Flatter Abs - Experts Say Nutrition Counts

In North America and western European countries right now, over half of the general populace is overweight. This can be attributed to two things: the proliferation of high-calorie food readily available around the clock and the sedentary lifestyles most people have.

The most common mistake dieters make is to try to lose weight and get flatter abs by drastically changing their eating habits, trying to cut down calorie intake. Although this method will initially result in weight-loss, not all of it can be attributed to lost body fat.

Whenever we let ourselves go hungry, our body actually slows down our metabolic rate. This means it won't burn calories from body fat as much and uses up our glycogen stores instead. Glycogen is a carbohydrate-derived substance that is needed by our muscles for proper development. Skipping meals, especially breakfast, can lead to loss of glycogen and muscle tissue.

Muscles help elevate the body's metabolic rate by expending calories. We lower our body's ability to burn calories then when we experience loss of muscle tissue. A lower metabolic rate therefore will mean our body has more of a tendency to store excess calories from the food we eat, converting it into body fat.

Another lesser known fact about muscle, it's heavier per volume than fat. Losing muscle due to an improper diet can deceive a person into thinking body fat is being eliminated when all along it is precious muscle tissue that's being lost.

Choosing the foods where your calorie intake comes from will yield better results than trying to lose weight by letting going hungry. A diet rich in fiber and folic acid from fruits and vegetables as well as the right amounts of protein and even fat is effective in maintaining a proper metabolism and flatter abs.

Replacing candy and chips with healthier nuts and fruit will let you lose weight without having to eat less. Exercises geared towards fast body fat burn can help even more in paving the way for overweight people to get flatter abs.

Augmenting aerobic workouts with resistance training can also develop skeletal muscle as well as help burn fat faster. Aside from giving you a sexier physique, building muscles will heighten the body's metabolic rate- making it easier to fry calories, fight flab and get flatter abs.

[v:0]