Abs?

[Terry S]

Okay, so it is a long way off yet, but I really, really want to have some nice abs. Kind of like the ones you see models have on TV. I want the type of abs that if I was so inclined to wear a bikini in public, I wouldn't be embarresed. So I was wondering if any normal person has been able to get rid of a belly (I have had 2 kids) and have a nice flat tummy without the use of a personal trainer. Oh, and how did you do it? Thanks!

 

[MelanieC]

This month's SHAPE magazine is dedicated to ABS. One of the articles was about how things that you do or eat can make a difference in how flat your abs will be. It said that some people will never be able to get them completely flat if they continue eating certain things.

I don't have the magazine here at work, but some of the things I remember are:

Drink LOTS of water- It will cut down on the bloat and flush out sodium.

Watch your sodium and foods that cause bloating like Chinese Food.

Up your fiber to 25 grams per day. It gave some ideas on how to do this slowly. You don't want to increase your fiber intake too quickly.

I will have to give the rest when I get home, I can't remember them all.

Maybe try looking on the SHAPE website. Not sure if they list their articles online or not.

I also wonder if it will be possible to get nice abs someday. I have had two C-sections, and I am not sure how great it would look even if I could because of the scar.

Melanie

 

[TigH]

That is my ultimate goal right now!

I lost the weight, I am exercising and eating right and now I just have to be patient. I can feel my abs under this layer of fat that I need to shed still, just can't see them yet.

I am hoping they will pop out some time by the end of Sept, but I also realize it might take me until December to see them, or that I just don't have that type of body hidden underneath it all!

I have been doing ALOT of reading lately - trying to understand how to keep my muscles growing while shedding body fat, and it seems like it's 70% diet (meaning what you eat to stay alive and keep your body fueled, not "diet" as in "going on a diet") and 30% exercise.

I've read alot of great success stories in Muscle and Fitness and Muscle and Fitness Hers. Women who have been very heavy and large, who are now smaller and very tone - women who have overcome drug and alcohol abuse and now take great care of their bodies, women who have had several pregnancies and now have sculpted bodies, including gorgeous abs. So it is a possibility. I have never had a flat stomach and I am really hoping that the combination of weight training, aerobic exercise, and proper nutrition will help me find the stomach I am looking for.

 

[Luvinit]

Sorry I can't be much help Terry...I have been 110lbs had still had fat abs...That is where I carry all my weight right around my middle.

Mel..I am going to look at that shape magazine....it couldn't hurt to try the tips??

Tigh...you are such an inspiration!!!

Tracy

 

[CamColt]

Im one of those people with thin arms & legs, but I gain all my weight in the middle. I never had flat abs. After having my first DS I got an ab cruncher and I had flatter abs than I had ever had. Then DS#2 came along. Again I got back on the ab cruncher and while not as good as the first time, they still improved. Im definitley not close to having flat or perfect abs, but they are good enough to wear a bikini. I swear by those ab crunchers.

 

[cali2gagirl]

That's what I want!! ABS!! I've had 2 kids..now ages 7 and almost 3..and it's weird...I had abs last summer...and now...I"ve gained about 15 pounds in the past 6 months It's not that I"m heavy..I"m 130 lbs and 5'9...BUT..its' all there..in the stomach!

I will tell you what worked for me last summer! It only took about 3 months..and I went to the gym 3-4 times a week. Now..I know your thinking...I can't dedicate myself to the gym... because I'm soo in that boat this year...don't know why I lost my motivation.. but I only stayed less than an hour each time.. I did crunches...walked the treadmill and did that twist machine...that's it.. I did crunches more than anything.

I think I'm gonna hang around this thread awhile..and hopefully get my motivation back! My hubby has lost about 30 lbs..he wants to lose about 20 more... I only wanna lose about 5 (if any) and get my abs back.... Him being able to do something I'm not should be motivation enough huh??? LOL

 

[Terry S]

MelanieC.... I would be interested in hearing more about that article in shapes.

TigH... Good luck! If anyone can do it, you can! Let me know how it goes and what you did to accomplish it!

CamColt... I was hoping not to have to buy anymore exercise equipmnet, but if all else fails, I may have to look into that Ab Cruncher. Is that a brand name?

cali2gagirl... Crunches, I can do at home, without any equipment, so I may give those a try.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and words of encouragement. I am doing pilates, and have a pilates abs tape which I have been doing and I have really sore abs now so it must be doing something. I have about 14 pounds to go before I can think about working on some nice abs, but that is really my ultimate goal. Thanks again!

