Book Nook: 'Jumpstart to Skinny' review

JUMPSTART TO SKINNY: The Simple 3-Week Plan for Supercharged Weight Loss, by Bob Harper, with Greg Critser. Ballantine Books, 214 pp., $26.

Facing a wedding, a reunion or some other big event -- and want to drop extra pounds first -- and fast? Trainer Bob Harper of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" promises you can do it -- if you follow his 13 short-term rules! (Don't like exclamation marks? You might want to avoid this book!)

But first, the diet: It's 40 percent protein, 40 percent carbs and 20 percent fats (Rule 1) -- 800 calories for women and 1,200 for men, with no complex carbs after breakfast. (It's only three weeks, remember?)

THE SCOOP Do 45 minutes of low-intensity daily cardio before breakfast (Rule 6), as well as frequent "jumpstart moves" -- squats, push-ups and the like. Avoid booze, and drink "an espresso a day . . . or two or three" (Rule 13).

THE BOTTOM LINE Harper includes 21 days of menus, plus recipes (see Quinoa Rancheros). And don't forget that fish oil.