Just can’t get rid of your flabby belly, even though you do sit-ups and crunches until you’re ready to drop? Maybe you’re so mortified by the condition of your abs that you’ve relegated your bikini and lowrise jeans to the dark recesses of your closet.
Before you dump on (or just plain dump) your workout for not giving you killer abs, you should know the real culprit may be your diet — or even your high-stress lifestyle.
If you want to go from fat to fab abs, new research shows that what you eat is just as important as how — or even how much — you work out. And lifestyle counts, too, because stress doesn’t just mess with your head, it also can induce a pooch.
Following are six strategies from the country’s leading weight-loss, nutrition and stress experts, all designed to get you flat abs in just four weeks (see our “4-Week Fiber-Up Guide”), plus three delicious, lowfat recipes that will fill you up without making you look or feel bloated.
6 steps to flatter abs
Tip 1. Eat more fiber.
Not eating enough fiber may be a major reason women are getting fatter and flabbier. To ditch the fat and show off firm, beautiful abs, you need to eat at least 25 grams of fiber daily, says leading fiber researcher David J.A. Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., professor of nutrition at the University of Toronto, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Food and Nutrition Board. Fiber, which is the indigestible part of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods, helps you achieve flat abs for three reasons:
The “bulk” factor Fiber is like a dry sponge. When it combines with the water in your digestive tract, it makes everything move through more quickly.
The “fill” factor Because high-fiber foods like fruits and vegetables supply plenty of bulk to your meals without adding a lot of calories, they keep you feeling full longer and help you lose weight, according to a study at the Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University. Researchers concluded that lowfat diets work only if they’re also high in fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, all of which fill you up on fewer calories and less fat. In contrast, lowfat diets that are low in fiber and high in sugar, salt and preservatives can lead to bloating and weight gain.
In a study conducted by Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., a professor at Penn State University and co-author of The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan (HarperTorch, 2003), subjects who ate vegetables as part of their meals consumed about 100 fewer calories and didn’t make up for the caloric deficit later. While saving 100 calories a day may not sound like much, it translates into losing 10 pounds in one year. Use just this one trick — and there goes your tummy!
The “chew” factor “High-fiber foods require more chewing and take longer to eat,” explains Leslie Bonci, M.P.H,, R.D., author of the American Dietetic Association Guide to Better Digestion (John Wiley & Sons, 2003). “Because your mouth is more involved in the eating of high-fiber foods, you feel more satisfied with a high-fiber meal.”
How to add fiber to your diet comfortably One cautionary note: It’s important to add fiber slowly but consistently to prevent gas. “Make higher-fiber choices throughout the day; don’t have all your fiber in one bunch,” Jenkins says. “This is particularly important with viscous fiber — a type of soluble fiber found in beans, oats and barley that also has the benefit of lowering blood cholesterol,” he says.
For best results, increase your fiber intake slowly over the course of one month and drink plenty of water to keep food moving through your system as quickly as possible.
Tip 2. Opt for a sensible amount of high-quality carbs.
For flatter abs, make carbs 45-65 percent (202-292 grams based on an 1,800-calorie diet) of your total daily calories. Balance is the key here, so don’t go below 45 percent (202 grams), or above 65 percent (292 grams), which can lead to water retention, bloating and temporary weight gain that shows up in your middle.
When you eat carbs, they break down into glucose, which is stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver. When glycogen is stored, it carries with it three times its own weight as water, compared to no water at all for protein and fat, according to Peter Garlick, Ph.D., a professor at Stony Brook University in New York. If you eat an extremely high-carb diet, you may store excess water, experience bloating and gain temporary water weight. (This is why people who go on no- or very low-carb diets can initially lose weight so quickly. They’re really just losing water.) To avoid bloating and weight gain caused by consuming too many or the wrong kind of carbs, follow these tips:
* Fill up on fruits and vegetables. These are the least bloat-promoting foods because they contain plenty of water and fewer carbs and calories for their volume.
* Avoid high-carb/empty-calorie foods like fast food, snack cakes, cookies and candy. These foods are high in simple carbs and sodium, which cause bloating and weight gain, and are low in fiber and nutrients.
* Focus on balanced eating. For best results, eat at least three to five 4-ounce servings of veggies (15-25 grams of carbs); two to four 4-ounce servings of fruit (30-60 grams of carbs) and about 1 cup (8 ounces cooked or 2 ounces dry, or 2 slices of bread) of whole grains per meal (90 grams per day).
* Make sure you eat enough calories, from complex carbs, lean protein and healthy fats. If you don’t get an adequate number of calories (most women require at least 1,800 per day to lose weight, 2,000 to maintain and 2,400 or more if they’re very active), you risk temporarily lowering your metabolism, which can also bring on bloating.
A good guideline: Don’t cut any more than 250-500 calories below what you need to maintain your weight, advises C. Wayne Callaway, M.D., a metabolic specialist in Washington, D.C.
