ABS DIET

[semillama]

I just started. anyone else tried it?

It's not so much a "diet" in the commonly used term in that it's pretty relaxed. It's pretty similar to the Body For Life meal plan, six meals a day and a cheat day, but it's based around what the author calls 'power foods'. These include almonds, beans and legumes, whole grain bread, oatmeal, fruits and veggies, lean meats, and such. You can have pretty much what you want. I mean, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are ok, and those are like my favorite treat! The plan is to teach you to eat smarter, as I read it.

There'a also an exercise plan but it doesn't kick in until two weeks into it. The basic premise is that one of the best indicators of your general health is your waistline, so the focus is on getting your abs to show. There's a lot about how the abs are the core of the body and essential in a lot of body movement. Plus of course there's the associated increase in numerous health risks with having a spare tire.

apparently it's not uncommon to lose about15-20 lbs of body fat and gain 5-7 lbs of lean muscle.

I'd be interested to hear about other people's experiences on it.

For the records, I'm 5'5", 170 lbs with a paunch. 36" waist, 34" hips. I've always had some amount of belly fat, so I'm keen to see how well this thing will work.

[feminazi]

1. keep us posted

i haven't heard about this one, but i think i'll look into it.

[Poiuyt]

2. Here's a forum devoted to the ABS diet:

http://forums.menshealth.com/category.jspa?categoryID=4

Even though it from the Men's Health website, there is a section devoted to women. (I don't know if you are male or female)

[feminazi]

3. thanks for the link

and feminazi is female :)

[ocean girl]

6. Hey, thanks for the link. My husband just bought me the book tonight!

We read about it in Men's Health magazine and it just makes sense to me, so I'm going to read the book tomorrow and get started. I'm sure the website will help too.

Thanks again!

[newyorican]

4. In my 8th week...

I was in relatively good shape until last July when I had a problem with my ticker. I was forced to be inactive for 5 months. I was very active prior to my incident. At least 1 hour cardio each day + weight circuit training every other.

I have lost 10 pounds over the Holidays (from 177 to 167) and I have visibly packed on lean mass. My ticker problem (3 stents) rules out a cheat day, I must maintain a heart-healthy diet at all times.

One thing I do is workout with gusto. I recommend a heart monitor to anyone interested in maximizing their workout. It informs you as to when you are in your "zone". I used a $24 Polar for 3 years that just gave me heart rate. For Christmas, I received a real nice one. It gives me heart rate, calories burned, total time in zone for each workout and it tests my fitness. It will also adjust my zone based on performance, actually pushing you as you get in better shape.

The key to this (or any regimen) is to combine frequent small meals with exercise. The lean mass added through exercise will burn fat 24/7, including while you sleep. The frequent meals will speed up your metabolism and (hopefully) decrease the binge type munchies that hit in the middle of the night.

[wildeyed]

5. Sounds fabulous!

That is pretty much how I eat, anyway. I have issues with blood sugar, so eating fiber dense foods with moderate amounts of fat feels great to me. I think it is smart to wait a few weeks to start the exercise. If you make too many changes at one time, you might feel overwhelmed.

The only caveat to the abs showing, different bodies distribute fat differently. I know some very strong athlete who don't have a six pack. Also, some very advanced yogis have really intense core strength and don't have defined abs. But they are stronger than you or I will every be.

Good luck. Keep us posted on your progress.

[semillama]

7. well, so far, not much

It's the start of my third week, and I've lost about 2 lbs.

Here's the caveat though: one, I haven't started serious exercise yet (That begins tonight). two, I screwed up my waist-to-hips measurement, so that will be new.

I will say I've really enjoyed EATING on this thing, though. I think it's a more sustainable way of eating and I'm taking in a lot more good stuff (calcium, fiber, antioxidants and phytochemicals) than I was before. So I'm willing to stick it out. I don't think this diet really kicks in until you start the exercise. it's a one-two punch: you can't really do one without doing the other.

More on this later...

[semillama]

8. I take that back.

ok, when I started, I was 170. I went back and corrected my waist-to-hips ratio, which at the beginning was 0.97, with 36" waist and 37" hips. (I screwed up before because you are supposed to measure your hips at their widest circumference, around your butt, and I measured at where I wear my pants - big difference!).

Now I am 168, two pound bodyweight loss, BUT I lost an inch off my waist and am at a waist-to-hips ration of 0.95. (a ratio of 0.92 or below is what you aim for).

So not bad! I either gained some muscle or just lost fat off the belly first.

[wildeyed]

9. Not bad considering you haven't started to exercise yet,

and don't completely hate the diet.

I had to lose massive amounts of weight after each baby. I found that it was too hard to do more than a pound or two per week. I got *really* cranky if I started losing too fast.

[semillama]

10. no, i LOVE the diet.

I'm a major peanut butter fiend, and any diet with that as one of the core foods is designed for ME.

I really like the workout so far, but then I've done it once. good to feel the burn again!