There is a phrase that you will see from time to time that says 'six pack abs are made in the kitchen'. If you are like I was the first time I heard that phrase then your head got scratched. The more you think about it though, it makes perfect sense. It doesn't make any difference what kind of work you do to get your stomach rock hard and muscular, if you don't have the fat removed, no one will see the muscles. If you want to have a six pack that everyone can see, you must remove the belly fat.
Going back to that phrase, 'six pack abs are made in the kitchen', the key to getting there is going to be through diet and a lot of hard work. To get to a point where six pack abs can be seen you need to have a very low body fat percentage. Your body fat needs to be less than 10% for men and 14% for women. This isn't going to happen for many of us unless we make some serious changes in the way we eat.
Calories are essentially responsible for weight gain or weight loss so let's look at calories first. Eating less calories in your diet than what you body needs is by far the most effective way of shedding fat. If we consider that each pound of fat contains approximately 3500 calories, one would need to eat 500 calories less per day, in order to lose one pound of fat over a period of one week. When your calorie intake drops below the amount that is required, your body starts using its reserves. Exercise is of course the best way to increase the demand for energy, thereby causing the body to burn more fat.
We know now that getting that calorie count down is the only way you're ever going to see your six-pack so here are four easy steps to follow.
1. Carbs are one of the bodies best sources of fuel and you can be rest assured, your body will always burn carbs before it starts burning fat. Of course, we can use this to our advantage if we want to lose weight because we know that if there are no carbs to burn, your body has to start burning some of its fat reserves. The less carbs you have in your diet, the more fat your body will burn. Unfortunately, if you're trying to build muscle, eliminating carbs is not something you want to do because they are the best single form of energy available. However, cutting carbs out of your diet never fails to deliver impressive results as far as fat loss is concerned.
2. Eat more protein. The hardest thing about dieting is that your body has to do away with a lot of the fuel it needs for muscle growth and a very common thing that happens when people diet is that not only do they lose fat, they will lose muscle. Make sure that any major cuts you make in carbohydrates be replaced with protein. Still keep in mind that you need to be putting yourself at a calorie deficit so remember to eat less than your body can use in a day. Normally when you are trying to build muscle you should be having about 20-30% of your diet come from protein but doing this protein needs to be about 40% of your diet.
3. As you've more than likely already heard, there are both good fats and bad fats in various foods. Cutting out as much bad fat as possible is essential, even for those who are not on a diet but particularly for those who are. On the other hand, you need to focus on increasing the amount of good fats you eat as these help to increase your metabolism which has a direct impact on the rate at which your body burns fat. Unlike bad fats which can be used for energy and which are therefore stored by the body, good fats cannot be used for energy and are never stored.
4. Considering that the human body is approximately 70% water, it makes sense that it requires abundant water in order to operate effectively. Deprive your body of water and you can be rest assured, it will be storing water away when you do give it some. However, if you drink enough water to meet your body's demand, not only will you be helping to clean your system out but you'll not be giving your body any reason to store water. Additionally those on diet can benefit from the fact that drinking plenty of water allows you to feel full. - 16004
Going back to that phrase, 'six pack abs are made in the kitchen', the key to getting there is going to be through diet and a lot of hard work. To get to a point where six pack abs can be seen you need to have a very low body fat percentage. Your body fat needs to be less than 10% for men and 14% for women. This isn't going to happen for many of us unless we make some serious changes in the way we eat.
Calories are essentially responsible for weight gain or weight loss so let's look at calories first. Eating less calories in your diet than what you body needs is by far the most effective way of shedding fat. If we consider that each pound of fat contains approximately 3500 calories, one would need to eat 500 calories less per day, in order to lose one pound of fat over a period of one week. When your calorie intake drops below the amount that is required, your body starts using its reserves. Exercise is of course the best way to increase the demand for energy, thereby causing the body to burn more fat.
We know now that getting that calorie count down is the only way you're ever going to see your six-pack so here are four easy steps to follow.
1. Carbs are one of the bodies best sources of fuel and you can be rest assured, your body will always burn carbs before it starts burning fat. Of course, we can use this to our advantage if we want to lose weight because we know that if there are no carbs to burn, your body has to start burning some of its fat reserves. The less carbs you have in your diet, the more fat your body will burn. Unfortunately, if you're trying to build muscle, eliminating carbs is not something you want to do because they are the best single form of energy available. However, cutting carbs out of your diet never fails to deliver impressive results as far as fat loss is concerned.
2. Eat more protein. The hardest thing about dieting is that your body has to do away with a lot of the fuel it needs for muscle growth and a very common thing that happens when people diet is that not only do they lose fat, they will lose muscle. Make sure that any major cuts you make in carbohydrates be replaced with protein. Still keep in mind that you need to be putting yourself at a calorie deficit so remember to eat less than your body can use in a day. Normally when you are trying to build muscle you should be having about 20-30% of your diet come from protein but doing this protein needs to be about 40% of your diet.
3. As you've more than likely already heard, there are both good fats and bad fats in various foods. Cutting out as much bad fat as possible is essential, even for those who are not on a diet but particularly for those who are. On the other hand, you need to focus on increasing the amount of good fats you eat as these help to increase your metabolism which has a direct impact on the rate at which your body burns fat. Unlike bad fats which can be used for energy and which are therefore stored by the body, good fats cannot be used for energy and are never stored.
4. Considering that the human body is approximately 70% water, it makes sense that it requires abundant water in order to operate effectively. Deprive your body of water and you can be rest assured, it will be storing water away when you do give it some. However, if you drink enough water to meet your body's demand, not only will you be helping to clean your system out but you'll not be giving your body any reason to store water. Additionally those on diet can benefit from the fact that drinking plenty of water allows you to feel full. - 16004
About the Author:
Whether you need to gain muscle, lose weight or just get fit, visit Rob's blog at growmymuscles to find some great ideas and accompany him on his progress to weight loss and health.
