I have a six pack, I used to be fat.
Get used to eating 5-6 small meals per day.
Get used to eating *clean* foods only, I don't know how to do this on a vegetarian diet (though I do believe it's possible), but on a non-vegetarian diet, you'll be eating a lot of egg whites, chicken breast, pork tenderloin (with the fat cut off), Salmon, Tuna, various low fat cuts of beef (I don't eat too much beef, so I don't know these off the top of my head, but I believe things ending in "loin" tend to be safe, as well as the Filet Mignon) brown rice, vegetables. Get your fat from healthy sources like Peanuts, Macadamia Nuts, Walnuts, Avocado - but this must be in moderation, keep your total fat to 20% of your calorie intake. Protein and Carbs shuold be in roughly equal parts. If you eat peanut butter (I do), don't eat crap brands like Jif, the only things on the ingredient list should be Peanuts and Salt. Whole Foods sells freshly ground peanut butter. Remember, an overall healthy diet includes a lot of green leafy vegetables.
At 160 Lbs and a very active life, I eat around 2000-2500 calories per day. Get an idea of how many calories you need, and get used to sticking to it. There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat, so you need to have a deficit of 3500 calories per week to lose 1 pound. You should never aim to lose more than 1% body weight per week, as doing so greatly raises the chances of burning muscle instead of fat.
You should lift weights when losing fat to maintain your existing muscle mass, regaining muscle is much harder than losing fat. Generally, most people can't gain more than 0.5 pounds of muscle per week assuming a perfect diet and exercise routine.
Do weighted incline crunches, leg raises (remember you must lift the legs and flex the spine to work the lower abs), windshield wipers, side bends.
Depending on your genetics, you certainly need to be below 10% body fat, possibly below 8%, or even possibly below 6% to reveal your abs. Personally, I need to be around 6-7%.
When you are >10% body fat, the electronic body fat measurements will be easy to use and fairly accurate, but they will be very inaccurate when you get below 10% body fat, and you'll need to get good at using a caliper if you want to measure then.
Looking at your picture, I'd estimate you're at around 12-15% body fat, so you are probably 6-8 weeks away from having a six pack if you have a perfect routine.
|