Read this post in the pinned Mythbuster thread:
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=23708601

Start increasing your energy usage by doing labour work, exercise, cardio, resistance training or all of the above.

And come join us in the bodybuilding thread. Don't be afraid to get flamed. At least you'll learn a lot of things. =P

This post has been edited by iamyuanwu: Jun 11 2009, 09:32 PM

Stich,
Cardio don't give you abs lah. Cardio uses up energy, which can help burn fat. Rope skipping, jumping jacks, burpees (this is very good), push ups, squat, frog jumps, etc.

Here a good programme:
http://simplefit.org
Explore the website first before you ask questions.
Can work or not? If you follow it and level up, it works very well.

You need to eat the proper way to get rid of the tummy.
------------
GUYS, I AM GONNA RECOMMEND NOT ONE, BUT 2 BEST ABS EXERCISES EVER THAT CAN ALSO SAVE YOUR BACK!

Sit ups & crunches will give you back pain, sooner or later. especially for people who sit all day long (i.e. fat people, thin people, low level of fitness, students, office workers, myself, etc). They must worry about their buttocks and back. If these people do crunches and sit ups like no tomorrow, they're gonna have back aches in the future.

zOMG!! So what to do now?!

THE 2 PERFECT SOLUTIONS:
1. Start with this exercise: BACK BRIDGE. Whole body from shoulders to knees must be straight like a pencil: no arch, no sagging, no bending, just straight. Hold for 2 minutes, repeat 3x.
http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15770653 <---clickety-click!

2. And then this abs exercise THE PLANK (aka prone bridge). Again, whole body from head to legs must be straight like a pencil: no arch, no sagging, no bending, just straight (to prevent back pain).
Do NOT do sit ups after this, unless you want to injure your spine.
Hold for 2 minutes. Repeat 3x.
http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercises_10.htm <---clickety-click!

You can also rotate the exercises whatever way you choose.
After you become FITTER and STRONGER, then go ahead and move on to other abs exercises.

P.S. I'm grinning now, because I know many of you wouldn't be able to complete both these easy-peasy exercises. =P Nyek nyek nyek! If you can complete 2 minutes, please post a video to prove it!

These two are to strengthen your abs and back, and tone up the muscles there. They won't burn a lot of fat. You'll need to eat right and increase energy usage to burn fat.

This post has been edited by iamyuanwu: Jun 19 2009, 08:29 PM

Read what I mentioned about sit ups. Office warriors flex [forward] their spines too much and too often (rounded backs, slouching, hunched back.) You still want to do sit ups, which is essentially the same thing as slouching (on the floor)? I still suggest you try the plank once to feel its true powah. Your abs will be working like no tomorrow.

If you want to do it, please at least add the back bridge to your routine. 3 times, 2 minutes each time.

If you do a lot of sit ups, please strengthen the back and butt with the back bridge.
Please do the back bridge for your back's sake.

The reason I don't like sit ups (whether the right or wrong way) is because most people sit with bad posture. The abs is already in a contracted position all day long! Why contract it more with sit ups and crunches, kan? Long term, it's bad for the spine.
The back bridge (and the plank) helps you to learn to keep your body straight, not curved in or out.

Over-eat vege instead of junk food.

You might have done it wrongly.
WRONG--->back accidentally arched, making your stomach sag towards the floor, and your buttock pointing the sky.
CORRECT---> back straight, butt not pointing the sky, no curve down or curve up of the back.

Are you sure your as straight as possible? Ask someone to look from the side.
If your stomach sag down... stop and reset. I did mention that being straight is to prevent back injury, didn't I?

Take a photo/video of yourself doing plank and push up and see for yourself. Is it the as straight as the link I posted?

Don't forget the back bridge. It is more important than the plank.

It may be a good exercise, but if it still hurts... please STOP doing it. Perhaps you might want to check with a doctor and do an x-ray if you think the problem is serious.
-----

P.S. Crap, I sound like a promoter paid to shove 2 products into someone's throat. X^D

This post has been edited by iamyuanwu: Jun 16 2009, 10:11 PM

Coconut oil is damn good. Virgin coconut oil.

But nasi lemak and mamak food is not cooked with coconut oil.

Can eat choc. You pandai pandai lah adjust. Like that also have to ask meh.
Eat the bitter ones. The sweet chocolates we have in Msia are rubbish. All sugar, a bit of cocoa powder, and lots palm oil.
Seriously, they shouldn't even qualify as chocolates. But Msians are stupid. X^D

Yes, fat gets oxidised (and a few other processes I forgot) after heating. But saturated oil (e.g. coconut oil, palm oil) are more resistant to heating.

Google books preview:
Deep fat frying: fundamentals and applications. Preview it at around pg 38
http://books.google.com/books?id=rxgx93JLYOwC

Food chemistry. Preview from pg 218 onwards
http://books.google.com/books?id=UKoUuHqBQ_0C

Coconut milk nutritional data:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/nut-and...products/3113/2

kurbkob,
Dude, coconut milk is santan lah!
Just go to mamak or malay kedai runcit and ask them to grate a dry coconut's meat. Go home and press/squish the grated coconut meat. There you go: coconut milk a.k.a. santan. But it goes bad real fast. Must consume within half a day.
Or just go to supermarket and buy santan in a can.

Cholesterol check in a lab (pay). Or go to a medical school and have those medicine students take a reading (probably free if you've got kawan). Blood sample needed.

As for santan, I cannot be sure if it has the same effect as coconut oil. My lecturers were all too concerned about chasing the fad of researching 'minyak kelapa dara' and promptly forgot about santan.

No harm experimenting. (santan has got some protein in it too!)

But I wonder why nasi lemak can cause high cholesterol levels when consume for long term. I have no concrete proof for this, but anecdotal evidence from people I talk to.

This post has been edited by iamyuanwu: Jun 18 2009, 10:33 AM

Pokeat,
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=26608921
Could've just gone back 2 pages and read a bit.

Stich,
Yes, it is. Rope skipping is very good. Can also improve coordination.

Yoecr7,
Eat right and a lot, do resistance training, and sleep early everyday.
Tahu pun your eating habit is fxcked up.

LOL at the way you say it. Very humourous!
Good reply. At least you're more patient with him. X^D

Pokeat,
Well, I didn't say crunches don't work. Just that they are not the best exercise for people who sit a lot. If it works for you, then it's good.
Please do back bridge in between your crunches ya. For your back's sake.

If you duck walk for a mile, then yes... it's a good cardio. If duck walk for 5 minutes, then you [if you're 50kg] probably just burned up 50-100 kcal (which is like 1 batang of banana).
15 floors of staircase in 5 minutes just burns 50++ kcal for me.

stich,
Frankly speaking, 50x2 of rope skipping is not a lot. That's about 1-2 minutes.
Maybe you want to consider repeating 10x ?
(I simply put a number there. You pandai-pandailah scale it to your ability).