Rosemary Conley's Five Day Fat Burner

We are taken straight into the exercise studio where Conley acts as our instructor, describing the moves in a calm, clear voice. The exercises that promise to burn up our surplus flab are divided into five 10-minute sessions, followed by body conditioning and a cool-down. She recommends doing one session each day, with a day off every four days, so as not to overdo things. The idea is to step up our level of fitness gradually, until we can fit the sessions together into one mammoth workout. The people accompanying Conley on the video have all successfully lost weight with her programme. Conley reminds us of this at carefully spaced intervals--"Hayley lost five and a half stone"--to give us a goal and keep us at it. We are instructed to keep our eyes on the individual whose exercise level best suits our own. So we can leap along with Annette, or march with Debbie.

Conley packs many different movements into each session, so you really do feel as if you're working the whole of your body. But be warned, some moves are more difficult than they look, so make sure you clear a big enough space in the living room, and put breakables and the dog out of harm's way! The menu planner at the end is introduced with sensible information and deliciously piled plates, reminding us that, though we may be on a diet, we certainly don't need to starve. --Lorna Read