Make these 5 Diet Mistakes and You will Never see Your 6 Pack Abs!
Make these 5 Diet Mistakes and You will Never see Your 6 Pack Abs!
Are you looking to get lean and mean? Do you want to finally uncover that six pack? Losing fat doesn’t have to be complicated, but there are a few pitfalls you’ve got to avoid. Proper nutrition is the key to great abs, so your diet needs to be on point. Here are five mistakes that will ensure you’ll NEVER see your abs.
- Eat Carbs all the Time
Carbs are a double-edged sword when it comes to creating a great physique. On the one hand, they’re instrumental in building mass and allowing your muscles to recover from heavy training. They’re also important for sustained energy during workouts. On the other hand, eating too many carbs can make it impossible to lose body fat.
Eating carbs all day long – even the healthy ones – will cause your body to constantly secrete insulin. Insulin is crucial for muscle growth, but it also makes it impossible for your body to burn its own fat stores. If you want to actually make some progress with your diet, restrict your carbohydrate intake to the meals around your training sessions. On off days, avoid eating starchy carbs altogether.
- Avoid All Fats
Fats don’t make you fat! Eating too much does. In fact, fat is an essential nutrient which is important for maintaining proper hormone levels. Eating a decent amount of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and even saturated fat is crucial for keeping your testosterone high and your metabolism revving at full speed. If you really want to suffer during your diet and have no results to show for it, go on a super-low-fat diet.
Otherwise, make sure to include healthy fats in your daily meal plan. Use olive oil when you cook, and add nuts or avocados to your meals. Also, make sure to eat some fatty fish like salmon or trout two to three times per week. Not only are these fish great sources of protein, they contain tons of Omega-3 fatty acids, which can actually accelerate your fat loss. If you can’t afford fish, find a quality fish oil supplement and use it daily.
- Skimp on the Protein
Whether you’re gaining muscle or stripping body fat, protein is the most important nutrient in your diet. Protein is composed of amino acids, the building blocks your body uses to regenerate muscle tissue after weight training. In fact, when you eat meat, you’re essentially eating an animal’s muscles to build your own!
When you’re on a calorie-restricted diet, maintaining your muscle mass and strength is a constant struggle. Skimping on the protein will make it even harder. Unless you want to end up a smaller, yet still-flabby version of your current self, keep eating plenty of lean protein. Protein-rich foods are filling, too, so following this tip will keep you satisfied enough to resist your cravings.
- Don’t Worry About Vegetables
Most bodybuilders don’t eat nearly enough vegetables. While this may not be much of an issue when you’re trying to gain weight, avoiding veggies on a cutting diet is a huge mistake. They contain essential vitamins and minerals which you’re not going to be getting from your otherwise-limited food intake.
Green, fibrous vegetables like broccoli and spinach also contain nearly zero calories. Considering that the calories they do contain are mostly fiber, you can think of green veggies as “free” food – eat as much as you want! Even green beans can seem like a godsend when you’ve finished your meat and don’t get to eat any more “real” food for another few hours. Keeping lots of vegetables in your fridge will help you stay strict with your portions of carbs, fats, and protein.
- Starve Yourself
The BIGGEST mistake you can make during your diet is to go too low in calories. Fat loss requires a slight caloric deficit, but more is not better in this case. Your body is high adaptive, and starving yourself will only cause your metabolism to slow down. A super-restrictive diet might allow for rapid fat loss for a week or two, but your progress will soon come to a screeching halt.
You need to maintain a decent rate of fat loss long enough to get ripped and see your abs. The only way to do that is to start slow with your diet and focus on losing a pound or two per week. You also need to make sure you keep your strength up. If you start getting weaker as you lose weight, you’re almost certainly losing muscle mass and working AGAINST your goals – not towards them.
