What will it take for me to get six pack abs

2

Replies

  • jseams1234
    jseams1234 Posts: 1,216 Member
    edited January 2020
    mmapags wrote: »
    MikePTY wrote: »
    MT1134 wrote: »
    MikePTY wrote: »
    MT1134 wrote: »
    Eating clean has very much to do with your results. Eating at a caloric deficit will help you drop weight but your body will look very different from eating 2,000 calories of sugar everyday versus eating 2,000 calories of a well balanced diet.

    "Abs are made in the kitchen."

    Abs are made in the kitchen doesn't mean what you seem to think it means. It means that you can't simply work out to get abs, you need to eat at a deficit to have a low body fat.

    Nobody is talking about eating 2000 calories of sugar. Adequate protein is important for muscle development, and good nutrition has health benefits, but there is nothing inherently beneficial about any food being "clean", which is not even a real definable term.

    So eating at deficit is how you build muscle and burn fat? Interesting... I can see why all these starving people in poor countries are just walking around with rippling six packs...

    Your abs are just like any other muscle and must be trained to grow. However, abs are made in the kitchen still means exactly what it's always meant. You can gain muscle on a caloric deficit just like you can burn fat on a caloric deficit. Dropping weight is very different from burning fat.

    There's a reason the OP is skinny fat, he dropped ALL OF HIS MUSCLE along his way to dropping weight.

    Muscle is supported by protein, right...? So he just needs to keep dropping weight and eating at a deficit to self correct this problem? Then weighing in at 110 lbs he will have the abs of his dreams?

    I don't understand how that saying doesn't mean exactly what I think it means. I never said his training wasn't a very important factor but nutrition is just as important.

    To get a a "six pack", one needs to do 2 things:

    1. Have sufficient abdominal muscle.
    2. Be at a very low body fat percentage.

    Number 1 is fairly easy. Number 2 is very hard. Sure, the people you think of as "starving people in poor countries" don't have 6 pack abs because they don't have number 1 (although side note: as someone who lives in a "third world country", your perception of what people are like in poor countries does not reflect relatity. End side note). But someone who is in fairly decent physical shape will have the abdominal muscles for six pack abs.

    I have the abdominal muscles for six pack abs. They are just hidden beneath all the fat. OP is obviously skinny and low body fat, and has some abdominal defintion (based on his pic), but to get abs traditionally defined as six pack, you are looking at a sub 10% body fat percentage usually. It doesn't look like OP is quite there yet.

    So to get there, he needs to drop a bit more fat. He may feel like he doesn't have much fat to drop, which is in one sense true, but to get a six pack you need to have very little fat. No one is suggesting he "goes to 110". But he's at the middle of a healthy BMI for his height. You don't just automatically get a six pack in that range. He's gonna need to drop a few more pounds of fat.

    If he doesn't want to go to a lower weight, he can bulk up first, and then when he has more muscle on his frame, he can cut fat. Or he can focus on doing a recomp, which if he targets with eating right around maintenance and lifting properly, he might get that bit of fat loss he needs. Or he could do a very slow cut, which is probably the quickest route to them.

    Whatever route he would want to go, "eating clean" doesn't have anything to go with it. First of all, "clean" is a term that doesn't have any real definition. It varies depending on whatever a person using it wants it to mean. Generally, people tend to mean it to be "eating whole foods". And while whole foods are usually an important part of a diet, you don't get any bonus points for only eating them, and they are not a guarentee of success. You can eat "clean" and eat a diet with unbalanced macros and insufficient protein. You can eat at a surplus. You can eat at too big a deficit. What is most important is not the "cleanliness" of the food, but that it is an appropriate deficit for the goal.

    Back to the phrase "abs are made in the kitchen". This phrase is 100% about calorie deficit. It's used to answer the people who ask "what exercises can I do for my abs", when they still carry too much body fat to have them visible. It's for people in my situation, who do plenty of ab exercises, but are never going to see them unless I lose significantly more weight through a calorie deficit. That is where it comes in. There's nothing about it, or getting abs, that relates to a way of eating being "clean".