 

[MelanieC]

Shape Magazine-August 2003-Page 176

Tip #2 - will not be applicable for those doing atkins -
The Flat Abs Diet-

Just can't get rid of your flabby bell, even though you do sit-ups and crunches until you're ready to drop? Maybe you're so mortified by the condition of your abs that you've relegated your bikini and low-rise jeans to the dark recesses of your closet.

Before you dump on (or just plain dump) your workout for not giving your killer abs, you should know the real culprit may be your diet - or even your high stress lifestyle.

If you want to go from fat to fab abs, new research shows that what you eat is just as important as how - or even how much- you work out. And lifestyle counts too, becuase stress doesn't just mess with your head, it also can induce a pooch.

Following are six strategies from the country's leading weight-loss, nutrition and stress experts, all designed to get you flat abs in just four weeks (see our "4-Week Fiber-Up Guide") plus three delicious lowfat recipes that will fill you up without making you look or feel bloated.

Tip 1- Eat more fiber -
Not eating enough fiber may be a major reason women are getting fatter and flabbier . To ditch the fat and show off firm, beautiful abs, you need to eat at least 25 grams of fiber daily. Fiber which is the indigestible part of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods, helps you achieve flat abs for three reasons:
The "bulk"factor - Fiber is like a dry sponge. When it combines iwth the water in your digestive tract, it makes every thing move through more quickly.
The "fill" factor-Because high-fiber foods like fruits and vegetables supply plenty of bulk to your meals without adding a lot of calories, they keep you feeling full longer and help you loose weight. Researchers concluded that lowfat diets work only if they're also high in fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, all of which fill you up on fewer calories and less fat. In contrast, lowfat diets that are low in fiber and high in sugar, salt and preservatives can lead to bloating and weight gain.
In a study, subjects who ate vegetables as part of their meals consumed about 100 fewer calories and didn't make up for the caloric deficit later. While saving 100 calories ad ay may not sound like much, it translates into loosing 10 pounds in one year. Use just this one trick - and there goes your tummy!
The "Chew " factor- "High-fiber foods require more chewing adn take longer to eat. Because your mouth is more involved in the eating of high fiber foods, you feel more satisfied with a high fiber meal.
How to add fiber to your diet comfortably - One cautionary note: It's important to add fiber slowly but consistently to prevent gas. "Make higher-fiber choices throughout the day: don't ahve all your fiber in one bunch. This is particularly important with viscous fiber - a type of soluble fiber found in beans, oats and barley that also has the benefit of lowering blood cholesterol. For best results increase your fiber intake slowly over the corse of one month and drink pleny of water to keep food moving through your system as quickly as possible.

Tip 2- Opt for a sensible amount of high-quality carbs
For flatter abs, make carbs 45-65 percent (202-292 grams based on an 1,800-calorie diet) of your total daily calories. Balance is the key here, so don't go below 45 percent (202 grams), or above 65 percent (292 grams), which can lead to water retention, bloating and temporary weight gain that shows up in your middle.
When you eat carbs, they break down into clucose, which is stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver. When glycogen is stored, it carries with it three times it's own weight as water, compared to no water at all for protein and fat. If you eat an extremely high-carb diet, you may store excess water, experience bloating and gain temporary water weight. (This is why people who go on no- or very low-carb diets can initially lose weight so quickly. They're really just loosing water.) To avoid bloating and weight gain caused by consuming too many or the wrong kind of carbs, follow these tips:
*Fill up on fruits and vegetables. These are the least bloat-promoting foods because they contain plenty of water and fewer carbs and calories for their volume.
* Avoid high-carb/empty-calorie foods like fast food, snack cakes, cookies and candy. These foods are high in simple carbs and sodium, which cause bloating and weight gain. And are low in fiber and nutrients
*Focus on balanced eating. For best results eat at least three to five 4-oz servings of veggies (15-25 grams of carbs)two to four 4-oz servings of fruit (30-60 grams of carbs)and about 1 cup (8 oz cooked or 2 oz dry, of 2 slices of bread) of whole grains per meal (90 grams per day).
*Make sure you eat enough calories from complex carbs, lean protein and healthy fats. If you don't get and adequent number of calories (most women require at least 1,800 per day to loose weight, 2000 to maintain and 24,00 or more if they are very active), you risk temporarily lowering your metabolism, which can also bring on bloating. A good guideline: Don't cut any more than 250-500 calories below what you need to maintain your weight.

