Diet for Great Abs

To most people, the thought of getting washboard abs involves hundreds, if not thousands of sit ups a day. To those in the know, the truth is very different. There is an old saying that a six pack is made in the kitchen, not the gym. Nutrition and diet are the keys to great abs.

Significance

In reality, most people have sufficient muscular development in their core muscles to have what is commonly considered to be a six pack. The problem is, in most people, these muscles are obscured by a layer of body fat. According to personal trainer Charles Inniss, you need to lower your body fat percentage for your abs to be visible. He puts the figure at between 5 percent and 10 percent for men, and between 12 percent and 18 percent for women.

Considerations

According to recent studies by the Mayo Clinic and University of Louisiana, the key to weight loss is nutrition, not exercise, since the effect on your caloric balance is easier to manage. As you burn energy throughout the day, your body uses both your fat reserves and your glycogen reserves in your muscles to provide energy. Glycogen reserves are replenished through carbohydrates in food: excess carbohydrates are stored as fat, which you need to avoid.

Function

Most fat loss diets recommend limiting the amount of simple carbohydrates, such as processed sugars, white pasta, bread and potatoes. These are too rich in calories and too easily processed, meaning that they are digested quickly and are more likely to provide excess glucose that will be stored as fat. Proteins, such as meat, and complex carbohydrates such as green vegetables, and pulses, such as beans and lentils, are slower to digest, keeping you full for longer. They are less likely to provide excess energy that would be stored as fat.

Features

To keep your calorie consumption down, aim for five or six small meals a day, comprised mainly of protein and complex carbohydrates. Snacks are counted as meals. Drink lots of water to keep yourself full and avoid drinking calorie-filled drinks such as soda or fruit juice. Keep in mind that weight loss is a slow process: according to government statistics, you need to burn 3,500 calories to lose a single pound in weight.

Other Factors

You can accelerate fat loss by adding cardio exercise to your routine rather than abdominal work. Consider high intensity interval training, such as the protocol developed by Dr Izumi Tabata, which advocates exercising at maximum intensity for eight sets of 20 seconds, with a 10 second break between each set. This burns a large amount of calories quickly and raises your metabolism for several hours afterwards, increasing the amount of fat you burn. If you have the time, large amounts of moderate exercise also produce the best ratio of fat burned, although the overall amount of calories burned are fewer since the exercise is less intense.