A six pack is the statement that all guys and even girls, want to flaunt. That being said attaining a six pack is harder than it sounds and once you get it, is almost too difficult to maintain. Why?
Because of the Indian diet and it’s horrible inconsistencies. The daal is high in carbs, the roti is simply devoid of all nutrients and still rich in calories. Finally the rest of the curries and sweets are high in bad fat. Read below on how to dramatically alter your diet, stick to a strict six pack abs diet, get that six pack and maintain it for good!
What is special about a six pack diet?
The Indian diet is riddled with mistakes. We eat too much carbohydrates, the bad kind, too many fats and too little protein. No wonder our belly fat is the only thing that grows out.
And again the biggest question which remains is “How To lose belly fat?“.
You may also like to read: 6 unknown weight to reduce your belly fat?
A six pack diet on the other hand, is low carb and high protein. The high protein preserves your muscles and the low carbs will take off the fat. Let’s get a few things correct.
Getting a six pack and developing a six pack are two different things. Developing a six pack is quite simple as it links to exercising and thus developing of the abdominal muscles.
Getting six pack abs is difficult because you would need to get to a low body fat percentage to see the ab muscles.
This means your roti’s, rice and other grains need to be limited if not eliminated. No one said it’s going to be easy, but it’ll definitely be worth it!
How do I reduce my fat to see abs?
The reduction of fat happens by understanding and furthermore the manipulation of micronutrients. Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats make up the three essential macronutrients.
- Protein- Is the most vital macronutrient. This is the holy grail that will build your muscles, sculpt the abs and retain the muscle while you are restricting your calories. Go for leaner cuts of protein like Salmon, Tuna, Chicken Breast
- Carbohydrates- Are the primary and preferred source of energy for the body. This is the macronutrient that you need to limit but not eliminate as a lot of your mood sensations depend on this. Go for complex/slow digesting carbs like pasta, brown bread and oatmeal.
- Fats- The essential macro when it comes to regulating your hormones so do not lower this beyond 20% of your daily diet (more on this later). Just because its called fats doesn’t mean it will make you fat, if taken in moderation. Opt for healthier options like olive oil and omega-3’s.
Now that you know these macros, you need to calculate your calories. The one absolute to a six pack ab diet plan is you need to calculate your calories. It is one rule of thermodynamics, calories in vs. calories out, that can never be ignored. Only by ensuring a calorie deficit can you lose weight, and only by cutting your carbs and furthermore manipulating your macros, you can lose fat around your belly area.
Calculating your calories
So search the internet and calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and then do the following things:
- Cut that number by 300. The number that you arrive at is your daily caloric allowance
- Allocate 40% of that to protein, 40% to carbs and 20% to fats
- Use the healthy options to calculate how much of what food item you will be having
- Time your carbs around your workout (slow releasing before workout and fast carbs post-workout)
Supplements for six pack abs diet
Now though supplements might not be necessary, they certainly help in carving out your six pack. A good fat burner can induce thermogenesis and thus take off additional calories; while you are in a caloric deficit, especially during cardio.
Whey Protein is easy in it’s convenience as it helps to shuttle protein to your body when you most need it. It also is the most bioavailable protein source for your body so it absorbs the fastest.
Along with that, because you are decreasing your calories substantially and especially your carbs, a multivitamin will provide you with the essential micronutrients that will help your body be holistically healthy.
As always do remember that supplements are essentially taken to supplement your diet. Without the said diet, no amount of supplements will ever work.
It’s no wonder powder, medicine that you simply take one day and become shredded. That being said, these will surely help you get to your goals quicker.
How do I maintain my six pack
Even though it has been stated that maintaining a six pack is infinitely harder than getting a six pack, it is not because of any other additional information but purely because of consistency.
Firstly you have to make sure that your six pack is well developed to even show.
Then you need to look at eliminating the flab from your stomach and once you get it, you must stick to that diet and keep on doing direct ab exercises like crunches, leg raises etc. to maintain the six pack.
The other factor that you need to look after is to avoid eating foods which bloat you. An excess of sodium and water can lead to diminishing your well defined abs which can be disastrous, especially after all this effort that you put in. Sodium is the main perpetrator here and foods like broccoli, yes the super food broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and sodas can lead to the expanding of the belly and kissing good bye to your abs.
Similarly I would not recommend anyone, who is over 15% body fat and wanting to see their abs, to use creatine. Creatine will increase your strength, ATP and your gains. It will also however, increase the water retention and for those who are wanting to bet everything they can for the fabled six pack, creatine should be avoided here.
So train hard and diet even harder and one day you might see those six packs abs peeking out of the fat and into your life!
Guest Post by Divesh Yadav.
RD Neha Kava
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