"How can I speed up my results and get this belly fat off?" is a question I hear more than any other and, today, I am going to hand you the answer on a silver platter.
Of course, when most people inquire about how to speed things up, they usually start with the obvious questions...
12 OUNCES EQUALS
"Should I do more cardio?"
"What about using higher reps and lower weights or do heavier weights and less reps work better?"
"How about working my abs every day?"
Unfortunately, all of these questions miss the mark because they are pointed toward the wrong issue. As hard as it is to believe, reshaping the body has surprisingly little to do with what happens in the gym.
Abs Are Made In The Kitchen - When it comes to getting the fastest results possible, here's the bottom line: of the key components needed to reshape your body (blubbery thighs, giggly abs, soft biceps and all,) exercise is actually at the bottom of the list. That's not to say that it isn't important or that you should knock it out all together, but when it comes to your overall return-on-investment, exercise is not the main ingredient in moving your mid-section from flabby to flat. Food is where it's at.
Shake vs. Bake - Think about the ingredients that go into baking the perfect cake. There are the main ingredients (flour, milk and eggs) and then there are the more subtle ingredients (like baking powder.) Adding too much or too little of this very critical ingredient can spell the difference between success and failure. That is exactly what exercise is to flattening your abs - it's like the baking powder of fitness. It only takes a little (or more accurately, just the right amount) and more does not make it better. Do it--forget it--and point the majority of your energy and focus on the main ingredients to flatter abs... getting a handle on what's landing in your stomach on a regular basis.
The Silver Platter of Success - Now that we've established that exercise, while it is an important component of your overall results, will not remove the fat from around your belly, I want to hand you the formula for achieving swift, certain results - the kind you can feel in your clothes and see in the mirror. Having trained, coached, and closely measured the progress of over 4000 individuals over the past 11 years, I can tell you with absolute assurance that 80-90% of the visible results achieved from any fitness program is a product of the following recipe:
Ingredient #1 - Toe the line on your meal portions. Make sure you are eating just enough food at each meal to last you about 2-3 hours. Your natural hunger mechanism should kick in just around the end of the second hour after you've eaten. Otherwise you are probably eating meals that are too big. Make it a rule that you plate should never contains more than the visual equivalent of your two clinched fists put together.
Ingredient #2 - Make the majority of your meals about fuel, not entertainment. That doesn't mean that your food has to be boring. It's really a simple matter of looking at each meal and asking these 3 questions, "Where's my protein, where's my carbohydrate, and are they of equal portion?"
Ingredient #3 - Drink water like you're going for a record. Make water your main beverage. When you choose to drink something other than plain water, especially if it contains any of the "Four C's" (caffeine, color, calories or carbonation) follow it with 16 ounces of plain water. Easy enough. Another great rule is to start your day with 16 ounces of water and make your last drink of the day another 16 ounces of water.
Ingredient #4 - Take an optional food break at least one day a week. Having full autonomy one day a week to let loose and have whatever you want is a great way to stay on track. It's much easier to avoid the cookies in the lunch room when you know you can put one in a zip-lock bag and have it on your opt day!
And, there you have it - the true recipe for flatter abs. So, the next time you find yourself grabbing the stuff around your waist, asking what you can do to get it off, you have your answer. Trying to shed fat by working it off is the slow and painful way to nowhere. Whenever you find yourself pointing your focus toward forcing the fat off with exercise, remember that it takes hours and hours of work to duplicate the same benefits of simply watching your portions, timing and meal combinations.
The best way to put it is this. You can work out like a CRAZY person, but if your food isn't spot-on, you will NEVER see much in the way of visible results. On the other hand, if your food is spot-on and you happen to miss a workout here or there, you are still likely to experience great results.
The Real Secret to Getting Flatter Abs Faster 12 OUNCES EQUALS