What woman does not covet a washboard stomach?

Men' Health Editor David Zinczenko is the creator of the ground-breaking weight-loss program, The Abs Diet. Now, he is following up with the Abs Diet for Women, a plan specifically for the female population desperate to tone their tummies.

From celebrities like Nelly Furtado to the average Jane who wants to shed those post-pregnancy pounds, the Abs Diet for Women is for all women. Unlike the original Abs Diet, the Abs Diet for Women has guidelines for calorie counting, following a vegetarian lifestyle and dealing with hormonal problems that complicate weight loss.

Of course, the central focus of the program is to tighten that tummy. You want to strengthen your entire core - focusing on the upper section of abs, the lower section, the obliques (sides), the deep supportive muscle (the transverse abdominis), and the lower back.

Ab work is done just two or three times a week with a few exercises at a time - enough to strengthen your core, without doing so much that you are going to look like a bodybuilder. That way, the goal is a flat, toned stomach.

In the Abs Diet, the primary component is the eating principles -- specifically, being sure that the individual eats often enough to keep her metabolism revved and making sure she eats the right fat-burning and good-for-you Abs Diet Powerfoods that will help keep her content all day long.

All of the Abs Diet Powerfoods are crucial. They are not hard to remember, because of the ABS DIET POWER acronym:

A Almonds and nuts
B Beans
S Spinach and green vegetables

D Dairy, low-fat
I Instant oatmeal
E Eggs
T Turkey and lean meats

P Peanut butter, all-natural
O Olive oil
W Whole grains
E Extra protein (whey)
R Raspberries and other berries

Center your meals around those Powerfoods and you will fuel your body with the necessary nutrients-protein, good carbs, good fat, fiber. Pay special attention to protein because it helps build that meal muscle that will help burn fat faster.

The magic bullet is the exercise plan - a circuit of exercises that both gets your hear rate up and also adds lean, toned muscle, which in itself will increase the rate in which you burn fat. A total body workout, the Abs Diet for Women targets the legs, upper body, abs and has a high-intensity interval session to boost metabolic rate.

Below is an example of one of the short workouts featured in the Abs Diet for Women.

Abs: Do each exercise right after another. Then repeat.
Crunch
Bent-Leg Knee Raise
Oblique V-Up
Bridge
Back Extension

Circuit: Do one exercise right after another with no more than 30 seconds of rest in between. Do 10-12 reps, and repeat the circuit. Do two or three total circuits.

Squat
Bench Press
Pulldown
Military Press
Upright Row
Triceps Extension
Leg Extension
Biceps Curl
Leg Curl

It's not unusual to have women to lose 15 pounds (some up to 20 or more) in six weeks. But perhaps, even more important, is the change in shape. A woman can easily lose inches from her waist, and she can change her shape and tone with our circuit training that targets both the upper and lower body.