Bill Phillips and Michael D'Orso are the men behind Body for Life, a weight loss plan that combines sensible eating with regular exercise.

Body for Life includes several key principals, including:

Intense weight training 3 times per week
Cardio 3 times per week, includes intervals

What sets Body for Life apart is that in makes several promises of what you can expect if you follow the program, including:

That you can lose fat and increase your strength while exercising less
That the eating plan will feed your muscles and starve your fat
And that resistance training can significantly increase your metabolic rate, burning fat and changing the shape of your body

This is a 12 week program, and the books detail both the exercises you should perform and the food you should eat, plus of course providing loads of great motivational tips.

There's also a dedicated book for women, plus you can also find a journal to keep track of your progress and an eating for life book that goes into more detail on the nutritional side.

For those who are seeking a more active route to permanent weight loss, this may just be the program you've been looking for.