abs are made in the kitchen

Acg67

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

A diet is no good if you can't adhere to it, you have to find what works for you and what you can adhere to

BigRich822

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

Agree
Exactly what I said Its simple

jennkain97

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?

unless you have an incredibly physical job, like construction (hands on, not operating heavy equipment), the answer is no. how can you build muscle (abs are muscle) w/o doing any strength training?

blonde71

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?

Not to negate what your trainer said BUT I have visible ab definition and eat some of the things she said not some of the time like: bread and dairy. I drink milk, eat cheese at least once a day. I eat bread a few times a week but I will say that I don't indulge in regular cheat meals and keep my sugar low and focus on protein. You really have to continually tweak your diet and see what things you can live with and live without. I wish I had more advice for you but that's what worked for me. I just kept adjusting my diet and didn't give up in my quest to lower my body fat. Hope that helps.

mrsRhughes

I think this is relative to the individual. I'm sure there are plenty of people who can "get abs" without eating a super clean diet, and there are those who don't work out but eat well and "get their abs" that way. For me, it's definitely a combination of both. I have ALWAYS worked out hard, and had trouble getting totally defined abs even though my weight was where I wanted it to be. I recently (past 6-7 months) have cut out MOST carbs - meaning if I eat them at breakfast, I don't have them the rest of the day ... if I want pasta for dinner, then that's it for the day, etc. I eat mostly veggies, fruit and lean protein but it's because it's what I LOVE, not just because I "have" to. I drink wine daily (red). I have one day a week where my calories are significantly higher than the other six days, and this seems to really work for me! (This doesn't mean that day is full of "bad" food, just that I eat more!) I am happy to say I finally DO have pretty great ab definition, especially after having had two kids. Hope you find a balance that works for you, good luck!

dad106

I had a debate with someone on this earlier this week.. and what I got out of it was I don't know anything because I'm 24 and you must eat clean.. there is no other way.

As I said then(and will say now) to see abs you must lose fat.. which can be done through a calorie deficit.. not necessarily a clean one but a calorie deficit.

I'm seeing a hint of abs for the first time in my 24 years of existence, and I don't eat clean by a long shot.. so I think it can be done with out "clean" eating aspect.

Jessicaruby

so can you still have cheat meals and get abs? i would like to be able to go out with family and friends occasionally and not feel guilty about indulging. i have been skipping out of social events because i dont want to ruin my diet and that is starting to seem silly and rather unhealthy mentally.

jennkain97

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

i hear ya! i've been craving a burger all week!! i find that i can deprive myself for a few weeks, and only if i have a compelling reason (that wedding coming up). beyond that, i'm miserable. so starting next week, i'll be allowing myself 2-3 indulgences per week, within my calorie and macro goals. i was losing before, and i didn't even look at macros-- just calories. so keeping my protein up can only be better, right?

i don't have to tell you that it's not healthy to drive yourself nuts over food. eat clean 90% of the time, and enjoy yourself the rest. make a healthy dinner, and have a glass of wine with it. or have a protein heavy lunch, and a small dessert before bed (real--not yogurt ). find some balance, for your sanity's sake!

blonde71

Yes, just not all the time. It's about balance not total deprivation. I have two kids so I cheat every now and again - pizza, ice cream, etc. I just know when to "rein it in" and tighten up my diet. I eat clean 80% of the time and not-so-clean 20% of the time. It's totally possible to still have a treat now and then and have visible abs.

Bobby_Clerici

Ab are made in the kitchen is one of those GOOD NEWS-BAD NEWS sort of things.
Good News: it's very simple. Eat right....And don't waste your money on those bogus contraptions that do what a common sit up does.

Bad News: It's so simple, but HARD HARD, HARD! If the scammers promoting these worthless products and supplements geared toward getting you the 6-Pack actually told the truth, nobody - I mean NOBODY would ever buy their junk,

Just eat right and exercise - simple but hard.

mrsRhughes

so can you still have cheat meals and get abs? i would like to be able to go out with family and friends occasionally and not feel guilty about indulging. i have been skipping out of social events because i dont want to ruin my diet and that is starting to seem silly and rather unhealthy mentally.

