The Abs Diet: What You Need to Know

This eating plan is considered a fad diet. Fad diets often promote quick weight loss that is unsustainable and may severely restrict what you eat. They may be harmful and generally do not have long-lasting health benefits. Talk to your healthcare provider before making any major changes to how you eat.

Based on a book written by David Zinczenko in 2004, the Abs Diet emphasizes eating whole foods like beans, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats, while exercising at least three times a week for at least 20 minutes. The diet promises a slimmer waist and increased muscle tone in six weeks. While those following the eating and exercising plan may notice some results, they may not be as dramatic as the diet suggests.

How Does the Abs Diet Claim to Work?

The Abs Diet promises a stronger, flatter midsection in six weeks. It recommends eating six times per day (three meals and three snacks), prioritizing nutrient-dense whole foods. Dieters are allowed to deviate from the diet plan one day each week.

Coupled with the eating plan is a 20-minute exercise program to be completed at least three times per week. The combined effects of the diet and exercise plan are purported to help reduce body fat, improve strength, increase metabolism, and support overall health.

Making these lifestyle changes may also help you lose weight, but it may not achieve your desired results in the six-week timespan it suggests.

What Can You Eat on the Abs Diet?

The Abs Diet generally prioritizes eating whole foods and balancing your intake of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

Foods to Include

The Abs Diet focuses your attention on foods you can eat rather than foods to avoid. It recommends including a few of the following “power foods” at each meal and at least one as part of each snack:

• All-natural, sugar-free peanut butter
• Almonds and other nuts (unsalted and unflavored)
• Beans and legumes
• Eggs
• Fat-free or low-fat dairy
• Olive oil
• Raspberries and other berries
• Spinach and other green vegetables
• Turkey and other lean meats
• Unsweetened, unflavored instant oatmeal
• Whey protein powder
• Whole-grain breads and cereals

Though no clinical research studies explore the Abs Diet specifically, many of the foods it recommends are included in other healthy eating plans, such as the Mediterranean diet, according to Cleveland Clinic. They’re also included in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s current Dietary Guidelines for Americans. While the Abs Diet may or may not work well for you, including some or all of the foods it recommends may help you reach your health and fitness goals.

Foods to Avoid

While the Abs Diet doesn’t provide a set list of foods to avoid, it does highlight a number of “imposter foods” that may be mistaken as healthy when you are trying to eat more “power foods.” Such foods include:

• Cured meats
• Fatty cuts of meat
• Fried foods
• Foods containing added sugar or high-fructose corn syrup
• Foods containing trans fats
• Processed foods such as white bread, bagels, and doughnuts
• Salted or smoked nuts
• Soy protein powder
• Whole-fat dairy products

Potential Benefits of the Abs Diet

The Abs Diet encourages people to eat healthy foods and exercise regularly, two lifestyle factors that can support a healthy weight and overall well-being. But, as Mayo Clinic points out, consistency is key in order to see lasting results.

Research suggests that simply wanting to lose weight or combat a chronic illness may not be enough motivation to stick with a healthier lifestyle over the long term. According to a small study published in 2022 in Inquiry, those most likely to adhere to a new diet are motivated by feeling better as a result of the change and continuously learning more about how diet impacts their overall health.

The Abs Diet also makes broad anticancer claims, noting that eating high-fiber, low-fat foods can help prevent certain cancers, as does increasing one’s calcium consumption. In a review of fiber intake and cancer risk in Nutrients, researchers say that there is evidence to suggest fiber intake may help prevent several different cancers, including colorectal, breast cancer, and gastric cancer.

The claim that calcium consumption reduces cancer risk may also hold some truth to it. According to a study published in 2025 in JAMA Network Open, consuming higher amounts of calcium from either calcium-rich foods or dietary supplements is associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer.

Potential Risks of the Abs Diet

The Abs Diet’s overinflated claims and restrictive nature create the biggest potential risks of following the eating and exercise plan.

Proponents of the Abs Diet say it will help you flatten and strengthen your core within six weeks. While the Abs Diet may flatten your abdomen if it leads to weight loss, no diet can strengthen your core. Only exercise can build and strengthen muscle. The Abs Diet may not work as dramatically well as the claims lead people to expect.

Instead, people who lose weight at a steady, gradual rate of about 1 to 2 pounds per week have a higher chance of long-term success, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Several other factors beyond diet and exercise can affect weight loss and weight management as well, including:

• Age
• Environment
• Genes
• Hormones
• Medical conditions
• Medications
• Stress

Research published in International Journal of Surgery Open also suggests that adhering to overly restrictive diets can have serious consequences, from inciting hormonal imbalances to encouraging disordered eating behaviors.

Is the Abs Diet Right for You?

The Abs Diet may be a good fit for you if you want to focus on eating several times per day and prioritizing more whole foods with high nutritional value.

In order to achieve success with any dietary plan, particularly one that promises weight loss or healthy weight management, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers the following recommendations:

• Figure out what motivates you, or your “why” for committing to the diet.
• Track your starting point and the progress you make. This information can include more than just your body weight. For instance, you can track what you eat, your macronutrients, exercise, stress levels, and sleep.
• Set realistic goals and objectives that you can achieve in a specific amount of time. (The Abs Diet may fall short here, since it promises results in six weeks.)
• Find support for your goals from friends, family members, or online or in-person groups.

Before making any major changes to your diet, discuss your goals with your healthcare provider, and consider connecting with a registered dietitian nutritionist. They can help you set up an eating plan that gives you the nutrition you need while trying to accomplish your other objectives. Doctors can also assess your current medications and health conditions and advise you on what supplements you should take or avoid based on your specific needs.

You may also want to contact a certified personal trainer or someone qualified to help with creating an exercise program that meets the Abs Diet’s requirement to exercise for at least 20 minutes a day, at least three days a week, to see results. The American Heart Association recommends aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week.