cover image The 3-1-2-1 Diet: Eat and Cheat Your Way to Weight Loss%E2%80%94Up to 10 Pounds in 21 Days

The 3-1-2-1 Diet: Eat and Cheat Your Way to Weight Loss%E2%80%94Up to 10 Pounds in 21 Days

Dolvett Quince. Grand Central Life & Style, $26 (421p) ISBN 978-1-4555-7672-2

A personal trainer and stalwart member of NBC%E2%80%99s The Biggest Loser team, Quince offers up his %E2%80%9Cunconventional%E2%80%9D plan for dropping pounds%E2%80%94quickly%E2%80%94with his first book. He promises that by alternating %E2%80%9Cclean%E2%80%9D and %E2%80%9Ccheat%E2%80%9D days (in a 3-1-2-1 ratio) and following his 48-minute workout, four times a week, readers can see substantial changes in just three weeks. %E2%80%9CCheating,%E2%80%9D declares Quince, is the key to the plan%E2%80%99s success, with 48 hours of each week allowing for greater caloric intake, and indulgences such as ice cream and pizza, thereby satisfying physical and psychological cravings, as well as upping metabolism. The program%E2%80%94one that Quince has used to help clients reach optimal fitness levels%E2%80%94is refreshingly straightforward, with detailed menus and recipes; at-a-glance lists of foods to embrace or avoid; easy-to-follow exercises, and suggestions for %E2%80%9Cfun%E2%80%9D fat-burning and cardio-boosting activities; and tips for adapting the plan as you transition to its maintenance phase. Advice on supplements, and how to handle travel, holiday, and workplace temptations, are also provided. Much of what Quince has to say%E2%80%94like how to fill your plate proportionally with %E2%80%9Csmart%E2%80%9D carbs, protein, and fiber, combining cardio with weight training for the strongest results, and sanctioned cheating%E2%80%94will be familiar to most readers, but Quince%E2%80%99s plan is both sound and appealing. Agent: Don Epstein, Greater Talent Network. (Nov.)