you can't lose stomach fat if you don't eat "clean"?

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Replies

  • cfredz
    cfredz Posts: 292 Member
    it is two parts:

    1) no matter how much ab work you do, you won't be able to see them until your body fat % gets fairly low. That is done by maintaining a caloric deficit.

    2) Not as big of a deal as 1, but certain food can cause water retention which can make you appear a little pudgy. However, if your %BF is low, your abs will still show, they just won't be quite as defined.

    "clean" diet has very little to do with it, honestly. But it is easier to keep water under control and keep a caloric deficit when you aren't eating a lot of junk food.

    I agree with you.

    What foods cause you to retain water?
  • FitnFeistyLyness
    FitnFeistyLyness Posts: 757 Member
    i have to say its two parts one.. this is what works for me bio individuality.

    i have always said its 80% food and 20% exercise.. you cant outwork a crap diet

    i follow eat to live.. dr furhman.. nutrient dense foods. i make 90 % of my own meals.. plant based, no meat, dairy, gluten for me.

    i started at 370 pounds.. it wasn't until i really started eating clean my weight started dropping and i can finally see my abs starting to form. still have a ways to go.

    i workout 30 min, minimum a day.. eat clean and drink 64 oz of water.

    i have went from 370 pounds to 165.. but it wasn't until i cleaned up my eating everything started falling in place.

    i call it the power of 3..

    eat clean, train mean hydrate = get lean

    clean choices, 30 min a day at least of exercise and 64 oz of water this is what has worked for me..

    now exercising helps me burn calories, but more importantly it helps me stay motivated..

    just my thoughts.. what works for one doesn't work for everyone.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,021 Member
    i have always said its 80% food and 20% exercise.. you cant outwork a crap diet

    Actually you can... the only thing you can't out train is a caloric surplus... if fat loss is your goal.

    If muscle growth is your goal, a caloric surplus is your friend...
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,021 Member
    What foods cause you to retain water?

    Carbs... but then again, if you are properly hydrated your body will release excess water. Carbs I believe do draw more water into the muscles making them appear fuller.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    I have a relatively flat stomach....I had pizza for dinner last night, and just ate a candy bar. But I didn't eat too much pizza, and the candy bar was a mini.
  • christinemadden0223
    christinemadden0223 Posts: 175 Member
    I'm losing 2 lbs per week and just had grilled cheese. It was delicious. But I forgot to add bacon =(
  • cfredz
    cfredz Posts: 292 Member
    What foods cause you to retain water?

    Carbs... but then again, if you are properly hydrated your body will release excess water. Carbs I believe do draw more water into the muscles making them appear fuller.

    Gotcha, I always go over my carbs. ALWAYS. and I think im either carrying a lot of water weight or bloat, but i also drink 8-10 cups of water a day so idk what it is. Need to cut down on carbs. I'm already over today (but today was not a typical day)
  • RhineDHP
    RhineDHP Posts: 1,025 Member
    What foods cause you to retain water?

    Carbs... but then again, if you are properly hydrated your body will release excess water. Carbs I believe do draw more water into the muscles making them appear fuller.

    Gotcha, I always go over my carbs. ALWAYS. and I think im either carrying a lot of water weight or bloat, but i also drink 8-10 cups of water a day so idk what it is. Need to cut down on carbs. I'm already over today (but today was not a typical day)

    Carbs? I was of a mind that it was generally foods high in sodium that caused water retention. Cut back on the sodium and that could help with the bloat. Believe me I'm a sodium maniac (instant soup is my vice, so hard to break the habit of eating it so often!)...blah!

    haha :smile:
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Also, I use Extra Lean Ground Beef (90/10) for my chili instead of Ground Turkey, is that bad?

    I know Ground Turkey is healthier because it's lower in fat, but I don't like the taste.

    I've been seeing a lot of 'lean meat' being tossed around as if it is beneficial. It is not, as animal fat is good for you. If it makes you go over your fat macro though, that would be a reason to choose leaner cuts.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Also the most important rule around belly fat and abs when it comes to MFP:

    Unless the poster is very well known in the fitness community, don't take any ones advice on lower body fat or abs that:

    - Doesn't actually have lower body fat percentage or abs themselves

    - Is 25 or under (sorry girls and guys..when you hit 26 your body is gonna do some F'd up things to you and not play by the same rules as it has been for the start of your life.) It's not that you didn't earn it, its just different....trust me....you'll see what I'm talking about.

    - Has a profile pic of an animal (ie cat, dog, horse, 4 legged creature, parrot?)

    Sorry all you 275 lb nutritionist, nurses, and personal trainers, even if you are correct in what you are saying I will still never listen to your advice on subjects like this.

    Very strange way to choose who to take advice from. :huh:
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Realize that everyone metabolism/body fuctions and responds completely different. Not everyone is the same. What works for you may not work for the next person. You can't tell a normal indivdual who has basic diet/exercise princapls to eat they same way/things a competive athlete does...but that's JMO.

