Coupled with our obsession of weight loss is the dream of achieving those sexy, well-defined flat abdominals. The question is, will exercise alone accomplish this?
To an extent, yes. Abdominal fat is tricky to melt away. Our cores are the centre of strength and as nature would have it, the hardest muscle to tone. Gaining belly fat has a direct relation with diabetes and heart disease.
Through personal research and trial, I found that cutting out foods that contain simple sugars and refined carbohydrates actually works. It's important to exercise nutrition as well as exercise physically. When we consume foods high in sugar our bodies begin to produce high levels of insulin to lower the sugar level in our blood. High levels of insulin are thought to be the cause of fat being deposited around the mid-section.
So, keep doing those crunches and follow these simple nutrition guidelines. Remember though, try to make gradual changes in your diet. I found that I was more successful by eliminating sugars and refined carbs one day at a time. Once a week, I do afford myself a treat, but portion control is a key factor in how much of the treat I consume.
- Begin to cut out simple sugars such as candy, juice and soda.
- Cut out refined carbohydrates such as cake, white breads and cookies. Try to incorporate whole grains.
- When you eat whole grain foods, eat some food that contains protein and fat. This will help your body maintain the sugar level in your blood without spiking the high levels of insulin.
A draw back for me was battling the craving for all kinds of sweets. I understood that my body was reacting to its addiction. It made me feel tired and lazy for the first couple of days but drinking water helped quite a bit. As with any lifestyle change, consider the long term effect to keep you motivated and allow yourself to indulge in moderation.
7 Comments
Yeah, I think number one on my body shape priority list is nuking any padding around the middle. But dangit, sweets...I do like 'em sometimes. Carbonated drinks, especially. I feel you. :)
One question, though: what's wrong with fruit juices? That's natural sugar. Nothing wrong with the carbohydrates you get from fruits. Fruits help you live longer! Or so I understand. It's those 2% Minute Maid "Juice" products you have to worry about, isn't it?
Natural fruit juices actually contain more or less the same amount of sugar and calories as soda eg. coke or pepsi. While it's true that 100% fruit juice contains natural sugar in the form of fructose, it still counts towards your daily calorie intake. This is why juice from a small orange or half a grapefruit is sufficient. Usually, fruit juice is taken during breakfast. The rest of the day, water should be consumed. If you do count your daily calories, be sure to include the glasses of fruit juice you consume a day.
If you want to have visible abs, you need to develop them (crunches, etc.), and perhaps more importantly, make them visible, i.e. burn fat.
Diet is a very important part of the latter, but in the case of subcutaneous fat (i.e. fat under your skin), you absolutely need to exercise as well.
"But I'm already doing crunches, right? Isn't that going to burn the fat off my abs?"
No. Crunches will only make your abs stronger, but not leaner. There is no way to reduce fat specifically from your stomach. You need to reduce fat, period. It will go away from everywhere, including your stomach (probably that'll be one of the last places where it will go away from, though).
So, you need to hit the treadmill, or the stationary bike, or the elliptical trainer, too!
Train at a constant pace for 40 minutes, or do interval training (constantly switching between short high and low-intensity periods) for 20 to 30 minutes, several times a day.
I mean, several times a week... Though if you can do it several times a DAY, more power to you!
You are absolutely right. Doing cardio is a great way to melt away the fat from your entire body. The key is to eat healthy and incorporate exercise atleast 3-6 times a week.
The best way to calculate how many calories you need to consume a day in order to lose weight is to multiply your current weight by 10. So if you weigh 120lbs x 10 = 1200 calories. If you'd like to maintain your current weight, multiply by 12.
hi, my name is Mike and i wanted to know if its bad if you weigh 170, but only consume 1200-1400 calories a day?, what's the best exercise to get rid of belly fat. I am currently running on my treadmill, doing the abslounge, and doing situps/crunches?
Before I ask the question I wanted to give you a l down on my diet plan and where I stand physically:
Weight: 143- 146 (fluctuates) Height: 5’6 Body Fat Percentage: 22% - as of December 5, 2007 Working out for last 2.5 years (without any major time off)
Started the Abs diet two weeks ago, here is the break down
Breakfast 8:30: two eggs fried in half a table spoon olive oil with two pieces of lean turkey and one piece of Smoked beef (deli meat) Cereal bar 1 Pear Handful berries One slice of whole wheat bread with strawberry jam and peanut butter on it.
Snack # 1 10:00 Broccoli or cauliflower with two spoons of all natural peanut butter
Lunch at 12:00
Baked Chicken halves/Cajun fish/steak/tuna salad/ deli sandwich’s/grilled kebobs – side serving of boiled vege’s or babay spinach
Snack # 3 3:30 I always struggle on what to have at this one but usually I end up with an Orange or all bran honey nut flavor bar from Kellogg’s or banana.
Gym 6:30 to 7:30 (10 minutes brisk walking, 50 minutes heavy weight lifting, 2- minutes HIIT) I start doing HIIT two weeks ago.
Home at 8:00
Dinner at 9:00: Baked fish/ chicken halve/ steak/ tuna can and baby spinach/ or deli meat with veges
I am lactose intolerance so I don’t drink milk and I have a very sensitive stomach even protein shakes makes me bloated. I tried that lactose free milk didn’t work for me I can’t have oatmeal either….. any type of nuts get me bloated and give me major gas.
Question: How do I get abs ? ….As of right now I have flat stomach with no visibility to abs, I do see them a bit after I finish my work out but as soon as I eat my meal they are usually gone.
Goal: My goal is to get abs by January 31 and I am thinking to go on CLA and Creatine at same time and needed your advice what your take on it, I would really appreciate your input.
thanks a bunch!