Rip The Core…

I’m 15 and I want to get abs for bikini season. I don’t want to loose wieght or slim down but everyone says abs are made in the kitchen. What diet should I go on?

They are wrong, abs are not made in the kitchen. Being as you are 15, your best bet is to begins by eating healthy, that’s where the kitchen comes in. You don’t need much, just lay off the cookies and eat a few more vegetables. But whatever you do, do NOT stop eating, starving yourself or even significantly decreasing the amount of things you eat can either cause your body to store all the fat you give it (because it thinks it’s going to die) or it will, in starvation, actually eat your muscles (bye bye abs). Next, start running. Most people sell these ab work out machines on TV try to convince you to do crunches to get perfect abs. They work, if you don’t have fat on them. Everyone has a nice set of abs, the reason you can’t see them is because you need to remove the body fat on them. This is best done by good cardio exercise and if you do weight training, increasing your muscle size slightly burns more calories while it sits there (so your body will burn calories while lounging on the couch). So, start running, do you push-ups and sit ups squats etc. Look online for some easy ways to work your muscles at home. Good luck! If you keep at this, you should have a nice stomach by bikini season. Maybe even tell your parents or guardian that this is what you are doing so they can help you out.

I am fond of my hamburgers with very lean meat and whole wheat buns. I am wondering if they are totally bad for you since it’s so much beef. Most people mix turkey and beef together but I was wondering if it was so bad if I used the leanest ground beef available.

Yes you can. I personally go for the leaner ground beef and mix in an egg, some Worcestershire sauce, maybe a little seasoned salt…Remember, you can eat beef on The Abs Diet, but you should go for the leanest cuts.

I need a diet schedule to get abs please help me.

my best answer would be to do an ab work out 3 times a week… now keep in mind that the workout has to be about 20 minutes. i dont think i need to list all the different ab positions you can do but do everyone that you know in sets of 20 to 30, 20 if your just beginning. you will have some kick butt abs in about 6 weeks but you will start seeing results in about 2. dont forget a balanced (not nessessarily a diet) but mean plan helps to shed that extra fat. on top of doing the abs you should probably do some cardio work outs because that burns extra fat as well… no its not gunna happen over night if thats what you were hoping lol sorry

Hi,
I have just received the ABS DIET book for Women (written by a man) in the mail today and it seems like a nice approach to weight loss. I would like any feedback from anyone who has tried it or is currently on it. Thank you

Be your own trainer and nutritionist, the basic rules to losing weight are no soda, no fast food, lots of chicken, fish, fresh (not canned that’s bad) fruits and vegies, whole wheat stuff, yogurt. Not so many cakes and donuts and cookies. Basic common sense for eating, you just need to enforce it. Get all the bad stuff out of the house right away, just toss it or give it away while your still motivated. No alcohol if that applies. Some juice but make sure its all natural, because the ones that aren’t are loaded with sugar and a leading cause in diabetes in children and adults. Lots of water, 3-4 liters a day, not all at once, but spread out. Its really easy to down a liter or two while your watching tv or on the computer. Also drink some after you eat the bigger meals of the day, it helps your body pick out the nutrients in food when your food is more spread apart. These rules may be hard to adapt to at first so start with cutting out the things you know you can live without. Then work to there. Remember these are perfect eating habits, it can take you a while to work into it. If you know you can’t live without your one treat a day, don’t fight it by trying to eat something else, just eat it and make sure that’s the only one you cheat on a day. Otherwise you’ll get depressed and quit. Another important point is getting the right amount of sleep every night. You need 8-9 hours of sleep each night for your body to function correctly. This is an important factor of losing weight. Set up a routine for yourself and go to bed at about the same time each night.
As for exercise, lots of cardio. Find something you like. If you have never exercised much before, start with walking 30 minutes a day at a brisk pace. Move on to different terrains that include hills and increase the time spent. After a week or two, try jogging the route. No matter what find an activity you enjoy. Walking to jogging is just an example, try hiking, rollerblading, biking. Once you get into a regular routine, if your not happy with the level of difficulty, try signing up with a gym. Spinning, pilates or kickboxing classes are great. It will also introduce you to working with weights. Talk to a trainer for instruction before using any weights. A cheap investment is a balance ball, it works you stomach while your just sitting on it, like at your computer and its great for posture. There are hundreds of exercises you can use it for for your entire body. I can give you some ideas if you want, just email me. Also for more info on the benefits of water go to www.watercure.com Good Luck! Please don’t hesitate to IM me at this name if you have anymore questions, i’d be glad to help

If i run typically 2-3 miles a day and start doing crunches daily will i develop abs without changing my diet too much? im getting rid of the foods/drinks that are terrible for me, but i dont want to be on a super protein diet. I’ve already quit drinking soda and started drinking about 10-15 cups of water a day.

make sure your doing the ab exercises correctly. Get a personal trainer to show you how or look it up on google.