Tip 3. Drink up!
Many women believe that drinking too much water will give them puffy abs, but just the opposite is true. ‘Even though we associate water with being bloated, drinking more water can help to flush sodium out of the body, and that reduces the bloat,” said Jeff Hampl, Ph.D., R.D., nutrition researcher and assistant professor at Arizona State University.
flat abs recipes
Now that you’ve got the perfect tips for flatter abs, you need the perfect meals to go with them. Each dish here is crammed with fiber so you’ll benefit from the bulk, fill and chew factors.
Every recipe also has a good balance of carbs, protein and fat. Check out the low sodium numbers, which are right where you need them to be to prevent bloating, as well as the calorie counts, and make sure you choose your leanest meal at night, when calories should be their lowest.
It’s time to get cooking, enjoy the feast and then reap the rewards of enviable abs! — Robin Vitetta-Miller, M.S.
Blueberry-Banana Pancakes Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Nutrient note A great beginning to your day — whole-wheat flour is a good source of fiber and B vitamins, blueberries contain powerful antioxidants, bananas are rich in potassium, and milk is chock-full of calcium.
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 very ripe medium bananas
1 cup nonfat milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
(do not defrost)
4 tablespoons maple syrup
Preheat oven to 250[degrees] F. Coat a griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and preheat.
In a medium bowl, combine both flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix well with a fork and set aside.
In a large bowl or food processor, mash bananas until mushy. Add milk, egg and vanilla and mix or process until blended.
Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and mix or process until just blended (tiny lumps should still appear; do not overmix or pancakes will be tough). Ladle 3 tablespoons of batter onto hot griddle for each pancake. Top each with 1-2 tablespoons of blueberries.
When bubbles appear around the edges of pancakes, after about 2-3 minutes, flip and cook 1 minute. Transfer pancakes to a warm plate and keep warm in a 2500 F oven while you cook remaining pancakes.
Serve pancakes with maple syrup over top.
Nutrition Score per serving (3 pancakes plus? tablespoon maple syrup): 384 calories, 6% fat (3 g; <1 g saturated), 83% carbs (80 q), 11% protein (11 g), 8 g fiber, 203 mg calcium, 3 mg iron, 401 mg sodium.
Chicken Fried Rice
With Vegetables
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Nutrient note This lightened-up Asian classic combines skinless chicken, an excellent source of high-quality protein, with brown rice (a good source of fiber), carrots (loaded with beta carotene), peas (crammed with folate) and green onions (full of cancer-fighting sulfur compounds).
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless
chicken breasts, cut into
1/2-inch pieces
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium
soy sauce
1 cup diced carrots
2 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken
broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup frozen green peas,
thawed
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 2 minutes, until soft. Place chicken in saucepan and saute 5 minutes, until browned on all sides, stirring frequently. Add rice and cook 1 minute, until translucent. Stir in soy sauce to coat rice.
Add carrots, chicken broth, salt and pepper and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
Stir in peas and green onions and heat through.
Nutrition Score perserving (1[1/2] cups):375 calories, 17% fat (7 g; 1.5 g saturated), 47% carbs (44 g), 36% protein (34 g), 4 g fiber, 42 mg calcium, 2 mg iron, 781 mg sodium.
Grilled Vegetables and Hummus on Whole-Grain Baguette
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 6 minutes
Nutrient note This excellent lunch boasts eggplant, a good source of protein, potassium and calcium; zucchini, which serves up folate; tomatoes and red peppers, which boast vitamin C; hummus, which contains a fair amount of protein; and whole-grain bread, which dishes up fiber and B vitamins.
Olive-oil cooking spray
2 small eggplants (about 1/2
pound total), cut lengthwise
into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 medium zucchini (about 1/2
pound), out lengthwise into
1/4-inch-thick slices
1 beefsteak tomato, sliced into
1/4-inch-thick slices
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup prepared hummus
2 roasted red peppers, from
water-packed jar, thinly
sliced
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 8-ounce whole-grain baguette,
halved horizontally
Preheat outdoor grill, stovetop grill pan or broiler.
Spray both sides of eggplant, zucchini and tomato slices with olive-oil spray and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Grill or broil eggplant, zucchini and tomato slices 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and tender.
Spread hummus on one half of baguette. Top hummus with grilled vegetables and then roasted red pepper slices and basil leaves. Top with second half of bread to make a sandwich. Slice baguette into 4 equal sandwiches and serve.
Nutrition Score per serving (1 sandwich): 200 cafories, 14% fat (3 g; <1 g saturated), 68% carbs (34 g), 18% protein (9 g), 10g fiber, 190 mg calcium, 3mg iron, 188mg sodium.
An easy way to tell if you’re drinking enough is by checking the color and quantity of your urine. If it’s pale yellow and high volume, you’re doing OK. If it’s dark and scant and/or you’re thirsty, you’re very likely to be dehydrated. Follow these tips to stay hydrated and healthy:
* Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Beverages with little or no calories, caffeine or sodium, including herbal tea, are best. Avoid regular soft drinks and soups with lots of sodium.