    Um, no... Pretty much our bodies all work the same, barring certain medical conditions. :ohwell:
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    3 times a week is nothing. Sometimes I eat fast food three times a *day*.

    11kxlc9.jpg
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Yes, really, with very few exceptions for genuine disorders. All the same enzymes. All the same cellular components. All the same pH, blood glucose levels, organs, etc etc. Chemistry and physiology vary very little from person to person. Even BMR varies little from person to person.

    We're not really all that different, and we all lose weight the same way.

    so if we went on the same diet we would loose the same amount of weight in the same places ???

    Please learn to quote correctly.

    If we both ran the same calorie deficit we would both lose about the same amount of weight, yes. Not from the same places.
    obviously!! I understand how calorie deficit works, your missing the point!

    It appears no one has gotten your point.

    Can you reiterate it for us, please?
  • cfredz
    cfredz Posts: 292 Member
    What foods cause you to retain water?

    Carbs... but then again, if you are properly hydrated your body will release excess water. Carbs I believe do draw more water into the muscles making them appear fuller.

    Gotcha, I always go over my carbs. ALWAYS. and I think im either carrying a lot of water weight or bloat, but i also drink 8-10 cups of water a day so idk what it is. Need to cut down on carbs. I'm already over today (but today was not a typical day)

    Carbs? I was of a mind that it was generally foods high in sodium that caused water retention. Cut back on the sodium and that could help with the bloat. Believe me I'm a sodium maniac (instant soup is my vice, so hard to break the habit of eating it so often!)...blah!

    haha :smile:

    I am always under my sodium! I've tried to cut out so many foods to see what makes me bloat (dairy/gluten/apples which def make me bloat) and I can't seem to figure it out.
  • I_Atent_Dead
    I_Atent_Dead Posts: 17
    In my own personal experience, strict "clean eating" resulted in me accidentally starving myself, as well as going insane from food boredom.. I very rapidly lost 93 lbs and then gained 84 lbs of it back just as rapidly.

    I am SO grateful to the wonderful people on this website who explained to me that it is about calorie deficit/macros before I repeated that cycle indefinitely!

    Yes, you can work all sorts of yummy "junk food" into your calories/macros and still lose weight.

    It's a wonderful world. :D
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    What foods cause you to retain water?

    Carbs... but then again, if you are properly hydrated your body will release excess water. Carbs I believe do draw more water into the muscles making them appear fuller.

    Gotcha, I always go over my carbs. ALWAYS. and I think im either carrying a lot of water weight or bloat, but i also drink 8-10 cups of water a day so idk what it is. Need to cut down on carbs. I'm already over today (but today was not a typical day)

    I used to go over on my carbs all the time. So I changed my macros. :bigsmile:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Also the most important rule around belly fat and abs when it comes to MFP:

    Unless the poster is very well known in the fitness community, don't take any ones advice on lower body fat or abs that:

    - Doesn't actually have lower body fat percentage or abs themselves

    - Is 25 or under (sorry girls and guys..when you hit 26 your body is gonna do some F'd up things to you and not play by the same rules as it has been for the start of your life.) It's not that you didn't earn it, its just different....trust me....you'll see what I'm talking about.

    - Has a profile pic of an animal (ie cat, dog, horse, 4 legged creature, parrot?)

    Sorry all you 275 lb nutritionist, nurses, and personal trainers, even if you are correct in what you are saying I will still never listen to your advice on subjects like this.

    Very strange way to choose who to take advice from. :huh:

    Yeah, no kidding! But there are a lot of strange folks around here. :laugh:
  • cfredz
    cfredz Posts: 292 Member
    What foods cause you to retain water?

    Carbs... but then again, if you are properly hydrated your body will release excess water. Carbs I believe do draw more water into the muscles making them appear fuller.

    Gotcha, I always go over my carbs. ALWAYS. and I think im either carrying a lot of water weight or bloat, but i also drink 8-10 cups of water a day so idk what it is. Need to cut down on carbs. I'm already over today (but today was not a typical day)

    I used to go over on my carbs all the time. So I changed my macros. :bigsmile:

    I was previously told that as long as i hit my protein marco goal that if i go over carbs/fat, that it should matter?
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    What foods cause you to retain water?

    Carbs... but then again, if you are properly hydrated your body will release excess water. Carbs I believe do draw more water into the muscles making them appear fuller.

    Um... what?
  • stefaniemazz
    stefaniemazz Posts: 179 Member
    I just received a new workout from Beachbody, and it came with a food guide.

    Shaun T recommends only eating egg whites because whole eggs have too much fat

    He recommends eating all unprocessed foods.

    And then makes a list of bad foods, and extra lean ground beef is on that list as well as bacon... I eat both of those.

    There is so much conflicting information out there. I don't get it.

    Is he telling my I won't lose weight if I eat those things?
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    I just received a new workout from Beachbody, and it came with a food guide.

    Shaun T recommends only eating egg whites because whole eggs have too much fat

    He recommends eating all unprocessed foods.

    And then makes a list of bad foods, and extra lean ground beef is on that list as well as bacon... I eat both of those.

