I’m plagiarizing my own work on this one – I posted this response on a fitness forum earlier, I thought other folks might have the same question. Basically, the original poster was having trouble bringing out his six pack no matter what he did as far as training or dieting:
I’ve read some really good advice [from other members of the forum] - I just want to make sure you’re digesting it correctly. The term ‘starve myself’ is scaring me a little, if you’re trying to lose body fat to show off the abs, starvation mode is the last thing you want. Your metabolism will slow to a crawl.
What you need is to turn your body into a fat burning machine. As mentioned, eat frequently – this will keep your energy levels and blood sugar levels even and keep your metabolism running all day.
Also, and obviously, what you eat is extremely important. But i think you have that covered.
This is an exact science, you need to really grab a hold on what your target calorie intake should be and nail that daily. The deficit mentioned simply means you’re expending x amount of calories more than your taking in. It shouldn’t be an abstract notion as in ‘i’ll just eat less’, it should be an exact mathematical formula. For example, when I’m in fat burning mode, I target 2200 calories per day – If I stay that course I’ll normally lose 1.5 to 2 lbs a week. I eat 5 meals a day, each about 440 calories. I try to get a protein and complex carb in each of those, I don’t ever fear carbs (assuming you’re eating the right ones) but everyone responds to them differently.
You would be a rare case if you couldn’t absolutely drop down to single digit body fat with the right education and focus.