Why did you design a special Abs Diet for women?
The original Abs Diet can work well for both men and women, but I also realized that women have some special needs and interests that many men don't necessarily have. For example, while I don't necessarily agree with calorie counting, I also know that many women do like to calorie count.

So I've included some guidelines for how to do that. I also wanted to include some information about other things that are typically more of a concern for women -- like what to do if you're vegetarian, or are lactose intolerant, or have hormonal problems that make losing weight troublesome.

Why does a woman need a different abs routine than a man? How important is core strengthening and how can women avoid the male 6-pack look?
In a lot of way, the actual "abs" workout doesn't have to be a whole lot different than what men do. Basically, you want to strengthen your entire core -- focusing on the upper section of abs, the lower section, the obliques (sides), the deep supportive muscle (the transverse abdominis), and the lower back. We only want you to do abs work two or three times a week, and you're only doing a few exercises at a time -- enough to strengthen your core, without doing so much that you're going to look like a bodybuilder. That way, the goal is a flat, toned stomach.