The New York Times says the Fast Diet has the potential to be a blockbuster in the US after becoming a best-seller in Britain. The premise is simple: Eat whatever you want for five days, then fast for two. Well, almost fast: The authors recommend two light meals a day of about 300 calories each on "fasting" days. Jennifer Conlin of the Times sums it up thusly:

• The "secret to weight loss, according to the book, is that even after just a few hours of fasting, the body begins to turn off the fat-storing mechanisms and turn on the fat-burning systems."