The Ultimate New York Body Plan

To put it bluntly, if you’re looking for a diet on which you’re going to be handled with kid gloves, this isn’t it. The Ultimate New York Body Plan is basically boot camp for dieters. The diet is based on 1,200 calories and Kirsch’s “ABCDEF’s” rules ban alcohol, bread, starchy carbs, dairy, extra sweets, fruit and most fats. Low in calories and high in restriction, prepare to sacrifice as your main sources of food come from shakes, egg whites, salads and lean proteins.

The meal plan calls for you to eat fives times a day — two low-carb protein shakes, two snacks and one wholesome meal based on Kirsch’s nutrition principles. In addition, the fitness guru also recommends taking a vitamin supplement which he conveniently offers to clients. Once you’ve made it through the two-week program, you’ll slowly integrate foods back into your diet. Snacks include asparagus, red peppers, raw almonds and celery. Kirsch recommends that dieters eat between the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

If the nutrition program sounds difficult to adhere to, you haven’t heard anything yet. It’s the fitness regime that’s the most challenging. You’re required to do 45 minutes of high intensity cardio every day. Also on the agenda is a 45-minute body sculpting routine which uses a medicine ball and dumbbells. This 90-minute, tough-as-nails workout turns the body into a virtual fat-burning machine.