    There is so much conflicting information out there. I don't get it.

    Is he telling my I won't lose weight if I eat those things?

    You will lose weight if you eat at a calorie deficit, period. Your body needs some fat in your diet. There really aren't bad foods, just foods you shouldn't eat a large amount of. Just keep things even in your diet, eat a deficit and you will lose weight.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Also the most important rule around belly fat and abs when it comes to MFP:

    Unless the poster is very well known in the fitness community, don't take any ones advice on lower body fat or abs that:

    - Doesn't actually have lower body fat percentage or abs themselves

    - Is 25 or under (sorry girls and guys..when you hit 26 your body is gonna do some F'd up things to you and not play by the same rules as it has been for the start of your life.) It's not that you didn't earn it, its just different....trust me....you'll see what I'm talking about.

    - Has a profile pic of an animal (ie cat, dog, horse, 4 legged creature, parrot?)

    Sorry all you 275 lb nutritionist, nurses, and personal trainers, even if you are correct in what you are saying I will still never listen to your advice on subjects like this.

    Very strange way to choose who to take advice from. :huh:

    Yeah, no kidding! But there are a lot of strange folks around here. :laugh:

    Current company included...
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    I just received a new workout from Beachbody, and it came with a food guide.

    Shaun T recommends only eating egg whites because whole eggs have too much fat

    He recommends eating all unprocessed foods.

    And then makes a list of bad foods, and extra lean ground beef is on that list as well as bacon... I eat both of those.

    There is so much conflicting information out there. I don't get it.

    Is he telling my I won't lose weight if I eat those things?

    If he is, he's wrong.

    Most people overindulge in fats and carbs, and undereat protein. A lot of "gurus" like to promote blanket statements designed to decrease the former and boost the latter instead of just striving to educate people on what intelligent healthful eating looks like.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    I just received a new workout from Beachbody, and it came with a food guide.

    Shaun T recommends only eating egg whites because whole eggs have too much fat

    He recommends eating all unprocessed foods.

    And then makes a list of bad foods, and extra lean ground beef is on that list as well as bacon... I eat both of those.

    There is so much conflicting information out there. I don't get it.

    Is he telling my I won't lose weight if I eat those things?

    Anyone that tells you any particular food is "bad" is a liar and you should not listen to them.
  • Matiara
    Matiara Posts: 377 Member
    I just received a new workout from Beachbody, and it came with a food guide.

    Shaun T recommends only eating egg whites because whole eggs have too much fat

    He recommends eating all unprocessed foods.

    And then makes a list of bad foods, and extra lean ground beef is on that list as well as bacon... I eat both of those.

    There is so much conflicting information out there. I don't get it.

    Is he telling my I won't lose weight if I eat those things?

    Well if you want to be even more confused, you should listen to his podcasts. He talks about how he eats burgers and hot dogs and how fans gift him with donuts that he likes at personal appearances. He also received a six month supply of his favorite candy bar for Christmas and said that he often blends them into his shakes. However, when he answers nutrition questions on behalf of Beachbody, he does a lot of self editing and his answers lean heavily toward "clean eating" because it's a lifestyle that company promotes heavily.

    There is confliciting information out there because a lot of people, including "experts" still believe in and espouse broscience and outdated research. It is not necessary to eat "clean" unless you want to.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    What foods cause you to retain water?

    Carbs... but then again, if you are properly hydrated your body will release excess water. Carbs I believe do draw more water into the muscles making them appear fuller.

    Gotcha, I always go over my carbs. ALWAYS. and I think im either carrying a lot of water weight or bloat, but i also drink 8-10 cups of water a day so idk what it is. Need to cut down on carbs. I'm already over today (but today was not a typical day)

    I used to go over on my carbs all the time. So I changed my macros. :bigsmile:

    I was previously told that as long as i hit my protein marco goal that if i go over carbs/fat, that it should matter?

    Yep.

    See this thread:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
  • laurenpjokl
    laurenpjokl Posts: 118 Member
    You can lose weight eating whatever as long as you're eating at a deficit.

    However, eating "clean" is a good idea because 1. Some foods are naturally less filling and more calorific, and therefore harder to keep under your calorie goal with. 2. If you're trying to eat less then you're going to need to consume nutrient dense foods so that you're still eating enough protein, vitamins and minerals.
  • laurenpjokl
    laurenpjokl Posts: 118 Member
    Just to clarify, when I say "clean" eating, I just mean trying to have a fairly balanced diet with a reasonable amount of protein, fruit and veg, and not getting all your calories from carbs, especially just from sugar. I know some people take clean eating to mean a diet that is a lot stricter than that.
  • janatarnhem
    janatarnhem Posts: 669 Member
    [/quote]

    Deficit

    You can have as much muscle as you like, but can't reveal it if it's covered in fat.

    Do resistance training with progressive loading to build muscle.
    Cut bodyfat to let the muscle show.
    Repeat until fabulous.
    [/quote]


    Thank you for this straightforward information! I will follow!

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