New research has revealed what we suspected all along--not all calories are created equal! The calorie counts you've seen on nutrition labels are generated by a machine's calculations, but human bodies are not machines.

Unlike those practically predigested Couch Potato Calories found in fast food and many processed snack foods, Active Calories take more work for your body to digest, allowing you to reap all the nutritional benefits without storing excess calories. Learn how to slim down and get more energy out of your food with the CHEW Factor:Chewy--Do more work straight off the fork with foods that really make you chomp, like whole apples, lean steaks, or a handful of crunchy nuts.Hearty--Satisfying foods like brown rice and whole grain cereal will fill you up and prevent you from absentminded munching.Energizing--Foods like green tea, coffee, and dark chocolate fi re up your metabolism and help you drop weight faster.Warming--Fan the flames to burn even more calories with hot and spicy ingredients such as garlic, chili peppers, or even vinegar.

Active Calories not only help you lose weight but also help you be more active so you trim down and firm up even faster. With an optional exercise program, a how-to on the Active Calorie Kitchen, more than 100 quick meals and recipes, and advice from real people who found success on the program, The Active Calorie Diet will transform your eating habits--and your waistline--permanently.

Leslie Bonci