Book excerpt: The Pound a Day Diet is an accelerated program designed to help dieters lose up to five pounds every five days-- without frustrating plateaus-- while enjoying all their favorite foods. It rewrites every carb/fat/calorie rule in the book! This delicious, easy-to-use, plan is specifically formulated as a Mediterranean-style diet that is carb and calorie corrected to turbocharge metabolism and weight loss. Complete with menus for 28 days (four five-day plans and four weekend plans), dieters first follow the five-day plan, switch over to the weekend plan, return to the five-day plan for the second week, and continue with the weekend plan-alternating like this right down to their goal weight. To help readers, Rocco has created 50 all-new lightning-quick 5 ingredient recipes, as well as ready-made suggestions for those who simply cannot find the time to cook; a primer on healthy and fast cooking techniques; calorie-calibrated menus and shopping lists; and a lifestyle plan for maintaining a lean, healthy body for life.