10 Notable Diet Books of 2008

Around every New Year, publishing houses flood bookstore shelves with a plethora of new diet titles, hip to the hordes of repentant holiday bingers who are desperately trying to make their weight-loss resolutions stick. And there are more and more of us in that category every year. The new crop of diet books runs the gamut — from low-carb to vegan to anti-caffeine to tea-around-the-clock. Some books appear based on sound nutritional advice; others decidedly less so. TIME's Andrea Sachs explores the 10 most notable diet books of the New Year.

New Year, New Diets

The All-New Atkins Advantage

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By Dr. Stuart L. Trager with Colette Heimowitz
St. Martin's; $25.95; 362 pages

Unlike its eponymous founder, this diet has kept on ticking. In this latest iteration of the original Atkins Diet, protein is still king: Eat your fill of red meat, poultry, fish and cheese, not to mention treats like nuts, avocados, and olives. Cut out all BAD carbs, like French fries and bagels. But this time, the diet plan includes exercise ("Research shows that most people who maintain their weight loss exercise regularly, and most people who regain weight loss do not.") As an answer to all those early adopters who speed-shed weight only to gain it back just as fast, the book warns: "If you want to shed a quick 15 pounds for your high school reunion or your daughter's wedding and then revert to your old habits, Atkins is not for you."

— Andrea Sachs

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