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Are abs made in the kitchen?
Replies
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lemurcat12 wrote: »You can exercise your way out of a bad or mediocre diet, so long as you control calories or do sufficient exercise that even with a bad diet you don't overeat.
Of course, if by a bad diet one means "more calories than one is burning," then it's a tautology.
You can certainly outrun a twinkie or a Bacon cheeseburger.
It's unlikely that you can outrun a box of twinkies and 4 bacon cheeseburgers7 -
I really don't think a bacon cheeseburger can run that fast.
Ba-dum-dum!
(Yes, I'll be here all day, please tip your waitress!)10 -
stanmann571 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »You can exercise your way out of a bad or mediocre diet, so long as you control calories or do sufficient exercise that even with a bad diet you don't overeat.
Of course, if by a bad diet one means "more calories than one is burning," then it's a tautology.
You can certainly outrun a twinkie or a Bacon cheeseburger.
It's unlikely that you can outrun a box of twinkies and 4 bacon cheeseburgers
So thhhaaaaaaat's what I've been doing wrong...1 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »I really don't think a bacon cheeseburger can run that fast.
Ba-dum-dum!
(Yes, I'll be here all day, please tip your waitress!)
Now I have a mental image of a guy who's trapped in an alley surrounded by 4 bacon cheeseburgers wearing angry looks and 8 twinkies with tire irons.5 -
I love how we can analyze anything to death here
. And I'm not being snarky - I really do love it, I don't know anyone IRL who is as interested in this stuff as I am 
I believe "Abs are made in the kitchen" or "Abs are made in the gym and revealed in the kitchen" or " You can't out-exercise a bad diet" are all said to mean that if you don't get a handle on your diet, you are probably not going to get the body you want because it's hard to create a deficit just through exercise and an increase in exercise will often cause a sub-conscious increase in appetite and a feeling of having done something you should reward yourself for, often with an extra snack that negates the calorie burn. But that wouldn't fit on the tee shirt.5 -
stanmann571 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »You can exercise your way out of a bad or mediocre diet, so long as you control calories or do sufficient exercise that even with a bad diet you don't overeat.
Of course, if by a bad diet one means "more calories than one is burning," then it's a tautology.
You can certainly outrun a twinkie or a Bacon cheeseburger.
It's unlikely that you can outrun a box of twinkies and 4 bacon cheeseburgers
I'm not a runner, do you think it's possible to out-kickbox a cheeseburger? I do have a pretty mean uppercut.1 -
More seriously, I mean bad diet as in eats whatever one wants, including lots of so-called fast food or junk food, doesn't really pay attention to portions, doesn't think about nutrition at all, rarely eats vegetables. I've known several people in those categories who are also extremely active, and who remained thin.
You could be in these categories and not end up eating huge amounts of calories, as it just depends on personal preferences.
I even ate a pretty mediocre diet in college (I never was that into fast food and I ate vegetables, but I would eat lots of fries at the college snack bar and certainly drank to excess) and never paid attention to what I ate at all beyond what seemed tastiest of my available options, and yet didn't gain weight because I was active (and young).
Lots of the people I've known in this category WERE young, in fact, often young men.
The problem with outrunning ANY diet is that people whose diets are not controlled in some way are likely to just eat more. If you have a poor diet but are at maintenance and take measures to not add more food and are in shape enough to start running and biking the equivalent of 500 calories per day (unlikely, but who knows) from nothing, you will lose weight.
I am not recommending this, of course.0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »You can exercise your way out of a bad or mediocre diet, so long as you control calories or do sufficient exercise that even with a bad diet you don't overeat.
Of course, if by a bad diet one means "more calories than one is burning," then it's a tautology.
You can certainly outrun a twinkie or a Bacon cheeseburger.
It's unlikely that you can outrun a box of twinkies and 4 bacon cheeseburgers
I'm not a runner, do you think it's possible to out-kickbox a cheeseburger? I do have a pretty mean uppercut.