If you are eating plenty of water-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables and low-sodium soups, you can get half of your water requirements from foods, according to a 1998 NAS Food and Nutrition Board report.
* Avoid carbonated drinks. Fizzy drinks, including soda pop and spritzers, increase bloating because the carbon dioxide trapped in the bubbles creates gas, which slows down stomach emptying.
* Watch your intake of alcohol and caffeine. Both are natural diuretics, which increase fluid loss and don’t replace your body fluids as effectively as water, juice and caffeine- and alcohol-free beverages. Because they promote dehydration, alcohol and caffeine also can fatten abs.
Tip 4. Watch the sodium.
Sodium may have a bad rep, but it’s essential for regulating body fluids and blood pressure as well as for nerve transmission, muscle function and absorption of important nutrients. But even a small amount of excess sodium causes bloating.
According to the NAS, the average woman needs only 500 milligrams of sodium a day. Most of us get more than six times that, or 3,000-6,000 milligrams per day. The consequence of all this sodium — most of which is consumed as salt and preservatives in processed foods, fast foods and restaurant foods — isn’t pretty for your abs. That’s because where sodium goes, water follows.
When you eat a high-sodium meal, say, from your favorite Chinese takeout at 3,000 milligrams per entree, your body responds by retaining water. This results in edema and, possibly, a rise in blood pressure. Sodium’s visible traces are outlined the next day when you stand sideways in your full-length mirror: major B-L-O-A-T! Even though it’s temporary, that’s no consolation when you Want to wear something revealing that day. Here’s how to keep your sodium intake at a healthy level:
* The American Heart Association recommends you consume no more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium daily — roughly 1 teaspoon of table salt. That’s enough sodium to replenish your supply even if you work up a major sweat.
* Choose fresh, natural foods over fast, commercial or packaged foods. Instead of ordering french fries (265 milligrams of sodium), have a baked potato (8 milligrams). Instead of a pickle (1,730 milligrams!), enjoy a fresh cucumber (6 milligrams). And beware of cured meats: Three ounces of ham packs in 1,009 milligrams of sodium. compared to just 48 milligrams for the same amount of roast pork. Soups are also notoriously high in sodium; some canned varieties contain more than 1,100 milligrams per cup. Read labels carefully and stick with low-sodium brands like Healthy Choice.
Tip 5. Eat light at night.
It never fails: You have a heavier-than-normal evening meal or snack, and When you weigh yourself the next morning, you’re up by several pounds. But as depressing as it may seem at the moment, such a quick gain is always water weight; you simply cannot gain that much fat overnight.
Evening eating is often the most problematic for women, as it can be related more to emotional issues than to real hunger. You’re tired, lonely, bored, anxious; you want to relax or reward yourself after a tough day. But indulge too many nights in a row and that temporary water gain becomes permanent fat gain — and fatter abs.
In a study conducted by Callaway, people who skipped breakfast or lunch and ate their largest meal later in the day had lower metabolisms. So by eating light at night you’ll receive a double benefit: You’ll wake up with a flatter tummy, and you’ll also have a better appetite for a fiber-rich breakfast, which sets you up for a day of healthful eating. Some tips to get you started:
* Eat five times a day. Your body needs food every three to four hours, so instead of eating three large meals, try to schedule five smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day (breakfast-snack-lunch-snack-dinner). By staying full and energized, you’ll avoid hunger pangs, maintain an even energy flow, make better, healthier food choices (no bingeing or craving) and enjoy the most efficient burning of calories.
* Eat two-thirds of your calories before dinner. Your body needs calories when you’re active, not at night, when your natural rhythm is slowing down. Make sure to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner to keep your metabolism revved.
* If you have to eat at night because you’re hungry, stick with fruit, vegetables and other foods that are low in fat, calories and sodium.
Tip 6. Reduce stress.
Research shows that stress triggers the hormone cortisol to turn up your appetite and deposit fat around the organs in your abdomen. Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., author of Fight Fat After Forty (Penguin, 2000) calls this “toxic weight,” because it’s associated with heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
“Worrying over an issue that will not go away can lead to prolonged increases in your cortisol,” says Peeke. “That means one heck of a stress-related appetite and fat abs.” To reduce stress-related eating, try these tips:
* Move it to lose it. A recent study conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle showed cardiovascular exercise is especially effective in reducing midsection weight gain.
* Chill out. When you feel stress building, take a few moments to breathe deeply and regroup.
All diets holds in some risks and dangers. The healthier diets tend to have less risks than the more unhealthy fad diets. The risks also get more serious and probable the longer you stay on them. It may even put your health and maybe even your life at risk. If you still however want to go on a 1000 calorie diet, it may hold in these risks and dangers: