The Alternate-Day Diet by James B Johnson and Donald R Laub Sr (Published in paperback by Michael Joseph/Penguin on 3 January 2013)

A timely book for many of us, subtitled “Diet only half the time”, this is described as a revolutionary approach to dieting. According to the authors, it has been extensively tested on animals (Hmm!) and humans and has the advantage of allowing you to eat normal portions of your favourite food one day as long as you diet the next, thus chicken and chips are fine today as long as you eat only a small proportion of your usual calories (around 500-600) the following day.

The first half of the book describes research carried out by the authors and others, the alleged benefits of the diet and how it works to improve fat metabolism, reduce [health] risk factors and optimise nutrition. The latter part of the book contains tips for getting through the hunger pangs, recommendations for filling, low calorie foods, suggested menus, recipes and finally FAQs.

Any useful verdict on this book should be informed by results and I must therefore confess, Dear Reader, that I lack the necessary willpower to follow the principles set out in this or any other regime (maybe next year?) and thus I cannot report back amazing success (or otherwise). However, a friend tried out this diet three years ago. Following Dr James’ original plan she lost around 11kgs in about four months. So…if you can plan your life and meals well but you lack the willpower to diet 24/7, maybe this is the one for you.