Shrink Your Female Fat Zones: Lose Pounds and Inches--Fast!--From Your Belly, Hips, Thighs, and More

Fitness guru Denise Austin helps you "zero in on your personal trouble spots" while increasing metabolism with this 6-week exercise and eating program. Her formula includes toning workouts that target the waist, thighs, abs, buttocks, hip, lower back, and upper arms; regular walking and stretching; and eating strategies (not dieting). Her tips are refreshingly sensible: Avoid chronic dieting (it hurts your health and makes you fatter), stretch to decrease stress, fill up on high-fiber foods, eat a balanced diet, build muscle to increase calorie-burning, and walk almost every day. Austin's clearly illustrated and varied exercises use body weight, dumbbells, resistance bands, or a stability ball. A sample exercise schedule takes 15 to 60 minutes a day. For especially busy days, she offers a series of exercises that work two or more muscle groups at once. Austin's "Shrink-Fat Eating Plan" emphasizes portion control, 1,400 to 1,800 calories, and a nutritional breakdown of 24 percent "good" fat, 20 percent protein, and 56 percent high-quality carbs. Whether you just want a foundation to get started or you need a structured, daily program (including menu plans, shopping lists, and daily logs), you can find it here. Profiles of happy and successful followers of the program add interest. Highly recommended. --Joan Price