The Abs diet has an interesting approach to weight loss, but is it a fad? It certainly sounds like one and looks like one from the material they have online. I’m always a little sceptical about information that starts with the words "dear friend". The name and main selling point itself sounds like a late night infomercial with the promise of, not just losing fat, but establishing well defined abdominal muscles in 6 weeks! The marketing of the diet shows pictures of what look like professional models sporting stomaches chiselled with the perfect abs.
Having said this, it does represent a nutritionally sound diet and the success stories do appear to present everyday people with excellent but realistic and healthy results.
The premise of the diet is in reference to diets that restrict foods and calorie intake. It explains how these types of diets result in failure because the human body works by going into starvation mode when calories are reduced. This means it holds onto fat stores. It's entertaining in its explanation, tracing this biological response to the caveman. The stomach is not only one of the fastest and easiest places for the body to store fat reserves, but also a place that requires the most energy to burn it.
Yes, this diet does involve a range of healthy foods that would be recommended by many dieticians. However, there is less of a focus on counting or keeping an eye on calories that many other diets have people do. Instead, the diet pushes a range of foods to be used in a majority of meals that can be eaten in satisfying amounts. They refer to these foods as "super foods" and a diet that consists of these foods will already have a degree of calorie control.
The recommendation of the diet covers all food groups; the name "Abs diet power" is an acronym for the 12 super foods
The diet recommends a diet predominately made up of fresh unprocessed produce, as many nasty ingredients are added to processed foods that aren’t conducive to weight loss or a healthy diet in general. Quality protein is pushed so that the diet helps to build muscle and fiber, dietary fats, nuts and seeds are highlighted as valuable inclusions. All of these things are covered well in the 12 super foods.
As with any diet, it strongly discourages artificial trans fats from margarines, shortening, hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. The more you eat fresh and stay away from processed foods, the more you will avoid these taboo ingredients.
Exercise
This diet was originally geared towards the male who wanted to shape a lean defined physique. So in addition to the muscle building, fat burning diet, exercise is going to have to play a significant part to obtain the abs promised within just 6 weeks.
The scheduled workouts required by the diet may not be a regime suited to everyone. Much of the workouts require gym equipment or weights at home, so not so easy for everyone to integrate into their lives and not everyone is familiar with correct form.
However, this plan was made for just 6 weeks and the goals set are high so a more intense amount of exercise is required. A week of exercises will include a combination of total body strength training (requiring gym equipment) and light cardio. The strength training is the circuit method where all exercises are performed one after another with a short rest in between.
As it was originally made fro men, this diet overall has a lean towards muscle building rather then weight loss. The diet has a healthy nutritional base that a general nutritionist would approve of with the necessary push of quality meat for the muscle building. The exercises too have a very conventional approach to muscle promotion with the strength training. The diet and the light cardio component of the exercise are aimed at burning the fat to reveal the highly defined abdominal muscles as promised.