Are Abs really made in the kitchen?

If you are anything like me, you workout till the cows come home but the stomach area does not budge.

The plan is to figure out why that is and how to correct it. I created a Pinterest board to help me get some pointers together and also a way to share with others who have the same problem. 

WHAT OTHERS SAY

Jen @thefithousewife.com talks about the same topic in this post. She has had 3 kids and shares how she was able to see her abs again. Clean eating is the way she suggests to go.

Keith @fitmole.org has a different opinion than Jen as you will see in this post. He feels that it is all about doing the right workouts to build those muscles.

Charlene Johnson shared this post about the 80/20 rule. She supports that abs are made in the kitchen. She recommends a way to track that you are not taking in more than you are burning.

DOES THIS MAKE SENSE?

This is where I am torn. I have done the clean eating and have had no change in my midsection. I also have been working out consistently for months and still look the same in the stomach. So where do we go from here?

Well, like Antranick says in his post, we be patient!! This weight didn't get put on overnight so why would it come off that fast.

PLAN OF ATTACK 

1. Install MyFitnessPal app to keep track of the calories going in.

2. Use Garmin/Fitbit to track calories burned.

3. No processed food.

4. Plenty of water/ no pop!

5. Continue workouts but don't stress if they don't work overnight.

* Do you have any suggestions or favorite trick to a six-pack?

Can vegetarians get enough protein?

If you are into fitness then you are aware that protein consumption is a big thing. Protein helps your muscles recover and grow.

There are so many different ways that you can get your daily recommended amount of protein.

                          Picking the right protein powder



What are some ways to get protein in your diet?

The first thing that pops in my mind would be chicken, it has 24 grams per 3 oz servings. Then what comes out of a chicken....eggs! I have never seen a meal plan that does not have eggs on it in some form or another.

Steak ranks up there with chicken at 23 grams per 3 oz serving and steak is pretty yummy, if I do say so myself.

You can also get a good amount of protein from pork chops and seafood. All of this sounds wonderful to me because I follow the keto/Atkins diet so I have no problem getting my protein intake where it needs to be.

How do vegetarians get their protein?

I had to look this up to be sure because I do no think that I would be able to pull off being a vegetarian.

Apparently soy is high on that list. All things that are soy based have great protein numbers.

There is also of course the standard staple in most peoples cupboards...the protein shake. But you would either do water or a nut milk because dairy is out for the vegetarian. Which is how I drink mine. I think milk is to processed and love a coconut milk.

Nuts and beans are another way to get your protein for vegetarians. I love almonds and they are good for any diet that you may be on, just do not over indulge. I personally think that beans are nasty but more power to those that eat them because I know they are good for you.



So, either way you choose to feed your workouts, you have no excuse not be getting enough protein.


* What is your favorite protein staple?

What extreme dieting will do to your gains

There are so many quick fixes out there for everything you could imagine, so why not weight loss too.

You can eat just grapefruits or drink lemon, honey, and cayenne. Then you have your detox's and the diets with the crazy names. What can that kind of extreme dieting do to your muscle gains?

The closest I have come to extreme dieting was doing Keto. That is restricting your carb intake. So what I am sharing is what I have learned because I had been interesting in trying what was called a "Shock Diet" and wasn't sure that it would be worth it.

I did learn that when your extreme diet includes cutting your protein intake then you will for sure affect your gains. You can't even begin to put on muscle until you take in enough protein because our muscles are built from digested protein. If you want to learn more about the right protein read this post.

Extreme caloric deficiency is hard not only on your muscles but your metabolism and hormones as well. People seem to think that if they take in less than they burn you will lose weight and it's all good. Well, really you are just losing water weight at first and then if you keep with it then you will end up losing three times more muscle than if you ate the calories you needed.

Basically, you should not go for an extreme diet if you care about keeping your muscles. There are plenty of healthy ways to lose the fat and keep your muscles. Then your gains will be more predominant when the fat is gone. Losing the fat should be done before trying to grow your muscles.

*Would you try an extreme diet?

Picking the right protein powder

When trying to achieve muscle gains you should take every little bit of help you can get. One of those things would be protein powders.

Newbie
I knew nothing about protein powders before my journey to be fit. There were so many different kinds that it just confused me. You have your Whey, Soy, Isolate, Concentrate,and Casein. I wasn't even sure that I needed that much protein (still in old diet mode) It was a little weird for me when I heard that I needed 1g per pound of body weight.So I went to the big box store and got what was cheapest.


Research
Then I asked my cousin for advice. He was on the weight lifting journey also and had more experience than me. He was able to give me some good pointers that were very informative. I figured I had better also take the time to research what a protein even is and why it was I needed so much. It's always nice to have someone to go to for things like that and if you have that someone, take advantage.


Do you or don't you
Now I had to share that I found an article on WebMD that said you shouldn't need a protein shake if you eat a healthy diet. I personally don't eat a very healthy diet (often enough) and that way I know I'm not getting enough protein so I will choose to add a protein shake to my days. 


Hey, that's good Whey
So I found this article that was very informative on protein. It states that when looking for a powder you need to chek the ingredients list and if the first one is whey isolate then it is high quality and can be broken down easy. The higher that percentage the better. They say go for over 80%.To calculate the percentage of protein per serving, divide the number of grams of protein in a serving by the serving size and then multiply by 100. http://blog.proteinco.ca/protein-percentage-calculator/


When and Why
If you are looking for a protein for after a workout and that also has the amino acids for recovery, then you should check and see if it contains Isolate. Looking for a night-time protein to help with recovery overnight then make sure it has Casein in it. Anytime throughout the day than your protein should be concentrate. 


You want muscle not fat
Also, when picking a protein powder you want to look at the amount of carbs and fat that they contain. The percentage should be lower than 6% on both. You can get your healthy fats in your diet you don't want it in your protein powder.

The takeaway for me was, first, figure out if you need to be using a protein powder and then figure out how much you need. Then make sure to read your labels and not just go with what is cheapest.


*Do you use a protein powder? What type works for you?

How much does diet affect gains?

Are you not seeing the gains you want? It could be your diet.

Being self-aware
As a female , some of us are more self-aware and may have struggled with diet. We may think that we need to look the way society wants us to look.


Guilty
That is why I am writing this post. I AM one of those women! I'm so self-conscious about how I look and have been a yo-yo dieter for years.


Lightbulb moment
So when I first started on my journey to like my body all I wanted to do was strip away the fat and that was my only goal. Then 20lbs later I realized I wanted to look healthy and tone not super skinny.


You mean I have to eat
In order to have the muscle tone I wanted, I had to do what I was scared to do.....EAT! Now we are not talking about everything and anything. Good fuel food, food that gives you nutrients and healthy fats.


Are you sure I can't just lift more
I wanted to stay a caloric deficit and still get gains. Yeah, doesn't work like that. I was just burning up the muscle I was adding.


Stubborn
After 2 months of getting stronger but not seeing results I decided I needed to throw the scale out and not freak out about some carbs. I hadn't had a waffle in years or brown rice. It was a slow process but eventually I didn't feel guilt.


Learning to balance
Getting gains is not all protein, protein, protein. You need to to have those healthy fats and complex carbs. Veggies are our friend. Hello, Popeye loved spinach and look at the size of his biceps.


The takeaway is Yes, your diet does affect your gains so you should take it seriously. Go for 1- 1 1\2 grams of protein per pound of weight and up your calories to account for physical activity.

*How do you feel about your diet? Does it affect your gains?