    I think what you said about a slow cut is the smartest most sound choice and its gonna be alot easier in the long run. If i keep working out and doing cardio along with a healthy diet im hoping within six months ill see the results im wanting. Do you think thats the best thing for me to do right now?

    You don't really need to cut at all at your weight. What you need is a recomp or a lean bulk.

    Recomp is losing fat and building muscle while eating at maintenance. While it may seem counterintuitive, taking some time to build more overall muscle, including ab muscles, may help you most in the long run. Then cut down fat and reveal the muscles. Diet wise, get adequate protein to support your training. I don't know your training history but as a young male, you have great potential for muscle gain.

    As I said in an earlier post, you are at a fairly low BMI. That should rule out cutting. You don't want to be unhealthily underweight but have abs, do you?

    OP looks very young in his profile pic. He may very well want those abs more than anything. My 18 yo son and his friends are fixated on abs - blinds them to how odd some of their physiques look. It’s the equivalent of a thigh gap for some young men. ;)
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    MikePTY wrote: »
    MT1134 wrote: »
    MikePTY wrote: »
    MT1134 wrote: »
    Eating clean has very much to do with your results. Eating at a caloric deficit will help you drop weight but your body will look very different from eating 2,000 calories of sugar everyday versus eating 2,000 calories of a well balanced diet.

    "Abs are made in the kitchen."

    Abs are made in the kitchen doesn't mean what you seem to think it means. It means that you can't simply work out to get abs, you need to eat at a deficit to have a low body fat.

    Nobody is talking about eating 2000 calories of sugar. Adequate protein is important for muscle development, and good nutrition has health benefits, but there is nothing inherently beneficial about any food being "clean", which is not even a real definable term.

    So eating at deficit is how you build muscle and burn fat? Interesting... I can see why all these starving people in poor countries are just walking around with rippling six packs...

    Your abs are just like any other muscle and must be trained to grow. However, abs are made in the kitchen still means exactly what it's always meant. You can gain muscle on a caloric deficit just like you can burn fat on a caloric deficit. Dropping weight is very different from burning fat.

    There's a reason the OP is skinny fat, he dropped ALL OF HIS MUSCLE along his way to dropping weight.

    Muscle is supported by protein, right...? So he just needs to keep dropping weight and eating at a deficit to self correct this problem? Then weighing in at 110 lbs he will have the abs of his dreams?

    I don't understand how that saying doesn't mean exactly what I think it means. I never said his training wasn't a very important factor but nutrition is just as important.

    To get a a "six pack", one needs to do 2 things:

    1. Have sufficient abdominal muscle.
    2. Be at a very low body fat percentage.

    Number 1 is fairly easy. Number 2 is very hard. Sure, the people you think of as "starving people in poor countries" don't have 6 pack abs because they don't have number 1 (although side note: as someone who lives in a "third world country", your perception of what people are like in poor countries does not reflect relatity. End side note). But someone who is in fairly decent physical shape will have the abdominal muscles for six pack abs.

    I have the abdominal muscles for six pack abs. They are just hidden beneath all the fat. OP is obviously skinny and low body fat, and has some abdominal defintion (based on his pic), but to get abs traditionally defined as six pack, you are looking at a sub 10% body fat percentage usually. It doesn't look like OP is quite there yet.

    So to get there, he needs to drop a bit more fat. He may feel like he doesn't have much fat to drop, which is in one sense true, but to get a six pack you need to have very little fat. No one is suggesting he "goes to 110". But he's at the middle of a healthy BMI for his height. You don't just automatically get a six pack in that range. He's gonna need to drop a few more pounds of fat.

