Abs Diet and Pilates

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courtneyroyale
courtneyroyale Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone. I am currently in physical therapy and have a lot of limitations on the types of exercises I can do at the moment. However, my PT said that I'm now allowed to start Pilates twice a week. Right now I am cutting out sugar and focusing on eating cleaner. Is it possible for me get defined abs and shrink my waistline somewhat through a proper diet and Pilates alone? Thanks in advance for any responses I might get.

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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Not sure exactly what you mean by "defined abs" (is that a six pack?), but you can shrink your waistline by shedding fat and you can do that with a calorie deficit alone. Adding activity that has been approved by your PT will be great for your fitness but you can definitely get a smaller waist through a calorie deficit.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Pilates is great for building core strength, but abs are made by shedding fat.
  • anothermfpuser
    anothermfpuser Posts: 84 Member
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    All the Pilates in the world won't shed your fat. A whole lot of Pilates will help you reap the benefits of the exercise - mobility, flexibility and strength (particularly core).
  • courtneyroyale
    courtneyroyale Posts: 9 Member
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    I know I would have to shed fat first but I was asking if cleaning up one's diet alone would be effective enough to do so. A lot of sources seem to say that HIIT workouts are the best for this, but I can't really do cardio right now.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    There's lots of woo in the weight loss and fitness industry that says eating specific food in a specific way or doing a specific exercise will burn belly fat. But it's all a sales pitch.

    You need to eat in a calorie deficit and let your body lose weight in whatever pattern you're genetically programmed to until you get what you want.

    Eating clean will help if it gets you into a calorie deficit. There's no guarantee though that it will. Lots of people try that if they aren't willing to calorie count. Good luck on your recovery!
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
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    courtneyroyale wrote: »
    I know I would have to shed fat first but I was asking if cleaning up one's diet alone would be effective enough to do so. A lot of sources seem to say that HIIT workouts are the best for this, but I can't really do cardio right now.

    80% of weight is lost in the kitchen. You can't out exercise a bad diet, but you can out diet a sedentary lifestyle, so to speak. You will lose fat by cutting calories, where you will lose that fat from is different for everyone. You could be one of the lucky ones that lose it from your waist, but more than likely you will lose it from all over. Doing Pilates will help increase your strength and as you do lose the fat, will help to give the appearance of being more toned.
  • ozgurvh
    ozgurvh Posts: 182 Member
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    six pack comes with a good diet plan mostly. Like almost %80 percent comes from eating, and 20% from exercise.
  • jasondjulian
    jasondjulian Posts: 182 Member
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    courtneyroyale wrote: »
    I know I would have to shed fat first but I was asking if cleaning up one's diet alone would be effective enough to do so. A lot of sources seem to say that HIIT workouts are the best for this, but I can't really do cardio right now.

    Basic answer, no.

    "cleaning up" a diet... that really doesn't even mean anything, or at least not what people think it does. There are no good or bad foods, there is just food. That is not to say that some foods are more or less nutritious than others, and are a better, more obvious choice to consume (this is probably what you/people mean by "cleaning up" a diet), but overall, it's the QUANTITY of food you eat that adds to weight loss or gain, and to lose enough to have visible abdominal muscles, you must lose a lot of body fat, down to less than "typical" amounts.

    HIIT is great cardiovascular exercise, burns a lot of calories, so it helps get into that caloric deficit needed to lose weight, but in and of itself is only one tool to achieve what you're asking.

    As they say, you can't outrun a bad diet; and abs are made in the kitchen.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    essentially, you have to lower your body fat by eating at a calorie deficit.
    if you want it temporarily, you can do some tricks like cutting sugar
    if you want it permanently which can be hard to maintain, you need to make sustainable diet changes. exercise helps but it's about the BF
    and you can't spot reduce
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,484 Member
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    courtneyroyale wrote: »
    Hi everyone. I am currently in physical therapy and have a lot of limitations on the types of exercises I can do at the moment. However, my PT said that I'm now allowed to start Pilates twice a week. Right now I am cutting out sugar and focusing on eating cleaner. Is it possible for me get defined abs and shrink my waistline somewhat through a proper diet and Pilates alone? Thanks in advance for any responses I might get.

    Aim for fulfilling your nutritional needs while eating at an appropriate deficit for the amount of weight you want to lose.

    No food, including sugar needs to be avoided. You may have more success by eating what you normally eat initially, and adjusting as you go along so your nutritional needs are met.

    Pilates will help strengthen your core (and other body parts), and improve your posture, so that when you have lost the weight you body will have a more sculpted/defined look than if you hadn't exercised.

    Eat back exercise calories to the extent that you are losing at your chosen rate.


    (Getting abs, for most, takes years of training.)

    Cheers, h.

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