How To Get Abs: Burn Off The Fat So You Can See 'Em

Most people already have okay abs, they’re just obscured by fat. So it’s quite simple: lose the fat and you’ll see your abs!

Now there's an endless number of books on dieting and weight loss, and that in itself should tell you something: that when it comes to losing fat, information doesn't help much.

What do I mean by that? One serious trap we all find ourselves stuck in, particularly in this 'age of information', is that we do a lot of thinking, and not nearly as much acting. Weight loss does not require much knowledge, but it does require action.

As such, I'm going to give you all you need to know about weight loss in this one post, and the rules I present you with are brief enough and few enough in number that you should be able to write them all on the back of a bus ticket.

It's true that if you want to be an expert on weight loss, you could spend a whole lot of time reading books an you'd probably be better at it than me. But for those of us who just want to do it, be done with it, and get on with the rest of our lives, the 'bus ticket' list of rules will do just fine.

To make the rules as short as I've promised, I present them with minimum explanation. I will expand on each rule in future posts, but for now you'll have to just trust me that they work ;)

Firstly, diet rules:

Rule 1: Eat 5-6 times a day.

The higher your metabolic rate, the higher your ability to burn fat. Raise it and keep it there by eating a lot, often. 5 to 6 small/medium meals a day is the target.

Rule 2: Eat quality proteins in every meal.

Protein feeds your muscles and burns more energy in digestion. You don't have to eat a huge amount (I suggest that the amount required is overstated...mainly by companies trying to flog protein powders!), so a medium portion is fine.

Preferred sources are:

• Lean, organic, grain fed beef
  
• Chicken and turkey breast
• Fish
  
• Whey protein (I recommend a flavorless/carb free type like Whey Pro Elite)
• Eggs (mainly the whites)
  
• Lentils
• Tofu and soy products

Many recommend low-fat cheese/yogurts etc, but I can't comment on those as I'm lactose intolerant!

The main thing is to not eat 'carbs only' meals. If there's no protein, at least have a good fat (e.g. almond paste spread on bread is superior to jam on bread!)

Rule 3: Eat mostly slow carbs

By 'slow' I mean complex carbs e.g. all plant foods, whole grains, brown rice, beans and lentils, muesli etc.

'Fast' carbs must be minimized or completely cut-out: sugar, concentrated fruit juice, dried fruit, white flour, soft drinks, chocolate and most other processed and junk foods. Yeah I know, it's no fun :)

Rule 4: No carbs after 6pm.

Carbs are for energy, so eat them as you need them. After 6pm you're winding down, so you don't need them and you won't burn them; they'll just be stored as fat. Eat your carbs in the morning and during the day.

Rule 5: Drink 2+ litres of water per day.

I drink A LOT of water. 4 litres, usually. Every biochemical process in your body uses water, so you absolutely need it. However, try not to flood your stomach during/after a meal or you won't digest; drink the most between meals.

My tip is to carry a large bottle (1 litre plus), because if you drink a small bottle and then don't have an opportunity to refill or buy another during the day, you have to go dry until you can. That ain't good.

Rule 6: Stay alkaline.

Being excessively acidic is not only bad for your health and has been linked to serious diseases, but it impedes weight loss. At every meal, have a significant portion of alkaline food: veges/salad (the greener the better), fruit, lentils, almonds, olive oil etc. The fresher, the better, as even the mentioned foods become acidic if heavily processed.

An easy way to get alkaline is to have wheatgrass/greens powder drink each day, and to have 10-15ml of apple cider vinegar each day.

And now, the exercise rule:

Exercise 5-6 times per week with considerable intensity.

Sounds like a lot, right? The strategy is to eat lots and burn lots, so this amount of exercise is recommended.

Personally, I do three weight sessions and two cardio sessions per week. As such, I won’t burn fat as quick as someone doing only cardio sessions in a week, as although weigh training does increase your metabolic rate, it doesn’t do it as much as cardio training. That’s fine, I’m not in that much of a hurry.

For cardio, though, I recommend gym classes instead of self-managed session, as they usually ensure you don’t slack off. These sessions can be done in as short a time as 20-30mins if the intensity is high.

Favorites include:

• Cycling
• Boxing
• Other martial arts
• Yoga
• Pilates

Etc. If your face is red and you’ve got a sweat up, it’s probably good enough.

So as you can see, weight loss is not complicated, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. But you need to act, you need to implement or nothing will happen.

Don't beat yourself up if you slip up. Just shrug your shoulders and promise yourself you'll do it tomorrow. If you can do the above around 80-90% of the time, you’ll see gradual, but significant improvement.

So here’s your ‘bus ticket’ summary of losing weight to show those abs:

Diet:

1. Eat 5-6 meals per day
2. Eat quality proteins at every meal
3. Eat mostly slow carbs
4. No carbs after 6pm
5. Drink 2+ litres of water per day
6. Stay alkaline

Exercise:

1. Exercise 5-6 times per week with considerable intensity

The main rule: DO IT!