View Full Version : Ab workouts and avoiding cravings?
So I've been doing intense ab workouts for ~30 minutes every day for the past two weeks.
I don't expect any ~sudden~ change, but I can really feel the muscle where my abdominals are.
Thing is, my belly is a lot more bloated/prominent than when I first started these workouts (desire for a flat stomach's the reason why I bothered anyway) but I'm not lying, I can FEEL the muscle and omg I'm confused LOL
Also, how do you guys curb cravings, whether for sweet/salty/just overall greasy (yum.....Wendy's.....)?
I think I may need to create a calorie defecit but honestly it's such a hassle to count calories jeez
Rednox
01-30-2013, 04:33 PM
Lower calories will only increase cravings, especially if you are just simply cutting food out. Best way to cut cravings is eat naturally sweet things(fruit) in the morning, breakfast is the most important thing you can do. And then, I find keeping healthy snacks next to me(I have a bad habit of eating at the comp) like almonds, raisins, dried cranberries, etc I eat those when I get a craving for something instead of getting up for chips/ordering pizza like I used to do.
And I'm no expert but maybe it's just bloating from... excess water or just the activity. I know generally when the body is changing, it will bloat a bit.(though I don't know the reasons why)
Good luck on keeping up the workout! Don't get discouraged. :D
zmurd
01-30-2013, 04:58 PM
you are completely tearing up your abdomen doing 30 minute intense workouts every day. :/
try easing off and doing it every other day(even then..eghhh...i do a 3 day cycle so every third day i work abs), your stomach shouldn't really 'bloat' unless you are pounding the shit out of the muscle.
you could be retaining fluids from being dehydrated, could have the type of carbs you are taking in etc
Graff
01-30-2013, 06:30 PM
Working out the same muscles every single day is not good. Neither is starving yourself. If you are able, making vegetable soups/mush are very filling and taste great. Lentil based especially. They have very few calories and will fill you up while also providing nutrition.
Mm, alright, thanks guys :)
Another thing - how do I get rid of stretch marks? :(
Or prevent them at least?
zmurd
01-30-2013, 10:41 PM
nooo idea. heh.
Damn. I know they're really hard to erase though :(
GreenApple90
01-30-2013, 10:51 PM
The only way to prevent stretch marks is to not gain weight/have a baby. I believe they are genetic, so if they run if your family you will get them. Oils, coco butter, vitamin E oil all help your skin stay hydrated but they don't prevent stretch marks. I also don't believe you can get rid of stretch marks if you have them already.
The only way to prevent stretch marks is to not gain weight/have a baby. I believe they are genetic, so if they run if your family you will get them. Oils, coco butter, vitamin E oil all help your skin stay hydrated but they don't prevent stretch marks. I also don't believe you can get rid of stretch marks if you have them already. Maybe tanning will help them appear less visible, I'm not sure.
Shit D: Well damn that sucks. They're not really anywhere on me except for my upper thighs, which is good enough for me...but I'm sure a growth spurt would put a lot of weight on. I'm in my first year of highschool so I feel like I'm just waiting for it to happen haha
Rednox
01-30-2013, 11:15 PM
If the stretch marks are still red, you may be able to heal them somewhat(I guess with the cream things?), if they are already pale/shiny you probably can't do much of anything. I've actually heard tanning makes them more obvious? Maybe it's something dependent on each person. Best thing to prevent stretch marks = GOOD DIET. Seriously, I can't remember but there is a certain vitamin that helps skin elasticity. Prevention is the only way really in this case.
GreenApple90
01-30-2013, 11:24 PM
If the stretch marks are still red, you may be able to heal them somewhat(I guess with the cream things?), if they are already pale/shiny you probably can't do much of anything. I've actually heard tanning makes them more obvious? Maybe it's something dependent on each person. Best thing to prevent stretch marks = GOOD DIET. Seriously, I can't remember but there is a certain vitamin that helps skin elasticity. Prevention is the only way really in this case.
