In Search of a Six-pack

The only thing is, "spot reducing" doesn't exist -- except in the fantasy world of infomercials.

Don't fall for it.

Here are some facts:

Fact: Fat is distributed throughout your body, with some areas storing more of it than others. Where is determined mostly by genetics.

Fact: The first place that fat accumulates on your body is the last place it leaves when you reduce.

Fact: Doing thousands of reps will build muscular endurance, but to reduce body fat anywhere requires taking in fewer calories than needed for present energy and maintenance requirements.

Fact: Exercises that strengthen underlying abdominal muscles are essential in a balanced fitness program, but assigning them special significance as "fat burners" is a mistake. That burn you feel after doing the umpteenth set of crunch/sit-up type movements is lactic acid buildup -- not fat cells miraculously melting away. As actual fat burners, isolation movements do very little.

Here's a little item culled from Men's Health magazine that puts fat loss in perspective: "If your abs are covered with fat, cut 250 to 500 calories a day from your diet (or 10 to 20 percent of the calories it takes to maintain your current weight). Focus on eliminating refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and pasta. Don't bother working your abs more often [Emphasis is mine. --L.F.]. It takes 250,000 crunches to burn 1 pound of fat -- that's about 100 crunches a day for 7 years."

Instead, here's a strategy that works every time:

• Do mostly big, compound muscle building exercises. The itsy-bitsy crunches won't get it done.
• Include some specific abs work.
• Include regular cardiovascular workouts (short but intense is usually better than long, slow distance).
• Eat more often but smaller portions.
• Stop eating sugar foods and refined carbohydrates.
• Don't go to extremes, such as eating less than 1500 calories per day.
• Balance your macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat). Most overweight people eat too many carbohydrates, and especially the wrong kinds. However, programs that practically eliminate all carbs, or any one of the three macronutrients, are not sustainable and may be unhealthy.

You don't need diet pills, and some are dangerous.

--L.F.
4/6/05