Abs Diet – Quote Catch

“Obesity has overtaken smoking as the leading cause of premature heart attacks in the United States. Imagine that—overeating is worse for you than smoking a pack a day. We’ve forced the smokers out of our restaurants and onto the sidewalk to light up, and yet you can still order an appetizer off the menu that delivers a day’s worth of calories and enough grease to turn your colon into a Roman candle. Go figure.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker) Page xii
“Sixty-seven percent of the population—142 million Americans—are overweight or obese. And a new forecast by University of Chicago researchers estimates that the number of Americans living with diabetes will nearly double in the next 25 years to 44.1 million people.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker) Page xii
“Belly fat—the fat that pushes your waist out—is the most dangerous fat on your body. And it’s one of the reasons why the Abs Diet emphasizes losing belly fat—because doing so means you’ll live longer. Belly fat is classified as visceral fat; which means it is located behind your abdominal wall and surrounds your internal organs. Because it carries an express-lane pass to your heart and other important organs, visceral fat is the fat that can kill you. Just consider one University of Alabama-Birmingham study in which researchers used seven different measurements to determine a person’s risks of cardiovascular disease. They concluded that the amount of visceral fat the subjects carried was the single best predictor of heart disease risk.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker) Page xiii
“One pound of muscle requires your body to burn up to 50 extra calories a day just to maintain that muscle.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker) Page xv
“When you combine exercise with the foods that most promote lean muscle growth, the ones that keep you full, and the ones that give your body a well-balanced supply of nutrients, you’ll be in the sweet spot, doing what this plan is all about. You’ll change the shape of your body by stripping away your fat and showing off your lean muscle.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker) Page xv
“Most diets are about eating less food or about restricting you to certain kinds of food. Most of them work in the short term because if you reduce your calorie intake, your body starts to burn itself off in order to keep itself alive. Presto, you lose weight. But here’s the problem: The first thing your body does when it’s short of calories is to dump the body tissue that takes the most calories to maintain. That’s muscle. So on a low-calorie diet, your body burns away muscle and tries to store fat. Sure, you’ll lose weight, and you’ll eventually start losing fat as well. But when you “go off” your diet, you’ll start to put weight back on. And guess what kind of weight you’ll gain? Pure fat. Because you’ve taught your body a harsh lesson: It has to be on the lookout for potential low-calorie periods in the future, so it had better store fat just in case. You’ve also used up valuable calorie-burning muscle, so you’re likely to end up fatter than you were before your diet. That’s why people who try diet after diet not only don’t lose weight but also gain” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige xvi
“THE NEW ABS DIET CHEAT SHEET EAT six meals (including snacks) spaced evenly throughout the day. PLAN most meals around the ABS DIET POWER 12 food groups. Each meal should contain at least two of the following: Almonds and other nuts Beans and legumes Spinach and other green vegetable Dairy (fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese) Instant oatmeal (unsweetened, unflavored) Eggs Turkey and other lean meats Peanut butter Olive oil Whole-grain bread and cereals Extra-protein (whey) powder Raspberries and other berries EMPHASIZE protein, fiber, calcium, and healthy fats (mono- and polyunsaturated). LIMIT refined carbohydrates like baked goods, sugar, white bread, rice and pasta, saturated fats, trans fats, and high-fructose corn syrup. DRINK mostly water. Limit yourself to two or three alcoholic beverages per week to maximize the benefits of the New Abs Diet plan. CHEAT once a week by eating anything your heart desires. EXERCISE for 20 minutes 3 days a week during weeks 3 through 6 of the program. Exercise is optional for the first 2 weeks, but brisk walking is highly recommended. Total-body strength workouts that can be done at the gym or at home, as well as new interval training programs, are detailed in this book. Two of your strength-training workouts should contain exercises that work your” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 1
“Overweight people are: 50 percent more likely to develop heart disease (obese: up to 100 percent) Up to 360 percent more likely to develop diabetes (obese: up to 1,020 percent) 16 percent more likely to die of a first heart attack (obese: 49 percent) Roughly 50 percent more likely to have total cholesterol above 250 (obese: up to 122 percent) 14 percent less attractive to the opposite sex (obese: 43 percent) Likely to spend 37 percent more a year at the pharmacy (obese: 105 percent) Likely to stay 19 percent longer in the hospital (obese: 49 percent) 20 percent more likely to have asthma (obese: 50 percent) Up to 31 percent more likely to die of any cause (obese: 62 percent) 19 percent more likely to die in a car crash (obese: 37 percent) 120 percent more likely to develop stomach cancer (obese: 330 percent) Up to 90 percent more likely to develop gallstones (obese: up to 150 percent) 590 percent more likely to develop esophageal cancer (obese: 1,520 percent) 35 percent more likely to develop kidney cancer (obese: 70 percent) 14 percent more likely to have osteoarthritis (obese: 34 percent) 70 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure (obese: up to 170 percent)” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life(The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 4