I wasn't sure about the tanning it was just a guess :P I think you are talking about vitamin E? I know it comes in liquid form and you can rub it right onto the skin, but I think it just hydrates the skin, I don't think it can prevent stretch marks. But I think you hit the nail on the head with prevention being your best bet. Eat a good diet, that's your best bet:)
zmurd
01-30-2013, 11:29 PM
tanning makes them more obvious. not sure with the tan dye lotion shit or whatever. but honestly, if a guy has a problem with stretch marks kick him in the dick and tell him to grow up.
I'm working on losing weight here, so I'll just say what I've learned. One, you can't spot treat. Unless you're just working on toning the muscles and not losing the fat in your stomach, crunches and abs aren't going to do much. Cardio is really good for getting rid of fat. Intervals are really good for you. Your body is like a car in a sense. If you get going and just stay there, it goes into autopilot and you lose out on a lot of fat burning potential. But like a car, speeding up and slowing down use a lot more energy, therefore burning a lot more calories. Also, doing that in the morning is a great idea because it really revs up your metabolism. I've got this thing that measures your heart rate and calculates about how many calories burned in a workout. After a 45 minute workout of intervals, I burned 600 calories this morning. Afterwards, I sat and ate lunch and watched tv. 45 minutes after my initial workout, I'd burned about 250 more calories, give or take a little. Just sitting around.
With food.. I don't really know what to tell you about curbing cravings. Just try to keep yourself from getting to the point of feeling really hungry by eating small meals/snacks every 3-4 hours. Spikes and dives in blood sugar are really bad for losing weight. Fruit is good. Veggies. High protein. Try to stay away from sugar. Well anything processed. That tends to make your body hold on to fat especially around the midsection. I'm too tired to remember anything else right now, but if you have questions, ask me :)
Also Hale might be a bit more informed about some of this than me if you're wanting more
Thanks guys :) I was thinking maybe cardio every other day?
I can't really do that stuff in the morning- my schedule is packed already so I always do them around 6/7 PM.
Maybe on weekends I can do that?
I get the sense that working out one muscle isn't good. Why?
GreenApple90
01-31-2013, 12:28 PM
Thanks guys :) I was thinking maybe cardio every other day?
I can't really do that stuff in the morning- my schedule is packed already so I always do them around 6/7 PM.
Maybe on weekends I can do that?
I get the sense that working out one muscle isn't good. Why?
It doesn't matter what time you workout as long as you workout. Cardio every other day is just fine. You don't have to do it everyday. What you should remember is diet is far more important than exercise. You can erase 3 hours of cardio by going to McDonalds for lunch and eating a big mac, large fry, and large coke.
Working out the SAME muscle group every single day, with no days off is not good. When you workout a muscle, you create micro-tears in the muscle. It usually takes muscles 48 hours to repair themselves. These repairs make the muscle stronger, and bigger although you can't really tell unless you workout for months/years. The muscles that take 48 hours to repair themselves are your major muscle groups i.e your legs, back, chest, arms, shoulders. Your smaller muscle groups such as abs, calves, and forearms should be good to go after 24 hours. So basically do abs every other day. If you workout your abs every single day, you are not letting them heal properly, which maybe down the road could cause an injury.
It doesn't matter what time you workout as long as you workout. Cardio every other day is just fine. You don't have to do it everyday. What you should remember is diet is far more important than exercise. You can erase 3 hours of cardio by going to McDonalds for lunch and eating a big mac, large fry, and large coke.
Working out the SAME muscle group every single day, with no days off is not good. When you workout a muscle, you create micro-tears in the muscle. It usually takes muscles 48 hours to repair themselves. These repairs make the muscle stronger, and bigger although you can't really tell unless you workout for months/years. The muscles that take 48 hours to repair themselves are your major muscle groups i.e your legs, back, chest, arms, shoulders. Your smaller muscle groups such as abs, calves, and forearms should be good to go after 24 hours. So basically do abs every other day. If you workout your abs every single day, you are not letting them heal properly, which maybe down the road could cause an injury.