I'd recommend BJJand trying to get it to Tap-Out3 -
stanmann571 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »You can exercise your way out of a bad or mediocre diet, so long as you control calories or do sufficient exercise that even with a bad diet you don't overeat.
Of course, if by a bad diet one means "more calories than one is burning," then it's a tautology.
You can certainly outrun a twinkie or a Bacon cheeseburger.
It's unlikely that you can outrun a box of twinkies and 4 bacon cheeseburgers
Challenge accepted!
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stanmann571 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »You can exercise your way out of a bad or mediocre diet, so long as you control calories or do sufficient exercise that even with a bad diet you don't overeat.
Of course, if by a bad diet one means "more calories than one is burning," then it's a tautology.
You can certainly outrun a twinkie or a Bacon cheeseburger.
It's unlikely that you can outrun a box of twinkies and 4 bacon cheeseburgers
Challenge accepted!
OK... This guy might be able to.0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »stanmann571 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »You can exercise your way out of a bad or mediocre diet, so long as you control calories or do sufficient exercise that even with a bad diet you don't overeat.
Of course, if by a bad diet one means "more calories than one is burning," then it's a tautology.
You can certainly outrun a twinkie or a Bacon cheeseburger.
It's unlikely that you can outrun a box of twinkies and 4 bacon cheeseburgers
I'm not a runner, do you think it's possible to out-kickbox a cheeseburger? I do have a pretty mean uppercut.
I'd recommend BJJand trying to get it to Tap-Out
I don't know...might get a heel hook or arm bar thrown at you...then what?0 -
The scale won't move with diet alone for me. I have to workout every single day to see any losses.
5 -
The scale won't move with diet alone for me. I have to workout every single day to see any losses.
then you are logging inaccurately...
exercise is not a requirement for weight loss otherwise lots would be in trouble and not losing weight and then there are those who lose and don't exercise...5 -
How about running to the donut shop, eating donuts, then running home?
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stanmann571 wrote: »
might have to be more than a couple of miles.
I had a donut over the weekend...chocolate toasted coconut...479 calories...I think I might have to run at least 5 miles to burn that off...0 -
2-3 times, 1 or 2 exercises in a week enough for abs.
later on to see abs, get rid off layer of fat 3 -
2-3 times, 1 or 2 exercises in a week enough for abs.
later on to see abs, get rid off layer of fat
There's 0 need to do any specific ab exercises,
That being said, because your core(abs and back) are used for everything, theres no harm in doing light to moderated core work every day.
But no reason to every to heavy/hard ab work.
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NorthCascades wrote: »
I was more speaking of fast food as a staple, fried foods, sweets, a bag of chips, very high calorie foods, etc...Like if you eat 5000 calories a day and only burn 2000 sort of thing. I wasn't saying you had to be full on salad and pine nuts. I was speaking of good choices and moderation. Sorry I wasn't more clear.0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »
I was more speaking of fast food as a staple, fried foods, sweets, a bag of chips, very high calorie foods, etc...Like if you eat 5000 calories a day and only burn 2000 sort of thing. I wasn't saying you had to be full on salad and pine nuts. I was speaking of good choices and moderation. Sorry I wasn't more clear.
the only part of this that is actually accurate is the eating 5k calories and only burning 2k...the rest is invalid as far as it goes.
you can eat fast food all the time and still maintain/lose weight same as other foods oh and hit macros consistently.2 -
NorthCascades wrote: »
I was more speaking of fast food as a staple, fried foods, sweets, a bag of chips, very high calorie foods, etc...Like if you eat 5000 calories a day and only burn 2000 sort of thing. I wasn't saying you had to be full on salad and pine nuts. I was speaking of good choices and moderation. Sorry I wasn't more clear.
the only part of this that is actually accurate is the eating 5k calories and only burning 2k...the rest is invalid as far as it goes.
you can eat fast food all the time and still maintain/lose weight same as other foods oh and hit macros consistently.