    If he doesn't want to go to a lower weight, he can bulk up first, and then when he has more muscle on his frame, he can cut fat. Or he can focus on doing a recomp, which if he targets with eating right around maintenance and lifting properly, he might get that bit of fat loss he needs. Or he could do a very slow cut, which is probably the quickest route to them.

    Whatever route he would want to go, "eating clean" doesn't have anything to go with it. First of all, "clean" is a term that doesn't have any real definition. It varies depending on whatever a person using it wants it to mean. Generally, people tend to mean it to be "eating whole foods". And while whole foods are usually an important part of a diet, you don't get any bonus points for only eating them, and they are not a guarentee of success. You can eat "clean" and eat a diet with unbalanced macros and insufficient protein. You can eat at a surplus. You can eat at too big a deficit. What is most important is not the "cleanliness" of the food, but that it is an appropriate deficit for the goal.

    Back to the phrase "abs are made in the kitchen". This phrase is 100% about calorie deficit. It's used to answer the people who ask "what exercises can I do for my abs", when they still carry too much body fat to have them visible. It's for people in my situation, who do plenty of ab exercises, but are never going to see them unless I lose significantly more weight through a calorie deficit. That is where it comes in. There's nothing about it, or getting abs, that relates to a way of eating being "clean".

    I think what you said about a slow cut is the smartest most sound choice and its gonna be alot easier in the long run. If i keep working out and doing cardio along with a healthy diet im hoping within six months ill see the results im wanting. Do you think thats the best thing for me to do right now?

    Don't go crazy with the cardio. You want cardio to keep your heart & lungs healthy, but too much can be counterproductive to building muscle. So don't feel like you need to kill yourself and get your heart rate up to the highest limit to get good results because you don't. I personally do 1-3 days max and 30 minutes max and I do not want my heart rate higher than 140. My sweet spot heart rate for cardio is 100-140. Anything higher and I feel out of whack (which is personal for me due to my low blood pressure issues).
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    Ab muscles have nothing to do with eating clean, whatever that means to you. To have visible abs, you have to have sufficient ab muscle development and low enough body fat for them to show. Judging by your profile pic, you might have the muscle development but right now, you are not down to a low enough body fat for them to show. Eating clean isn't going to make that happen. A slight calories deficit, weight training and patience.

    Yeah u sound like you know what u r talking about and that definitely makes sense. But im worried that to lose body fat id have to lose more weight and im 130 now. How should i go about losing body fat without getting too skinny? I also dont actually know my bf %

    It's very slow but re-composition is how. You eat at maintenance and lift weights. It takes time. If you are 130, how tall are you?

    Im 5'6 or 5'7 and ive tried fasting but lately its been making me sick. Ill get light headed abd almost pass out and occasionally ill even throw up for some reason

    Dude you don't need to fast, or cut.... You're about my height and I needed to "recomp" from about 165 to 172 to really see solid definition. That's 30 to 40 lbs heavier than what you're at. Figure out maintenance, slight deficit, make sure you're on a solid progressive overload program and have patience.

    My recomp took a TON of work and took almost a year.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
  • imfornd70
    imfornd70 Posts: 552 Member
    want a six pack - dont drink a six pack ---- basically eat right and hit the gym
  • mcraburn123
    mcraburn123 Posts: 65 Member
    Alright thanks for the advice guys. I also wanna say i just bought creatine so ima start taking that along with whey isolate. I will also continue to eat clean but do yall think creatine is a good chooce for me? Why or why not?
  • mcraburn123
    mcraburn123 Posts: 65 Member
    imfornd70 wrote: »
    want a six pack - dont drink a six pack ---- basically eat right and hit the gym

    Basically yeah. Itll take awhe but i am seeing results from doing what im doing now.
  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
    Alright thanks for the advice guys. I also wanna say i just bought creatine so ima start taking that along with whey isolate. I will also continue to eat clean but do yall think creatine is a good chooce for me? Why or why not?