So I can work out abs on the days I'm not doing cardio?
Ex: Monday, abs; Tuesday, cardio; Wed, abs; etc?
But yeah, it's just that I need to curb certain cravings and try not to eat a large sum of food all at once. My family's extravagant with food so that's gonna be a challenge. Would you say that it's more of an eating-less type of thing?
GreenApple90
01-31-2013, 12:56 PM
Yeah that schedule would work or you could do both on the same day and then have a day off, whatever is easier for you.
No, I would say it's more of what are you eating than eating-less type thing. You don't need to starve yourself to lose weight, you just have to eat healthier foods.
Cravings are hard to stop. Everyone has cravings, hell i've gone out to taco bell at 2am because I've had a craving for tacos. But there have also been many, many times where i've had cravings for tacos and I didn't go out for tacos. More times than not you just have to tell yourself no, and not eat the food you have a craving for. If it's something like chips or cookies, then try not to buy it at the grocery store because if it's in your house, chances are you will give into your cravings and eat it.
I've eaten pretty healthy since I started cooking my own food back when I was like 14 (i'm 21 now). My family eats terrible and if I didn't play soccer/cooked my own food I would most likely be over weight right now. I taught myself everything I know about nutrition and exercise. With that being said it is impossible to eat perfectly 100% of the time. You need to find a balance between foods, you'll have to learn to sacrifice some foods for other foods. What I do is I try to eat as healthy as I can the whole week and then on Friday or Saturday I have a cheat meal. Any food I want, sort of as a reward for my clean diet. I tend to feel like crap after, because I usually choose something greasy like pizza or McDonalds but it's the balance I need to eat healthy the rest of the week.
If you want to post a sample diet you would eat on a typical day, I can try and give you some advice/healthier food substitutions for you.
Your muscles have to rest so I think you shouldn't do 30m abs everyday. Try Monday yes Tuesday no etc
If you want to post a sample diet you would eat on a typical day, I can try and give you some advice/healthier food substitutions for you.
Please do! ^^
I tl;dr'd most of the posts in here because they're long and I can't be bothered but I saw my name get mentioned.
30 minute abs everyday is ridiculous and completely unnecessary. You can't spot reduce fat loss and you aren't going to have a flat tummy simply from killing your abdominals everyday.
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It will make your muscles stronger but it's not going to give you the abs you're looking for. You need to eat at a deficit and exercise for fat loss. WHAT you eat and HOW MUCH you eat are the key factors here. Exercise helps a lot but if you can't control yourself in the kitchen you aren't going to get anywhere.
Don't try out any stupid diets where you cut out all your carbs or all fat. Your body needs these macronutrients for energy and without them you're going to be a cranky bitch and you'll most likely end up binging. Protein is the most important one though, your body uses protein to repair your muscles and it keeps you fuller longer. Here are some good, healthy examples of the types of protein you want:
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As for cravings, honestly once you wean yourself off of all the fast food/soda/greasy crap you'll stop craving it so much. I never liked soda or fast food much to begin with but I haven't had either in months and I never crave it. If you're craving sugar just satisfy your craving and eat some because if you don't, same thing with cutting out carbs, you're going to end up binging or overeating (there's a difference!). Have some fruit instead, have a couple chocolate squares instead of the whole bar, have a cookie not the whole bag, etc. etc. It's all common sense, really.
Last month I ran almost everyday and I totalled 80 miles for the entire month. Do you need to run everyday? No. Will it hurt you? No. Just make sure you eat enough to keep your body fueled and don't destroy your metabolism by starving yourself. Figuring out your BMR and TDEE are good estimates to set you on the right track:
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BMR is what you should eat at a bare minimum to keep your vital organs going. TDEE is how much you burn per day just by moving around/exercising. Stay above your BMR and below your TDEE and you'll be golden. There's no "100%-guarantee-one-size-fits-all" method that will work for everyone but doing these things generally will work for everybody that isn't a special little snowflake. You can start off with this and then tweak it as you see fit and begin to learn more about your body and what's right for you. If you have any more questions let me know. xoxo
zmurd
02-04-2013, 12:24 AM
why a whole day for cardio? :S you should be doing ~15-20min of cardio before any work out as is.
why a whole day for cardio? :S you should be doing ~15-20min of cardio before any work out as is.
