Abs are made in the kitchen? Please explain!

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  • Mindmovesbody
    Mindmovesbody Posts: 399 Member
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    my favorite quote is "70% diet, 30% exercise. You can't out exercise a bad diet"

    so true!

    I like this!
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    Granted my abs aren't the greatest specimen, I believe that "eating clean" is not a requirement to achieving visible abs. Most people that know me well enough know that I don't "eat clean". I eat lots of snickers, and cheesecake, and pizza, burgers, etc. Even during a cut a eat the foods I love, just less of them.

    Granted, you clearly need glasses. Your abs are great. I'm need even looking to be shredded or anything, just want. A flat belly!!! So many conflicting opinions on everything!

    Eating clean is great for health. Eating healthy is always recommended :D But eating 100% clean all the time and restricting things you love is unnecessary. You can get a flat tummy without :D
  • elishabeish
    elishabeish Posts: 175 Member
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    bump
  • brendafnp
    brendafnp Posts: 77 Member
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    Exercise is what creates size and definition in your abdominal muscles, but you'll never be able to see the muscles if you don't remove the layer of fat that covers them. The vast majority of fat loss is achieved by watching what you eat (particularly reducing calories). Basically, it means that the vast majority of getting really great looking abs comes down to what you eat, not how you work out.

    It's intended as a counter to the fact that most people who are looking to get a 6 pack will decide that this is best achieved by doing 1000 crunches a day (literally).

    (This doesn't necessarily mean eating any very specific kind of diet. Anything that results in fat loss will conceivably do the job.)

    Agreed. Just because one is a clean eater doesn't mean they will have those defined abs. You have to have a very low body fat percentage for your ab muscles to be visible and it's harder for women to achieve this but it can be done. Good luck on your weight loss journey.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    For a good read: http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/

    :]
  • Sassyjai
    Sassyjai Posts: 4
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    I'm new to this so I don't know what bumping means, but could all of you who had the advice about how to start clean eating, the pizza but good abs guy, and the lady who isn't clean eating but has the bikini body builder friend please friend me? I haven't figured out how to friend people without losing the thread post. Thanks!
  • Mompanda4
    Mompanda4 Posts: 869 Member
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    Bump
  • tgh1914
    tgh1914 Posts: 1,036 Member
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    Granted my abs aren't the greatest specimen, I believe that "eating clean" is not a requirement to achieving visible abs. Most people that know me well enough know that I don't "eat clean". I eat lots of snickers, and cheesecake, and pizza, burgers, etc. Even during a cut a eat the foods I love, just less of them.
    Finally! I was waiting to hear someone speak out against a lot of the myth thrown around here!

    Showing your abs, or any other muscle for that matter, comes down to 2 things: building underlying muscle and losing the fat on top. Abs are no exception.

    Losing the fat on top (anywhere on the body) means you need to be in a caloric deficit - whether by burning more cals, eating less, or any combination. It doesn't have to be done with cardio. It also does not have to be done with "clean eating", although there are still many benefits to clean eating.

    Building the muscle requires progressive resistance against that muscle over time (weights, ab work, etc). To get abs that "pop", you'd want to build that underlying muscle and lose the fat on top. Certainly though, there are some folks who will not be interested in building the size of their abs (most women probably), so this may not be as necessary. But I do think that many of these people can still stand to benefit by conditioning their ab muscles (this does not mean bulky btw).

    So while it's true that abs can be made 100% in the kitchen, by losing fat with a caloric deficit, the underlying abs may not look as good as you'd hoped if they were never worked with some type of resistance work. This is a matter of preference though.
  • babareeba
    babareeba Posts: 74 Member
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    Going clean seems to be so much work. And yes I realize the payoff is worth it but for those that started to eat clean how did you do it? How did you make the change over?

    For instance - eating a salad I love to put ranch on it but I put light ranch and I measure it out. Or sometimes I use light honey mustard. I don't think i could eat a salad with nothing on it. What about bread. Do you eat bread but only eat wheat or what low carb bread only?

    And do any of you who eat clean have a family who doesn't want to go 100% clean? How do you balance that?


    I'm also interested in knowing this?!


