How to Maintain Abs???

Hi there!

I've been flirting with the idea of abs for some time now, but only recently have I dedicated myself to the pursuit of a six-pack. I've been eating religiously clean for the past three or four weeks, and I'm starting to see improvement!!

However, soon enough (at least within the next two or three weeks), I will have to stop eating at a deficit and start eating at maintenance again. How many calories do you guys eat to maintain abs???

P.S. I workout once or twice a day, six days a week. Includes strength training 2-3 times a week, cardio almost everyday, and a fairly active job twice a week.

For abs, you will have to monitor diet and keep a close tab on things....
Depending on where you are at on the BF% scale.
Men typically start seeing abs around the 12% mark.
Prolly being somewhere between 8 - 10% would be desireable.

If you are able to eat at maintenance, then you should be fine...as you will not be in a position to put on fat...but also not lose fat.

Just keep lifting hard, and stay on top of your diet.....tweak as needed.

Couple of days going over will not kill you....as long as you get back on track.

I personally, between Friday to Saturday (when I went to bed) pounded down ~10,000 calories.....
While I am a tad softer, I still see my abs fine.

I'll let you know once I'm done removing the layer of mayonnaise I promptly covered mine in.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I want abs too... that is the next uncharted territory for me. Lost 50 lbs and have gotten some good muscle tone in other parts of my body but ABS are a "B". Just started a 30 ABS/GLUTE challenge TABATA style (today is day 1). Hoping at day 30 I see some results! Rome wasnt built in a day I guess.

caloric deficit, time and patience.

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I want abs too... that is the next uncharted territory for me. Lost 50 lbs and have gotten some good muscle tone in other parts of my body but ABS are a "B". Just started a 30 ABS/GLUTE challenge TABATA style (today is day 1). Hoping at day 30 I see some results! Rome wasnt built in a day I guess.

caloric deficit, time and patience.

I'll bite since I was ragging on the word "patience" in another thread. How much time? Everyone crows about losing 1lb a week. So I'm 245lbs now. When would I get abs? (Yes I know I have them already but you know what I mean.)

As another poster said, it's more dependent on body fat %. What's your current body fat %?

I want abs too... that is the next uncharted territory for me. Lost 50 lbs and have gotten some good muscle tone in other parts of my body but ABS are a "B". Just started a 30 ABS/GLUTE challenge TABATA style (today is day 1). Hoping at day 30 I see some results! Rome wasnt built in a day I guess.

caloric deficit, time and patience.

I'll bite since I was ragging on the word "patience" in another thread. How much time? Everyone crows about losing 1lb a week. So I'm 245lbs now. When would I get abs? (Yes I know I have them already but you know what I mean.)

When you lose the BF from other parts of your body and the only place left to pull it from will be your lower abs, lower back, sides....
And if you are a woman, thighs.

Everyone is different, but those places are always the last to go.....so that is why patience is key.
You have to keep your goal in mind.
Realize you didn't get fat over night, and you will not pop abs over night.
There will be times where you want that cookie or doughnut or whatever, but you say "Nope, I have my goal in mind, and my plan in place, I am sticking to it"

And you will prolly get criticism from others around you, especially family, the closer you get to your goal.....
ignore it.

I want abs too... that is the next uncharted territory for me. Lost 50 lbs and have gotten some good muscle tone in other parts of my body but ABS are a "B". Just started a 30 ABS/GLUTE challenge TABATA style (today is day 1). Hoping at day 30 I see some results! Rome wasnt built in a day I guess.

caloric deficit, time and patience.

I'll bite since I was ragging on the word "patience" in another thread. How much time? Everyone crows about losing 1lb a week. So I'm 245lbs now. When would I get abs? (Yes I know I have them already but you know what I mean.)

As another poster said, it's more dependent on body fat %. What's your current body fat %?

30% if you trust the electronic scale. I know those aren't solid but there's no real reason to pay for a better method at the moment since I still have quite a bit to lose.

245lbs with an est 30% BF would make your lean body mass around 171lbs. Say your goal is 10% BF, then you want to weigh approx 188lbs. 245-188 = 57 so you are look at about a year at 1lbs a week loss.

You did the math quicker than I did. But yes, I agree with the above. Take it slow and steady to retain as much LBM as possible and give it about a year.

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I had to get serious about my goals and what I wanted.
I had to learn more about what I eat and nutrition
I had to learn more about lifting and why I need to lift in a certain way.....Keep in mind that I have been in the gym for almost 20 yrs now.

Me in 2006



Me in Aug 2013 (right) and Dec 2013 (right)



Me on 07-24-2014

I'll let you know once I'm done removing the layer of mayonnaise I promptly covered mine in.

:laugh:

and this is me on 07-25-2014
Just ate about 2300 calories of pancakes, eggs, bacon, croissants, almond butter, syrup

This is beyond ridiculous. Listen to everything this man says.

Thanks sweetie

I can't speak to having/maintaining abs since I'm not there yet. As for calorie goal setting, this is the most accurate calculator for me: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ Keep in mind that anything like this is really just an estimate and you have to start at a point and add/subtract from there to find what works for you specifically. I find that MFP underestimates my calorie needs but that that site is pretty dead on for me.

I guess we'll see. I seem to gain and lose the same 5lbs eating by the supposed right numbers the calorie calculators spit out. Lifting seems to make literally no difference at all. I feel like the people swearing they don't do cardio are lying.

What are your stats?
hieght, weight, age, days you workout?

Do you do compound lifts? (bench press, dead lifts, squats, etc...)

I do light cardio, usually twice a week....stairmaster 25 - 30 min, elliptical ~20min...
That is it, other than that it is all diet and weights.

35, 5'11", 242-245 (weight swing between this weekend and today). I do 5/3/1 of the big 4 compounds over 4 days a week. I do 3 assistance exercises that I try to compliment the main lifts (bench day assistance would be tri's and back for instance). I eat between 2200-2400 (TDEE minus approx 15-20% according to IIFYM), try to hit 200ish protein/70 fat/rest in carbs. No real cardio other than bike riding some and walking. My FitBit generally puts my calories in line with what IIFYM gave me but if I'm very active and my calories come in higher I still try not to eat above 2400.

Ok, I come up w/ TDEE of ~2900 for you.
So, I would shoot for <2400 cals a day....I think if you can do 2200, then do that.

Be on point with your diet and what you eat.
Get a food scale to measure your food, so you can log accurately.
Protein / day ~185 - 190
fat / day ~70-80 gr (min)
Carbs / day ~85
Doing that puts you at 2350
Now you can knock down protein some and carbs a bit to get to 2300

One thing that I think benefited me was going to Intermittent Fasting (LeanGains) protocol.
And doing my work outs in the fasted state.....cardio especially.

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