If I were to say to you that you can get six-pack abs straight from your kitchen in four steps, the chances are you'd think I was joking. When I first heard this I also had my doubts but if you think about it, it's absolutely true. After all, you can work out as much as you like and exercise as often as you wish in order to get a rock hard six-pack, but if it's hidden behind belly fat, you won't be able to see it and neither will anyone else. The only way you're going to be able to flaunt your six-pack, is by getting rid of any belly fat you have.
No matter what some products claim, the only way you're going to get six-pack abs, is through diet and hard work. Another fact you need to be aware of, is that in order to reach a point where your abs actually become visible, your body fat percentage needs to be very low. In fact, men need to reduce their body fat to 10% or lower while woman on the other hand, need to get theirs below 14%. For most people, reducing body fat to such an extent requires urgent changes to their diets.
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.
Here are 4 things that you can do in the kitchen to put you in that calories deficit and make it more likely for you to have your six pack abs revealed.
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. Unfortunately for some, a diet most often results in muscle loss in addition to fat loss. This is a natural response of the body when it's denied an adequate supply of fuel, such as cutting the carbs out of your diet. Therefore, it's absolutely essential for you to eat lots of protein in order to substitute the carbs you're not getting. For the purpose of increasing muscle mass, more or less 20 to 30% of your daily diet should be protein. However, if you're cutting out your carbs then you need to increase this so that at least 40% of your diet is protein. One word or caution though, is that you still need to keep an eye on your calorie intake, always keeping in mind that while you're on diet, you need to eat less than what your body actually requires.
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. When one considers that the human body is 70% water, it stands to reason that it requires lots of water in order to remain healthy. Of course, everyone should drink plenty of water as it helps to clean the body and if you're on diet, then you need to also understand that your body will store water for later use if you are not drinking enough in the first place. Of course having water stored is certainly not something you want when you're trying to make that six-pack show through. Another benefit of drinking lots of water when on diet is that it makes you feel full as well. - 15995
No matter what some products claim, the only way you're going to get six-pack abs, is through diet and hard work. Another fact you need to be aware of, is that in order to reach a point where your abs actually become visible, your body fat percentage needs to be very low. In fact, men need to reduce their body fat to 10% or lower while woman on the other hand, need to get theirs below 14%. For most people, reducing body fat to such an extent requires urgent changes to their diets.
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.
Here are 4 things that you can do in the kitchen to put you in that calories deficit and make it more likely for you to have your six pack abs revealed.
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. Unfortunately for some, a diet most often results in muscle loss in addition to fat loss. This is a natural response of the body when it's denied an adequate supply of fuel, such as cutting the carbs out of your diet. Therefore, it's absolutely essential for you to eat lots of protein in order to substitute the carbs you're not getting. For the purpose of increasing muscle mass, more or less 20 to 30% of your daily diet should be protein. However, if you're cutting out your carbs then you need to increase this so that at least 40% of your diet is protein. One word or caution though, is that you still need to keep an eye on your calorie intake, always keeping in mind that while you're on diet, you need to eat less than what your body actually requires.
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. When one considers that the human body is 70% water, it stands to reason that it requires lots of water in order to remain healthy. Of course, everyone should drink plenty of water as it helps to clean the body and if you're on diet, then you need to also understand that your body will store water for later use if you are not drinking enough in the first place. Of course having water stored is certainly not something you want when you're trying to make that six-pack show through. Another benefit of drinking lots of water when on diet is that it makes you feel full as well. - 15995
About the Author:
It makes no matter whether you need to grow muscles, lose weight or just get fit, check out Rob's site at growmymuscles to discover lots of helpful tips and accompany him on his progress to weight loss and health.