    Creatine has benefits for almost anyone, even potentially for non-lifters. It is also relatively cheap as a supplement. There's no real downsides to taking it besides some people get stomach upset, and even that can be mitigated via switching from one daily dose to breaking it apart.
    It is worth noting that it will cause water retention when loading up, which will show as strong weight gain.

    I agree with the advise that you're probably looking at recomp or possibly a small bulk with a cut afterwards.
    For comparison, I'm around your height and in my profile photo I was ~160. I agree you with the others that have said you'd potentially be at or near underweight to have a visible six pack at your current build.
  • mcraburn123
    mcraburn123 Posts: 65 Member
    Alright thanks for the advice guys. I also wanna say i just bought creatine so ima start taking that along with whey isolate. I will also continue to eat clean but do yall think creatine is a good chooce for me? Why or why not?

    Creatine has benefits for almost anyone, even potentially for non-lifters. It is also relatively cheap as a supplement. There's no real downsides to taking it besides some people get stomach upset, and even that can be mitigated via switching from one daily dose to breaking it apart.
    It is worth noting that it will cause water retention when loading up, which will show as strong weight gain.

    I agree with the advise that you're probably looking at recomp or possibly a small bulk with a cut afterwards.
    For comparison, I'm around your height and in my profile photo I was ~160. I agree you with the others that have said you'd potentially be at or near underweight to have a visible six pack at your current build.

    I agree with you. I see you have definite ab definition and if you are my height and weigh 160 you must have alot of muscle and a low bf %. I appreciate your advice and i just wanna ask, "do you think i should take creatine along with whey isolate and maybe eat at maintenance or continue to just eat slightly below what i burn each day?" I can tell you ive been starving and feeling like im fighting hunger all the time.
  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
    Alright thanks for the advice guys. I also wanna say i just bought creatine so ima start taking that along with whey isolate. I will also continue to eat clean but do yall think creatine is a good chooce for me? Why or why not?

    Creatine has benefits for almost anyone, even potentially for non-lifters. It is also relatively cheap as a supplement. There's no real downsides to taking it besides some people get stomach upset, and even that can be mitigated via switching from one daily dose to breaking it apart.
    It is worth noting that it will cause water retention when loading up, which will show as strong weight gain.

    I agree with the advise that you're probably looking at recomp or possibly a small bulk with a cut afterwards.
    For comparison, I'm around your height and in my profile photo I was ~160. I agree you with the others that have said you'd potentially be at or near underweight to have a visible six pack at your current build.

    I agree with you. I see you have definite ab definition and if you are my height and weigh 160 you must have alot of muscle and a low bf %. I appreciate your advice and i just wanna ask, "do you think i should take creatine along with whey isolate and maybe eat at maintenance or continue to just eat slightly below what i burn each day?" I can tell you ive been starving and feeling like im fighting hunger all the time.

    Oh, I technically don't have a six pack in that picture, though I did kind of have inguinal creases and some abdominal veins :D . I'm waiting on surgery before a six pack is possible. But yeah, I was DEXA at 10.5% body fat around that time.

    There's no particular benefit to taking creatine at the same time as whey, if that is what you're asking. About the only thing worth being concerned with for creatine is don't take it with coffee / caffeine as it increases the risk of stomach upset.

    Whey would be a helpful supplement for getting in protein. It is just as good to get in protein in the form of regular food. For recomp, protein is probably even more essential. There's some studies that show high protein near or even above maintenance in resistance training individuals, particularly new lifters, strongly favors any weight gain towards being lean tissue.

    I do think what you'll want is a recomp more than anything else. It sounds like doing a traditional bulk would frustrate you with the fat gain that comes with the muscle gain, so waiting until you could do the cut might frustrate you. Recomping might take a little longer to accomplish the same overall tissue, but I think you'll be more pleased by the changes always getting leaner.
  • mcraburn123
    mcraburn123 Posts: 65 Member
    wmd1979 wrote: »
    Alright thanks for the advice guys. I also wanna say i just bought creatine so ima start taking that along with whey isolate. I will also continue to eat clean but do yall think creatine is a good chooce for me? Why or why not?