“What You Eat NOW Has a Profound Effect on What You’ll Eat LATER Scientists at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University found that eating foods that elevate your blood sugar trigger intense cravings for carbohydrates later on. In other words, eating a cookie begets eating more cookies and so on. Eating carbohydrates like baked goods and pasta or sugary foods, they say, promotes greater calorie consumption, not just now, but during the rest of the day. In 2008, the British Journal of Nutrition reported that consuming high-quality protein early in the day results in more sustained fullness compared with eating similar meals in the evening. A similar study at Purdue University found that men on a calorie-restricted diet had their hunger satisfied the longest when they were given extra protein at breakfast.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 5
“Protein is recommended for several reasons. It fills you up, it digests more slowly than fast-absorbing carbs do, it spurs lean muscle growth, and it even elevates fat burn, as research continues to prove.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 5
“A study in the International Journal of Obesity determined that eating two eggs in the morning promotes weight loss. In the experiment, overweight subjects ate a 340-calorie breakfast of either two eggs or a single bagel 5 days a week for 8 weeks. Those who ate these inexpensive protein-packed wonders, the study found, lost 65 percent more weight than the bagel eaters, with no effect on their cholesterol or triglyceride levels.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 5
“Whole grains work, too. A 2009 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that a calorie-controlled diet rich in whole grains trimmed extra fat from the waistline of obese subjects. Study participants who ate all whole grains (in addition to five servings of fruits and vegetables, three servings of low-fat dairy, and two servings of lean meat, fish, or poultry) lost more weight from the abdominal area than another group that ate the same diet, but with all refined grains.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 5
“Another new study in the journal Obesity finds that people who eat nuts just twice a week are about 30 percent less likely to gain weight than people who rarely eat nuts. Similar research from the City of Home National Medical Center in Duarte, California, determined that study participants who ate a few ounces of almonds every day lost 6½ inches from their waists in 24 weeks, 50 percent more than dieters who ate the same number of calories without the fiber-rich nuts.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 6
“Weigh yourself. Checking the scale can be motivating. In a study of 3,500 people who maintained 60 or more pounds of weight loss for at least a year, researchers from the National Weight Control Registry found that 44 percent weighed themselves every day. Another study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that overweight people are six times more likely to lose weight if they weigh themselves at least once a day.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 6.
“Eat, then write. People who kept a food diary lost twice as much weight as those who didn’t, according to a study of 1,685 overweight or obese adults at Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 6
“Walk to the water fountain. An Australian study showed that workers who sit for more than 6 hours a day were up to 68 percent more likely to be overweight or obese than those who sat less. The take-home advice: Get out of your chair and move around more. If you work on a computer all day, consider raising the screen and keyboard so that you can stand and do your work.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 6
“Leave something on your plate. Cleaning your plate makes for large bellies. In a Cornell University survey, researchers found that the heaviest participants said they stopped eating not when they felt full but when they felt they had made a significant dent in what they thought was a normal-sized plate of food.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 6
“Chew, chew, chew chew. Dutch researchers found that people who chewed large bites of food for 3 seconds consumed 52 percent more food before feeling full than those who chewed smaller bites for 9 seconds. Eating slower and talking between swallows also reduces calorie consumption, studies show.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 6
