Abs are made in the kitchen: ‘cutting’ and how it works

So, the painful truth has been revealed that to lose weight and firm up the secret is 80% diet and only 20% exercise. I don’t know about you but I find this difficult to accept and even more difficult to execute. For years I thought my gym membership was my answer to an ab-tastic life. Little did I know, while it was still important, it definitely wasn’t what I should’ve been 100% focused on.

Cutting has been something I am constantly seeing on Instagram accounts of fitspo royalty such as @gracefituk and it got me wondering what it was all about.

Through my searching and deciphering of various complicated explanations, I think I have understood the basic concept of it. When on a cut, the aim is to eliminate certain food types in order to achieve low body fat levels which will ultimately (fingers crossed) lead to a more defined and toned physique. In more complicated words, you are putting your body into calorific deficit for a specific time period.

For example, the best options are to cut out:

1. Refined carbs: these are white carbs which spike insulin levels in the body and actually make you store fat instead of burn it.
2. Sugar: while it is a refined carb, I feel that it deserves its own number bullet. This is my killer. My name is Lucy and I am a massive sugar addict!! I can’t get enough but the damage it causes to weight loss efforts is enormous and at the end of the day, I have to ask my self what is the important thing here 😛
3. Gluten: over the past few years, this ingredient has caused major controversy in the fitsphere. Should it be cut? Yes, my friends, it should! This core killer found foods such as  bread, pasta and cereals can cause a load of health problems including bloating, fatigue, inflammation in the intestine and not to mention it stimulates appetite. Glexit? I vote leave.

So, you might be asking what does that leave for me to eat so I don’t starve. The answer is protein, veg, good fats such as avocados and nuts and WATER ( so, so important to drink gallons!)

As I said in my introduction piece, this section has been set up to not only help you guys but me as well. So in true fashion of practising what I preach, I have decided to see whether I can keep up this cutting malarkey, paired with my regular gym routine, for three solid weeks  hopefully returning to uni nice and toned.

I will be posting weekly progress update posts so we can all see if this is just another fitness myth or a miracle worker.

Wish me luck . . .