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    Defined abs?

    Posts: 108
    edited January 27 in Fitness and Exercise
    I feel a bit stuck. I have been exercising and lifting since the beginning of the year. I only had about 6 lbs to lose but really needed to tone up!! I am generally happy with the results but would like my abs to be a little more defined!! Body Fat is around 20% and I seem to be stuck there. When I wake up in the morning they look good and then as soon as I eat it just looks as it did before! I have 3 kids so it's easier for that area to stretch out I guess! I try to eat lots of protein and not go over with my carbs but don't eat clean all the time. Is that the missing link?

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    • Posts: 6 Member
      lower fat %
    • Posts: 275 Member
      You need lower body fat and every reply in this thread will tell you that. You should be at 14% or below really.
    • Posts: 108
      Thanks, how do I do that though?! Just keep lifting?
    • Posts: 1,203 Member
      I'm in the same boat... my body fat is about 17.5% or so and I am very VERY toned everywhere BUT my abs... however, my belly is FINALLY flat - without food, I have IBS.

      I've started to incorporate heavy lifting 3 times a week (5x5 type of stuff) and I do 2 days of Shred (Jillian Michaels inspired) plus whatever walking and if I decide to do another workout. I have a desk job, so I try to do what I can when I can.

      If you don't lift, start, you will see the difference.

      Also, find out what your TDEE - 20%... mine is 1,800(ish)... I eat on average 1,800 to 1,850 M-F and boost up my calories to about 2,100 or more on the weekend - this weekend I had alcohol hence the lack of logging because I don't use my phone when I'm drunk :ohwell:

      Screw up your body and make it guess :)
    • Posts: 685 Member
      I am in the same boat. Three kids and working to get more definition. My body fat is around 18.5% now, and I am upping my strength training. Doing pushups really helped me, and now I am working all the muscle groups and hoping it will help me out. :smile:
    • Posts: 271
      They look really great now! Just saying
    • Posts: 108
      They look really great now! Just saying

      Thank you!! I am flexing though, not sure I can do it all day on the beach lol!!!
    • Posts: 685 Member
      I think you look great too! Better than me! Keep up the good work. :)
    • Posts: 271
      Heck yeah you can. Do a double biceps and a crab pose too! As Ronnie Coleman says,"yeah buddy!"
    • Posts: 108
      I'm in the same boat... my body fat is about 17.5% or so and I am very VERY toned everywhere BUT my abs... however, my belly is FINALLY flat - without food, I have IBS.

      I've started to incorporate heavy lifting 3 times a week (5x5 type of stuff) and I do 2 days of Shred (Jillian Michaels inspired) plus whatever walking and if I decide to do another workout. I have a desk job, so I try to do what I can when I can.

      If you don't lift, start, you will see the difference.

      Also, find out what your TDEE - 20%... mine is 1,800(ish)... I eat on average 1,800 to 1,850 M-F and boost up my calories to about 2,100 or more on the weekend - this weekend I had alcohol hence the lack of logging because I don't use my phone when I'm drunk :ohwell:


      Already lifting every other day, I do a mix of NROL , Stronglifts and bootcamp.

      Screw up your body and make it guess :)

      Already lifting every other day, I do a mix of NROL , Stronglifts and bootcamp. I think my eating might be the missing link, I eat well and mostly healthy but not completely clean. Wow 17.5% that's a great BF percentage!!! I hope I can get to that one day!!
    • Posts: 108
      I think you look great too! Better than me! Keep up the good work. :)

      Thanks you look great too!! Add me if you like, always like having friends on MFP with kids I find it's so much harder to resist to all the yummy things in the house lol!
    • Posts: 6 Member
      Just check how much calories you are taking and cut it down a bit
    • Posts: 2,656 Member
      Continue lifting heavy, especially big compound lifts. Also, up your protein to 1 g/lb bw. This will help you retain the muscle you have while losing. And as said, eat in a deficit to reduce bf %.
    • Posts: 2,545 Member
      You need lower body fat and every reply in this thread will tell you that. You should be at 14% or below really.

      i am not sure a woman has to be below 14% to see abs.


      body-fat-percentage-women.jpg


      womenbodyfat1.jpg

      female-body-fat-percentage-pictures1.jpg
    • Posts: 2,545 Member
      i haven't ever gotten below 19% body fat, but my goal is 16.

      I agree with everyone else- lift heavy, hit those macros, eat at a deficit.

      How to actually do that has evaded me though. I did the TDEE - 20% thing and ended up putting on weight (maybe I wasn't logging right or not lifting consistently enough?). Then I cut my calories more and now it's hard to have the energy to work out like i used to. I feel like i need a personal trainer! LOL!
    • Posts: 108
      Just check how much calories you are taking and cut it down a bit

      I am eating between 1400-1700 at the moment so not sure I could go much lower. I will try upping the protein some more, thanks!
    • Posts: 2,545 Member
      Continue lifting heavy, especially big compound lifts. Also, up your protein to 1 g/lb bw. This will help you retain the muscle you have while losing. And as said, eat in a deficit to reduce bf %.

