the eating plan that gave me a six pack and helped me gain muscle

[danishjuggler20]

There are all kinds of diets out there right now, and it seems like every bodybuilder/weightlifter/nutritionist has a different idea on what's the best way to eat for cutting fat and building a better body. The best eating plans out there are so damn complicated that you need a supercomputer and a Masters Degree in calculus to follow them to the letter.
These are the reasons I never worried much about diet. I felt as long as I ate relatively well, and worked out a lot, I'd get in great shape. My goal was to get the coveted six-pack abs, and get a little bit bigger and more muscular all over.
I was reading Men's Health magazine, and they had a little information on one of their books, The Abs Diet. By following one of the basic principles of the book, which I saw in that magazine, those extra few pounds of fat came right off and those abs came out. Not only did I get lean and cut, but I gained about 8 pounds.
After seeing such good results from just following such a simple principle, I bought the book. It blew my mind. This book recommends an eating plan that represents the latest research in dietary science. Every part of the diet is designed to help burn more fat, build more muscle, or prevent a serious disease. I read a lot of magazines and books about diet and fitness, and I know more stuff than I know what to do with, but this book takes all that and sums it up into a few simple guidelines for eating for a better body.
The cool thing is, there is no calorie-counting. You don't have to count anything. The diet is designed so that your body will regulate its caloric intake via appetite. This diet is also not low-carb or low-fat; it's simply the smartest and most nutritionally sound way to eat.

Now, I'm not trying to peddle this book. It's only twenty bucks, and it'll change your body, but you only need to know a few things in order to see results with this diet. I'm going to give only the information that I know has already been given away freely in advertisements, but this information was more than enough to completely change my body.

The main principle of the abs diet is the ABS DIET POWER 12. These are twelve "power foods" that, if you incorporate them into your diet, will essentially increase your body's ability to burn fat and build muscle at the same time. It's an acronym, and each letter stands for a different power food.

Almonds and other nuts
Beans and other legumes
Spinach and other green vegetables
Dairy (low-fat or skim)
Instant oatmeal
Eggs
Turkey and other lean meats (chicken, fish, ham, roast beef)
Peanut butter (natural peanut butter with no hydrogenated veg. oil)
Olive oil
Whole-grain bread/rice/pasta
Extra-protein whey powder (whey protein supplements like Nitro-tech)
Raspberries and other berries

As you can see, these power foods incorporate a lot of stuff. Dairy can mean cheese, yogurt, or milk. The green veggies includes spinach, broccoli, peppers - actually, they don't have to be green, the more color the better. Lean meats includes a whole slew of stuff.

One of the other guidelines is to eat six times a day - three meals and three snacks. For the snacks, they recommend smoothies.

An example of a good Abs Diet meal is the "power sandwich" I came up with: roast beef, cheese, natural peanut butter, spinach, and mashed blueberries on whole grain bread. It's loaded with fiber and protein, and has a good amount of complex carbs and polyunsaturated fat. It's something I just randomly put together (and now eat regularly) that just happens to be an almost-perfect mix of nutrients for a bodybuilder.

One big reason that this diet is so easy is that you can still eat your favorite foods. I can make a hamburger - just use extra lean ground beef. Mix the beef with eggs and onions, grill it, and you got an Abs Diet burger. Three powerfoods. Four, if you put on a whole-grain bun (yes, they exist).

The plan also allows you one cheat meal per week (sound familiar?).

Like I said, this is the diet that got me my six pack. I don't think I ever would have gotten cut without it. For months, I did cardio and worked on my abs like crazy, but saw no results. But just by building my diet around the power foods, I dropped my body fat down a 3 or 4 percentage points and replaced all that fat with muscle in just under three months. I'm about ten pounds heavier and way more cut and lean. It's changed my body, and now that I'm following the diet 100%, I'm sure my results will become even more impressive.

