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.
So, how is it possible to get six-pack abs straight from the kitchen in 4 easy steps? Let's take a look at calories first. The most effective means of getting rid of fat is by depriving ourselves of calories. Providing your daily calorie intake is less than your body requires in its present state, you'll lose weight. For example, if your aim is to lose one pound of fat each week, then you'll need to ensure you're eating 500 calories less each day than you do presently. This is based on the fact that a pound of fat contains more or less 3500 calories. Also, the more exercise you do, the more energy your body requires and if you're not providing sufficient calories, your body will be forced into burning fat instead, in order to meet the demand for energy.
So, you've decided that you'd like to see your abs? Well here are 4 ways to get six-pack abs from the kitchen:
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. Perhaps one of the most common problems people face when they go on diet, is that they tend to lose muscle as well as fat. Essentially this is because while on a diet, one is most often depriving one's body of much needed fuel. The best way to counter this negative result of carb deprivation is by including a lot of protein in your diet. Of course, as I've mentioned earlier, you need to remember that calorie intake must however still be kept at a level which is less than your body requires, which in essence means that you need to eat less than what your body needs. Under normal circumstances, those who are trying to increase muscle mass would need to ensure that approximately twenty to thirty percent of their diet consists of protein. On the other hand, if you're cutting back on carbs as part of your diet, then you should increase your protein content to about forty percent.
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. - 17944
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.
So, how is it possible to get six-pack abs straight from the kitchen in 4 easy steps? Let's take a look at calories first. The most effective means of getting rid of fat is by depriving ourselves of calories. Providing your daily calorie intake is less than your body requires in its present state, you'll lose weight. For example, if your aim is to lose one pound of fat each week, then you'll need to ensure you're eating 500 calories less each day than you do presently. This is based on the fact that a pound of fat contains more or less 3500 calories. Also, the more exercise you do, the more energy your body requires and if you're not providing sufficient calories, your body will be forced into burning fat instead, in order to meet the demand for energy.
So, you've decided that you'd like to see your abs? Well here are 4 ways to get six-pack abs from the kitchen:
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. Perhaps one of the most common problems people face when they go on diet, is that they tend to lose muscle as well as fat. Essentially this is because while on a diet, one is most often depriving one's body of much needed fuel. The best way to counter this negative result of carb deprivation is by including a lot of protein in your diet. Of course, as I've mentioned earlier, you need to remember that calorie intake must however still be kept at a level which is less than your body requires, which in essence means that you need to eat less than what your body needs. Under normal circumstances, those who are trying to increase muscle mass would need to ensure that approximately twenty to thirty percent of their diet consists of protein. On the other hand, if you're cutting back on carbs as part of your diet, then you should increase your protein content to about forty percent.
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. - 17944
About the Author:
Whether you want to grow muscles, lose weight or just get fit, check out Rob's site at growmymuscles to discover lots of helpful ideas and follow his journey to weight loss and health.