    Creatine has benefits for almost anyone, even potentially for non-lifters. It is also relatively cheap as a supplement. There's no real downsides to taking it besides some people get stomach upset, and even that can be mitigated via switching from one daily dose to breaking it apart.
    It is worth noting that it will cause water retention when loading up, which will show as strong weight gain.

    I agree with the advise that you're probably looking at recomp or possibly a small bulk with a cut afterwards.
    For comparison, I'm around your height and in my profile photo I was ~160. I agree you with the others that have said you'd potentially be at or near underweight to have a visible six pack at your current build.

    I agree with you. I see you have definite ab definition and if you are my height and weigh 160 you must have alot of muscle and a low bf %. I appreciate your advice and i just wanna ask, "do you think i should take creatine along with whey isolate and maybe eat at maintenance or continue to just eat slightly below what i burn each day?" I can tell you ive been starving and feeling like im fighting hunger all the time.

    You have been given mostly good advice in this thread other than the one person who thinks eating "clean" is a requirement which its not. At this point, I think you need to focus on a good strength training program and stick to the recomp idea with the understanding that it is a slow process. You aren't going to see results overnight, which is why taking progress pictures and measurements is a good idea. Creatine isn't going to hurt, but its not going to magically give you visible abs either, you need to put in the work.

    Yeah all that is true. I know creatine isnt the answer, i just want to get the most results possible. Like you said, it won't hurt so might as well guve it a shot and see what happens. I know im losing inches on my waist because now a 30 fits perfect. I almost need a belt with a 30.
  • mcraburn123
    mcraburn123 Posts: 65 Member
    Alright thanks for the advice guys. I also wanna say i just bought creatine so ima start taking that along with whey isolate. I will also continue to eat clean but do yall think creatine is a good chooce for me? Why or why not?

    Creatine has benefits for almost anyone, even potentially for non-lifters. It is also relatively cheap as a supplement. There's no real downsides to taking it besides some people get stomach upset, and even that can be mitigated via switching from one daily dose to breaking it apart.
    It is worth noting that it will cause water retention when loading up, which will show as strong weight gain.

    I agree with the advise that you're probably looking at recomp or possibly a small bulk with a cut afterwards.
    For comparison, I'm around your height and in my profile photo I was ~160. I agree you with the others that have said you'd potentially be at or near underweight to have a visible six pack at your current build.

    I agree with you. I see you have definite ab definition and if you are my height and weigh 160 you must have alot of muscle and a low bf %. I appreciate your advice and i just wanna ask, "do you think i should take creatine along with whey isolate and maybe eat at maintenance or continue to just eat slightly below what i burn each day?" I can tell you ive been starving and feeling like im fighting hunger all the time.

    Oh, I technically don't have a six pack in that picture, though I did kind of have inguinal creases and some abdominal veins :D . I'm waiting on surgery before a six pack is possible. But yeah, I was DEXA at 10.5% body fat around that time.

    There's no particular benefit to taking creatine at the same time as whey, if that is what you're asking. About the only thing worth being concerned with for creatine is don't take it with coffee / caffeine as it increases the risk of stomach upset.

    Whey would be a helpful supplement for getting in protein. It is just as good to get in protein in the form of regular food. For recomp, protein is probably even more essential. There's some studies that show high protein near or even above maintenance in resistance training individuals, particularly new lifters, strongly favors any weight gain towards being lean tissue.

    I do think what you'll want is a recomp more than anything else. It sounds like doing a traditional bulk would frustrate you with the fat gain that comes with the muscle gain, so waiting until you could do the cut might frustrate you. Recomping might take a little longer to accomplish the same overall tissue, but I think you'll be more pleased by the changes always getting leaner.

