lower and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.