“A combination order of whole grains and regular exercise adds up to a greater belly-fat loss. In a study conducted by researchers at Penn State University, 50 obese subjects were split into two groups. One was instructed to eat whole grains as their only grain choices; the other was told to avoid whole grains. Both groups were encouraged to do moderate exercise. After 12 weeks, the exercisers who ate whole grains lost a significantly larger percentage of belly fat than those who ate refined grains. Furthermore, their levels of C-reactive protein, a warning signal of heart disease and diabetes, had dropped by 38 percent, while the people who avoided whole-grain foods saw no change in their CRP levels.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 7
“A 2008 study at the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Connecticut suggests a similar strategy for triggering the body to burn more fat. In an experiment, two groups of men were instructed to do resistance training while following either a low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet. After 12 weeks, the lifters who reduced their intake of carbohydrates lost an average of 17 pounds of fat, twice as much as the lifters who followed the low-fat plan. What’s more, each member of the low-carb group gained about 2 pounds of lean muscle. “Restricting carbohydrates forces your body to burn fat instead of sugar,” says study author and assistant professor Jeff Volek, PhD. And doing so will work as effectively for you as it did for the men in this particular study. The eating plan in this book will show you exactly how to reduce consumption of empty carbs and properly fuel your body for a metabolic lift.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 7
“Eating a breakfast of slow-burning carbohydrates like oats can significantly improve calorie-burn during exercise, according to a study at the University of Nottingham reported in 2009 in the Journal of Nutrition. When active people were given a breakfast of low-glycemic index foods 3 hours before embarking on a 60-minute run, the amount of fat they burned during exercise was 55 percent higher than when they ate a high-carb, high-glycemic breakfast.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 7
“Recently, British researchers measured the effect of eating a protein-rich snack after a workout versus a high-carbohydrate snack: Those who consumed 43 grams of protein in a low-carb snack burned 21 percent more fat than the subjects who chugged a sugary post-workout drink. Not only do you expend more energy processing protein than carbs, but the amino acids in protein may lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in your blood, which could boost your metabolic rate, say scientists at Syracuse University.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 8
“Italian researchers found that eating as little as 1 cup of raw vegetables daily can add 2 years to your life. What does raw have to do with it? They say that cooking depletes up to 30 percent of the disease-fighting antioxidants in vegetables. Here’s a quick way to get your quota: Fill a ziplock bag with chopped red and green peppers, broccoli and carrots, and toss them into your work bag with a packet of dressing for an easy lunch. The fat in the dressing will boost your body’s absorption of certain nutrients.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 8
“Green tea may help exercisers burn more belly fat, according to a 2009 study from the American Society of Nutrition. The 12-week study showed that subjects who drank green tea and did 180 minutes of moderately intense exercise per week lost twice as much weight as people who exercised but didn’t drink the catechin-rich beverage. The green-tea group also had larger declines in total abdominal fat, subcutaneous abdominal fat, and triglycerides.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 8
“When researchers at Loma Linda University tracked the eating habits of 34,000 Seventh-Day Adventists—a population famous for its longevity—they discovered that those who ate nuts (an Abs Diet Powerfood!) 5 days a week tended to outlive those who didn’t eat nuts by 3 years. Scientists believe the monounsaturated fats and fiber in the nuts provide a longevity benefit and help keep weight in check.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 9
“Research reported in the journal Phytochemistry shows that eating elder berries can help people avoid the flu and may even be effective against H1N1. A different study at UCLA suggests that eating broccoli sprouts triggers nasal cells to produce antioxidants, which can fight off allergies.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 9
“A new report by Duke University researchers shows that patients who have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a problem in which excess blood sugar converts to fat in your liver, can actually reverse their disease by making easy dietary changes. Simply by swapping whole grains and fruits for fast-absorbing sugars and starches, these people were able to lose weight and eliminate visceral fat deposits.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 9
“The blubber around your organs, known as visceral fat, is more likely than surface fat to cause disease. Now a new study in Obesity shows that exercise is crucial for keeping visceral fat off. In the study, people who lost belly weight and exercised 80 minutes a week didn’t regain visceral fat after a year. Subjects who stopped working out, but who still kept a healthy weight, had 25 percent more of the dangerous fat.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 9
