After a regular check up I reviewed some ultrasound images of my abdomen with my physician. At first glance I thought perhaps the doc had accidentally switched my images with someone in far better shape. I mentioned that those abdominal muscles in the images seemed slightly more defined than mine. He assured me those were my well proportioned healthy and fit abdominals hidden snugly under an excess of abdominal fat.
I was surprised and slightly excited. I had thought they had disappeared long ago with my hairline. I wanted to get those abdominals back in the limelight again but how? The doc looked at me with his familiar no nonsense expression and told me the key to removing excess fat is no big secret. Simply take in less fatty carbs than your body expends each day. Diet and exercise adequately achieve this goal. But where I typically have trouble is failure to follow through.
I don't necessarily have the best role models in my family. We love to cook and we love our greasy fatty foods. In my family either you eat what's on the table or you do without. I knew a salad could be made without the creamy ranch dressing, bacon bits and shredded cheese with a side of sweet whip cream and fruit. But I wasn't quite sure I could sit down at the table and munch on a bland salad while my family enjoyed veal, meatballs, Parmesan chicken and even more scrumptious sides of gravy mashed potatoes and cheesy noodles. I would surely give in and sneak back to the fridge.
Increasing my exercise to work off the delicious fatty carbs was an option. But after doing the math, I realized I'd need to run a 10k marathon everyday to make a dent. I get winded going to the mailbox. And a treadmill is already collecting dust in my basement. I stopped using that soon after my daughter hung a doughnut in front of it to encourage me to run longer. I admitted It was quite funny and grounded her.
I would need to incorporate fitness into my entire day to stick with the goal. My six pack abdominals deserved to be seen! The small changes I made in my diet as well as the exercise I incorporated into my daily routine began to pay off in less than two weeks. And it wasn't so drastic as to cause the backlash that had made me give up in the past.
Each morning I prepare two eggs over easy and two slices of toast. I included a pad of butter and dab of grape jelly for the toast. I learned later this was actually a good thing. The small amount of butter and jelly provides a quick energy boost but is not so excessive that can't be burned off during the day.
I then began to hike the 30 minute walk to the coffee shop to complete my writing assignments. No need to power walk or build up a sweat. The simple casual walk 30 minutes per day is doing its work even if it doesn't seem like it at first. This is jump starting your metabolism which is the major fat burning mechanism of the body.
I would advise avoiding coffee unless you have a granola bar handy. I carry a healthy granola bar to snack on in my bag. I allowed myself a straight medium cup of dark roast without the cream of sugar. I typically get hungry and crave something sweet such as a danish or doughnut after drinking coffee. I get the munchies for the sweets in the display case even though I had recently eaten breakfast. I satisfied my premature munchies with my granola.
After a day at the coffee shop completing my assignments, I begin my relaxing walk home. Smart phones are wonderful inventions. I have a good play list of music that I listen to on my walk and the short 30 minute walk is over all too soon.
The good thing about salad is you can eat a lot of it and still do your body good. With salad, variety is the spice of life. There are many delicious and healthy ways to prepare salad that will not be counterproductive to your now decreasing waistline. My passion food has always been subway sandwiches. My favorite selection was the roast beef with double meat extra cheese with oil and vinegar with a healthy gob of mayo. Little did I realize that this is essentially a delicious salad.
With some slight modifications I could make a salad with oil and red wine vinegar, topped with shredded cheese and some sliced squares of salad Canadian bacon. Toss in some cherry tomatoes a slice of pickle and a side roll and I'm eating a healthy and delicious subway salad. By the time dinner is served I'm not trying to shovel the table in my mouth anymore. My dinner portions are smaller following the afternoon salad snack.
It's been nearly 3 weeks now and I am sticking with my diet. Honestly, I don't even feel like I'm dieting. But the bathroom scales don't lie. I'm 15 lbs lighter than I was a month before. Some notable unforeseen perks have manifested as well. I'm breathing easier and have more energy. Also knowing I'm reducing the workload on my heart is a great feeling. And my well defined abdominals are beginning to peak out at the sides. I can hardly wait!
Previously Posted on FullofKnowlege.com
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