Top 5 Abs-Carving Eating Habits

Well, we all want abs. The truth is we all do have abs, we

just haven’t revealed them yet.

If we try to ask a person with the six packs what the ultimate secret is to having

those packs that you really, really, really want, there’s a very huge amount of

chance that you’ll get “diet” or “eating habits” as the answer. While exercise is a

valuable factor to develop your abs, it’s only half of the story… or even a-fourth of

it. It doesn’t make any difference that while you spend hours of workout, you don’t

really watch what goes into your mouth. A well-informed diet is the foundation of

a core-strengthening and abs-carving fitness program.

As we have already mentioned, we just haven’t unveiled our abs yet. They are

beneath the layers of excess fat we see on our bellies. The first step is to shed out

those extra covers. The idea here is to lose fat to gain mass. Coupled with exercise,

you could lose fat by reducing your calorie intake. Calories are needed to fuel you

all throughout the day; but, extra calories will be stored as fat. The secret then is to

limit your daily caloric intake to make sure there’s no leftover to be stored. Ideally,

you could start by lessening your current intake by 300 to 500cals. But, to know

what exactly is right for you, you could use online calorie calculators or apps. In

truth, your ideal calorie intake depends on a lot of different factors such as age,

weight, activity level and height.

Losing the extra fat is just the beginning. Once you have

already reached your target fat level and weight, there are

other eating habit changes that you need to include in your

program. To achieve that, we have collected for you a few

key long-term eating habits to achieve those super-chiseled

packs.

1. Up Your Protein, but Don’t Forget Your Carbs

There is this long-time assumption that if protein is the bodybuilder’s super best

friend, carbs is its arch nemesis. But, our bodies need carbohydrates to function

well. They are our body’s fuel; that means that they give you the ability to carry

those weights and run the mile. Aside from that, they are also important to restock

your muscle glycogen. But, here comes the catch. Extra carbs turn into

triglycerides, a kind of fatty acids. This means, extra carbs turn to fat—which

happens to be the very same that we should be losing.

To make sure there’s no excess, you can limit yourself to 2 to 3 grams of

carbohydrates for each pound of body weight. There is also this kind of diet

strategy called the carb cycling where you divide your days of the week to either

high cab or low carb day. It somehow tricks the body not to adapt to a level of

carbs so as not to compromise metabolism.

Now, for our friend: the protein. Just like any element needed for the body to

properly function, protein levels differ from one person to another depending on

the person’s activity level. People who train need more protein than those who

work for hours in an office. Protein is the body’s muscle-builder.

Bodybuilders who are trying to gain mass can up their protein to 0.8 to a gram for

each pound of lean mass. You can easily get your protein requirement from various

natural sources like lean chicken, lean beef, fish, beans and eggs. You could also

use protein supplements like those in powder and bar forms.

2. Be Friends with Water

Aside from protein, you need to be friends with water. That is because the fats in

our bodies are broken down through the aid of water, in a process called

hydrolysis. This means that drinking enough water helps in metabolism. Optimal

nutrient absorption is also another benefit of hydration. Moreover, since exercise is

part of the six-pack plan, it is important to keep yourself hydrated. The amount of

ideal daily water consumption for active individuals is four liters. Water also helps

you prevent overeating by making you feel full.

3. Revolutionize your Meal Plan

The main idea of a meal plan is to correctly budget your portions. As you are

trying to develop your abs, you need protein for your muscles, carbs for energy, as

well as healthy fats and calcium. Try as much as possible to stay away from

saturated and trans fats, and refined carbohydrates and sugar. Apart from knowing

your portions, meal schedule is also important. Bodybuilders eat frequently to

efficiently burn fat and improve metabolism. Commonly, it is recommended to eat

two or three large meals with small snacks in between. So basically, eating three

times a day doesn’t apply to you. Make it six times. Remember though that these

snacks should be healthy and fit for your plan.

By eating snacks every three hours or more, you could avoid eating too much

during lunch or dinner. Make sure, though, that you are actually spreading out your

meals and not adding them up. Your calorie and nutrient intake should be divided

appropriately to consume less, instead of more. For people who do not have the

convenience of a dining or snacking area, you could pack a few handy snacks like

nuts and fruit slices, for example.

4. Eat Breakfast

Eating a healthy breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism. This makes breakfast the

most important part of the day. Filling yourself up early in the morning prevents

you from eating too much during lunch or snack. If you’re hungry, you could be

tempted to make unhealthy choices. People who skip breakfast tend to eat more

during the rest of the day. Weight loss is often associated with eating breakfast

because of this. Since shedding fat is part of the plan, it is important to eat

breakfast either to lose weight or maintain it.

Breakfast is also a good opportunity for protein. Eggs and lean ham are great

sources of high-quality protein. Always prefer protein than carbs, like bagels and

slices of bread.

5. Pack Your Lunch

Since you are revolutionizing your meal plan, then packing your lunch should

already be your new ritual. By doing so, you control what goes into your meal and

into your body. You could also make sure that your calorie budget is still intact.

The more you are aware of your lunch’s content, the healthier it becomes. Here’s a

tip: do not eat other than what you’ve packed. Your packed lunch should already

contain what you need for this specific meal. Otherwise, there’s no sense at all in

packing or cooking it yourself.

A sample lunch menu fit for an abs-king: 6 ounces of lean chicken (with approx.

276 kCal and 51.68g of protein), 1 medium-sized potato (144 kCal and 33.42g of

carbs), and a cup of sliced carrots (50kCal, 11.69g of carbs, and 1.13g of protein).

Now that you know these five abs-carving eating habits, the next step is to

gradually change from your current diet ways. Couple your body-building

exercises with these practical eating strategies. Change, of course, will not be easy.

But surely, it will be worth it.

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