I've also recently told my friend Megan about the Abs Diet. She was really enthusiastic about it, got the book, and started following it religiously. She loves the way she eats now. She has more energy, feels better, and best of all, she's lost 12 pounds in the first week! She just told me that a little while ago. And already her stomach and butt look a lot tighter and more toned.

This eating plan works (the author doesn't like calling it a diet, because a "diet" is something you don't enjoy and won't stick to) because it gives your body the right combination of nutrients to cut fat, build muscle, and lower your risk of disease.

Each power food is truly powerful. Milk, for example, is a great source of calcium. Over the last couple years, study after study has shown that calcium has a profound effect on fat loss. Skim milk also has a lot of protein, and no fat.
Oatmeal has the carbohydrates you need to start your day, and it's loaded with valuable fiber.
Olive oil is the best source of monounsaturated fat, which helps regulate appetite and has an effect on fat loss. I cook chicken and fish in it.
Peanut butter is great because it tastes wonderful, so you feel like you're cheating, but it has lots of protein and almost all the fat is unsaturated. Limit yourself to a couple tablespoons a day, though.

The book also includes a secret weapon - THE best plan for cutting fat that I've ever seen (and I've seen and tried a lot of them. Remember, I ran cross-country in high school). This workout, which includes circuit training and HIIT, will have you burning more fat than you ever have.

Many of you that have read this far are probably thinking, "This all looks really familiar." All of this information that's in the book has been seen on this board probably thousands of times, but this diet puts it all into a few simple guidelines.

Like I said, I'm not trying to sell you this book. I've given you, right here, all the information you need to follow the diet part of this plan. The info I've given you is actually more than what I had, and it completely changed my body. Try it out. I guarantee you, if you follow this eating plan long enough, you WILL get that six pack. I'm not posting this because I want you to buy the book. I'm posting it because it worked wonders for me and my friend Megan, and I'm enthusiastic as hell about it, just as many of you are about that supplement that gave you great gains - you wanted to tell everyone about it, and maybe even gave your friends free samples.

You can see my results from this diet in the Post your Pictures forum.

[Mythos219]

This just goes to show that you HAVE to eat clean to get ripped. There is no way of getting around that, once people figure that out and man up, they will get results.

[DrTacoElf]

Nothing really special here. But congrats on "sticking with it" probably the hardest thing to do .

2 questions

How much cardio did you do
Was it on an empty stomach

[danishjuggler20]

Nothing really special here. But congrats on "sticking with it" probably the hardest thing to do .

2 questions

How much cardio did you do
Was it on an empty stomach

It wasn't hard. That's what I loved about it. This plan makes it easy to eat like a bodybuilder. It's brilliant. I can see myself eating like this the rest of my life.

Actually, I didn't do any cardio at all those three months. Just weight lifting. I used to do HIIT a lot on the treadmill, but not anymore. It's amazing that I've gotten more cut now that I don't do cardio. It's counterintuitive, but it makes sense.

I never workout on an empty stomach. However, my NO-Xplode is coming in the mail in the next couple of days, so apparently I'll start working out on an empty stomach lol.

[saihaynes]

Congratulations on dropping your bf% whilst increasing your lean muscle mass......I have to be honest though the abs diet just sounds like what has been around for decades....`abs are built in the kitchen..not in the gym` and sounds like the sort of `diet` that a majority of us follow anyway.......eating clean gives you `optimal` results no doubt about it! Keep up the good work!

[erbear]

The Abs diet is the first "diet" that has actually worked for me. Ive been on yo yo diets for a long time, but never kept the weight off. Starving myself, then binging, you name it, I did it. But back in Feb my bf got the book and Ive been the healthiest Ive been my whole life (I know Im only 23 but still !) I eat the 6 meals a day, and work out 6 days a week. The book is really motivational and easy to read, as well as interesting. I would recommend anyone who is wanting a "life style change" to start with this program (or something similar). Very beneficial, and you see results which keeps you going. Good luck everyone!

[wicked2night]

Eating clean is crutial! That said, nitro tech obviusly helped you put on mass, since it has creatine in it.