Abs are made in the kitchen...

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SunKissed1989
SunKissed1989 Posts: 1,314 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So, they say abs are made in the kitchen. No amount of crunches, sit ups, leg raises and such will get you fab abs.

My question is…what exactly should I be making (or not making) in the kitchen to get rid of that layer of fat covering the abs that I know are waiting to break free for bikini season (I can feel tension and muscle already, just need the definition).

I'm doing a mix of cardio and strength training (including ab exercises), but just wondering what I should be doing to get these abs that are 'made in the kitchen'.

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  • SunKissed1989
    SunKissed1989 Posts: 1,314 Member
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    anyone?
  • BelsFitnessJourney
    BelsFitnessJourney Posts: 29
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    I suggest eating healthy foods as close to their natural form as possible. Avoid processed and packaged foods as they contain many additives and are also high in sodium etc.

    Stick to lean meats, wholegrains and raw natural fruits and vegies.
  • AngelsFan91106
    AngelsFan91106 Posts: 111 Member
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    It's not really ~what~ you make, but ~how much~ you make in the kitchen. This is the basic formula for abs:

    1. Eat at a small calorie deficit (so that you don't starve and then eat everything in sight).

    2. Eat 1g of protein/pound of lean body mass (or whatever your ideal weight is, if that's easier to figure out).

    3. Lift heavy weights.
  • cpusmc
    cpusmc Posts: 122
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    thats tough cause we are all different. when i start cutting for summer, i will focus on a small calorie deficit while adjusting my macros to focus on protein and fat with carbs being the lower of the 3. when i make this switch i focus allot on salads, cut out the breads and pastas, heavy fish, chicken and turkey with steamed veggies, nuts for snack, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, egg whites and try to get most of my carb allowance at breakfast and lunch so i can burn it off before bed. i also kill all desserts and no sodas and limited alcohol till i get to around 10% bf which is my summer target.

    i keep lifting heavy and add more hiit cardio, from 1 day/week to 3 as the added calorie burn helps to carve off the stubborn fat my body holds on to. again, the diet becomes very clean and heavy protein with fat then carbs making up my calories. its a process that i constantly modify after my initial 90 day cut. i dont know if this helps other than to show what works for me... good luck...
  • BelsFitnessJourney
    BelsFitnessJourney Posts: 29
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    It's not really ~what~ you make, but ~how much~ you make in the kitchen. This is the basic formula for abs:

    1. Eat at a small calorie deficit (so that you don't starve and then eat everything in sight).

    2. Eat 1g of protein/pound of lean body mass (or whatever your ideal weight is, if that's easier to figure out).

    3. Lift heavy weights.


    I also agree with eating 1 g protein per pound of body weight, I have been doing this for a few weeks now as well as going to the gym three times a week and i am getting toned and building muscle slowly. My hair is also so much healthier and growing faster :)
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
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    the answer could be either really simple or really complicated.
  • AwesomeGuy37
    AwesomeGuy37 Posts: 436 Member
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    It means that you have to drop body fat percentage close to or under 20% (female) and 12% (male). You need a good amount of protein and lift heavy, like others have said, so that you are not targeting muscle loss as much when dropping calories.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
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    idiom
  • trishfitllc
    trishfitllc Posts: 10 Member
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    sugar, HAS to GO! are you counting carbs/sugar??????? this always does the trick,..sugar, even from fruit, if consumed in too great a % of total daily calories can be hindering fat loss….you need to be a calorie deficit to lose body fat….have to you ever calculated your BMR or TDEE?
  • Taterpoof
    Taterpoof Posts: 416 Member
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    Just a deficit really. I eat ice cream and crap and my abs are starting to kinda poke through a bit. I prefer slow and delicious =D
  • SunKissed1989
    SunKissed1989 Posts: 1,314 Member
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    Thx everyone :smile:

    Following advice from the Eat, Train, Progress group leaders I've changed what I'm eating over the last couple of weeks and been seeing the difference.
    I'm eating 1735 calories a day (195g carbs, 58g fat and 108g protein). I worked it out and the protein balances at exactly 1g per lean body mass (not sure exactly what my BF% is, but last I checked it was something like 27%).
    It's only been a couple of weeks (and a bad weekend set me off track a bit) so going to keep it up to see what kind of results I get. Recently got a new gym programme which has plenty of lifting and cardio (kind of like a circuit-type fashion) which I'm doing 2/3 times a week and I do Zumba once a week.

    Oh, I also don't eat back my exercise calories:smile:

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