“A 2009 review of studies at Arizona State University examining the effects of exercise on depression found that people who participated in exercise treatment had significantly lower depression scores than clinically depressed people who did not exercise.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 9
“Strength training for four days a week for 13 weeks decreased lower back pain in chronic sufferers by nearly 30 percent, according to a recent report given at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 10
“Two other fitness-related studies show that regular exercise relieves constipation in people with irritable bowel syndrome and cigarette cravings in ex-smokers.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 10
“One recent study at the University of Arkansas demonstrated that exercisers who did shorter, high-intensity workouts had a 20 percent reduction in dangerous visceral (deep abdominal) fat after 3 months compared to no change in people who did longer workouts at a moderate pace. Researchers say that alternating short bursts of fast walking with slower segments can burn an average of 25 percent more calories.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 10
“A Penn State University study found that people who lifted weights while following a program of diet and aerobic exercise had the same weight loss as those who only dieted (or who dieted and performed aerobic exercise). The difference? The lifters lost 5 pounds more fat because almost none of their weight loss came from muscle.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 10
“In a 2009 study at the University of Oklahoma, exercise physiologists put a group of people on a resistance-training program that consisted of three workouts a week for 14 weeks. At the end of the study, the participants experienced significant improvements in weight loss and a reduction in waist circumference. The most significant change, however, was in fasting insulin levels, which decreased dramatically.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 10
“Another new study demonstrated the belly-fat-frying benefit of adding weight training to a vigorous walking or jogging routine. In the 12-week experiment at Skidmore College, exercisers who did a high-intensity total-body resistance workout along with cardio lost four times as much belly fat when compared with exercisers who only did cardio workouts. The researchers attribute the extra fat loss to two things: the stepped-up calorie burn you get immediately after lifting weights and later when you increase your lean muscle mass. Whenever you lose weight, it typically comes from both fat and muscle tissue. Resistance training helps you maintain muscle, which prevents a slowdown in your metabolism. A 2009 study from The College of New Jersey offers further support: Participants who performed an intense weight workout before riding a stationary bike burned more fat during the cardio session than other subjects who pedaled but skipped the weight workout. TCNJ researchers speculate that weight training triggers the release of hormones that burn fat.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Paige 11
“In any case, abdominal fat doesn’t just sit there and do nothing; it’s active. It functions like a separate organ, releasing substances that can be harmful to your body. For instance, it releases free fatty acids that impair your ability to break down the hormone insulin (too much insulin in your system can lead to diabetes). Fat also secretes substances that increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes, as well as the stress hormone cortisol (high levels of cortisol are also associated with diabetes and obesity as well as with high blood pressure). Abdominal fat bears the blame for many health problems because it resides within striking distance of your heart, liver, and other organs—pressing on them, feeding them poisons, and messing with their daily function.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page11
“A flat stomach is the hallmark of people in control of their bodies and, as such, in control of their health.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page12
“Michael Jenson, MD, a professor of medicine in the division of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at the Mayo Clinic, calculated this breakdown of how your body processes food. 10 percent to the kidneys. Kidneys work to make sure the blood is balanced with the right amounts of water and nutrients. 5-10 percent to the heart. The heart gets most of its energy from fat, which provides more long-term energy for the hardworking heart than glucose can. 23 percent to the liver, pancreas, spleen, and adrenal glands. After the liver pulls out nutrients, it stores excess calories as glycogen. 25 percent to muscles. Muscles require a constant source of energy just to maintain their mass, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. 10 percent to the brain. Glucose is brain fuel. It can’t be stored long term, which is why people often feel faint if they skip a meal. 10 percent to thermogenesis. The simple act of breaking down the food you just ate takes up one-tenth of your calories. 2-3 percent to fat cells. Your fat cells grow and eventually divide as more and more calories are deposited. 10 percent to no one knows where. Your body’s a big place, and some calories go unaccounted for.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker).
