NEW YORK, July 29 — If you’d like a little diet and fitness advice for your poolside reading, here are a few recent bestselling books to thumb through.

“Drop Two Sizes” — Co-owner of Results Fitness in Southern California and last year’s IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, Rachel Cosgrove shares a 12-week diet and exercise plan to get you lean and mean. All you need is a set of dumbbells.

“The Fast Diet” — Journalists Dr Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer created the famed British 5:2 diet, which involves intermittent fasting to shed stubborn bulge. You fast for two days of the week, but not completely — you eat one-fourth of your typical daily calories, roughly 500 calories for women, 600 calories for men — and eat what you desire the remaining five days.

“The Parisian Diet” — Dr Jean-Michel Cohen, one of France’s top nutritionists, offers English speakers a taste of how the French stay slim. The book features 325 recipes, including plenty of carbs such as pasta and bread, with the focus on portion control and calories.

“Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit” — American personal trainer Drew Manning decided to stop exercising for six months while eating “a typical American diet,” gaining more than 34kg. Then he put his own fitness and diet advice into action to shed the weight and penned a book on the experience. — AFP-Relaxnews