Abs Diet Challenge Winners  

We dared you to try our six-week Abs Diet program, from The Abs Diet book by Men's Health Editor-in-chief Dave Zinzcenko. We told you if you could deflate your spare tire and build a body worth showing off in six weeks, you could win the perfect car to show off in: a 2005 Ford Mustang.

Over 80,000 people registered to take the Abs Diet Challenge II, and of those who successfully met the challenge, we narrowed the pool of entrants down to 10.
Then you, our online readers, voted. Over 6,000 votes were cast, helping us to pick the top three candidates. Now, find out who won...the great abs and the cool car!

And the Winner is...Blake Williams!

Hometown: Elk Grove Village, IL

Age: 35

Occupation: Military defense contractor

Status: married

Before weight: 197

After weight: 181

Entry Essay: How did The Abs Diet program change your life?

"Register below and get abs like this guy", the ad read. I thought, "Yeah right! Only supermodels have abs like that!" My love of a challenge, coupled with the "sympathy weight" gained during my wife's pregnancy, led me to register despite my skepticism. I'm a believer now! The Abs Diet has made me leaner, healthier, and stronger than I thought possible. I've learned I no longer have to accept being average at anything.

Blake’s Story

Blake picked up the Abs Diet book and thought, "There's no way you can get abs like that in six weeks!" A former naysayer, he wanted to prove The Abs Diet wrong by sticking to the program as intensely as possible. "While doing the program, I still thought I was going to prove you guys wrong," Blake said. "Low and behold, I was proved wrong."

Blake gained a lot of weight during his wife's pregnancy. Looking for ways to get back in shape, he checked out the Men's Health website, saw the Abs Diet challenge, and thought it would be a great motivator. "Anyone can follow a diet and exercise routine, but I needed an end goal in sight," he says.

He bought the book and read through it. But the best help for him was subscribing to the Abs Diet online program "It's like having a personal trainer because it tells you every meal, every snack, every workout. If it was up to me, I would have had trouble," he says.

But it wasn't all easy. At times, he struggled with the workouts. Blake had never done circuit training before and the first few sessions were "physically demanding" for him.

Even though the six weeks have passed, he's still following the program. When it's nice outside, he does interval training on his bike. And now, whenever Blake wants to take a ride, his six-year-old son pleads to ride along. "I even had to go out and buy him three-pound dumbbells because he wants to be like me and work out with me," Blake says. "It's nice to spend time together as we work out and ride our bikes together.

Blake has even incorporated the Abs Diet meals into his family dinners. His wife is eating the healthy foods right along with him to shed unwanted pregnancy pounds. "I've convinced her that this is a lifestyle we could adopt," he says. She's now stacking the cupboards with healthier foods like fruit.

The program taught Blake to appreciate fruit more. Typical snacks before were Snickers bars and sweet rolls. "Switching to bananas and OJ was a lot different." he says. "Now that's all I snack on."

He can't believe the changes he's seen. "I was where a lot of guys are that read the magazine. The first thing you think is, ‘No way,' he says. "I've proved that even someone who didn't believe can stick to it and see the benefits."

Runner-Up: David Miller

Hometown: St. Louis MO

Age: 28

Occupation: Sales representative for fitness equipment

Status: single

Before weight: 185

After weight: 168

 

Entry Essay: How did The Abs Diet program change your life?
I read an article about a study indicating that "attractive" people have an advantage just because of their appearance. I wonder if those results didn't have more to do with the performance of very fit and "attractive" people, rather than just appearance. My performance has increased dramatically in every phase of my life. I'm getting more done and being much more effective. I didn't realize how much that 17 pounds was holding me back.

David's Story

After the holidays, David Miller looked at himself in the mirror and thought he was heading down wrong path. His clothes were getting tight. He knew he had to drop a few pounds. That's when David picked up the Abs Diet and decided to use The Abs Diet Challenge II as motivation to get in shape. "I like competition, and the car was definitely an incentive," he says.

He was working two jobs at the time, so the hardest part of the program was the preparation of the food. "Each night, I planned the next day's eating schedule and meals, rather than doing the normal routine of grabbing anything," he says. He stuck with the daily eating and exercising program in the book because it worked well with his schedule.

The meal recipes and the Power 12 made the diet easier than he thought, he says. David started most mornings with the Eggs Beneficial Sandwich. "It kept me really full, and gave me energy for the day and for my workouts," he says. He also enjoyed the smoothies, which he'd put in a large shaker bottle to take to work.

"I've seen all the other diets, but as far as eating, this is the only one I could stick to," he adds. At 28 and single, the cheat meal came in handy when he wanted to go out with friends for a beer on the weekends, he says.

David was fortunate when it came to working out. His job of selling fitness equipment allowed him to work out at gyms to which that he sold new machines. After his day's work was done, he'd hit the gym right then and there.

In the first few weeks, he rapidly lost weight--so much that he had to cut back on the cardio part of the program. But he stuck to the circuit strictly--3 days per week--plus some interval training here and there. "Pretty much just like book said," David says.

He's noticed changes for the better in both his job performance and in women's reactions to him. "Women definitely noticed when I got more fit. Now it's hard to keep them away," he says.

Runner-Up: Jimmy Turpin

Hometown: Richmond, VA

Age: 30

Occupation: Software test engineer

Status: single

Before weight: 191

After weight: 173

Entry Essay: How did The Abs Diet program change your life?

On February 20, 2005, I weighed 191 lbs. Eating only foods from the Abs Diet list, my energy level and metabolism increased tremendously. I worked out harder, longer, and ate more. Thirty-two days later, I weight 177 lbs.! Once known as the “cake and cookie monster,” people now look at me for health tips and advice. I use my experience as an example, and show them the Abs Diet food list.

Jimmy’s Story

Jimmy Turpin was always active and athletic, but never ate healthy. Any time there was spare cake or junk food at work, Jimmy was the go-to man—earning him the nickname, “the cake and cookie monster.”

Soon Jimmy got a reality check from his poor eating habits. “I got tested for diabetes at work and they told me my blood sugar was very high for a normal person. It scared me,” says Jimmy, whose grandmother and grandfather both had diabetes.

After learning about the Abs Diet, he changed his outlook on food. Now, instead of cake for lunch with a side of cookies, he’ll eat boiled eggs, yogurt, salads, and protein shakes. He sticks to the Power 12 foods because they satisfy his appetite and are easy to remember. “Any individual can eat within the means of the Power 12 list,” he adds. 

The hardest part was cutting out the sweets. “I used yogurt and protein shakes as dessert. They’re kinda sweet, so that was my ice cream,” Jimmy says.

At first, he stuck to Abs Diet workouts from the Men’s Health website, but then he started to get more energy. He lasted longer in gym. Weights with sprints one day, and another day he’d run four of five miles on the treadmill. Jimmy even incorporated basketball games into his routine. “The best shape I was in was when I played basketball in college, but I was never in the physical shape that I‘m in now,” said the former Virginia State point guard.

Jimmy always worked out to stay athletic, but says he never saw results like this. Personal trainers said it was the fault of his bad eating habits. “After I improved my diet, I wish I had a camera crew watching me, so everyone could see how much I’ve changed,” he says.  “The weight just fell off.”

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