Serious readers often sit in the house or outdoors for hours at a time and not are not getting enough exercise. The same goes with authors who sit at their computer all day trying to write the next great American novel. Even if you are attempting exercising or yoga, sometimes we all struggle with a flabby belly? Have you done all the crunches and sit-ups you can and still aren’t seeing any results? You’ll be surprised how many other people are going through this. Your flabby belly might be so mortifying that you’ve given up wearing bikinis and low-rise jeans altogether. Now, they reside in the dark recesses of your wardrobe.
Don’t dump your routines just yet simply because they don’t give you the cool abdominal muscles you want. The real culprit just might be your diet. If you want to go from fat abs to fab abs, then you should pay more attention to what you eat. On the one hand, you could take a complete meal replacement, such as the Ideal Shake weight-loss solution, which will give you all the nutrients you need for a healthy weight-loss plan. However, you can also do it by watching what you eat. Here are two tips you can implement to lose weight fast and get those killer six-pack abs.
1. Eat More Fiber
One of the reasons women are getting flabbier bellies is that they simply aren’t taking enough fiber. You need a minimum of 25 grams of fiber every day to get firm and beautiful fiber. Fiber is the part of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods that you can’t digest. You’re probably wondering how something you can’t digest will help you get great abs.
For starters, fiber is filling. Foods that are high in fiber will supply plenty of bulk to your foods and make you feel fuller for longer. In fact, a low-fat diet will only work if it’s also a high-fiber diet. That means your diet should contain plenty of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, which will give you less fat, fewer calories and plenty of fiber. It has also been shown in studies that people who eat more vegetables in their diet tend to eat a minimum of 100 calories fewer in a day, and they don’t even have to make up for this calorie deficit later.
The other benefit you get from fiber is that it takes you longer to chew. Your mouth will be more involved in the chewing of high-fiber foods, and you will overall feel more satisfied with that meal. This is because you tend to feel fuller faster if you spend more time chewing your food.
You should be careful to add fiber to your food slowly and consistently when you’re starting out in order to prevent problems with gas. Soluble fiber is also known to lower the levels of cholesterol in your body.
2. With Carbs, It’s more about Quality than Quantity
If you’re looking to get flatter abs, then between 45 percent and 65 percent of your diet, which translates to between 200 and 300 grams for a 1,800 calorie diet, of your daily calories should be carbs. The key here is to maintain balance. Don’t take too little in carbs, such as below 45 percent, and don’t take too much in carbs, like more than 65 percent. That will lead to bloating due to water retention and make you gain weight temporarily. The problem is that that weight shows up in your midsection.
When you consume carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into glucose. Some of that glucose will be metabolized by your body. Whatever isn’t used will be stored in the form of a compound known as glycogen. Glycogen is that it carries three times its weight in water. If you eat a diet that is extremely high in carbs, you will store all the excess water you drink. That means you will likely experience bloating and gain temporary water weight. That’s why people who go on a low-carb diet lose weight so quickly at first. What they’re losing is all the extra water weight. So, to avoid all of that, here are some tips you can use to your advantage:
- Eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can. These will promote the least amount of bloat since they have lots of water and very few calories and carbohydrates for their volume.
- Stay away from foods that are high in carbs and empty calories like cakes, candy and cookies. These tend to contain lots of carbs and sodium, which bring about bloating and weight gain. They’re also low in fiber and other important nutrients.
- Eat a balanced diet which is healthy. If you want the best results, eat between three and five 4-ounce servings of vegetables, between two and four 4-ounce servings of fruit and about a cup of whole grains for every meal.
Markus lives in San Francisco, California and is the video game and audio expert on Good e-Reader! He has a huge interest in new e-readers and tablets, and gaming.