Wife wants abs.. help with nutrition!

[Dabrodas]

Hey guys,

Quick question. My wife is trying to get abs! She is already very skinny, 5'4, weighs 123 lbs, and is around 11-12% body fat.

We started running with Macros and she went on a 35P/35C/30F Macro diet and eats around 1300 calories. She works out Abs as often as they are not sore. She has been on this around 10 weeks now and not much of a visible change.

We were thinking of changing up her carb macro to more fats, something like 40P/40F/20C.

What do you guys think.. any advice for female abs?

[lsiberian]

Well if he wants to have abs he will probably need to add more muscle to his frame.

[unplugged]

lamo at 11-12% bf for a female. Since you mention she is very skinny though she needs to get on a solid routine emphasizing compounds and progression in those compounds while eating a small surplus. This will build her a good foundation of lbm so tell her to start there. Better yet, why doesn't she create her own account and ask these questions herself?

[mike33511]

If she is truly at 11-12% body fat, she should not be trying to lose more weight. This will not get her abs. It will only make her deathly skinny and possibly do damage to her reproductive system. Essential body fat for a woman is 10-13%.

She needs to focus on building muscle using heavy compound lifts, just as a man would.

[Dabrodas]

Well if he wants to have abs he will probably need to add more muscle to his frame.

Not sure what you are getting at? Wasn't asking for me, as I know I need a lot of muscle gain... so I started Fierce 5 and trying to eat more.

lamo at 11-12% bf for a female. Since you mention she is very skinny though she needs to get on a solid routine emphasizing compounds and progression in those compounds while eating a small surplus. This will build her a good foundation of lbm so tell her to start there. Better yet, why doesn't she create her own account and ask these questions herself?

Thanks for the advice, will let her know. She measured the 11-12% body fat, so not sure if it is exactly correct. She would never take the time to make a profile and inquire.. just not who she is and she listens to what her brother has to say most of the time, so I figured I would just ask the community for her and get other opinions. She really isn't trying to lose more weight, the 1300 calories or so has been what she has typically eaten her whole life... but she used to skip a lot of meals, so we are getting that fixed and eating higher nutritional foods. Would you say the carbs vs fat counts make a difference while trying to make this progression?

If she is truly at 11-12% body fat, she should not be trying to lose more weight. This will not get her abs. It will only make her deathly skinny and possibly do damage to her reproductive system. Essential body fat for a woman is 10-13%.

She needs to focus on building muscle using heavy compound lifts, just as a man would.

Perfect, thank you. I tell her she needs to lift heavier all the time, but this just helps reinforce it. Same question as above though, would you think eating less carbs and more fat would play a role? I have gotten her to increase her protein counts



EDIT: I did a quick search on body fat for women and looked at a few images. I would say she is probably closer to 15-17%, but I will have to take the measurements next time to verify it.

[mike33511]

would you think eating less carbs and more fat would play a role? I have gotten her to increase her protein counts

There are protein and fat minimums that she needs to hit, and the amount of carbs is a matter of personal preference. The problem here is she most likely lacks any appreciable abdominal muscles if she's never lifted heavy before. So she should eat at a small surplus and work a novice lifting program (Fierce 5 would be a great choice). Once she gets her lifts up to intermediate level (for a female), then she can go on a cut and reevaluate from there. Women (or men for that matter) don't just get abs overnight.

Eating less carbs and more fats won't make this happen any faster. Carbs have been demonized in our society but they are the body's preferred fuel source and there is nothing wrong with them. You should have her read the stickies in the Nutrition, Exercises, and Workout Programs sections. Everything you need to know about calories, macronutrients, compound lifts, and novice programs will be found there.

[gbullock32]

Is your wife competing? if not that her goal is both not healthy or maintainable; to be low enough for visible abs most women suffer from hormone issues in the long run, unless they are very muscular.

[mike33511]

Is your wife competing? if not that her goal is both not healthy or maintainable; to be low enough for visible abs most women suffer from hormone issues in the long run, unless they are very muscular.

^^^ This.

[Dabrodas]

Excellent, thank you guys! She is not trying to compete, but just wants visible abs. I will pass along all the feedback and see if I can't get her on the Fierce 5 program.. would be awesome to try and convince her to do the same workout as me.

If not, I will at least tell her to eat a bit more of the nutritional foods and lift heavier / start a progression workout.

All I needed, thanks every one!

[tc9012]

Having her do fierce 5 with you would be a great start. Doing as many ab exercises as often as she can isn't really going to help. She needs a solid muscle base and low body fat percentage. You should also read the stickies on calculating macros. Don't use ratios.

[Mrpb]

Having her do fierce 5 with you would be a great start. Doing as many ab exercises as often as she can isn't really going to help. She needs a solid muscle base and low body fat percentage. You should also read the stickies on calculating macros. Don't use ratios.

Nailed it ^.