    I appreciate the advice. I hope things go ok with your surgery and you can get back to doing what you want. But it seems what you said is the overall opinion of most ppl so im gonna give that a try. I believe itll work if i do just like you said. You're also right about gaining fat frustrating me bc it really would. Everytime i gain weight i feel like im getting fat so i just lose it anyway.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    MT1134 wrote: »
    MT1134 wrote: »
    Eating clean has very much to do with your results. Eating at a caloric deficit will help you drop weight but your body will look very different from eating 2,000 calories of sugar everyday versus eating 2,000 calories of a well balanced diet.

    "Abs are made in the kitchen."

    Yea that's true because even when i wasnt working out and eating very clean i was seeing progress in body composition

    Do your research. Look at the results. You can find plenty of people who went from what you look like in your profile picture to adding 20 lbs of muscle and getting completely ripped as well.

    How were they able to gain weight, add lbs of muscle, and still drop fat? It wasn't by just eating McDonald's at a caloric deficit. These people eat "clean". Don't be fooled by the monolithic opinion here shown by everyone who hides behind the disagree button.

    I think there's more books written on this topic than probably anything else out there. Content of your diet is very important, regardless of all the "disagree(s)" you see here.

    Food is not created equally. Meaning different foods are processed and used differently in the body.

    Well, in at least one case, it kinda was, with the obvious excellent training program alongside, of course.

    Details here: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=141807961&p=822484731#post822484731

    That is one ripped guy**, and a . . . heh . . . very "unclean" diet.

    No, it's not me, it's (like I said) a very ripped guy, and I'm just a li'l ol' lady. ;)

    ** To those who remember Dvdgzz, this is a very long and detailed thread from him on bodybuilding.com about his very interesting dietary experiments.
  • mcraburn123
    mcraburn123 Posts: 65 Member
    Update: I have been eating a little more along with creatine everyday and have been doing cardio everyday to create a deficit instead of eating less. Everyone has given me great advice and i really appreciate everything. Ive noticed some results so far mostly in the way my clothes fit. Ill keep on doing what ive been advised to do and keep yall posted.

    PS: I could use more friends for support on this app so if anyone wants to send me a request ill definitely accept.
  • mcraburn123
    mcraburn123 Posts: 65 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    MT1134 wrote: »
    MT1134 wrote: »
    Eating clean has very much to do with your results. Eating at a caloric deficit will help you drop weight but your body will look very different from eating 2,000 calories of sugar everyday versus eating 2,000 calories of a well balanced diet.

    "Abs are made in the kitchen."

    Yea that's true because even when i wasnt working out and eating very clean i was seeing progress in body composition

    Do your research. Look at the results. You can find plenty of people who went from what you look like in your profile picture to adding 20 lbs of muscle and getting completely ripped as well.

    How were they able to gain weight, add lbs of muscle, and still drop fat? It wasn't by just eating McDonald's at a caloric deficit. These people eat "clean". Don't be fooled by the monolithic opinion here shown by everyone who hides behind the disagree button.

    I think there's more books written on this topic than probably anything else out there. Content of your diet is very important, regardless of all the "disagree(s)" you see here.

    Food is not created equally. Meaning different foods are processed and used differently in the body.

    Well, in at least one case, it kinda was, with the obvious excellent training program alongside, of course.

    Details here: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=141807961&p=822484731#post822484731

    That is one ripped guy**, and a . . . heh . . . very "unclean" diet.

    No, it's not me, it's (like I said) a very ripped guy, and I'm just a li'l ol' lady. ;)

    ** To those who remember Dvdgzz, this is a very long and detailed thread from him on bodybuilding.com about his very interesting dietary experiments.