Hmm don’t do them EVERY day or you wont build abs; they need 36-48 hours to rest and rebuild, do them every 2nd day.

I normally do 4 sets of 12 with 30seodn breaks inbetween. It takes me about 6 weeks to get really nice results.

Do interval running on the day you do abs, and long distance running on the other day – but have a rest day once a week also!; so for intervals you run at 80% power for a minute (almost sprinting) then you run at 20% power for a minute (light jog) then sprint, then jog for as long as you can keep it up (30min would be good to burn away stored fat) that will burn the flabber layer away (if you have one).

Eat soybean or meat or peanuts or fish or eggs more then you normally do for some protien, (but not a protien overload).

I think it is very hard for a woman to get a huge, muscular upper body without steroids, but I have seen athletic women with abs who did not have the steroid look.

Yes – aboslutely and it doesnt take that much effort. I have managed it on a normaly low-fat, high protein diet and do my ab exercises every day…..and I’m 52! Mind, in fairness I have always had an athletic build and kept fairly fit, but over 40, every year it gets a bit harder. Just keep the body fat BMI index under 22

I think it is very hard for a woman to get a huge, muscular upper body without steroids, but I have seen athletic women with abs who did not have the steroid look.

Yes – aboslutely and it doesnt take that much effort. I have managed it on a normaly low-fat, high protein diet and do my ab exercises every day…..and I’m 52! Mind, in fairness I have always had an athletic build and kept fairly fit, but over 40, every year it gets a bit harder. Just keep the body fat BMI index under 22

i am going to purchase the abs diet soon and i was looking for a typical days food for someone on it , or a menu , or recipe for some food. hope someone can help

when you get the book, they give you so many options it’s unbelievable. my boyfriend did this diet and dropped 40 lbs and i lost 20…

i eat a lot of whole grains, a lot of protein, and good fats (like peanut butter). we really have fun cooking meals together like fajitas, different pasta dishes, grilled fish and chicken….i’m getting hungry just thinking about it*
The best thing about this diet, other than the fact that it’s not really a diet like you’ve probably tried in the past because you are NEVER hungry…is that the snacks are different types of smoothies…like a peanut butter shake…different fruit shakes. they’re SO good and so filling. (i actually bought the Magic Bullet blender that is sold on infomercials, but you can also buy it at Walmart or Target) so that making the smoothies would be even easier.
they give you a ton of recipes and also what you would want to buy at the grocery store the next time you go. i eat omelets in the morning and then about 4 hours later i’m supposed to snack on something already! it’s crazy how your body changes to it too, because now i get hungry every 4 hours, but it doesn’t take much at all to fill me. i had a hard time eating that much in the beginning because i was thinking, how the heck am i going to lose weight if i’m eating so much! you’ll love it. i wish you the best of luck with it…you’re going to notice a change in yourself in no time

i am going to purchase the abs diet soon and i was looking for a typical days food for someone on it , or a menu , or recipe for some food. hope someone can help

when you get the book, they give you so many options it’s unbelievable. my boyfriend did this diet and dropped 40 lbs and i lost 20…

i eat a lot of whole grains, a lot of protein, and good fats (like peanut butter). we really have fun cooking meals together like fajitas, different pasta dishes, grilled fish and chicken….i’m getting hungry just thinking about it*
The best thing about this diet, other than the fact that it’s not really a diet like you’ve probably tried in the past because you are NEVER hungry…is that the snacks are different types of smoothies…like a peanut butter shake…different fruit shakes. they’re SO good and so filling. (i actually bought the Magic Bullet blender that is sold on infomercials, but you can also buy it at Walmart or Target) so that making the smoothies would be even easier.
they give you a ton of recipes and also what you would want to buy at the grocery store the next time you go. i eat omelets in the morning and then about 4 hours later i’m supposed to snack on something already! it’s crazy how your body changes to it too, because now i get hungry every 4 hours, but it doesn’t take much at all to fill me. i had a hard time eating that much in the beginning because i was thinking, how the heck am i going to lose weight if i’m eating so much! you’ll love it. i wish you the best of luck with it…you’re going to notice a change in yourself in no time

I do cardio five times a week,such as brisk walking,jogging,tennis,dancing,and using the elliptical and cycling machines.

Yes! Some people do all these good ab exercises and never see the results they were expecting because you need cardio to burn fat off the stomach to see those muscles.

good luck!

I do cardio five times a week,such as brisk walking,jogging,tennis,dancing,and using the elliptical and cycling machines.

