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exercise and dieting(CARBS) advice

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
any tips on how to tone up lower abs?
i do loads of sit ups, lots of varied ones etc but only my upper abs seem to be toning. i was wondering if there was a specific exercise to do to tone lower?

also about CARBS:
ive tried no carbs and it doesnt work, i get huge headaches i never feel full and apparently you put all the weight back on anyway if you ever come off it.

however i want to lose a little bit of weight( as in only a couple of pounds) the right way eg exercise and eating right( cos ive tried a whole bunch of other stuff and it just doesnt work). but i think im eating too many carbs and i cant really get around the problem.

i eat cereal for breakfast, a sandwhich or something for lunch and then a pasta or potato based meal for dinner. i get all my 5 a day as snacks throughout the day. i think this is WAY too many carbs to eat.

however when i try and eat fruit or egg for breakfast and then salad or something for lunch im just so starving and i get home and BINGE! so it doesnt work at all. i also tried 'better' carbs such as rivita for lunch and bran flakes for breakfast and then pasta for dinner, but again as soon as i get home im starving! i just never feel full if i dont have loads of carbs..:crying:

any advice from fellow carb- enemies? sorry this has been so long and thanks to anyone who can help!

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i was told that in order to tone the lower muscles on your tummy you should tense them as you are doing crunches which isn't easy.

    eta: as far as your diet is concerned it doesnt sound that bad. how long are you tying the 'better' carbs for? because on the first day or 2 you will feel hungry but by day 3 your stomach should be used to it. give it a week and see if you notice any weight loss. make sure you drink plenty of water too.

    are you regularly exercising? because it may well be that you are just at your natural weight.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    well ive been on the 'better carbs' thing for months, then i thought i was eating too many so i tried to cut them out for a meal or 2 each day but i got really hungry. its like i can eat healthily all day but then i get home and im starving. now im just eating anything so, again, im trying to eat healthier carbs.

    ive only been regularly exercising about a week or so. im quite tall 5'8 and have really big boobs and hips which i quite like but would still like to lose a bit of weight, so i hope im NOT at my natural weight. grr.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    How about eating your cereal for breakfast and sandwich for lunch, and then cutting out the carbs in the evening?

    Another suggestion is to eat a healthy snack at about 4/5pm (before you leave for home), so that when you get in you're not starving and have time to prepare a healthy meal without binging.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    any tips on how to tone up lower abs?
    i do loads of sit ups, lots of varied ones etc but only my upper abs seem to be toning. i was wondering if there was a specific exercise to do to tone lower?

    also about CARBS:
    ive tried no carbs and it doesnt work, i get huge headaches i never feel full and apparently you put all the weight back on anyway if you ever come off it.

    however i want to lose a little bit of weight( as in only a couple of pounds) the right way eg exercise and eating right( cos ive tried a whole bunch of other stuff and it just doesnt work). but i think im eating too many carbs and i cant really get around the problem.

    i eat cereal for breakfast, a sandwhich or something for lunch and then a pasta or potato based meal for dinner. i get all my 5 a day as snacks throughout the day. i think this is WAY too many carbs to eat.

    however when i try and eat fruit or egg for breakfast and then salad or something for lunch im just so starving and i get home and BINGE! so it doesnt work at all. i also tried 'better' carbs such as rivita for lunch and bran flakes for breakfast and then pasta for dinner, but again as soon as i get home im starving! i just never feel full if i dont have loads of carbs..:crying:

    any advice from fellow carb- enemies? sorry this has been so long and thanks to anyone who can help!
    Just lower your calories below maintiance levels. Which for women its about 1500-1800cals.

    Also try to cut back on carbs past 5pm.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    HIT wrote:
    Also try to cut back on carbs past 5pm.
    People are still telling that lie!?!? :eek2:

    That's utter bullshit. You digest food around the clock, it doesn't make any difference to your weight if you eat at 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning.
    It's what you eat and how much you eat, not when you eat it. :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    People are still telling that lie!?!? :eek2:

    That's utter bullshit. You digest food around the clock, it doesn't make any difference to your weight if you eat at 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning.
    It's what you eat and how much you eat, not when you eat it. :thumb:
    Simple carbs will metabolise and spike insulin levels. Having high insulin levels at night isnt a good thing because it will trigger the body to store fat. Another case is that if you don't eat carbs at night then by morning it would leave you with low glycogen levels which will further aid in fat metabolism.

    Really before you make bold statements you should try a little thing called research... It does go along way you know.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's a true story, my diabetic father has been using it for weight and blood sugar maintainence. It's the way the body works.

    Remember that carbs fuel your body and that cutting them out and excercising a lot won't necessarily help you. It's better just to lower your intake in general and eat the same balanced proportions of stuff.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    tbh I cant survive on low carb diets, by the end of the day I crash. I do cut back on carbs but not to a point of ketosis. After all its carbs that do fuel excersise, but generally speaking low carb diets do work, but if you cant handle them dont worry about it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Actually, heres the article right here http://www.lifetimefitness.com/magazine/index.cfm?strWebAction=article_detail&intArticleId=594

    You can get a very rough estimate of your resting metabolic rate, says Hyman, by multiplying your weight in pounds by 10 (if you weigh 150 pounds, for example, your resting metabolic rate would be approximately 1,500 calories per day). “If you eat less than that amount, your body will instantly perceive danger and turn on the alarm system that protects you from starvation and slows your metabolism,” says Hyman.


    One of Ed's friends went thru that a while ago. She had been working out and dieting for several years and couldn't lose a pound, her friend told her to write down what all she was eating and found out that she wasn't intaking enough calories. Once she started eating more she started losing weight and now has very sexy legs ;) (She was a weight watchers success story just last month :thumb: )
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Raising your legs when doing crunches works the lower abs as well as the upper.
    I've also learnt that to tone those muscles you need to drink shit load of water throughout the day because aparently that helps lots
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    icey wrote:
    Raising your legs when doing crunches works the lower abs as well as the upper.
    I've also learnt that to tone those muscles you need to drink shit load of water throughout the day because aparently that helps lots
    Really its because the more water you drink, the less you retain. Hence making the abdominal muscles more visible.

    But drinking water is great for fat loss and overall health.
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