abs are made in the kitchen

Jessicaruby

i have heard this over and over again. that getting the defined abs i am aiming for comes mostly from how you eat, not by working out...... my trainer insists that to get abs i must eat super clean, high protein, low sugar, no bread but ezekiel and no dairy except cottage cheese. she claims i can not have cheat days/meals and cannot indulge.... i tried this for 5 weeks and while i seen some results i feel super deprived and this is not sustainable. and quite frankly i am losing my mind....SO if abs are made in the kitchen what does this entail? can you cheat/indulge and still get defined abs? or do you have to eat super clean and constantly stick to your calories and be super strict with your macros?

BigRich822

You can eat whatever you want. I have abs and I eat anything I want. You just have to eat at a deficit thats it. Sure some foods will hang with you longer but it does not matter. Calories in and Calories out. Just eat at a deficit and you will be fine. I would also work out your abs 3 days a week.

Jessicaruby

i always that it was more calories in vs calories out. but more and more i read, talk, and hear people saying it is a combination of eating at a deficit while being super strict with your macros

Jessicaruby

bump? looking for others thoughts? gotten good input from friends but others on MFP?

jennkain97

Have you read NROLFW? Some of the meals in their meal plans actually include WINE (to drink, not cook with!). There is a focus on macros, and of course you want to eat clean most of the time, but not ALL the time. Dessert? Dark chocolate! There's so many ladies on here having success with it-- i suggest you read it. Even if the workouts are easier than what you're used to, the nutrition info is great.

arc918

never had abs and probably never will

low body fat is the answer, how you do that is up to you

there are bunch of ripped kids running around my town eating taco bell and doritos so go figure

melissa_leah

I think it mostly means you won't see your abs if it's under fat.... so you have to lose fat to see your muscles.

Jessicaruby

i have read NROLFW. i hated the workout routine.... i may look back over the nutrition part. dont remember much on that. i just can NOT fathom eating all "healthy" and "clean" foods forever. thats just not possible. for me anyway. my trainer did say to eat two small pieces of dark chocolate on leg days and that is a good choice to fill a craving. but what about other things you crave and enjoy like cheeseburgers, pie, liquor, pizza, ect. i do make healthier alternatives but sometimes you just want the real damn thing

NeedANewFocus

bump. how much cardio vs weight traing combined with food?

Acg67

Creating a deficit in order to drop bodyfat can be done with both "clean" or "unclean" foods however you want to define those terms

taso42

your trainer is a bro

BackTatJIM

Creating a deficit in order to drop bodyfat can be done with both "clean" or "unclean" foods however you want to define those terms

Agreed, I do not have a 6 pack, but I am the closest to a 6 pack i have ever been, and i don't limit my food as extreme as your trainer said to

pweinzap

Eating clean will definitely help but it's more a matter of your body fat percentage. It needs to be reduced.

Jessicaruby

your trainer is a bro

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: kinda what im beginning to think. i went to her because i wanted to train for a figure comp. i know about 8-10 weeks out from competition eating like this is essential but she claims this is how i should always eat!

SPNLuver83

I have abs. I do not eat clean. I have high calorie days. I eat bread and dairy and sugar. So yeah lol

pinthin87

You can eat whatever you want. I have abs and I eat anything I want. You just have to eat at a deficit thats it. Sure some foods will hang with you longer but it does not matter. Calories in and Calories out. Just eat at a deficit and you will be fine. I would also work out your abs 3 days a week.

^This

I did a no sugar fast for 10 days last month and I saw my stomach the most flat it's been in a while eating high FAT foods like avocado, salmon, and raw nuts and seeds. You just need to have a deficit. Because I couldn't have sugar it forced me to get creative. I will be honest and say at that time I wasn't eating bread and Idk if that was a contributing factor, but like I said I sure ate a lot of other fats and complex carbs. Calories in calories out!

along21291

When people say "abs are made in the kitchen" I understand that getting abs is mainly about what you eat (macros, consistent deficit, and such). However, every time people say this, they include at the end that you should lift heavy 3-4x a week. Is it possible to get abs just by tuning in your diet and not lifting?

Jessicaruby

Creating a deficit in order to drop bodyfat can be done with both "clean" or "unclean" foods however you want to define those terms

as in clean i mean (and this is coming from my trainer as well) veggies, limited fruit, brown rice, oats, chicken, ezekiel bread, cottage cheese, protein powder, ground turkey, sweet potatoes, and natural PB. thats about all she says to eat
i love eating these foods but i think that incorporating other foods and foods that are not so healthy such as desserts, burgers, pizza, ect minimally and within reason shouldnt be a problem?

Acg67

Creating a deficit in order to drop bodyfat can be done with both "clean" or "unclean" foods however you want to define those terms

as in clean i mean (and this is coming from my trainer as well) veggies, limited fruit, brown rice, oats, chicken, ezekiel bread, cottage cheese, protein powder, ground turkey, sweet potatoes, and natural PB. thats about all she says to eat
i love eating these foods but i think that incorporating other foods and foods that are not so healthy such as desserts, burgers, pizza, ect minimally and within reason shouldnt be a problem?

It shouldn't be a problem. You don't have to totally deprive yourself to get results

Jessicaruby

Eating clean will definitely help but it's more a matter of your body fat percentage. It needs to be reduced.

i understand that in order to see your muscle definition you need a lower body fat %, but does eating clean and sticking to certain macros aid in this process? or is it just about working out enough and sticking to a deficit. if you look at my diary you can see how strict i had been for 5 weeks with macros and cals. but then i decided to have a cheat meal and because i had been so strict i caved in and binged! i need a happy medium where i can occasionaly feel ok about indulging to keep my sanity and be able to be social and not binge and still be able to achieve my goals

qtiekiki

I have some definitions in my abs, and I do not eat super clean. I eat pretty balanced meals, but my snacks are not always healthy. I believe in moderation and proper portions. One thing I did do was cut out white rice from dinner. I didn't say carbs because sometimes we have noodles or pastas for dinner, and I eat them. I still eat rice for lunch. The only macros that I really track is proteins, to make sure I eat enough.