“When you’re in great shape, you’re telling the world that you’re a disciplined, motivated, confident, and healthy person—and hence a desirable partner.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page13
“A Canadian study of more than 8,000 people found that over 13 years, the people with the weakest abdominal muscles had a death rate more than twice as high as those with the strongest midsections.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page13
“For example, the incidence of cancer among obese patients is 33 percent higher than among lean ones, according to a Swedish study. The World Health Organization estimates that up to one-third of cancers of the colon, kidney, and digestive tract are caused by being overweight and inactive.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page14
“Federal health surveys show that, as of 2008, the average American man’s waist measures around 40 inches, an increase of 5 inches compared with 40 years ago. In the past four decades, the average American woman’s waist size has grown from 30 inches to 37 inches.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page13
“And having an excess of belly fat is especially dangerous. See, cancer is caused by mutations that occur in cells as they divide. Fat tissue in your abdomen spurs your body to produce hormones that prompt your cells to divide. More cell division means more opportunities for cell mutations, which means more cancer risk.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page14
“It is estimated that 23 million Americans now have type 2 diabetes, and one-quarter of them don’t even know it. In addition, 57 million more Americans may have pre-diabetes. Fat, especially belly fat, bears the blame. There’s a misconception that diabetes comes only from eating too much-refined sugar, like the kind in chocolate and ice cream. But people develop diabetes after years of eating high-carbohydrate foods that are easily converted into sugar—foods like white bread, pasta, and mashed potatoes.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page14
“The calories you can’t burn are what convert into the fat cells that pad your gut and leave you with a disease that, if untreated, can lead to blindness, heart attacks, strokes, amputation, and death.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page14
“A study tracking 1,400 diabetic people for 9 years found that just trying to lose weight could cut diabetes-related death risk by up to 30 percent.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page14
“Upper-body obesity is also the most significant risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which the soft tissue in the back of your throat collapses during sleep, blocking your airway. When that happens, your brain signals you to wake up and start breathing again. As you nod off once more, the same thing happens, and it can continue hundreds of times during the night—making you chronically groggy and unable to get the rest your body needs.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page14
“Fat’s role is that it can impede muscles that inflate and ventilate the lungs, forcing you to work harder to get enough air. When Australian researchers studied 313 patients with severe obesity, they found that 62 percent of them with a waist circumference of 49 inches or more had a serious sleep disturbance and that 28 perecnt of obese patients with smaller waists (35 to 49 inches) had sleep problems.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page14
“A 3-year French study of 67,229 women found that being overweight doubled the risk of asthma.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 15
“When Dutch researchers studied nearly 6,000 men, they found that those whose waistlines measured 37 to 40 inches had a significantly increased risk of respiratory problems, such as wheezing, chronic coughing, and shortness of breath.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 15
“Because most back pain is related to weak muscles in your trunk, maintaining a strong midsection can help resolve many back issues. The muscles that crisscross your midsection don’t function in isolation; they weave through your torso like a spiderweb, even attaching to your spine. When your abdominal muscles are weak, the muscles in your butt (your glutes) and along the backs of your legs (your hamstrings) have to compensate for the work your abs should be doing. The effect, besides promoting bad company morale for the muscles picking up the slack, is that it destabilizes the spine and eventually leads to back pain and strain—or even more serious back problems.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 19
“A 2009 study in the American Journal of Public Health found that people who get enough sleep to feel rested have healthier diets than those who get insufficient sleep. The researchers say sleep-deprived people exhibit lower levels of leptin (the hormone that suppresses appetite) and higher levels of ghrelin (the hormone that makes you hungry).” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 21
“Aim for 7 or more hours of sleep each night. A large study of adults found that people who sleep at least 7 hours have the lowest risk of mortality.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page21
“Exercise in the afternoon. It can take 6 hours for your body temperature to cool enough after exercising to promote sleep onset.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 21
“HAVING A BIG belly and a fatty neck can trigger chronic loud snoring and its partner, a sleep disorder called sleep apnea. People who have sleep apnea literally stop breathing for a few seconds to more than a minute sometimes hundreds of times a night, disrupting their slumber. They end up feeling exhausted the next morning. Losing weight can often help remedy the problem so you can get a better night’s sleep. Exercise helps, too. Australian researchers found that people who lifted weights three times a week for 8 weeks experienced a 23 percent improvement in their sleep quality.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 21
