Abs are Made in the Kitchen

Posted by Healthy Bitch Daily on Jan 10, 2013

What if I told you there was a way to have an amazing stomach and barely break a sweat every week?

Bitch please, you'd say.

If you have nothing but time to spend in the gym, parading your lululemon and thumbing through mags on the treadmill, then you can probably eat just about any damn thing you want.

I used to think this.

I thought that I didn’t have to worry about all the bad crap I put in my body because I could just sweat it off. Turns out, it doesn’t matter how often you sweat if you're still shoveling shit in your mouth all the time. You could have a sweet six pack that no one can see because it's hidden by a layer of fat. Sad face.

I didn’t know why—even when I amped up my workouts— I was still carting around a big bowl full of jelly. So I decided to try something new. I began following a program that a registered RN recommended to me where I basically learned how to eat right for the health of my body. (Duh.) No more foods with a high glycemic index (foods that spike your blood sugar, throwing you into a carb fit), no bad fats, no simple carbohydrates, and none of that junk that I know is bad for me.

That’s what you have to do, too, if you want to rock your amazing abdominals: change the way you eat.

They say that abs are made in the kitchen and not in the gym. I have found this to be true. Since I've been trying out this new lifestyle, I haven't been exercising as much as I would like, yet I've lost several inches off my waist and tummy that, before, wouldn’t go the eff away.

Here are some of the rules I've been following. They're simple, but effective:

-Ditch the sugar. Fighting belly fat is about 80 percent diet, so watch your sugar and carb intake.
-Up your vitamin C. Vitamin C helps to combat cortisol spikes, which can contribute to piling on extra fat when you're stressed.
-Drink lots and lots of water. Like, so much that you're peeing every five minutes.
-Do not drink your calories. A glass of red wine might be healthy, yes, but go overboard and it'll show.
-Choose good fats. You know the drill: olive oil, avocado, nuts, etc.
-Work in different types of exercise. Crunches alone won't get you flat abs. You have to have an exercise program that targets multiple muscle groups at at time and gets your heart rate up (cardio).
-Eat as many vegetables as you can stand. Self-explanatory.
-Limit your ‘cheat treat’ to once a week, like on Sunday. No extending it into an entire 24 hours, honey.
 
A 2012 study published in Obesity also found that upping fiber intake by about 10 grams a day (think a 1/2 cup of beans) could reduce visceral waistline fat by about 3.7 percent in just a few years.

Keep in mind that it's okay to indulge once in a while. A girl needs some dark chocolate here and there. As long as you're eating for your abs 99 percent of the time, you will see results.

What's your take on getting rid of belly fat? Have any tips? Let us know in the comments below. 
Barbara Styles, Guest Blogger
While she was born and raised in the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix, AZ), Barbara is one of the palest people you will ever meet. An avid Disney fan, she is a sensitive Pisces who loves drifting through her days reading horror novels and working with elementary school kids in a Literacy Lab.  Cooking is more than just a hobby, she has an expensive Certificate in Patisserie and Baking from Le Cordon Bleu and works at Sweet Painted Cakes. When she's not off working or visiting family, she is at home with her two dogs and two cats and her fiance Patrick, whom, without, she'd be a crazy cat lady.