Trying to see my abs

[CougheeBean]

I appreciate MN may not be the best forum for this but as it's the only one I have an account with...

I need to tone up and lose about 1/2 a stone, ideally I'd like to see abs! I'm counting calories on MFP and try and stick within 1200 (except sundays) and carb cycling so I eat low carb high protein on less exhausting days and slightly more carbs for energy on busier days. My exercise week looks like this:

Monday: c25k, strength training (40m Jillian Michaels video)
Tuesday: 1 hour yoga or 90 min kickboxing class
Wednesday: c25k
Thursday 1 hour yoga or 90 min kickboxing class
Friday: c25k
Saturday: 90 min kickboxing class
Sunday: 1 hour yoga

I feel like I need more strength training to really tone up but I'm not sure how, I'm shattered from all this already. Am I too heavy on the cardio?

Yoga is combination of body weight etc tho well I suppose what one you do really ? I have daily yoga on my phone I do that and it knocks me out as you can choose the different programmed etc I can't get out the house to hit the sessions!

Maybe combine yoga
cut yoga a bit short and do a bit with strength training?

Whilst you can increase the size of your abs through strength training, the only realistic way to properly see them is by having a low body fat % (mostly achieved by eating well)

Significant reduction of your body fat will not Be maintainable long term. Calorie deficit will eventually reveal your abdominal muscle tissue. Is there a reason you want to get that low in body fat? Thinking of competing or a photo shoot

Abs are made in the kitchen I'm afraid ! (My current big bear also so I feel your pain)

Yes, I agree with Sparkle and Strong.

I’m a fitness instructor and PT. You can’t ‘spot reduce’ fat from a specific area of the body. You can certainly improve your core strength but the only way that definition will be seen is through fat loss. Depending on where you tend to naturally carry most of your fat, that might require quite drastic fat loss. I carry spare fat around my middle and have never been able to see my abs.
I managed to get down to about 18-20% body fat at one point, and could see a suggestion of abs for the first time. Very hard to maintain that body fat % though!

If you are already finding your regime tiring, don’t do any more! If you overtrain then you won’t be able to train at all and that would be frustrating!

But you could swap a cardio session for a strength session. If you lift heavy and do deadlift, deadrows and squats, that will help accelerate fat loss.

Also, re cardio: interval training work is more efficient for fat burning than slower, steady distance. So for example, 15 minutes of interval sprints may well be more effective than 30 minutes of steady plodding on a treadmill.

Most people at a healthy weight need to lose a lot more than 8 lbs to see their abs. Seeing abs = very low body weight. Very unfit Anorexics routinely get to see their abs.

The scientist part of me would like to know what BMI I need to reach to get to see my abs (18?). The human part of me doesn't think that would be much fun!

I’m not sure about BMI but a woman would need to have around 15-19% body fat to see abs definition. This is in contrast with the recommended healthy level for women, which is 20-25%

In other words, the only way for most women to get and maintain visible abs, is through a strict high protein diet with carbs only on training days. And lots of fat burning interval work.

I'd suggest doing some proper strength training
even so being muscular and having low body fat can be challenging

Loose weight=see abs..

The girls with big abs in my gym eat A lot. like 2500 cals , eating every 3 hrs (meat and veggies and protein shakes) they seem to have just bulked their muscles to a point of them being visible rather than going to crazy low body fat (although I'm sure they're still on the low end)