“If stress is what’s causing restless nights, exercise is one of the best things you can do to stop worries from keeping you up. In one study, Texas A&M University scientists found that the fittest people exhibited lower levels of stress hormones in their bloodstreams than subjects who were least fit.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 21
“When you pack on extra padding around your gut, your heart pumps harder to force blood into all that new fatty tissue. When you nosh on potato chips and other high-sodium foods, your body retains water in order to dilute the excess sodium, increasing overall blood volume. When you line your arteries with a plaque from too many fatty meals, pressure increases as the same amount of blood has to squeeze through newly narrowed vessels. When you let the pressures of the day haunt you into the night, your brain pumps out stress hormones that keep your body in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight anxiousness, also forcing your heart to pump harder. High-salt, high-fat diets and an excess of stress all combine to create a dangerous situation.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 22
“When the pressure remains high for years on end, thin-walled vessels in the brain can burst under extreme pressure; brain cells die as a result in what’s known as a hemorrhagic stroke. Or hypertension can cause plaque buildup in one of the brain’s arteries, eventually cutting off blood flow. (High blood pressure damages smooth artery walls, creating anchor points for plaque to latch onto.) Kidney failure or a heart attack can also follow from dangerous plaque accumulations.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 22
“Over time, the extra work brought on by high blood pressure causes the walls of the heart to stiffen and thicken. The heart becomes a less efficient pump, unable to push out as much blood as it takes in. Blood backs up, the heart gives out, and the coroner scribbles “congestive heart failure” on your chart.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 23
“Ideally, your blood pressure should be lower than 120/80. What do those numbers mean? The top number, called the systolic pressure, is the pressure generated when the heartbeats. The bottom number is the diastolic pressure, the pressure on your blood vessels when the heart is resting between beats.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 23
“Higher readings are broken out into three categories: Prehypertensive: 120-139 systolic/80-89 diastolic. Prehypertensives should start worrying about their BP, focusing on diet and exercise tips like those found in this book. You may not see the flashing lights in your mirror right now, but your radar detector just went off. Time to slow down. Stage I hypertensive: 140-159 systolic/90-99 diastolic. For people who fall in this range, drug therapy is usually recommended in addition to lifestyle changes. Your risk of heart attack or stroke is elevated, and you need to be under a doctor’s care. Stage II hypertensive: 160 or greater systolic/100 or greater diastolic. Advanced drug therapy is often a must for people at this level, who face a serious risk of being maimed or killed by their condition.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 23
“Cut salt, slice bananas. A study published in a 2009 edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that a combination of eating more potassium-rich foods while reducing sodium intake lowered blood pressure more effectively than doing any one of those strategies alone. The study at Loyola University showed that cardiovascular disease increased by 50 percent for participants with a high sodium-to-potassium ratio in their blood. Potassium helps sweep excess sodium from the circulatory system, causing the blood vessels to dilate. Studies show that not getting at least 2,000 milligrams of potassium daily can set you up for high blood pressure. Other good sources of potassium are sweet potatoes, spinach, raisins, papayas, lima beans, and tomatoes.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 23
“Make it a low-sodium V8. Make that two 5.5-ounce cans: 11 ounces of V8 contains nearly 1,240 milligrams of potassium. The tomato juice also contains lycopene and lutein, two phytochemicals that have their own blood pressure-lowering properties.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 24
“Reduce your consumption of cold cuts. One slice of ham contains 240 milligrams of sodium, more salt than you’ll find on the outside of two pretzel rods. The point: Lose the lunchmeat, and lower your blood pressure. A recent study found that prehypertensive people who reduced their daily sodium consumption from 3,300 to 1,500 milligrams knocked nearly 6 points off their systolic blood pressure and close to 3 off their diastolic.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 24
“If a food comes canned or jarred, it’s probably a salt mine.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 24
“Top your toast. Black currant jelly is a good source of quercetin, an antioxidant that Finnish researchers believe may improve heart health by preventing the buildup of the free radicals that can damage arterial walls and allow plaque to penetrate.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 24
“Have a Mac(intosh) attack. Men who frequently eat apples have a 20 percent lower risk of developing heart disease than men who eat apples less often.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 25