You can even eat 5k calories a day and lose weight. Although it would certainly be challenging.2 -
stanmann571 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »
I was more speaking of fast food as a staple, fried foods, sweets, a bag of chips, very high calorie foods, etc...Like if you eat 5000 calories a day and only burn 2000 sort of thing. I wasn't saying you had to be full on salad and pine nuts. I was speaking of good choices and moderation. Sorry I wasn't more clear.
the only part of this that is actually accurate is the eating 5k calories and only burning 2k...the rest is invalid as far as it goes.
you can eat fast food all the time and still maintain/lose weight same as other foods oh and hit macros consistently.
You can even eat 5k calories a day and lose weight. Although it would certainly be challenging.
Yup but I know those that can...aka my son...young guy, does BJJ 4x a week, runs and it active...eats lots...cause well he likes food...I bet he eats 5k...and loses slowly or maintains.0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »
I was more speaking of fast food as a staple, fried foods, sweets, a bag of chips, very high calorie foods, etc...Like if you eat 5000 calories a day and only burn 2000 sort of thing. I wasn't saying you had to be full on salad and pine nuts. I was speaking of good choices and moderation. Sorry I wasn't more clear.
the only part of this that is actually accurate is the eating 5k calories and only burning 2k...the rest is invalid as far as it goes.
you can eat fast food all the time and still maintain/lose weight same as other foods oh and hit macros consistently.
I am sorry I commented. I was obviously speaking from my own experiences. That's why my original comment started with I believe....i thought these forums were to share experiences and what works for us. I apologize for upsetting the flow.4 -
NorthCascades wrote: »
I was more speaking of fast food as a staple, fried foods, sweets, a bag of chips, very high calorie foods, etc...Like if you eat 5000 calories a day and only burn 2000 sort of thing. I wasn't saying you had to be full on salad and pine nuts. I was speaking of good choices and moderation. Sorry I wasn't more clear.
the only part of this that is actually accurate is the eating 5k calories and only burning 2k...the rest is invalid as far as it goes.
you can eat fast food all the time and still maintain/lose weight same as other foods oh and hit macros consistently.
I am sorry I commented. I was obviously speaking from my own experiences. That's why my original comment started with I believe....i thought these forums were to share experiences and what works for us. I apologize for upsetting the flow.
That's not actually true. You didn't say "for me, I have to eat well in order to have a calorie balance that will allow me to lose or maintain." That's a personal statement from one's own experiences and could well be true. It's mostly true for me, as I can have occasional days of poor nutrition, but I find it WAY easier to maintain or lose weight if I am focused on nutrition -- mostly because being active and eating well tend to go together for me. (I would add that I tend to naturally eat well when I'm being active, though, so the causal chain goes in the other direction and it would be harder for me to decide not to bother with exercise and lose than to just focus on exercise and controlling calories.)
Also, I would say that this is personally true due to mental factors -- I tend to be hungry and overeat (or overeat even if not hungry) if I choose the wrong foods (I would also not enjoy a really nutrient poor diet and find it odd that people do). I am aware that for me, as well as everyone, I could lose on a crappy diet if it were calorie controlled sufficiently, but in the real world (without some kind of experiment to motivate me, anyway), I could not stick to it.
What you said is that you believe that nutrition is essential to weight loss, that it is not possible to outrun a poor diet. Saying "I believe" before it doesn't make this a personal statement about you and your own experience, it is still a claim that is being made more generally -- that people in generally must eat well in order to lose, and by "eat well" you specifically identified a nutritious diet. One obviously can eat a diet that is deficient (compared to the ideal) in lots of nutrients and still lose. Not only are there plenty of people who lose on junk food diets, dumb fad diets (many of which are nutrient poor), eating lots of fast food and few veg, but there are also people on diets they claim are chosen for health reasons that are probably nutrient poor -- one example is the raw food/all fruit all the time YouTube stars many of whom are way short in protein (and specifically lysine), in all likelihood. Another is at least a segment of those who do super-duper low carb and don't eat vegetables or a variety of organ meats and instead lots of fat bombs (NOT saying this is the case for all or even most low carbers).3 -
NorthCascades wrote: »
I was more speaking of fast food as a staple, fried foods, sweets, a bag of chips, very high calorie foods, etc...Like if you eat 5000 calories a day and only burn 2000 sort of thing. I wasn't saying you had to be full on salad and pine nuts. I was speaking of good choices and moderation. Sorry I wasn't more clear.