      ^ yeah what this guy said. 1 g of protein per lb of LBM is what I was told.
    • Posts: 41,865 Member
      OP...I think your abs are pretty rockin already...but I also prefer a woman in the 18%-20% BF range.

      As other's have said, you'll have to get your BF% down around 14-15% or lower for a visible 6 pack. This takes a lot of work for a man, even more work for a woman...it's going to take way more than a few months of lifting. Maybe a slight deficit from maintenance...but personally I'd eat maintenance and keep lifting. Slowly but surely...it takes time.
    • Posts: 108
      i haven't ever gotten below 19% body fat, but my goal is 16.

      I agree with everyone else- lift heavy, hit those macros, eat at a deficit.

      How to actually do that has evaded me though. I did the TDEE - 20% thing and ended up putting on weight (maybe I wasn't logging right or not lifting consistently enough?). Then I cut my calories more and now it's hard to have the energy to work out like i used to. I feel like i need a personal trainer! LOL!

      This is how I feel!!! I feel I am already doing these things although the eating could use some improvement as in maybe cutting out my treat of the day!
    • Posts: 685 Member
      My TDEE is 2113 and I do well at that. I found that if I kept my calories up and didn't eat at a deficit, I kept my weight lower. That is based on a pretty active level though. I am 5'7" and 125 lbs.
    • Posts: 4,564 Member
      At one point we have to decide if we want a healthy and easier to maintain body fat % or abs. Keep in mind that even fitness models don't have abs year round.
    • Posts: 108
      OP...I think your abs are pretty rockin already...but I also prefer a woman in the 18%-20% BF range.

      As other's have said, you'll have to get your BF% down around 14-15% or lower for a visible 6 pack. This takes a lot of work for a man, even more work for a woman...it's going to take way more than a few months of lifting. Maybe a slight deficit from maintenance...but personally I'd eat maintenance and keep lifting. Slowly but surely...it takes time.


      Thank you!! You are right I think I just need to be patient :)
    • Posts: 108
      At one point we have to decide if we want a healthy and easier to maintain body fat % or abs. Keep in mind that even fitness models don't have abs year round.

      Good point. I have noticed that if I lose too much weight then I lose the boobs too. I guess I just have to find a happy medium!!
    • Posts: 108
      My TDEE is 2113 and I do well at that. I found that if I kept my calories up and didn't eat at a deficit, I kept my weight lower. That is based on a pretty active level though. I am 5'7" and 125 lbs.

      That's interesting!! I am only 5,2 and 104 lbs, so probably around 1700 would be my ideal.
    • Posts: 304 Member
      I think you look great! Thanks for posting this because getting more ab definition is something I'm working on too:) Good luck!
    • Posts: 685 Member
      Here you go: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
    • Posts: 1,978 Member
      show previous quotes

      Thank you!! I am flexing though, not sure I can do it all day on the beach lol!!!

      They really do look great!! I have the same problem - I just cheat and do a direct ab workout the morning before I hit the beach, and make sure to flex whenever a photo is taken. lol

      Cheater-pants.

      PS: This is my compromise after figuring out I wasn't ready for the amount of sacrifice and dedication it takes to maintain 16% body fat year round. I sacrificed abs for an easier to maintain body fat percentage.
    • Posts: 49 Member
      Tom Venuto -Of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle says to eat 1gm of protein for every lb of GOAL weight...
    • Posts: 1,265 Member
      Eat 'fat burning' foods, high protein, low-moderate carbs and moderate fat. Eat at a 5-10% deficit instead of the 20% I saw recommended above.

      You want to lose body fat and creating muscle means you convert your body into a fat burning machine when following the diet I noted above. I would recommend between 13-15% body fat for good definition.

      Fashion/Swimsuit Model : 17-20% BF
      Fitness Model: 13 - 16% BF
      BodyBuilder (Female): 9-12% BF

      These are around the percentages for each type, might be off by a % here or there.
    • Posts: 2,545 Member
      show previous quotes

      This is how I feel!!! I feel I am already doing these things although the eating could use some improvement as in maybe cutting out my treat of the day!

      honestly, the only way i got down to 19% bf was when i was on the candida diet. I don't recommend it because i didn't have any muscle. I was too skinny and that is when I decided to do TDEE -20%, lift heavy, and watch my macros. Eventually i was up to 23%. I'm back to cutting now... meaning I went back to 1200 + exercise cals, but i get 330 cals for 1 hour of lifting. I also am adding i a little more cardio hoping it'll do the extra bit.

      I did lose 2 lbs last week and according to my calculations, if I don't lose any muscle at all, I only have 9 lbs to lose to get to 16% body fat.

      Maybe come august I'll have something useful to tell you!

      Good luck!

      and ps. I think you look amazeballs as is.
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