what to eat to tone up?

[kedab]

so i'm commuting and loving it. my fitness is improving as a whole - all good.

my legs have toned quite dramatically over the past few weeks, they've actually got some definition and my arms have even got a little muscle on them which for a slightly built guy like me is always nice.

so then, my belly - never something i've worked on fitness-wise but i did used to be very fond of beer - my moobs have disappeared and my belly while it has never been big, still has the wobbly 'one too many pints' look about it. my diet is much improved in recent months and i've not seen the inside of a boozer for 3 weeks but is there anything specific i should cut out/include/cut down on?

any help is good help here. cheers peeps

 

[4F]

Eat clean food, the less processed the better. Fruit is good but veg is better.

 

[screenman]

Do some core and stomach exercises, my experience come from dropping from a 42 inch with roll over to a 34 needing a belt and heading towards a 32 inch waist that is.

 

[chrishodges]

Steamed veg with dinner is always a great idea, with as many fresh products as possible!

 

[515mm]

My phisio recommends planks (the exercise) because it keeps a neutral spine position and it's a constant stress to the core muscles, rather than a momentary one as in a sit up *shudder*. It also exercises deep muscles that actually support your body rather than just the surface, aesthetic layer!

Basically, remove all the saturated and trans fats you can from your diet.

Cut out almost all the booze and processed, high fat, high salt, high sugar foods. All the really nice stuff we adore. It's not your fault you like them, we are genetically programmed to seek out high calorie foods.

Drink quality booze not quantity and drink only on the weekend. When you ration your ale you appreciate the better quality ones and you'll be putting fewer poisons into your body.

If it looks like it just got picked off a tree, or pulled out of the ground or shot, then eat it (probably have to cook it first like). If it comes out of a packet, especially if you need scissors to extract it, avoid it.

Drink a bit more water - rather than tea or coffee all day, alternate with a long glass of water.

Think porridge not Frosties, jacket spud not chips, olive oil not butter and cut down on the bread - it's particularly calorie dense and a great deal of it is loaded with salt, not to mention all the delicious butter we smear upon it. Toast will melt and absorb butter like you wouldn't believe. Which is why it tastes so good. It tastes even better if you have it only once a month........

I've found a good high fibre carb source - split red lentils can be made into very healty, filling meals. Fry off spices that you'd like in a curry (cumin,coriander, onion seed etc) then add red peppers and onions. When softened, add lentils and twice the voloume of stock. Turn down heat and simmer until you have a delicious goo. Use as a partner to grilled/roasted meats or veg. It's very filling, satisfying and you can control the amount of fat and salt in it. It'll take on pretty much any flavour you throw at it. I'm fond of red pepper and smoked paprika with weapons grade garlic, oh yes.

As an aside, home-made tomato (rather than creamy) curries, especially non-meat ones, are really low calorie - add a tin of chick peas to the veg curry to give you protein and keep you full feeling for longer. Someone told me once that adding meat to a dish immediately doubled the calories in it. A couple of hard-boiled eggs will fill you right up and give you an important protein boost. Don't worry about the cholesterol contained within. It's negligable.

Oh, if you get to a point in the day when your blood sugar gets so low that you crave chocolate, no amount of apples or bananas will satiate you so have a little bit of chocolate and don't feel guilty about it. But make sure you eat properly in future.

Hope this helps.

 

[Globalti]

Some good advice there.

 

[Strom]

Change one thing a week and stick to it religiously, that way its not a massive shock to the system and when you introduce the next weeks thing the previous weeks thing should have become habit...

If I were to cut out one thing it would be bread...

 

[Sapper]

Some great advice..

Also cut down portion sizes if appropriate, but remember if you are doing a longish commute ou need energy in the system to power you, but not to much so that your body doesn't utilise your fat reserves.

I need to lose 10-12kg though I should set myself a first target of losing 6 kg, that will take me to the right side of a 100 kg!

Need to give this some thought..


Adrian

 

[The One That Got Away]

so i'm commuting and loving it. my fitness is improving as a whole - all good.

my legs have toned quite dramatically over the past few weeks, they've actually got some definition and my arms have even got a little muscle on them which for a slightly built guy like me is always nice.

so then, my belly - never something i've worked on fitness-wise but i did used to be very fond of beer - my moobs have disappeared and my belly while it has never been big, still has the wobbly 'one too many pints' look about it. my diet is much improved in recent months and i've not seen the inside of a boozer for 3 weeks but is there anything specific i should cut out/include/cut down on?

any help is good help here. cheers peeps

Best thing Low GI diet, research that means that you keep off the sugary foods means that fat is not produced and because your not having as much sugar diabetes no longer is a risk, really brill diet for high constant energy, works wonders from me
Got this from nutritenist so it is all legit
just make sure you eat plenty of protein that way your body doesent feed on your muslces for energy and with the diet you its recomended you eat loads but its just the right stuff which keeps you healthy

 

[Cubist]

Don't be afraid of fat. It contains a lot of energy , more than carbs, and it will be burnt quicker, but try to stick to vegetable fats rather than stocking up on lard!. If you take too many carbs on board your body will store them as fat.

Treat yourself to an inflatable exercise ball and use it instead of the armchair for watching TV etc. You'll end up almost unconsciously using your core muscles to stay upright, and the gut will soon tone up. If you fancied progressing with the ball, rest on it from shoulders to pelvis and do some sit-ups on it.

 

[Sapper]

Don't be afraid of fat. It contains a lot of energy , more than carbs, and it will be burnt quicker, but try to stick to vegetable fats rather than stocking up on lard!. If you take too many carbs on board your body will store them as fat.

Exactly the body needs some fats...

Cutting out fats entirely is an unhealthy diet...

Adrian

 

[Sambu]

Drink quality booze not quantity and drink only on the weekend. When you ration your ale you appreciate the better quality ones and you'll be putting fewer poisons into your body.

If it looks like it just got picked off a tree, or pulled out of the ground or shot, then eat it (probably have to cook it first like). If it comes out of a packet, especially if you need scissors to extract it, avoid it.

like it!!