10 Notable Diet Books of 2008

Around every New Year, publishing houses flood bookstore shelves with a plethora of new diet titles, hip to the hordes of repentant holiday bingers who are desperately trying to make their weight-loss resolutions stick. And there are more and more of us in that category every year. The new crop of diet books runs the gamut — from low-carb to vegan to anti-caffeine to tea-around-the-clock. Some books appear based on sound nutritional advice; others decidedly less so. TIME's Andrea Sachs explores the 10 most notable diet books of the New Year.

How to Eat Like a Hot Chick

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By Jodi Lipper and Cerina Vincent
Collins; $13.95; 168 pages

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then this is a virtual love letter to the authors of Skinny Bitch (see next). The authors' copycat naughty language will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has read the original. Still, Hot Chick has valuable things to say about low self-esteem, or LSE, in the authors' parlance. The message is to stand up straight, girls, whatever your weight ("We know that you're already hot and that you have the potential to be and feel even hotter"). The book takes a much firmer line than Eat This, Not That!, telling would-be sexy gals to avoid fast food ("As for that fat loser Jared losing 10 sizes eating just two subs a day...come on!"). Fried chicken and hot dogs are verboten. And the authors give tips for navigating the Starbucks menu: Avoid lattés and anything involving the word "mocha" ("Those drinks aren't coffee, they're desserts"). Bottom line: LSE is not hot, so take better care of yourself.

— Andrea Sachs

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