“Eat fresh berries. Raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries are all loaded with salicylic acid—the same heart disease fighter found in aspirin.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 25
“Order the tuna. Omega-3 fats in tuna and other fish as well as flaxseed help strengthen the heart muscle, lower blood pressure, prevent clotting, and reduce levels of potentially deadly inflammation in the body.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 25
“Eat oatmeal, an Abs Diet Powerfood! In two large and long-term studies, people who ate whole-grain foods instead of refined carbs significantly lowered their risk of hypertension.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 25
“Squeeze a grapefruit. One grapefruit a day can reduce arterial narrowing by 46 percent, lower your bad cholesterol level by more than 10 percent, and help drop your blood pressure by more than 5 points.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 25
“Snack on pumpkin seeds. One ounce of seeds contains 151 mg of magnesium, more than a third of your recommended daily intake. Magnesium deficiencies have been linked to most risk factors for heart disease, including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, and increased buildup of plaque in the arteries. Other great sources: halibut (170 milligrams in 7 ounces of fish), brown rice (1 cup, 84 milligrams), chickpeas (1 cup, 79 milligrams), cashews (1 ounce, 74 milligrams), and artichokes (one gives you 72 milligrams).” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean forLife (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 25
“THIS SIMPLE SHOPPING LIST will give you everything you need to dive right into the New Abs Diet and the New Abs Diet Workout. BUY ONCE Blender Ground flaxseed, 1 pint Multivitamins, such as Centrum, 1 jar BASIC SHOPPING LIST—THE ABS DIET POWER 12 AND RELATED FOODS Almonds, slivered or whole Beans of choice Spinach, fresh or frozen Dairy (fat-free or low-fat milk and vanilla yogurt) Instant oatmeal (unsweetened, unflavored) Eggs Turkey, sliced Peanut butter, all-natural (no added sugar) Olive oil Whole-grain breads and cereals Extra-protein (whey) powder, vanilla and chocolate, 1-quart containers Raspberries, fresh and frozen Plus: Black beans Blueberries, frozen Canned tuna Cannellini beans Chicken breast Craisins (dried, sweetened cranberries) Garbanzo beans Grapefruit Green vegetables of choice Italian salad greens Lean ground beef Long-grain rice Mixed greens Pecans Pine nuts Roasted cashews and peanuts, unsalted Shrimp, frozen Strawberries, fresh or frozen Trout, smoked salmon, or other lean fish of choice Whole-wheat pasta SHOPPING LIST-INGREDIENTS FOR RECIPES (SEE RECIPES FOR INDIVIDUAL AMOUNTS) Avocado Baby carrots Balsamic and red wine vinegars Bananas Barbecue sauce Basil Beef jerky Brown rice Canadian bacon Canned chicken stock Canned mandarin orange slices Canned peeled tomatoes Canned pumpkin Cantaloupe Carnation Instant Breakfast packets Cayenne pepper Celery Chili powder Chives Chocolate syrup Cilantro Cinnamon Corn, frozen Cornmeal Cucumber Curry powder Dijon mustard Dried chili mix Fat-free mayonnaise Flat bread Flour French baguette French green beans Fresh ginger Garlic Green and red bell peppers Ground buffalo Guacamole Housin sauce Honey Honeydew melon Honey-wheat English muffins Instant grits Italian-seasoned bread crumbs Italian seasoning Jalapeño peppers Ketchup Lean sirloin steak Lean sliced roast beef Lemons and limes Lemon juice concentrate, frozen Low-fat balsamic vinaigrette, ranch, and Thousand Island salad dressings Low-fat ice cream (vanilla and butter pecan) Low-fat Italian salad dressing packet Maple syrup Mexican-style tomatoes Mint, fresh or dried Mushrooms Navy beans Onions, green, red, and white Onion soup mix Orange juice Oranges Oregano Paprika Parsley Peanut oil Pork chops, boneless Portobello mushrooms Prosciutto Red pepper flakes Reduced-fat cheese (American, blue cheese, Cheddar, cottage, cream, feta, mozzarella, ricotta, Swiss) Raisin bread Raisins Red and Granny Smith apples Reduced-sodium soy sauce Roasted red peppers Romaine lettuce Rosemary Rye bread Salsa Saltine crackers or bread crumbs Sauerkraut Spaghetti sauce Stir-fry sauce Steel-cut oats Sweet corn Tabasco sauce Tomatoes Tomato sauce Tortilla chips Trans fat-free margarine Turkey bacon Turkey sausage Watermelon Whole-wheat pitas Whole-wheat toaster waffles Whole-wheat tortillas Worcestershire sauce” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and TedSpiker). Page 26
“FOR AT-HOME EXERCISE (A GYM SHOULD HAVE ALL NECESSARY EQUIPMENT) Exercise mat (optional) Flat bench (optional but recommended) One or two pairs of medium-weight dumbbells (5 to 25 pounds for someone with some experience lifting weights; lighter for beginners) Running shoes Swiss ball (optional but recommended) Exercise bands for resistance training while traveling or at home.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and TedSpiker). Page 28
“According to the National Institutes of Health, a waistline larger than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women signals the significant risk of heart disease and diabetes.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 13
“Change your oil. Researchers in India found that men who replaced the corn and vegetable oils in their kitchens with monounsaturated fats (olive oil or, in this case, sesame seed oil) lowered their blood pressure by more than 30 points in just 60 days without making any other changes in their diets.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 25
“Eat oatmeal, an Abs Diet Powerfood! In two large and long-term studies, people who ate whole-grain foods instead of refined carbs significantly lowered their risk of hypertension.” The New Abs Diet: The 6-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life (The Abs Diet) (David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker). Page 25