Stomach Muscles

[GrkScorp]

Oooh ouch IR, an undergrad just pwnd you!

lol.. hit it on the nail.. wow.. I impress myself every day that goes by..

[IndiReloaded]

Since we're being so pedantic here, figured I'd point out that carbs are not sugar per se, but rather sugar is a type of carb, along with starches and cellulose. Oooh ouch IR, an undergrad just pwnd you!

LOL! I what I mean by 'sugar' and what you mean are different. I'm not talking about table sugar (or sucrose, as I would call it). Saccharides (the general term for all sugars) & carbohydrate are basically interchangable to a biochemist (i.e. me). There are a few other molecules that have the label 'carbohydrate' but technically aren't, hence the reason we don't use that term when we want to be specific. Keep reading you little undergrad, you. Anyway, I meant carbs in the generic sense you read about in things like The Zone & The South Beach diet, which most certainly refer to sugars/carb as the same thing.

And to get back to the topic of fats & carbs & tummy muscles, all the more detailed info I gave you is correct, which you neglected to mention.

[IndiReloaded]

lol.. hit it on the nail.. wow.. I impress myself every day that goes by..

Its funny how you assume he is right GrkScp, lol. Read my last dear.. I think you two are cute, BTW. But do read more. If you really want to go to med school (one of you is into this, yes?) you need to learn this stuff.

[GrkScorp]

Its funny how you assume he is right GrkScp, lol. Read my last dear.. I think you two are cute, BTW. But do read more. If you really want to go to med school (one of you is into this, yes?) you need to learn this stuff.

I wasn't agreeing or assuming he was right.. and I'm not the one planning on going to med school... lol

It was just evident that there was an overzealous undergraduate on the forum; who may have just happened to find a post that he can say something in.. and low and behold.. everyone else has no idea what they're talking about.. stand back.. let the bio major speak.. lol

anyway.. the dieting part of the whole thing is obvious.. I think Henry was interested in what (physical) activities are more effective, and if there's any way which is (more simple)...

[IndiReloaded]

I wasn't agreeing or assuming he was right.. and I'm not the one planning on going to med school... lol

It was just evident that there was an overzealous undergraduate on the forum; who may have just happened to find a post that he can say something in.. and low and behold.. everyone else has no idea what they're talking about.. stand back.. let the bio major speak.. lol

anyway.. the dieting part of the whole thing is obvious.. I think Henry was interested in what (physical) activities are more effective, and if there's any way which is (more simple)...

Oops! Sorry then. YOu're right, this took up too much of the thread. I was *trying* to be gentle, lol, not give a BC lecture.

Here, let's try again:

BD, you dumbass. Sugar doesn't turn to fat in humans. At least not enough that's gonna ever prevent Henry from getting a six-pack to attract hot chicks. Fat is fat, and sugar (or carbs) is that. Or, as one of my favorite internet posts on this subject said a few years back: if you want to lose weight & get more cut--put the ****ing sandwich down & go for a run.



PS - FWIW Henry, when I want to lose weight & look more toned I just stop eating crap. Esp stuff before bed (i.e. after 8 oclock). Now, I also do a toning workout (or classes if I can get to them) at my gym a couple times a week. And I walk a lot. I usually end up doing this kind of thing in early fall & after xmas holidays, when chocolate almonds & booze cause me to gain an extra 5 lbs or so. It takes me about a month, but I always drop about 5 - 10 lbs doing this & I can see my shoulders and arms looking a lot more defined. So I think diet has a lot to do w/weight control. But I'm no expert on this; its just something that works well for me.

[miSSleepy]

OK Indi, genuine sincere question here, not trying to stir you up:

Scientifically speaking then, why is it that if we eat an excess of carbs and sugars we gain weight? Simple question, I'm interested in the answer.

[IndiReloaded]

OK Indi, genuine sincere question here, not trying to stir you up:

Scientifically speaking then, why is it that if we eat an excess of carbs and sugars we gain weight? Simple question, I'm interested in the answer.

Nono, you don't know me IRL, but I'm really not stirred up. I'm sorry about the other thread, lol, don't take it seriously. Its just I'm reading this book called "Generation Me" and I'm trying to see how much of it is true (interesting book BTW, esp if you are going to be a teacher--also for parents a must-read). You were very accomodating, thank you & I mean it.

Anyway, to answer your question (keep in mind I come at this from a scientists view--a fitness person or dietician might know more): when you eat excess carbs (sugar, whatever, they are all the same to me) they get stored in a compressed form in your body called glycogen that is stored in your muscles & liver as a ready source of fuel (it takes a lot more energy to release fat as a fuel than glycogen). In order to stay soluble in storage, glycogen needs to be stored with water molecules attached--I think the number is 4 for every glycogen molecule (but DON'T quote me on that BD!). So, the weight gain from pigging out on bread & crackers is a combination of glycogen & the water that is associated with it. Which, I think, is why the old Atkins diet worked so well--you mostly lost water & glycogen in that first month or so. If you were a huge guy, it wasn't unheard of to drop 20 lbs.

But fat is an entirely different molecule, that gets stored in little fat cells in your body. They literally look like clear little oil drops under a microscope. Gross. The pathways to store fat are completely different from the ones to store sugar/carbs/glycogen.

Here endeth the lesson (Monty Python). I need to go look at a porn thread of something to clear my head, lol.

[miSSleepy]

So i guess the majority of people have huge misconceptions about carbs and sugars. Thanks for clearing up up to an extent.

[IndiReloaded]

You're welcome. FWIW, the info is out there, readily available for those who want it. I don't know the reason for the urban legend/misinformation. I guess scientists don't normally talk to nutrition/fitness/health professionals about this stuff and there's still a lag for making the connection b/t the basic research and practice. The same kind of thing comes up for medical-related research. I think the internet will help clear up questions like this over time as ppl publish more on the web, make these connections & keep asking questions like you did.

[DoesntMatter]

Haha I think the OP wasn't looking for the biological reasoning on how to get a 6pack but more like a how-to, in which case:

you're better off doing lots of cardio than working out your abs. I assure you they are there. It's just they're covered by a layer of fat.

answers it best.

If you have fat over your stomache, you might have a 6pack hiding undernearth. Get rid of the fat and let that muscle show!

[bohemiandonut]

Haha wow the old seniority card comes out in so many forum discussions it's embarassing. Clearly the real sentiment here is a prejudice against college students, not zeal on my part. Anyway...

What I said may have been a little simplistic, but EATING CARBS WILL MAKE YOU FAT. Why? (OH NO FACTCHECKERS OPEN UP A NEW TAB QUICK!):

blablalbalablafatcellsinyourbodyblablablabglucoseb lablablablabloodsugarregulatedbyinsulinblablablabl ablamakesfatcellsBIGblablablayoureafockinfatassSco rpioblablabla

[DoesntMatter]

I love you donut

[IndiReloaded]

I love you donut

+1

Me too. And yup, you're right about sugar-->insulin--->fat storage.

Sooo, you've been reading about this more than I--can you store fat in the absence of sugar/carbs? Or is S/C a necessity for storage? I know you certainly need carbs to metabolize fat..

[Tone]

If you want to look ripped (including abs) you need an overall low body fat %.

You can't just do millions of situps and keep eating McDonalds for lunch.

[sine24]

Pilates works a treat..it tightens your ab muscles..and it doesn't take long for the results to take effect