Because I enjoy running and I'm training for Tough Mudder, which is a half marathon. :P I spent last month primarily running so I could get my endurance up and to get faster. I also did it so I could trim down before I started a strength training program. And the statement you wrote that I bolded is wildly inaccurate.
"Let's start with the muscle-building scenario. 'Doing cardio first will induce fatigue that may compromise technique and possibly increase risk of injury,' explains Fabio Comana, director of Continuing Education for the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Exhausting oneself with a big run right before weights and resistance training doesn't just up the risk of injury, it also means you'll have less energy to throw into a really good weight training session."
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If you simply want to "lose weight" then yes, doing lots of cardio, whether it be before or after strength training, is good and the order is irrelevant. But if you're like me and you want to put on a couple pounds of muscle tissue before trying to lean out, the order does matter. A gym just opened up near my house and I signed up because I wanted to start working with free weights and heavy lifting. My current goal is being able to squat my own bodyweight and I won't be able to achieve that very well and work up to that quickly if I run 2-3 miles before my lifting session.
zmurd
02-04-2013, 02:50 AM
I meant Mint, silly. :P
zmurd
02-04-2013, 03:07 AM
what is your end-game after squatting your weight? are you trying to bulk...hahaha.
Yes? And that is humorous to you because why, exactly?
There is no "end game." It's just a goal that I'm working towards now, setting goals helps me stay motivated. Once I reach that goal I may continue, I may go back to running a lot, I may take up yoga, who knows. I'll definitely keep up my strength training though. There is no "end game" for me--I want to stay healthy and fit for the rest of my life and incorporating exercise into my life helps with that goal tremendously.
zmurd
02-04-2013, 04:53 AM
oh my, I love how hostile you are. :)
Yeah, I love how condescending you are too. ;)
oh my, I love how hostile you are. :)
Dude chill out a bit. Nothing wrong with squatting your weight. It's not really that strange. I used to be able to squat more than I weighed. :/
and Hale lol I told my mom yesterday that I want to train to run a marathon. I would feel so accomplished if/when I manage to do that <3
Dude chill out a bit. Nothing wrong with squatting your weight. It's not really that strange. I used to be able to squat more than I weighed. :/
and Hale lol I told my mom yesterday that I want to train to run a marathon. I would feel so accomplished if/when I manage to do that <3
Oh, so you used to lift weights too, in addition to your running? That's awesome! I've been lifting weights this whole time to help preserve my LBM but I'm really really excited about the free weights because I'm going to get a helluva lot stronger! Have you looked into Tough Mudder? It's fucking insane for a half marathon. It's not just running... It's everything LOL. Watch a video, yo.
And I'm so glad you've stuck with your running since the last time we talked about it!! That's wonderful. c: You'll be able to run a marathon someday for sure if you keep it up!
Oh, so you used to lift weights too, in addition to your running? That's awesome! I've been lifting weights this whole time to help preserve my LBM but I'm really really excited about the free weights because I'm going to get a helluva lot stronger! Have you looked into Tough Mudder? It's fucking insane for a half marathon. It's not just running... It's everything LOL. Watch a video, yo.
And I'm so glad you've stuck with your running since the last time we talked about it!! That's wonderful. c: You'll be able to run a marathon someday for sure if you keep it up!
Yeah! I was in athletics all four years of high school. Almost joined powerlifting. But I thought I couldn't do it. Wish I had. :(
I'm actually planning on running my first 5k in quite a while on like march 3 I think.