Yes! Some people do all these good ab exercises and never see the results they were expecting because you need cardio to burn fat off the stomach to see those muscles.

good luck!

I used WW to get down to my goal weight which was relatively easy with their online program. At the end my points allowance felt absurdly low (18) and I was eating unhealthy processed food too frequently because they were low in points.

I switched to the Abs diet for maintenance and to start toning up. I’ve been on it for about 2 weeks but after coming from a very tight WW plan it seems like SO much food and SO much fat. The amount I eat on Abs (and I eat less than they even recommend) is probably equivalent to 45 points/day if not more. Yet I am going by the book…

Am I a week away from serious weight gain, or is it just a very different program?

very different program.

I tried both with very good results. I would keep track of what I eat using fitday.com that way you know how many calories a day you are eating.

Also, if it says six meals, that means six small meals. What I mean is: if you know what your daily calorie needs are, divide that by 6 and try to eat that amount every time you eat. There will be times when one of your meals may be higher than the others but in general try to stay within that area.

For example, my daily calorie intake is 1800-1900 calories a day. I do 5 meals, not six, but in general I try to eat between 300-400 per meal. Sometimes dinner may be 600 calories but another snack might be 200.

Abs diet helped me a lot, but what really brought my fitness and diet together is a program called turbulence training that i found here:

http://www.rapidfatlossonline.com

It showed me how to eat properly and how to work out to keep my body lean and eat the right foods and at the right time. You should check it out.

good luck!

They talked about it on 20/20 and it sounds good, but i dont want to just run out and buy the book just yet. Can anyone give me the gist of it?

I have undertaken the Abs Diet once about two years ago and have recently begun the regime once again. The name of the book is a bit of a misnomer. It’s not truly a diet but a lifestyle change. In other words, you never really stop using what you learn from it. The book is worth picking up if you haven’t really read or understand the processes that go on in your body. But if you do understand diet and exercise physiology already you can probably skip the first 60 pages because there is no earth-shattering science in there that can’t be gleaned elsewhere from dozens of other books – like the Zone Diet or the South Beach Diet.

The best thing about the plan is the ease of food choices. Using the 12 power foods takes the guesswork out of fixing meals and snacks. There are no time consuming recipes to worry about. The Abs Diet also places a pretty heavy emphasis on protein shakes or smoothies. That may get a little old for some people. As someone who loves variety in what I eat, the first time I tried the program I had a hard time because focusing on just the 12 power foods got a little monotonous after a while. But the good news is I did indeed lose weight and more importantly fat. I gave it a full six weeks and lost about 15 lbs. then switched back to Weight Watchers.

The bottom line is that it is a good program overall – especially if you only need to tighten up a bit or lose 20-30 lbs of fat. If you are morbidly obese (50-100 or more overweight) then this might be a tough program to stick with in the long term but certainly worth a try if for no other reason then to learn more about your body and the way it uses food.

Good luck!

I’m too poor to afford the book, and all the copies are checked out at the library. From what I gather, it’s basically – don’t eat crap, eat lots of protein, and exercise often, right? Anything else significant?

You asked, so here are the basics:

1. You MUST exercise if you want to lose weight and keep it off, so do something every day, even if it’s just a 15-minute walk around the neighborhood. Don’t say you don’t have time for exercise; you have to MAKE time. Yes, it takes time and effort, but you’re worth it, right?

2. Walk as much as you want, but don’t do cardio for more than 40 minutes at a time. If you do, you risk burning muscle instead of fat.

3. Do strength training three times a week using lighter weights and doing circuits of 12 repetitions. Also, do your ab exercises on strength training days.

4. Your diet will make you or break you. You have probably learned bad eating habits over time (most people do). That’s not your fault, but now you have to deal with it. Make a commitment to yourself to unlearn those bad habits and re-learn better habits.

5. Eat breakfast every day within an hour of getting up. People who don’t are 450% more likely to be overweight.

6. Eat six small meals or snacks per day instead of three squares per day or one big meal per day. Your body expends energy digesting your food, so eating smaller portions more often keeps your metabolism running high because you’re constantly digesting food.