    Sorry im just now replying but i hope you see this. To be honest im surprised he got results because his diet was horrible. Pizza for breakfast? Fast food all the time? No veggies? If i do that i just dont get results. I know this because i have ate similar and worked out just to see very minimal results. People are different tho and he had a good foundation to build off of anyway. Feel free to check out my food log anytime and tell me what you think. I always like to know other people's opinion on my regimen because it gives me more insight. But thanks for the advice. It was intersting to see that forum.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    MT1134 wrote: »
    MikePTY wrote: »
    MT1134 wrote: »
    Eating clean has very much to do with your results. Eating at a caloric deficit will help you drop weight but your body will look very different from eating 2,000 calories of sugar everyday versus eating 2,000 calories of a well balanced diet.

    "Abs are made in the kitchen."

    Abs are made in the kitchen doesn't mean what you seem to think it means. It means that you can't simply work out to get abs, you need to eat at a deficit to have a low body fat.

    Nobody is talking about eating 2000 calories of sugar. Adequate protein is important for muscle development, and good nutrition has health benefits, but there is nothing inherently beneficial about any food being "clean", which is not even a real definable term.

    So eating at deficit is how you build muscle and burn fat? Interesting... I can see why all these starving people in poor countries are just walking around with rippling six packs...

    Your abs are just like any other muscle and must be trained to grow. However, abs are made in the kitchen still means exactly what it's always meant. You can gain muscle on a caloric deficit just like you can burn fat on a caloric deficit. Dropping weight is very different from burning fat.

    There's a reason the OP is skinny fat, he dropped ALL OF HIS MUSCLE along his way to dropping weight.

    Muscle is supported by protein, right...? So he just needs to keep dropping weight and eating at a deficit to self correct this problem? Then weighing in at 110 lbs he will have the abs of his dreams?

    I don't understand how that saying doesn't mean exactly what I think it means. I never said his training wasn't a very important factor but nutrition is just as important.

    This would be funny if it wasn't sad. Funny because if you do actually look at various pictures of people who are impoverished and doing massive amounts of physical labor you can find plenty of pictures of people who do in fact have six packs. You'll also see very muscular children when when you look at child laborers who are tasked with doing manual labor (including fishing) as well. No this isn't something I do for fun and I don't work in international development/public health. I do, however, watch international news on a daily basis.

    This is different from someone who is malnourished to the point of having kwashiorkor. He also, very clearly didn't lose (or in your words, drop), "ALL OF HIS MUSCLE" but I suppose more than a little hyperbole never hurt anyone.
  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    MT1134 wrote: »
    MT1134 wrote: »
    Eating clean has very much to do with your results. Eating at a caloric deficit will help you drop weight but your body will look very different from eating 2,000 calories of sugar everyday versus eating 2,000 calories of a well balanced diet.

    "Abs are made in the kitchen."

    Yea that's true because even when i wasnt working out and eating very clean i was seeing progress in body composition

    Do your research. Look at the results. You can find plenty of people who went from what you look like in your profile picture to adding 20 lbs of muscle and getting completely ripped as well.

    How were they able to gain weight, add lbs of muscle, and still drop fat? It wasn't by just eating McDonald's at a caloric deficit. These people eat "clean". Don't be fooled by the monolithic opinion here shown by everyone who hides behind the disagree button.

    I think there's more books written on this topic than probably anything else out there. Content of your diet is very important, regardless of all the "disagree(s)" you see here.

    Food is not created equally. Meaning different foods are processed and used differently in the body.

    Well, in at least one case, it kinda was, with the obvious excellent training program alongside, of course.

    Details here: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=141807961&p=822484731#post822484731

    That is one ripped guy**, and a . . . heh . . . very "unclean" diet.

    No, it's not me, it's (like I said) a very ripped guy, and I'm just a li'l ol' lady. ;)

    ** To those who remember Dvdgzz, this is a very long and detailed thread from him on bodybuilding.com about his very interesting dietary experiments.

    Sorry im just now replying but i hope you see this. To be honest im surprised he got results because his diet was horrible. Pizza for breakfast? Fast food all the time? No veggies? If i do that i just dont get results. I know this because i have ate similar and worked out just to see very minimal results. People are different tho and he had a good foundation to build off of anyway. Feel free to check out my food log anytime and tell me what you think. I always like to know other people's opinion on my regimen because it gives me more insight. But thanks for the advice. It was intersting to see that forum.