Tip 3 - Drink Up
Many women believe that drinking too much water will give them puffy abs, but just the opposite is true. "Even thugh we associate water with being bloated, drinking more water can help flush sodium out of the body, and that reduces the bloat.
An easy way to tell if you're drinking enough is by checking the color and quantity of your urine. If it's pale yellow and high volume then you're doing Ok. If it's dark and scant and/or you're thirsty, your very likely to be dehydrated. Follow these tips to stay hydrated and healthy:
*Drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water per day. Beverages with little or no calories, caffeine or sodium, including herbal tea, are best. Avoid regular soft drinks and soups with lots of sodium. If you are eating plenty of water -rich foods such as fruits, vegetables and low-sodium soups, you can get half of your water requirements from foods, according to a 1998 NAS Food and Nutriition Board report.
* Avoid carbonated drinks. Fizzy drinks, including soda pop and spritzers , increase bloating because the carbon dioxide trapped in the bubbles creates gas, which slows down stomach emptying.
*Watch your intake of alcohol and caffeine. Both are natural diuretics, which increase fluid loss and don't replace your body fluids as effectifely as water, juice and caffeine- and alcohol-free beverages. Because they promote dehydration, alcohol and caffeine also can fatten abs.

Tip 4- Watch the sodium
Sodium may have a bad rep, but it's essential for regulating body fluids and blood pressure as well as for nerve transmission, muscle function and absorption of important nutrients. But even a small amount of excess sodium causes bloating.
According the the NAS, the average womean needs only 500 milligrams of sodium a day. Most of us get more than six times that, or 3,000-6000 miligrams a day. The consequence of all this sodium-most of which is consumed as salt and preservatives in processed foods, fast foods and restaurant foods -isn't pretty for your abs. That's because where sodium goes, water follows.
When you eat a high-sodium meal, say from your favorite Chinese takeout at 3000 miligrams per entree, our body responds by retaining water. This results in edema and, possibly, a rise in blood pressure. Sodium's visible traces are outlined the next day when you stand sideways in your full-length mirror; major BLOAT! Even though it's temporary, that's no consolation when you want to wear something revealing that day. Here is how to keep your sodium intake at a healthy level:
*The American Heart Association reccommends you consume no more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium daily-roughly 1 teaspoon of table salt. That's enough sodium to replenish your supply even if you work up a mojor sweat
*Choose fresh, natural foods over fast, commercial or packaged foodts, instead of ordering french friesw (265 milligrams of sodium), have a baked potato (8 milligrams). Instead of a pickle (1,730 milligrams!), enjoy a fresh cucumber (6 milligrams). And beware of cured meats: Three ounces of ham packs in 1,009 milligrams of sodium, compared to just 48 milligrams for the same amount of roast pork. Soups are also notoriously high in sodium; some canned varieties contain more than 1,100 milligrams per cup. Read labels carefully and stick with low-sodium brands like Healthy Choice.

Tip 5 - Eat light at night
It never fails: You have a heavier than normal evening meal or snack, and when you weigh yourself the next morning, your up by several pounds. But as depressing as it may seem at the moment, such a quick gain is always water weight; you simply cannot gain that much fat overnight.
Evening eating is often the most problematic for women, as it can be related more to emotional issues thn to real hunger. You're tired, lonely bored, anxious; you wnat to relax or reward yourself after a tough day. But indulge too many nights in a row and that temporary water gain becomes fat gain - and fatter abs.
In a study conducted by Callaway, people who skipped breakfast or lunch and ate their largest meal later in the day had lower metabolisms. So by eating light at night you'll receive a double benefit; You'll wake up with a flatter tummy, and you'll also have a better appetite for a fiber -rich breakfast, which sets you up for a day of healthful eating. Some tips to get you started:
* Eat five times a day. Your body needs food every 3 or 4 hours, so instead of eating three large meals, try to schedule five smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day (breakfast-snack-lunch-snack-dinner). By staying full and engergized, you'll avoid hunger pains, maintain and even energy flow, make better, healthier food choices (no bingeing or craving) and enjoy the most efficient burning of calories.
*Eat two thirds of your calories before dinner. Your body needs calories when you're active, not at night, when your natural rhythm is slowing down. Make sure to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner to keep your metabolism revved.
*If you have to eat at night because you're hungry, stick with fruit, vegetables and other foods that are low in fat, calories and sodium.

