Abs are made in the kitchen

jacquelyn_erika

For those who believe this to be true, I would like for you to share with me a typical day in the life of you - as far as food goes.

I need to clean up my eating a little bit, and some other insight would be awesome. Thanks!

Larius

Check my diary. It's open. My abs aren't quite magazine cover-ready, but they're visible.

All that expression means is that calorie counting works far better for most people, because it's more convenient, than spending hours in a gym.

jacquelyn_erika

I guess I thought it meant what you prepare and what kind of foods you eat, but either way, I'm going to check your diary! THANKS

Beezil

Well, the first advice I want to give you is not to cut out fat entirely from your diet. If you don't get enough, your body will take the little bit you do get and store it instead of using it. You can cut down, just be sure it's not too little. For me a typical day of food would go something like this:

Breakfast: 3/4 cup of plain bran flakes with 1/2 cup of 1% or skim organic milk. I'll either have a cup of orange juice with it or slice up a banana in my cereal.

Lunch: Usually very small. I like to have a granola bar (peanut butter is my favorite) with a tablespoon of "Bettern" reduced fat peanut butter on top. Sometimes I have a cup of milk with that, juice, or just water. If not a granola bar, I'll have honey wheat toast with the peanut butter on it instead. Another option for me is a sandwich, honey wheat bread with lean turkey breast slices (no nitrates) and lowfat ranch dressing or miracle whip.

Snacks: I would recommend trying "Popcorn Indiana" brand snacks. Their popcorn chips and popcorn are decently low in fat/sodium and very tasty! I always stick to less than the recommended serving size on these though, as 2 and 1/2 cups seems a bit excessive to me for popcorn. But those are good salty snacks to try if you like. Fresh broccoli lightly sauteed in olive oil with sea salt, black pepper and garlic is one of my favorite snacks, and I always recommend it to people because it is one of the best foods you can eat. It's very hard to get vitamin K through normal eating habits, which is an important vitamin! Broccoli has a lot of health benefits though. Fresh fruits/veggies are always a good option for snacks, of course. And I'd also recommend switching to cooking with olive oil if you still use butter/margerine.

Dinner: This depends. My family usually has a home cooked dinner 2-3 times a week, and the other days we just eat whatever we feel like or go out. My favorite healthy meal to make comes in a box (I know, it sounds bad, but hear me out.) It's called "Good Earth" Herb Crusted Chicken with Mushroom Risotto. Buy some boneless, skinless chicken breast strips, cook them in olive oil and follow the directions on the box. It's absolutely delicious in my opinion and not bad for you at all. I like to make sauteed broccoli with it too, but you could do a salad with light dressing or whatever veggies you like. Of course I love fish too. Broiled cod or grilled salmon are my favorites. I do Lean Cuisine 1-2 times a week too. I personally like their pita bread and vegetable dip, or their Thai style spring rolls.

Sweets: Frozen Yogurt. You could go lowfat or nonfat with this - I don't know if you have UDF where you live but they have amazing frozen yogurt. My favorite is vanilla, as I can mix it up with my reduced fat peanut butter and it's oh so good as a shake. I try to stay away from sweets though, I don't eat that stuff every day. Usually just once a week, twice if I'm really craving some. lol.

Drinks: I drink a ton of water! Usually about 1/2 a gallon. Most of that is consumed while or after I've finished working out. Black coffee is good too, no calories and it keeps me peppy. lol. If you can find it, or even brew it yourself, unsweet green tea is fantastic for you too. Hope this helps a little!

madisonsteelex

Try to eat cleanly, don't cut out carbs and fat, just make sure you're getting whole wheat carbs, and good fats! Lots and lots of vegetables and protein. This is what I eat

Breakfast: Either Oatmeal with skim milk and cinnamon or two egg whites with half a slice of american cheese with avocado or spinach.

Lunch: Tuna sandwich, no mayo on wheat bread. Today I actually had tilapia with steamed broccoli and steamed red potatoes. YUM. I also like to have turkey burgers on whole wheat pita, or pita sandwiches with cucumber, hummus, red onion, and feta cheese . Super easy I also LOVE spinach salads. Baby spinach, cucumbers, red onion, feta cheese, banana peppers, and a BIT of olive oil.

Dinner: When I'm on campus I have a wrap/fajita with chicken, peppers and onions, lettuce, and sour cream. Or a chicken salad sandwich on wheat bread with banana peppers:) Or soup and salad. When I'm at home I make a lot of salmon, tilapia, and grilled or baked chicken, usually with a side of roasted or steamed vegetables. I LOVE roasted cauliflower and broccoli. Both are also awesome steamed. Sauteed spinach is also a favorite of mine.

I drink a lot of protein shakes. Whey protein powder, chobani greek yogurt, and whatever fruit or whatever you want to put in it.
Protein is A MUST when you're trying to define muscle

hope this helps

jayb0ne

I'm not there yet but so close I can feel it.

Every work day breakfast and lunch are the same

Breakfast
1 slice whole wheat toast with lashings peanut butter
Protein shake with water

Midmorning snacks
150g cottage cheese
20g toasted seed mix

Lunch
200g chicken breast
Mixed salad

Afternoon snacks
2 portions of fruit
Eg an apple, an orange, a banana, 2 plums, some peach or pineapple slices

Post workout
Shake with water or skim milk and sometimes dextrose or maltodextrin for the carbs.

Dinner
Healthy whole food meals
Different every day but always a protein source like fish, turkey, quorn, eggs (frittata Thursday ), a carb like potato or brown rice or bulgar wheat and a bunch of veg or salad.

Evening
Sometimes a light hot chocolate or I cave and eat something else like chicken or cottage cheese. Sometimes I'll take a chocolate if I've got cals to spare.

That's my cut diet, which is what should get me the sixer I promised myself for Xmas

Jay

FaithHopeBELIEVE

I really like Tosca Reno's books.

Sidesteal

The expression is mostly aimed at people who think that hours of crunches are going to give them abs, when the reality is, reduction in bodyfat will be the biggest factor towards having abs.

See sig.