7. Avoid these as much as possible:

– Trans fat (any type of partially or fully hydrogenated oil)
– High fructose corn syrup (soft drinks are LOADED with it)
– Fast food
– Junk food
– White sugar, white flour, white rice, white potatoes
– The deadly C’s (cookies, cakes, candy, chips, cola)

8. Build your diet around these trim-body-friendly foods:

– Nuts, any kind (almonds are best)
– Beans/Legumes
– Fresh vegetables (green is GREAT!!!)
– Dairy products (as long as they’re low-fat or non-fat)
– Eggs
– Lean meats (fish and poultry top the list)
– Olive oil
– Whole grain breads/cereals/pasta
– Fresh fruits (anything that ends in "berry" is a winner)
– Tea (green tea or black pekoe tea)
– Cold water or ice water (your body has to expend extra calories to heat it up)

9. Desserts and treats are the exception, not the rule. Having said that, however, (1) you can have a couple of pieces of chocolate every day – just don’t overdo, and (2) Allow yourself one "cheat meal" every week where you eat and drink whatever you want as long as you don’t gorge yourself. That’ll help keep you from feeling deprived and it’ll make it easier to stick with your new healthy eating plan.

Good luck! For more information, go to the Discussion boards on the Mens Health website and check out the bulletin boards for The Abs Diet.

I’m about to start the Abs power diet and was wondering if anyone has done it, and if so, any extra advice or stories I should know about?

just do exactly what they say it works wonders!

I am a 15 year old guy, and i want six pack abs. I’ve decided to do circuit training and other ab related excercises, the only problem is the diet. What am I supposed to eat to get a six pack while being a teenager, and needing a lot of food to grow?

drink low fat milk. Eat lots of low fat yougurt, in the morining, eat an apple.eat a good amount of protein.

I’m 21 and on the Men’s Health abs diet. I’m trying to fit within the plan but I’m also trying to teach myself how to cook.

It seems like most recipes you can sub olive oil for the butter, but there are some recipes where the texture needs the butter. What does the Abs diet say about butter usage?

If there’s a max., I can deal. But it seems like it’s hard to fit in if I can’t use any butter (or if it has to be part of my cheat meal… I would like to cook these things more than once so I can actually learn how to cook them!)

(This is for people who love to cook): Do you find it hard to cook certain more intricate or sophisticated or "foodie" type of foods because of the abs diet?

If so, how do you deal?

Yes and be limited, about 1/4 of what you have normally have been using or use unsalted butter. You can also mix a little butter with the olive oil.

This diet is called "The Abs Diet, Eat Right Every Time." From David Zinczenko, editor and chief from Men’sHealth Magazine. I have the book, and I understand what to eat for regular meals, but what do you eat for your snacks 2 hours before meals?

In the book (I wish I had a copy with me right now) he has two listings. There is an A group and a B group. He says to select one of each group and that’s a snack. If I’m not mistaken, one group is Protein/Dairy and the other is Carbs. Here are a few snacks that I eat.
An apple and cashews/almonds
Slim Fast Shake
GrapeNuts and Milk
Granola in Milk

I can’t tell enough people about this wonderful program that David Zinczenko has developed. I did it last year and dropped from 192 lbs. to 175 lbs. in 10 weeks. I’m currently following the program again. I’m finishing my third week. Through 2 weeks, I went from 189 to 182. That was with little to no exercise. I can only imagine what will happen when I really start to excercise.

I’d really like to get a toned body, especially really toned abs. I’m 6′0, 150 pounds, and I play soccer. I don’t wanna bulk up, I just want to get really toned. I know diet plays a big part for abs, but I need help setting one up. I don’t eat cheese however. A workout routine would also be awesome. Thanks!

Couple answers for you. (real ones..not bots. )

Ok, for abs, you need to think "core" exercises. It’s more then one abdominal muscle, but the entire core. Google core exercise, pick about a dozen movements that work a variety of muscles. (abs, obliques, butt, thighs, lower back (lumbar), etc. Out of these 12, choose 6 to do per workout. The next work out, swap out 2 of them for 2 different ones. This keeps your muscles toning, and the workout spicy. Try for 20-25 reps per movement. Do this ever other day (not every day!). (6 x 25 = 150 core movements every other day).

For your abs to show, you need to reduce your calories without reducing nutrition. A -250 reduction is a good start. Combine this with cardio workouts that get your resting heart-rate 3x above your normal resting heart-rate. This is what burns fat. Unless you are in the zone, you wont burn fat, your only be toning. Running, jumping, jogging, etc. All good.

For soccer — I strongly recommend you learn about "Plyometrics". These workouts would help you out in the sport the absolute most.

I need to get rid of my summer beer gut, but I also want to gain muscle mass. I am following the Abs diet, but don’t want that diet to make it more difficult for me to make gains in mass (in areas besides my stomach).

The Abs Diet will not make it difficult for you to gain muscle mass, as long as you are correctly following the program . David Zinczenko actually emphasizes muscle building workouts and all of the abs diet powerfoods are great for gaining muscle, particularly the whey protein powder and peanut butter.

I really don’t understand why you are even worried about this. You may not have read the actual book, and may have just read a few things about it on the internet. If so, check a copy out of your local library.