    In the thread itself, he admits the goal of the diet is not for overall health, though given his exercise, and weight loss, he was probably seeing improvements in his health markers.
    I believe that when he had a thread here on MFP, it included him doing about an hour a day of running at a 7.5 or 8 minute per mile pace - I believe it was 7.5 and that he ran 8 miles in that hour.
    At a high flux, fruit and vegetable intake matters less and less - if someone is doing 4,000 or 5,000 calories worth of expenditure a day, they're going to get a lot of their micronutrients from eating almost anything. Exercise also helps suppress appetite. For a less active person, fruit and veggies will create a lot more satiety and cover a lot more nutrition. The point of DVdgzz's logs is that ultimately, when adherence isn't an issue, calories are what matters to weight.
  • mcraburn123
    mcraburn123 Posts: 65 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    MT1134 wrote: »
    MT1134 wrote: »
    Eating clean has very much to do with your results. Eating at a caloric deficit will help you drop weight but your body will look very different from eating 2,000 calories of sugar everyday versus eating 2,000 calories of a well balanced diet.

    "Abs are made in the kitchen."

    Yea that's true because even when i wasnt working out and eating very clean i was seeing progress in body composition

    Do your research. Look at the results. You can find plenty of people who went from what you look like in your profile picture to adding 20 lbs of muscle and getting completely ripped as well.

    How were they able to gain weight, add lbs of muscle, and still drop fat? It wasn't by just eating McDonald's at a caloric deficit. These people eat "clean". Don't be fooled by the monolithic opinion here shown by everyone who hides behind the disagree button.

    I think there's more books written on this topic than probably anything else out there. Content of your diet is very important, regardless of all the "disagree(s)" you see here.

    Food is not created equally. Meaning different foods are processed and used differently in the body.

    Well, in at least one case, it kinda was, with the obvious excellent training program alongside, of course.

    Details here: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=141807961&p=822484731#post822484731

    That is one ripped guy**, and a . . . heh . . . very "unclean" diet.

    No, it's not me, it's (like I said) a very ripped guy, and I'm just a li'l ol' lady. ;)

    ** To those who remember Dvdgzz, this is a very long and detailed thread from him on bodybuilding.com about his very interesting dietary experiments.

    Sorry im just now replying but i hope you see this. To be honest im surprised he got results because his diet was horrible. Pizza for breakfast? Fast food all the time? No veggies? If i do that i just dont get results. I know this because i have ate similar and worked out just to see very minimal results. People are different tho and he had a good foundation to build off of anyway. Feel free to check out my food log anytime and tell me what you think. I always like to know other people's opinion on my regimen because it gives me more insight. But thanks for the advice. It was intersting to see that forum.

    In the thread itself, he admits the goal of the diet is not for overall health, though given his exercise, and weight loss, he was probably seeing improvements in his health markers.
    I believe that when he had a thread here on MFP, it included him doing about an hour a day of running at a 7.5 or 8 minute per mile pace - I believe it was 7.5 and that he ran 8 miles in that hour.
    At a high flux, fruit and vegetable intake matters less and less - if someone is doing 4,000 or 5,000 calories worth of expenditure a day, they're going to get a lot of their micronutrients from eating almost anything. Exercise also helps suppress appetite. For a less active person, fruit and veggies will create a lot more satiety and cover a lot more nutrition. The point of DVdgzz's logs is that ultimately, when adherence isn't an issue, calories are what matters to weight.

    Thats true i was thinking myself that he must have been working out hard but i wonder if he wouldve also ate really healthy if his results would have been better. I agree with you tho and i know that in the end its calories in vs calories out. Maybe its my imagination, but i just feel like eating clean, whether it be a deficit or a surplus, it yields pretty good results. What do you think though?