    I've started with clean eating/cooking almost a year ago. firstly, my family resisted the changes, they wanted to have the "old style tasty" meals... and than I started to cook for them semi-clean food and take out mine portions before I finish the meal with all of that "old taste" (meaning dressings, sauces...). Day after day, I was making cleaner meals for them, until they used to it. It was a slow work in progress.

    As for the salads, I replaced vinegar with lemon, sunflower oil with olive and grape oil. If they crave for meat in bread crumbs oil roasted, I make for them meat covered with oats, baked in the oven, and they just love it! if they want meat balls that I used to oil-roast, I prepare it the same way but baking it in the oven.

    In this process I tried to put some creativity in it: making days of international food, Moroccan, Thai, Japanese, these are all low bad fat/low carb, full of lean meat and vegetables...

    Furthermore, I bought a home bread machine so I know exactly what we are eating.

    If you need a clean diet, you have to prepare each and every meal at home. that's all. and it's not easy if you are working woman.

    (but yestarday i asked my hubby to buy chicken breasts (again!!!) and he came home with the small portion of chicken and big portions of pork chops -- saying he was fed up with the chicken:-))) that means i'll cook today two different meals. it happens sometimes :-)))
  • tgh1914
    tgh1914 Posts: 1,036 Member
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    For a good read: http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/

    :]
    Yes ^^^

    Here's another article that I think sums it up well and is written by a very trusted nutrition/training guru (Tom Venuto).

    http://www.burnthefat.com/get_six_pack_abs_that_POP.html
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    A consistent calorie deficit is what's needed, clean or not.
  • BarbWhite09
    BarbWhite09 Posts: 1,128 Member
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    That statement isn't specially saying certain foods are going to give you abs...It's saying watch your food...Food choices are one of the most important things when trying to lose weight...Don't take that quote literally, lol.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    That statement isn't specially saying certain foods are going to give you abs...It's saying watch your food...Food choices are one of the most important things when trying to lose weight...Don't take that quote literally, lol.

    Actually crunches in the kitchen have been shown to be more effective then in other places ;D
  • Peta22
    Peta22 Posts: 377 Member
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    Also as for the low carb - I eat well over 200g of carbs most days. As high as 400 like on monday.

    Search these guys: Sidesteal, Acg67, fpacudan, gp79

    Good guys, have amazing abs, and eat ice cream or something every night. Not clean eaters

    I'm soooo liking this girl! :laugh:
  • angelasmith230
    angelasmith230 Posts: 70 Member
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    bump
  • Anomalia
    Anomalia Posts: 506 Member
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    .sigh.
  • cloud2011
    cloud2011 Posts: 898 Member
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    There's The Abs Diet for Women and The Flat Belly Diet by authors from Prevention, I think.

    First, avoid foods that make you bloated. That's one thing that helps. Then, The Flat Belly Diet also recommends eating monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) with nearly every meal.

    I don't follow this exclusively, but it has helped me. And without exercising other than short walks.
  • spareparts79
    spareparts79 Posts: 36 Member
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    Going clean seems to be so much work. And yes I realize the payoff is worth it but for those that started to eat clean how did you do it? How did you make the change over?

    For instance - eating a salad I love to put ranch on it but I put light ranch and I measure it out. Or sometimes I use light honey mustard. I don't think i could eat a salad with nothing on it. What about bread. Do you eat bread but only eat wheat or what low carb bread only?

    And do any of you who eat clean have a family who doesn't want to go 100% clean? How do you balance that?

    We phased in a more clean eating style. What it comes down to for us is planning. Planning what you are going to need/eat to avoid those 'there's nothing to eat lets get fast food' moments.

    I was a big ranch eater, I have started using salsa for dressing on my salads and actually enjoy it. We have also made ranch with greek yogurt, it is not exactly the same, but close enough.

    My wife and I made the decision to start eating cleaner together, and well the kids are just stuck with it. I am old school . . . you eat what is prepared for you and don't complain or you can have it cold for breakfast. The kids protested a little at the beginning, but they are into it now.
  • usc2626
    usc2626 Posts: 186
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    As I've learned from sidesteal, Acg and some others on here, IIFYM (if it fits your macros) you can eat it. I have been following this for about two months and I'm losing my .5 Ibs per week. I'm in that phase were it's starting to come off in my stomach area now. You don't have to eat clean to lose weight or to be more healthier than those that don't.

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