Are Abs Created in the Kitchen?
There really is a science to creating a tight, toned and sexy mid section.
When I created my best abs at 40, I learned that the recipe was very different than what I thought.
I used to think that cardio and ab exercises were the key to making a tight tummy. And was pleasantly surprised to find out I was all wrong! (And hallelujah for that because I really don’t like cardio or ab exercises!)
What your mid-section looks like is highly dependent on three things:
- The amount of lean muscle mass you have ALL over your body
- How, what, and when you eat (yes, abs are mostly created in the kitchen)
- Strategic cardio
Therefore, the answer to this question isn’t exactly straight forward, but…
YES, what you do in the kitchen (or restaurant) has a ton to do with what your tummy looks like. Keep in mind that this goes deeper than the body fat that you have around your mid-section. What you eat does influence if your body stores or burns fat.
Achieving stable blood sugar levels by eating according to macros is an essential part of losing body fat.
Additionally, often what you think is body fat, is actually inflammation and digestive bloating. In my experience, 80% of the women I coach are eating at least 3 foods causing digestive inflammation. Even minor food sensitivities (that you may be unaware of) can cause you to think you have more fat on your mid section than you really do.
Yep! That’s why achieving flat and toned abs is so challenging. For most women, it’s not as simple as doing some cardio and eating well. Often, there is inflammation coming from food sensitivities and stress. These two together can cause gas, bloating, and low levels of mysterious inflammation. And in my experience, this is common territory for many women.
Stop right now and check out this week’s video below. You’ll learn how much strength training you need to improve your mid-section. You’ll also learn why sometimes it’s not as simple as “eating well” as most women do. Sometimes you need to be a bit more strategic, and in today’s video I give you my approach that is literally working miracles for my clients.
Check out this video and then drop me a note and share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
If you are inspired after today’s video…
- Click HERE to improve your lean muscle mass and improve your strength training game
- Click HERE to get my totally free Macros 101 Guidebook so you can start stabilizing your blood sugar through nutrition and,
- Click HERE to learn more about Food Sensitivity testing to learn what foods are causing silent inflammation inside of your body! I run an IgG Food Sensitivity test on most of my private coaching clients and the results have been incredible.
And don’t forget to JOIN ME every Wednesday for “LIVE with Holly” on Facebook and Instagram.
Be sure to check out “LIVE with Holly” HERE!
I love tip #3 with changing food choices such as dairy. I currently use dairy protein shakes and maybe need to switch it up to a dairy free option.
Thank you for the suggestion.
You are so welcome Lauren!
That is really interesting about cardio, I am always doing more cardio then strength training. How much cardio do you recommend a week?
Hi Michele,
For your cardio, it all depends on what you goals are.
I would suggest starting with 2 to 3 cardio session a week for about 30 to 45 min long.
Make sure to check out my other blogs on cardio. Here is the link to one of my blogs: https://hollyperkins.com/how-to-do-cardio-right/3868
Is it true the body can only process so much protein at a time?
Hi Lisa! There is mixed information on this topic. In truth, all calories that are not needed for fuel will be stored as fat. It’s not so much that there is a cap on how many grams of protein you can process in a given time, it’s really more about how many calories your body needs in general. And by “process” I’m referring to the actual process of digestion and assimilation into usable fuel.
Thank you. Think I got it. Typically, I like about 3 meals a day with about 60g protein in the 1st meal. Although, some days I can split the meals more. Macro was 55c/25fat/20pro on 1550 cal. Recently, testing 60c/20/20 on 1650 cal (because I did a 3-day carb load for a half-marathon and I think I felt more solid all over.) So, sounds like if I want to first hit my carbs at my cal limit (some days that’s hard) and cut elsewhere ——in terms of fat storage I’m better off cutting some protein calories as opposed to fat calories. Or, negligible? The body can store and covert carbs and fat but not protein. Any excess protein is more likely to be stored as body/belly fat if not used that day?
hi holly i have been thinking about getting your book but i have read on amazon that its targeted to people who use the gym as i dont go to the gym i workout at home so is this right
Hi Sharon! Yes, Lift to Get Lean is intended for gym users. That being said, it is still a fantastic book AND I created my own “At Home” version of the exercises and workouts here: https://womensstrengthnation.com/workouts/ltgl-at-home/
You can read the book and then use the free workouts!
Hi, Holly. This week as we were on vacation, we ate desserts that we usually don’t. So Vladi asked me if it’s the same, as long your calories total and macros ratios are right. And I wasn’t sure about the answer.
Hi! If you stay on track with calories and macros as I recommended, yes, you will continue to progress. Because of the sugar, flour, etc, you might not FEEL as good, but you will continue to make improvements and loose body fat as we planned!