I'll definitely look at the Tough Mudder though. Seems fun. I think I know what it is. Never done it though.
Sari: [Only registered and activated users can see links] Watch the video on the front page! It's going to be fucking insane. No matter how much I train beforehand, I'm probably going to be sore for a week afterwards LOL.
You should have!! It's intimidating because the weight room is mainly big dudes twice your size, the free weights room in my gym is ALL like that, there has never been another woman in there when I've gone (but they will go on the machines). It's the intimidation factor coupled with the fact that ignorant people believe picking up some heavy shit will make a fragile girl all bulky and man-like. Do you think this chick got this bod lifting a pair of three pound pink dumbbells?
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No, she didn't. :P And there's a big difference between that this:
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@Sari ([Only registered and activated users can see links]): [Only registered and activated users can see links] Watch the video on the front page! It's going to be fucking insane. No matter how much I train beforehand, I'm probably going to be sore for a week afterwards LOL.
You should have!! It's intimidating because the weight room is mainly big dudes twice your size, the free weights room in my gym is ALL like that, there has never been another woman in there when I've gone (but they will go on the machines). It's the intimidation factor coupled with the fact that ignorant people believe picking up some heavy shit will make a fragile girl all bulky and man-like. Do you think this chick got this bod lifting a pair of three pound pink dumbbells?
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No, she didn't. :P And there's a big difference between that this:
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Oh my that does look insane. Intimidating as well. I think I'll ask my trainer if he knows anything about that. :P
It wasn't so much the guys there. I just felt like I wasn't strong enough. Which maybe I wasn't, maybe I was. But either way, it'd have been one hell of a strength workout. Looking back, I really wish I had :(
I wish I could get my mom to go the gym with me so she could spot me on the weights. We have a treadmill at home, and a stepper thing. But that gets so boring. ~_~
I wanna do some strength stuff!
I've never understood why women do things to look like that. I used to get this magazine that was some sort of women's strength something or another. They all looked way too manly. I was just like woah 0.o
The women that look like that have made it their life and their career. They spend years honing their bodies with gnarly workouts and carefully regimented diets. And lots and lotssss of steroids LOL. Simply lifting heavy 3 days a week will never make you look like that.
You don't need a spotter as much when you're just starting and the weights aren't that heavy yet, but you'll definitely need one down the road. I don't use one right now but I got both my best friend and my momma to sign up at the gym with me so I'll have spotters eventually when I need them. :$
Heheh oh yeah I know. I don't have the will power to look like that even if I wanted to.
I actually benched 95 pounds the other day. I haven't tried squatting to see what I can do there, but I was so shocked htat I could lift it. I just kept adding on weights when I was able to keep going. But I stopped after 95 pounds because I had to go.
That's awesome dude! Wait, so you have a gym membership then? o: Or is this just at school? What else do you do aside from benching?
I have the willpower to get my body in shape like the blonde chick I posted, I'm actually not too far from it now. Maybe I'll send you my before/after lifting pictures in a few months. ;) I'm never going to look like a professional bodybuilder though, and I don't want to.
Well I'm doing a boot camp at a local gym, so that gives me access to the gym. So yeah I guess I have a membership. lol
But that was just one day after we'd gotten done with the camp for the day.
It just depends. A lot of body weight kind of stuff. Squats, lunges, lunges (squat and lunge), burpies, these like reverse pushups, whatever the trainer has us do, I'll do on my own when I have time. With weights, I haven't done anything in quite a while. And anything I have done has been, for the most part, just body weight.
Ahha I could get the first picture with some effort. It'd take a bit, but I could get htere. But the second? Have no desire to even try to put forth the will power to get that. xD
BlackblexHS
03-16-2013, 09:31 AM
The only way to prevent stretch marks is to not gain weight/have a baby. I believe they are genetic, so if they run if your family you will get them. Oils, coco butter, vitamin E oil all help your skin stay hydrated but they don't prevent stretch marks. I also don't believe you can get rid of stretch marks if you have them already.
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