Great Article: 6 weeks to a six-pack

(Men's Health/MSN Fitness) - When you think of abs, you may think of Brad Pitt or Janet Jackson. Your cynical side may also think of airbrushing, starvation diets, and an exercise regimen so time-consuming it would violate labor laws. Your conclusion: You have a better chance of scaling Mount Everest in a Speedo than you do of developing great abs.

But as the editor-in-chief of Men's Health magazine, I know you can have the midsection of your dreams. Listen: I analyze health and fitness information the way brokers analyze the market. And I've talked to and heard from thousands of folks who have shared their weight-loss success stories with Men's Health. So I've seen the plus side of the equation. But I've lived the negative, as well. I know what it's like to feel fat.

As a latchkey kid growing up in the early '80s, I made every mistake in the book. I ate fast food instead of smart food. I played video games when I should've been playing outside. By the time I reached age 14, I was carrying 212 pounds of torpid teenage tallow on my 5'10" frame. But I got lucky. When I graduated from high school, I enlisted in the Naval Reserve, where the tenets of fitness were pounded into me, day after day after day. Soon after I graduated from college, I joined Men's Health and learned the importance of proper nutrition and—just as important--the health threats inherent in carrying around too much fat in your gut. If you have a bulging belly, it means your internal organs, including your heart, are literally packed in fat. It's like renting a room to an arsonist.

Whether you want to change your body to improve your health, your looks, your athletic performance, or your sex appeal, this plan--which I call the Abs Diet—offers you a simple promise: It can transform your body so you can accomplish all of those goals. It won't just enhance your life; it will save it.

PRINCIPLES OF THE ABS DIET

Most guys who are embarking on a new mission begin with one fundamental question: When do we eat?

Good question. Most diets are all about what foods you'll cut out. This one is all about what you'll include. And that's good news, because if you want to emerge on the other side of this plan with a new body, you must have the flexibility and freedom to keep yourself from getting hungry, and the knowledge that you can eat well no matter what.

So let's ring the dinner bell.

GUIDELINE 1 :: Eat Six Meals a Day

Didn't I tell you this isn't about deprivation?

We're so used to hearing people talk about eating less food that it's become weight-loss doctrine. The new philosophy I want you to keep in mind is "energy balance."

Researchers at Georgia State University developed a technique to measure hourly energy balance--that is, how many calories you're burning versus how many calories you're taking in. The researchers found that if you keep your hourly surplus or deficit within 300 to 500 calories at all times, you'll best be able to change your body composition by losing fat and adding lean muscle mass. People with the largest energy imbalances (those whose calorie surpluses or shortfalls topped 500 calories from hour to hour) were the fattest, while those with the most balanced energy levels were the leanest. So if you eat only your three squares a day, your energy levels are all over the place. That kind of eating plan is great--if your dream is to be the next Chris Farley. But if you want to look slimmer, feel fitter, and live longer, then eat more often. Simply alternate your meals with snacks (we've given you a ton of food suggestions below) and you'll keep your stomach full, which will reduce the likelihood of a diet-destroying binge.

GUIDELINE 2 :: Drink Smoothies Regularly

A blender may be the ultimate weight-loss power tool. Smoothies--blended mixtures of milk, low-fat yogurt, whey powder, ice, and other good stuff--can act as meal substitutes and as potent snacks. They require little time; the berries, flavored whey powder, or peanut butter will satisfy your sweet cravings; and their thickness takes up space in your stomach. A University of Tennessee study found that men who added three servings of yogurt a day to their diets lost 61 percent more body fat and 81 percent more stomach fat over 12 weeks than men who didn't eat yogurt. Researchers speculate that the calcium helps the body burn fat and limits the amount of fat your body can make. So drink an 8-ounce smoothie for breakfast, as a meal substitute, or as a snack before or after your workout.

GUIDELINE 3 :: Know What to Drink--and What Not To...