flat stomach?

[Schiavona]

Originally Posted by Pauli

this is a very dangerous outing. reduce caloric intake.... If you decide to do so, make sure you do it the right way. In other words, read about it first, before you start doing just something.
Increase exercise frequency / intensity: yep, absolutely right too. Gotta do it the right way too though, again.

Just read yourself smart. There are a lot of magazines/websites that offer enough information on how to get rid of your belly. If you're a member of a fitness club, ask the personal trainer to put together a program for you.

Although I think, it can be done without program. Just gotta stick your mind to it.

Yes and no. I just finished a 12 week health and nutrition class for my diabetes. There is a formula for maintaining body weight with caloric intake, but of course I can't find it right now. Reducing your caloric intake by 500 calories a day will loose you a pound a week. 1 pound fat=3500 cal

Now they say to loose weight through exercise, you have to exercise 30+ minutes a day, every day. Pushing your heart rate (pulse) above a certain number of beats per second. 220- your age x .60 gives you the low end and 220- your age x .85 gives the high end of your heart rate during effective exercise.

And watch out when you eat out! A Lone Star Cajun ribeye is 1200+ calories! And that's just the meat!

[lindajdunn]

A problem with reducing calorie intake is that you can train your body to be highly fuel efficient which makes it MORE difficult to lose/maintain weight. There is a theory I do not understand well that involves varying your calorie intakes to confuse your body.

[RITFencing]

Originally Posted by BoutAfrica

That's because you are a girl. The other 49% of us want a six pack, and you girls seem to like it.

I'm doing fine with my keg, thanks. At least it isn't quite a brewery yet. Actually, I've met several girls who don't like guys with ripped abs. They say it's too hard, no good for using as a pillow.

[dramamine]

Originally Posted by lindajdunn

A problem with reducing calorie intake is that you can train your body to be highly fuel efficient which makes it MORE difficult to lose/maintain weight. There is a theory I do not understand well that involves varying your calorie intakes to confuse your body.

you might be referring to zig zag carb cycling. very confusing, effective if you want to be very very very picky about what you eat, what time of day you eat it, and when you exercise in relation to when you eat. too much work for me. some guys on my wrestling team swear it works but like i said i am too lazy.

also when i say reducing caloric intake it is important to note that i am not suggesting less frequent eating, which can slow the metabolism and make weight loss more difficult. ideally i am talking about 5-8 smaller meals a day, with the sum of the calories in each meal being smaller than the sum of the 3 large meals most people eat.

in terms of this whole sit ups make your waist bigger thing i would contend that this is false, the abdominals are a very thin sheet of muscle. i have never seen anyone with enough muscle mass in their abs that it has actually made their waist bigger. besides, doing non weighted situps likely means that you are doing a lot of reps, which generally won't do a whole lot for adding muscle size anyways. one reason that this idea may have come about is situps done incorrectly involve the spinal erectors, and hypertrophy of the spinal erectors may make the waist appear bigger (just my guess).

anyways situps are silly anyways, the more practical and common function of the abs as someone pointed out already is to stabilize the body, and thus they are best trained (esp. for athletes) in such a manner. various balancing exercises, medicine ball tosses in v sits, etc, are very good. for the 'crunching' motion hanging off a chinup bar and doing leg raises is very good, and when they get easy you can just hold a dumbbell between your legs.

anywho like some other people have pointed out everyone has a six pack, in the same sense everyone has quadriceps, everyone has shoulders and everyone has biceps. it's just that people tend to store most of their fat in their abdominal region, so people might use the expression "he/she has great abs" to describe someone with a low bodyfat percentage.

my caps lock is broken.

[penguin_2000]

Originally Posted by dramamine

"he/she has great abs"

my caps lock is broken.

Yeah... but your shift key isn't, since you were able to do double quotes.

I'm on the no-dietting diet. I eat what I want, when I want, but eat normal sized portions. Oh yeah... and I hit the gym with weights, running, and crunches. It's nice to have a flat stomach, but sometimes I wish I had a bit more "insulation" for the wintertime.

[bmcfencer]

Originally Posted by penguin_2000

Yeah... but your shift key isn't, since you were able to do double quotes.

I'm on the no-dietting diet. I eat what I want, when I want, but eat normal sized portions. Oh yeah... and I hit the gym with weights, running, and crunches. It's nice to have a flat stomach, but sometimes I wish I had a bit more "insulation" for the wintertime.

Oh golly yes!
I don't believe in diets, and I've been consuming sweets lately like a madwoman (it's finals), but I still have no insulation at all.... and it's COLD. Also I don't float. I really wish I could float. It would make snorkeling so much more fun.

Also it definetely is true that people with soft tummies are cuddlier. I love my girlfriend's tummy.

[achilleus]

Well, a lot of people have given great tips. It's best summed up by DFP, and to a lesser extent Penguin_2000. Eat right, and work out right. A sensible diet is very important unless you happen to be naturally inclined to being slim, or are young. Oh, and there is a big difference between a flat stomach and set of ripped abs.

In addition, fencers often tend have a little gut. The overdevelopment of the quads usually means they are tight, and this pushes the pelvis and hips into a slightly different alignment which often produces a gut. Many in shape fencers appear to have a small gut. Stretching (yoga, etc...) usually takes care of this.

As for the ripped abs vs. a small keg, well, I always remember Pulp Fiction:

Jules: [pointing his gun] Say what again. SAY WHAT AGAIN. I dare you, I double dare you, motherf*****. Say what one more goddamn time.

Sorry, I love that scene...
This is the quote, when Butch is talking with his girlfriend...

Fabienne: It's unfortunate what we find pleasing to the touch and pleasing to the eye is seldom the same.

It is the biggest complaint I get from girls that I've been seeing for a while. They always complain that I'm not as cuddly since I really started working hard. The love the way I look, but hate the loss of a pillow. It works out great for me, since I really don't want to be a pillow and cuts down on the mandatory cuddle time.

[dramamine]

Originally Posted by penguin_2000

Yeah... but your shift key isn't, since you were able to do double quotes.

I'm on the no-dietting diet. I eat what I want, when I want, but eat normal sized portions. Oh yeah... and I hit the gym with weights, running, and crunches. It's nice to have a flat stomach, but sometimes I wish I had a bit more "insulation" for the wintertime.

lol, but i hate the shift key. i don't think i've ever used it for capitals and i type like 100 words per minute. i refuse to use it

well, except for other punctuation i guess