How many people actually way 5,000 calories of chips and sweets and then burn 2,000 through exercise to counter it? Is this what people think?2 -
i thought these forums were to share experiences and what works for us. I apologize for upsetting the flow.
And I want to be clear I was trying to clarify/explain the responses above, not suggesting that your comments were unwelcome. No flow was upset at all.
But this is the debate section and we discuss facts and ideas, and while personal experiences may be relevant it is not the purpose of this forum to just share opinions/experiences and expect no comment or push back.
Also, in case it was unclear, I think eating a nutritious diet is important and I do and I would recommend it highly.
I just think that it's important to acknowledge the truth, and many, many people lose while eating poor diets. There are enough reasons to eat a good diet without having to pretend it's essential for weight loss.1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »
I was more speaking of fast food as a staple, fried foods, sweets, a bag of chips, very high calorie foods, etc...Like if you eat 5000 calories a day and only burn 2000 sort of thing. I wasn't saying you had to be full on salad and pine nuts. I was speaking of good choices and moderation. Sorry I wasn't more clear.
the only part of this that is actually accurate is the eating 5k calories and only burning 2k...the rest is invalid as far as it goes.
you can eat fast food all the time and still maintain/lose weight same as other foods oh and hit macros consistently.
How is that "accurate" it's a made up scenario.1 -
If you have worked hard to build the muscle under neath then yes, abs are made in the kitchen. At least by eating right, you will reveal all of the hard work you have done.0
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Sometimes, abs like to hide unobtrusively until needed. I had surgery last week under general on my bladder. (Non-invasive cancer detected, lesions are out, prognosis excellent, thank G-d!) When I was in recovery and about to swallow my first sip of liquid in over 24 hours, the nurse asked me if I could "try to sit up" while he cranked up the bed behind me. I got the impression that what he really meant was "Could you try not to be dead weight?" Well, with what felt like no effort on my part, I just sat up relatively straight. The nurse's comment was, "Wow. You've got trunk muscles."
For the record, I'm still about 22 lbs above my BMI range. I have some muscle definition on my arms and legs, but haven't lost enough belly fat to reveal much muscle there. (I'm smaller, sure, but there's no definition.) But it looks like, visible or not, the training is paying off.3 -
The scale won't move with diet alone for me. I have to workout every single day to see any losses.
then you are logging inaccurately...
exercise is not a requirement for weight loss otherwise lots would be in trouble and not losing weight and then there are those who lose and don't exercise...
For me personally, it seems to be a requirement for less-painful weight loss. I knew that by exercising, I was managing my stress better. Which meant less stress-eating. Because I exercise 'long' rather than 'intense' (2 hour walks? Yes please. 20-minute runs? No thanks.), I had less time on my hands. Ergo: less boredom eating.
And I liked the extra calories; even eating back half of them I didn't feel hungry and I was losing pretty steadily.
For three days after the surgery, I was... disinclined to exercise. I'm on medical restriction not to lift over 3lbs for the next week, so there goes strength training. And my oncologist is referring me to a hospital dietician to work out a safe exercise program for core, because he's not sure what bodyweight exercises are okay right now. More than that, I had a catheter in me and didn't really want to go walking outside in case of... embarrassment.
I figured: no biggie. Just eat the base 1240 I'm on now to lose 1lb/week and forget the exercise calories. I was hungry. Okay. So I'd revise it to 1/2 lb/week and eat around 1450. Still hungry.
Monday, the catheter came out. Tuesday, I went for a walk. And suddenly, the hunger became controllable again. It wasn't even a long walk by my standards. (An hour. Like I said, I often do two.) But it was enough to get back in the saddle.
I agree with you 100% that you can lose weight without exercise. I've done it before. But I find that for me, exercise makes it a lot easier.3
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