YES you can still have "cheat" days! (My opinion, anyway!) Life is meant to be enjoyed, and we shouldn't deprive ourselves. I mean, be realistic about it and don't over-indulge every single day. It's all about balance. And it's absolutely true that you have to lose fat/weight first to ever be able to see the muscles under there! So in that case, cardio and weight loss will definitely help. Once the fat layer is gone, the toning exercises and muscle building will make a big difference.

TinaBaily

This topic is funny. I read the "abs are made in the kitchen" and thought the OP meant that he got them from kneading a lot of bread in his kitchen! That actually takes some ab strength to do. :laugh:

Jessicaruby

so can you still have cheat meals and get abs? i would like to be able to go out with family and friends occasionally and not feel guilty about indulging. i have been skipping out of social events because i dont want to ruin my diet and that is starting to seem silly and rather unhealthy mentally.

YES you can still have "cheat" days! (My opinion, anyway!) Life is meant to be enjoyed, and we shouldn't deprive ourselves. I mean, be realistic about it and don't over-indulge every single day. It's all about balance. And it's absolutely true that you have to lose fat/weight first to ever be able to see the muscles under there! So in that case, cardio and weight loss will definitely help. Once the fat layer is gone, the toning exercises and muscle building will make a big difference.

i do strength training and cardio. i did a bulk a while back when i was at about goal weight and i gained way too much fat and am now finding it hard to lose :sad:

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?

unless you have an incredibly physical job, like construction (hands on, not operating heavy equipment), the answer is no. how can you build muscle (abs are muscle) w/o doing any strength training?

Then I guess the saying really should be "weight loss happens in the kitchen, visible abs come from strength training".

spazofthedead

It sounds like that trainer is a big fan of the paleo diet (except the bread and cottage cheese thing is kinda weird, usually it's just high protein, no dairy and no carbs except from fruits/veggies). It's not necessary to follow something so extreme in order to see your abs. If you're training right and maintaining a caloric deficit, you'll get there eventually.

FitForLife81

Yup it is all about low bf% My abs didnt look cut until 15% bf and I do eat what I want now that I am maintaining

CoderGal

I like oreos. A lot of them. I ate 1800 calories worth (30, a whole box) one day. I don't think my stomach's bad. That is all.

SteveHunt113

Abs are just another muscle. And like other muscles, to see them you can't have fat covering them up. There are a thousand ways to lose fat, and each one uses this tried and true method: eating at a deficit.

It does help to do ab workouts simple to build muscle in your ab's so they are more pronounced. But, you can have the strongest set of abs on the planet and still not see them if they are covered by fat.

Have you ever seen those guys at the gym who could stand to lose 150+ pounds, have no definition, but bench 300+ pounds? They have big muscled covered by fat making them look round and out of shape.

Fat is the enemy. Fat covers up muscle. Fat. Lose it and rejoice at your nice abs!

Did I mention that part about fat? :laugh:

wackyfunster

Intermittent fasting and fasted cardio have gotten me the best results in terms of abdominal definition. Check out Lyle McDonald's "The Stubborn Fat Solution" for some awesome protocols for getting rid of abdominal fat.

SteveHunt113

Intermittent fasting and fasted cardio have gotten me the best results in terms of abdominal definition. Check out Lyle McDonald's "The Stubborn Fat Solution" for some awesome protocols for getting rid of abdominal fat.

You can not target where you are going to lose fat. Your body makes that decision for you. If you are losing abdominal fat, more than likely it's because you've lost most of your other fat already. For whatever reason, our bodies tent to hold onto abdominal fat longer ... given us wonderful phrase like, "hard to lose abdominal fat" or my favorite, "Stubborn belly fat". :bigsmile: