Comments on: 5 Tips to Get a Flat Stomach

By: MotleyHealth

MotleyHealth — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:38:05 +0000

Hi Steve, yes that is pretty much right. Not sure about the “sweet spot” but walking uphill requires you to do more work than plodding/jogging along the flat, so you burn more energy. Most people can sustain walking uphill for 45 minutes much sooner than they can manage a relatively quick run for that duration that will enable them to burn similar amounts of energy. Cross trainers are also good as you can add extra resistance, similar to an incline on a treadmill (the incline creating extra resistance, i.e. gravity).

Diet is vital. We have reported on research that has shown that diet, i.e. energy consumed, is the key to losing weight. “Micromeals” are a good way to help lose weight. Rather than eating all the food in 3 sessions, you eat at regular intervals. The body can digest and absorb the nutrients more efficiently, you keep a more constant supply of proteins to feed the muscles throughout the day, you feel less hungry and you maintain a higher metabolic rate. Obviously you have to be very careful to not consume more calories while having the extra meals, and you cannot afford to slip up either, i.e. snack on a little treat!

Regarding exercise, there are two methods that have been shown to really help the most in burning belly fat: Weight training and intensive cardio work. For weight training you need to do the bog compound lifts that build lots of muscle (this also increases your metabolism) and intensive cardio work really means interval training. Although I agree that walking up a treadmill is more effective than jogging on the flat for people that are unfit, to burn more energy raising the heart rate very high for short bursts while training has been shown to help burn more fat. The “fat burning zone” that plagues many exercise machines is nonsense, no idea who or why that was made up, other than to encourage people to use exercise equipment for longer periods!

I always suggest that if you can talk all the way through your cardio and weight training routines then you are not working hard enough. Weight training should be hard, you should be lifting heavy weights that require you to put in maximum effort to complete each set. In cardio you should be working hard enough at times (intervals) that means that you are unable to speak.

By: Stevelr

Stevelr — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:22:47 +0000

I read in 2 separate articles that to burn belly fat you should get on a treadmill at 15% grade at 2-3mph for 45min every day. They claim that it gets your heart rate in that “sweet spot” where your body tends to burn fat instead of muscle. They pointed out high intensity will burn muscle instead. They also said diet is 70% of the solution and the exercise while important is 30%. Its more important to get eating habits correct than it is to exercise. 6 meals a day of the good foods. I assume the idea being that if you don’t get hungry your body doesn’t trigger the “I’m starving and when I get food next I’ll store it all”. I guess I’m looking for correction or additions to this post to get better results..

By: MotleyHealth

MotleyHealth — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:49:40 +0000

Your coach is wrong. You really should have some protein, ideally a shake that is quickly absorbed into the blood, as this helps with muscle recovery etc. You will not bulk up. The risk is that your will not recover well enough before the next training. Maybe they want you to get your weight down, but starving yourself of protein is certainly the wrong way to do it.

By: Ran

Ran — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:45:02 +0000

Heey everyody…how is everything?
2day i saw a really weird coach,,she said that i must not eat anything after workout,,no protein no carb ,nothing ,,she said i should eat after 2 hours from workout cz if i did not i will be fat,, & have muscles like men,,i told her the muscle wont grow soo much like men cz im not holding sooo heavy weights..& ma friend wants to be slim so this coach told her: do not eat dinner” .she says also i should not go heavier with weights….oh come on plz someone tell me that’s wrong….i know that person should not cancel any meal..& i know i should eat after workout protein & carb to feed the muscle,,,,& it’s not about escaping a meal ,,i know it’s about what kind of food we eat ,i tried to convince her but she says ur wrong & she knows what is she talking about,,,plz guys what do u think? i know am right ,

By: MotleyHealth

MotleyHealth — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:45:02 +0000

Whey protein is just a protein supplement. If you are exercising and lifting weights enough then you need extra protein. But do not take it unless you are working out hard as you will just be consuming more calories and to lose weight (as in fat) you need to consume less.

By: Ranim

Ranim — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:38:19 +0000

Hii everybody how r u? i want 2 ask u about whey protien i know that it’s so good 4 us as athletics but i heard in a Channel that we can’t use permanently &everytime we should stop using it for a month or i don’t know how because if we use permanently it causes bad results…..really??? is that really right…..for me i use it always before & after workout…..plz let me know if is it true

By: MotleyHealth

MotleyHealth — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:16:37 +0000

Hi Mona. Well done on losing 18kg, this is a excellent accomplishment. As for where you are now, I guess that 65kg is a healthy weight (obviously depends on your height). Getting a completely flat stomach does become harder as we get older. With the amount of varied exercise that you are doing you must be fit and healthy. You diet looks good too. Your diet and workout is certainly not in vain. You are a fitter, slimmer and healthier person as a result! As for a solution, if you really need one, then more weight training may help. Squats, lunges, bench press etc. plus core exercises.

By: Mona

Mona — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:56:48 +0000

Hi how is everything…
I want a solution 4 my problem. I’m 48 years old, I’ve been exercising in gym 4 four years, my weight was 83 kg then now my weight is 65kg & its not moving though & my period has stopped I exercise 5 times a week I do running, power walking , weigh exercise my nutrition is:

At breakfast i eat egg & fruits like apple or blueberries
Before work out i eat fruit (apple or banana or blueberries etc)
After I work out I drink milk & eat (chicken breast + one piece of bran bread + vegetables or beans)
dinner (cheese or peanuts)

I don’t eat rice or potatoes or bread & never eat sugar or salt)
what’s the matter why I’m still 65 , sometimes I think that all my workout & diet are in vain
plz I need solution …thnx a lot guys

By: Abdominal Fitness

Abdominal Fitness — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:22:25 +0000

Diet should definitely be the first thing to change, consuming smaller portions of healthy foods more frequently will boost the metabolism burning fat and giving you more energy. When combined with effective strength training, cardiovascular exercise and ab strengthening this can create quick and powerful results.

High intensity interval training is also more effective than a lower intensity sustained cardio exercise for burning fat efficently.

By: MotleyHealth

MotleyHealth — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:19:42 +0000

If the wheat is refined then yes. Refined / processed wheat contains little nutritional value and lots of calories which is a bad combination for people looking to lose weight.

By: steven

steven — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:15:46 +0000

when you say not too eat bread does that mean wheat bread also

By: MotleyHealth

MotleyHealth — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:09:41 +0000

Hi Kristy, to get a bigger chest, in terms of muscles, you need to do bench press and/or press ups. Various bench presses, inclined, flat, declined, will hit different parts of the chest. As for your friend, spot reduction is not really possible, so the choice is to lose overall body fat, or keep it as it is. By exercising and building/toning muscles you can make the body look more curvy and sexier. Some would say that this is worthwhile even if some fat is lost.

By: Kristy

Kristy — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:37:00 +0000

Hello every one
i need 2 know what should i eat & what exercises should i do 2 2 get a better chest cuz my proplem is that my chest is kind of flat ….i practice at gym but my chest isn’t getting better.its still flat though i went heavier with weights……..i need 2 ask u one more question ,my friend also wants to reduce her weight but she wants her chest 2 stay in shape she doesnt want 2 reduce the fat in that place..i guess it doesnt make sense if she wants 2 be slim everplace in body will be reduced in fat….isn’t it right?
thank u very much

By: MotleyHealth

MotleyHealth — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:27:10 +0000

Hi Ranim, we are cool.
Your nutrition looks good, nice balance of protein and carbs. If you feel that you are not getting enough protein you could add cottage cheese or tuna to your snack options. You should not do weight training every day though. I would do some days of more intensive cardio intervals (running / sprints / slow jogging), and then 2 or 3 weight training sessions per week, splitting the body into parts (upper and lower) or into actions (push and pull).
The key question is – are you seeing good progress? If you are, then maybe do not change anything yet.

By: Ranim

Ranim — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:19:51 +0000

Hi how is everything?
guys i wanna know if im on hte right track my nutrition program is :
breakfast: 2 whole eggs + 2 white eggs +fruit(apple + peach) or milk + oat
before exercise : apple or banana or other kind of fruit
after exercise : beans + chicken breast or chicken breast + banana
snack :milk + some fruit
dinner :cheese + vegetables
i practice 5 times a week i do 15min running + 15 min power walking + weight exercise
i want my tummy 2 be flat am i doing things right?
thnx

By: MotleyHealth

MotleyHealth — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:24:32 +0000

Sami, Start with Motley Health Core Four. Also do bodyweight circuit training on other days. Cut out all junk as mentioned above and take control of your diet.

By: Sami

Sami — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:53:14 +0000

Hello guys
i need 2 know what kind of exercise should fat people start with…i’m 137 lbs i started with walking but what exercises should i start with & how many sets for each exercise…..& after exercise what should i eat besides whey protein i mean (carbs)
thank u guys

By: MotleyHealth

MotleyHealth — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:43:03 +0000

Pearl rice does not contain any fiber, so it is not ideal for a weight loss diet. Better off with a wholegrain rice with high fiber content and therefore lower relative carbohydrate content.

By: Ann

Ann — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:15:22 +0000

HI
i wanna ask u about pearl…which one is better 2 eat pearl or rice
and do pearl contain fibers..is it ok if i eat it every day cuz i want to my tummy 2 be flat
or should i have 2 avoid it

By: MotleyHealth

MotleyHealth — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:42:23 +0000

Hi Natasha, brown rice has four times more fiber and therefore a smaller relative sugar level (more of the carbs are absorbed as fiber and not converted to energy). Also plain white rice has less Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Folacin, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron than brown rice.

As for dates, these keep you regular, and are a great source of fiber also.