The theory behind the Abs Diet is that the more muscle you build, the more calories your body will burn. In our diet plan review, we'll explain how the Abs Diet works, as well as suggesting some possible diet meal plans and recipes for you to follow.

The Abs Diet focuses on building muscle instead of cutting down on your food intake. Your body burns 50 extra calories a day for every 1lb of muscle mass you gain, so if you can build up 10lb of muscle you'll burn an extra 500 calories a day - that's 1lb a week. The Abs Diet helps you to build muscle not only by exercising, but also by selecting the right foods to eat.

The diet meal plans include 12 'powerfoods', which are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre. Followed in conjunction with a 20-minute workout session three times a week, the recommended foods encourage the body to develop more muscle and burn more fat. You'll eat six meals a day, made up of the 12 'powerfoods'.

Here are the 12 powerfoods:

almonds and other nuts
beans and pulses
spinach and other green vegetables
low fat dairy products
porridge
eggs
turkey and other lean meats
peanut butter
olive oil
wholegrain bread and cereals
raspberries and other berries
extra protein powder

These are the only foods you are allowed to eat while you're following the programme. However, this isn't as limiting as it at first seems, because there is plenty of variety within each food type, and there are also plenty of interesting recipes available to help you prepare interesting and varied dishes from the permitted ingredients.

Following this weight loss programme can typically help you lose up to 12lb in the first two weeks, then between 5 and 8 lb in the next two weeks, making it an effective and achievable programme to choose.