Tip 6 - Reduce Stress-
Research shows that stress triggers the hormone corisol to turn up your appetite and deposit fat around the organs in your abdomen. (Toxic weight-because it is associated with heart disease, diabetes and cancer)

Worrying over an issue that will not go away can lead to prolonged increases in your cortisol. That means one heck of a stress-related appetite and fat abs. To reduce stress related eating try these tips:
*Move it or loose it - A recent study conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle showed cardiovascular exercise is especially effective in reducing midsection weight gain.
*Chill Out. When you feel stress building, take a few moments to breathe deeply and regroup.

**4 tips for bakini abs**
1. Eat lots of fiber and complex Carbs- they will keep you feeling full longer and aid in weight loss.
2. Drink at least eight glasses of water daily to speed digestion.
3. Aerobic exercise will whittle your middle, so hit the beach and get moving.
4. Eat fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth and take the edge off your appetite.

 

[Terry S]

Melanie... Oh my God, did you type all that? You are such a sweetie Thank you soooooo much for the article and for all the work!. I have printed a copy of it and am going to read it a few times and keep it around for reference!

I know what you mean about the scar. I didn't have a C-section, but I have some really bad stretch marks on my belly from my two babies, the stretch marks even extend above my belly button. I figure if I can get my abs looking really flat, maybe people won't notice those stretch marks.

Thanks once again for the time it took to post that article. I am once step futher to those flat abs now!

 

[MBFergie]

I've been reading alot about how women who incorported yogurt into their diet lost more belly weight... worth a try! I'm now having yogurt for breakfast!!

 

[MelanieC]

Yep,
After I was done typing I couldn't believe how long it was. Luckily I type over 65 WPM. The only problem was that I had nothing to hold the magazine up while I typed

I thought it was a very good article.

I too have those stretch marks. I hope they fade when I loose all the weight.

Melanie

 

[MBFergie]

Eat Yogurt, Lose Belly Fat

Dairy Calcium in Diet Melts Fat Abs

By Daniel DeNoon
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Tuesday, April 15, 2003

April 15, 2003 -- Don't dump dairy delights when dieting. That's the word from researchers who found that adding yogurt to a low-calorie diet helped people lose belly fat.

University of Tennessee scientist Michael Zemel, PhD, put 34 obese people on a low-calorie diet. Sixteen of them got pills with 400 to 500 mg of calcium per day. The other 18 people ate a higher calcium diet -- enough yogurt to give them 1,100 mg of calcium per day.

After 12 weeks, everybody lost a lot of fat. The comparison group had six pounds less fat, and the yogurt group lost about 10 pounds of fat. But those who ate Yoplait Light yogurt in the General Mills-sponsored study looked different from those who didn't. The yogurt eaters' waists shrank by more than an inch and a half. The comparison subjects lost about a quarter of an inch from their waist size.

Body scans showed why. Sixty percent of the yogurt eaters' weight loss was belly fat, while only 26% of the comparison group's loss was belly fat.

"Not only did yogurt help the study participants lose more weight -- the average weight loss was 13 pounds -- they were about twice as effective at maintaining lean muscle mass," Zemel says in a news release. "This is a critical issue when dieting. You want to lose fat, not muscle. Muscle helps burn calories, but it is often compromised during weight loss."

Zemel's earlier research shows that calcium -- especially dairy calcium -- slows down the body's fat-making process. He says that dieters should eat three servings of fat-free or low fat dairy products every day.

"The moral of the calcium story is to not dump dairy when you're dieting," Zemel says. "Not only is it critical to keep your calcium levels high so you won't lose bone density, it will also help you maintain your muscle mass and increase you fat loss."

It's unclear if the source of calcium affects fat loss -- whether it makes a difference if the calcium comes from the diet (dairy products) or from calcium supplement pills.

Zemel presented the study findings at this week's Experimental Biology 2003 meeting in San Diego, Calif

 

[cali2gagirl]

As far as stretch marks go....tanning beds make them fade...some. Mine aren't as noticeable as they were, but I think if we can all get the abs and a tan...people (and us...lol) know we have kids...so it won't even be that big of a deal!
Extreme - my friend told me that they can lazer off stretch marks!! I had nooo idea!!

 

[Terry S]

MelanieC... Thanks again for all that work!

MBFergie.... Thank you for that article and all the work to type it. It is very interesting. Yogurt is good for you so I won't hurt to try it. Thanks again!

cali2gagirl... You know I was thinking the same thing. If I can get my abs it great shape, who cares about the stretch marks, everyone knows I have kids and they were worth every stretch mark I got!