Want to lose eight pounds in five days and cinch your waistline while eating bread, pasta and tacos? Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian and co-author of the popular Flat Belly Diet, explains the concept behind the eating plan outlined in her new book, Cinch.. "All you need to know is that you're going to eat four meals a day, and every meal is a puzzle made with five pieces," she says. "Once you know what the five pieces are, and how much of each one to have, you can follow this strategy no matter where you are. It's all about portions and putting them together."

1. Produce
"The 'Cinch' meals have fruit at the breakfast and snack meals, and vegetables at the lunch and dinner meals," Cynthia explains. "They're chock full of water and fiber so they're going to fill you up. And new research shows that people who eat more antioxidants weigh less even when they don't eat fewer calories." The amount Cynthia suggests is a baseball-sized portion of fruit and two baseball-sized portions of vegetables.

2. Whole Grain
"You get to eat bread and pasta and things like corn tortillas!" Cynthia smiles. "This is going to help regulate your blood sugar so your steady energy remains all day long; you're not going to hit that afternoon slump. Plus, it's the perfect amount [of carbohydrates] to give you fuel but not feed those fat cells that we're trying to shrink down."

3. Lean Proteins
Cynthia notes, "This plan is vegan, vegetarian and omnivore-friendly, so we have things like beans and lentils, as well as chicken and shrimp, yogurt, eggs. This is going to rev up your metabolism; you actually burn more calories after you eat protein, but also it's going to help maintain muscle mass. You can stay really toned and strong while you lose weight - we don't want you to be thin and flabby!"

4. Plant-Based Fats
"These are so incredibly satisfying. We have EVOO, we have avocado, olive tapenade, all these natural butters like almond butter and natural peanut butter. What they do is they delay the emptying of the stomach so you feel fuller longer. And you're going to have a more sustained energy like with the whole grains."

5. S.A.S.S.
Cynthia explains that S.A.S.S. stands for Slimming And Satiating Seasonings. "These are things like citrus juice and zest, herbs and spices, hot peppers, tea, which you can actually use as seasoning. You can brew the teas and use it as a broth or when you're sauteing things." Cynthia says that the S.A.S.S. items are not only aromatic and delicious, but they pack a 1-2-3 weight loss punch: "One, all of these burn more calories; two, they help you feel more full and satisfied (part of that is the aroma); and three, they are so chock full of antioxidants. One teaspoon of cinnamon has more antioxidants than a half a cup of blueberries."

Cynthia adds that the diet isn't without its indulgences. "My favorite part of the plan is that you must eat dark chocolate every single day on the plan," she says. "It's called the Daily Dark Chocolate Escape - the only rules are that you have to eat it without doing anything else, and you have to savor it with zero guilt about it. It lowers blood pressure, cholesterol, helps your brain stay young, and finally, you release the same natural chemicals that you feel when you're in love when you eat chocolate."

Watch the video above to see Cynthia explain the "5-Day Fast Forward," her plan that she says can help you lose up to eight pounds in less than a week!

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"Cinch" by Cynthia Sass