So you want six-pack abs? Whether you’re a dude or a dudette, you are on the right place because I am about to give you the best diet advise on Steemit (or probably on the internet.)

If you want to have six pack abs, you need to lose fat with minimal loss in muscle mass. Thus, I will be sharing diet advise in this context.

Why would I even believe you?

Well...coughs

We good? Yes? Okay Let's move on to our list.

1. Eat your Fruits and Vegetables

It's a no-brainer start right here – fruits and vegetables are universally promoted as healthy, so eat it. Vegetables are packed with nutrients that’s beneficial to your body. Besides the vitamins and minerals, allow me to give emphasis on dietary fiber.

Fiber in fruits and vegetables increase the volume of food and reduce the calorie density. In its natural or unprocessed state, fruits and vegetables generally has low calorie to volume ratio. Fiber in food makes you reach the feeling of “fullness” faster than calorie-dense food, so you are likely to eat less with respect to total calories.

High-fiber diet means a bigger portion of food in your plate...and a massive poop right after which is a good thing. A study has shown that diets consisting large portion of fruits and vegetables resulted to bigger poop which dilutes the bile acids and thus reduce the purported risk of colon cancer. High-fiber diet has also shown to decrease serum lipid in blood which is an indicator or reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases [1]

But I don't like eating plants

I don't care. You have to eat them.

2. Eat that Freakin Donut

Okay now, don’t look at me like I just stepped on your foot with my 6-inch heels. But yes, you’ve heard (or read) me right. Let me say that again to give all the health-freaks a mini-heart attack:

Eat that freakin' donut

Well I don’t just mean donuts – any of your favorite food in general. Mankind has done amazing wonders in making food and therefore should be celebrated and enjoyed from time to time. Being too restrictive in your diet will make it harder for you to stick to it. You may see quick changes but having too many restrictions and not enjoying food will be a sad, lonely life. This will lead to greater chances of slipping back to your bad eating habits.

This is also a good time to talk about discipline. Act like a grown-up that you are and develop a sense of accountability over your food decisions. You can set aside some portion of your daily calories for your favorite treat so it can still fit in your diet. You might want to eat a light, low-carb lunch so you can enjoy pizza with friends for dinner. So don’t cry like a guilty baby and blame the donut-gods after "accidentally" eating a dozen of dunkin' donuts. In general, eat healthy food most of the time, enjoy occasional treats and don’t be a dumbass.

3. All Calories Count

" But it was just a light snack, it doesn't count right? "

Well, if you just had plain tea or black coffee, you may not count that. Besides these very low calorie-beverage, you know what else doesn’t count?

All-natural, GMO-Free, Organic Canned Air

You didn’t think that snacking can ruin your diet because you think “it’s too small, to count”. However, math tells us that 7 pieces of 27 calorie-chocolate block you’ve been slowly munching the whole day is 189 calories total, equivalent to 1 cup of rice.

Let me make this clear -Snacking is not the devil. What’s bad is when you keep chomping food thinking it will just disappear into a secret black hole somewhere in your body.

4. Stop Drinking Liquid calories

Okay fine. Mogu-mogu is heaven. You can have some, on weekends or when you’re in a celebratory mood. What I’d like to emphasize is how high-sugar drinks can quickly ruin your diet. You can quickly sip 300 calories of bottled fruit-juice without feeling full at all. That’s why I said earlier it’s important be mindful of calories in food.

5. Learn to Track your Macros

I will skip the Macro-tracking 101 lesson here because you can be guided about this else where (Here, Here and here). Tracking your macros means focusing not only your total calories (quantity) your diet but also on the macronutrients (quality). Are you eating enough protein? Do you have enough fats or carbs to fuel your daily activities? Whatever is your goal, you can totally benefit from Macro-nutrient tracking.

You're Welcome

6. Fat will not make you Fat

No one became ripped after eating on serving of salad and no one got fat after eating a tablespoon of peanut butter. Fats don't make you fat - eating too much of anything does.

A common mistake about dieting is completely avoiding fats. Our bodies need certain amounts of fat to synthesize chemicals that we cannot make out of just carbs and proteins. We need fats to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, store energy, regulate our body temperature, and protect our organs. Our brains also need fat to function properly. [2] Fats are friends not foes.

Though saturated fats from animal meat, coconut and dairy can be healthy in moderate amounts, make most of your fat intake consist of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats like those from avocados, fish, olive oil, and nuts.

7. Drink lots of water

Because water is good for you. It may mean several trips to the toilet but walking burns calories, so you're welcome.

8. Tell the World You're on a Diet

Food is best enjoyed with family and friends. You don’t have to live in solitude under a rock and shut yourself from socializing to stick to your diet plan. Whether you decide to be vegan, cut your sugar or minimize alcohol intake, tell your family and friends about it. If you matter to them, they will support your endeavors. Communicate and learn how to say No.

Sooo.. If I follow your advice, will I get six-pack abs?

I apologize for luring you ‘til the bottom part of this article only to reveal that NO, this will not guarantee a six-pack abs. If you want one, get a better advice from a fitness coach who’d probably ask you 900$ for premium membership.

When I first decided to “do fitness”, all that I ever obsessed myself about was getting that magazine-model six-pack abs. I guess anyone who would think of a healthy and fit person would always associate him or her as someone with six-pack abs. We always think of it as the ultimate goal of fitness. Six-pack abs is also probably how I got you to click this post, didn’t I?

But on a serious note, what I shared here are just things that I learned in my own fitness journey. I did not come here to debate about the best diet but to share what I learned from my own experience.

Who are you, anyway?

I am just a girl who once had a terrible body-image because I was “fat”. I am a girl who went through a point of refusing to eat solids for 3 months because I was “fat”. I am a girl who used to do 3 hours of cardio 5 to 6 times a week because I was “fat”. I am a girl who tried every fad-diet there is just to escape the “fat” purgatory. I am a girl who once had trouble sleeping and concentrating because I was not eating enough. I am a girl who was hospitalized for stomach troubles trying not to be “fat”. I am a girl who lost 12 pounds and gained back 13 because I was binge-eating.

Finally, I am also that girl who decided to end the vicious cycle of self-destruction and finally escape my self-made hell hole. Though the things I shared here may not apply to everyone, I am sincerely hoping these can be helpful for some.

I may not have a six pack abs today but I am happy of my current physique. I am proud that I can do more push-ups today than two years ago. I don’t mind my belly rolls if it means I get to treat myself with occasional donuts and enjoy full-cream milk in my coffee.

Before I finally end this 1000+-word article, can we just go through the more accurate versions of the images I shared above?...

Thanks for your time.

I wish you self-love and lots of happiness,

@anneporter

References:

[1] Jenkins JA et al (2001) Effect of a Very–High-Fiber Vegetable, Fruit, and Nut Diet on Serum Lipids and Colonic Function, Metabolism, Vol 50, No 4 pp 494-503

[2] The Importance of Fat , retrieved on May 8 2018, Retrieved from https://paleoleap.com/the-importance-of-fat/