Diet and Exercise Are the Keys to Staying in Shape, and These New Books Can Show You How

It’s January. Time to dust off the bathroom scale, learn how to open a bag of carrots and shop for new books that promise better health, smaller waists and lifetime sex appeal.

This year’s crop of diet-resolution aids from the United States doesn’t just hope to help you lose wait but also come with a secondary promise: brain health, balanced hormones, lower blood sugar and pain elimination.

The New Atkins For a New You Cookbook, by Colette Heimowitz

The diet that shouts “Lose up to 15 pounds in 2 weeks!” now has a cookbook of 200 low-carb recipes you can make in 30 minutes or less. It hardly sounds like a diet if you get to eat Lime-Chili Grilled Wings or skirt steak with chimichurri sauce. Even its No-Bake Cheesecake doesn’t sound half bad. (Touchstone; $19.99)

Master Your Metabolism, by Jillian Michaels

The book by the US Biggest Loser’s meanest trainer ever reaches out to yo-yo dieters with a plan that promises to tap into fat burning hormones. She urges readers to dump “anti-nutrients” such as hydrogenated fats, refined grains, high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners but is in favor of lean meats, whole grains, and fresh fruit and vegetables. (Three Rivers Press; $15)

The Doctors 5 Minute Health Fixes, by The Doctors, with Mariska van Aalst

The physicians known for their popular TV show offer quick advice on a variety of health topics, including weight. Diet advice boils down to five tips: Cook your own food at home; get help if you’re an emotional eater; walk 30 minutes a day, five days a week; eat carbs, protein and fat at every meal; watch your portion size. (Rodale; $17.99)

The Women’s Health Diet, by Stephen Perrine, Leah Flickinger and editors of Women’s Health

If you can remake your body in “just 27 days” like the book cover promises, maybe your body wasn’t in such bad shape after all. Still, if you focus on healthy foods, get rid of sugary drinks and exercise as the book advocates, you’ll likely lose fat and build muscle, which is what we’re all after, right? The book focuses on the “Secrets of the Slim” — eating fresh produce, never skipping breakfast, learning to love salad — and gives advice on navigating supermarket aisles and restaurant menus. (Rodale; $25.99)

The Men’s Health Diet, by Stephen Perrine, Adam Bornstein, Heather Hurlock and editors of Men’s Health

This version for men is much like its women’s counterpart, save for language that’s more likely to appeal to guys. For example, “Secrets of the Slim” becomes “Rules of the Ripped.” Its list of “best foods” for men are much like those of women, but organized differently and geared to men’s tastes. (Rodale; $25.99)

The Diet Detective’s All-American Diet, by Charles Platkin

The book’s cover refers to Platkin as a “Dr.,” but he’s a Ph.D, not an M.D. This book would only appeal to people who don’t want to cook and have no interest in learning how. It focuses on exercise in one chapter, then lays out a plan for building meals and menus out of convenience foods such as Pop-Tarts (no kidding), instant oatmeal, Jimmy Dean sausage biscuits and Stouffer’s lasagna. Not to completely diss the plan, it includes hundreds of convenience foods, including some that are lower in sodium, fat and/or sugar and will surely help you control how much you eat.

Six Weeks to Skinny Jeans, by Amy Cotta

The author’s picture perfect derriere on the cover will surely catch the attention of any woman who’s looked backward at a three-way mirror and shuddered. Cotta, provides before and after photos of her clients who are real women with lives, jobs, children, imperfect bodies and have lost a jeans size or two in six weeks. Her plan will have you watching your carbs, relying on low-glycemic “skinny” foods, working out and keeping a diet exercise log. 

The Houston Chronicle