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The Proven Formula To Losing Your Stomach Fat
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, January 21, 2010 • 55 Comments
Do you workout but your one problem area never seems to go away…your belly fat? If you’ve been on a quest for a flat belly or even a six pack, it’s what you don’t know that may be sabotaging your efforts of budging that stubborn fat off your stomach. The right information can be the difference between looking at your same old belly a few months from now or seeing a brand new you with flat abs you haven’t seen since your high school days. Find out what’s keeping you from losing your gut.
First and foremost if you’ve been doing various ab exercises in hopes of reducing fat surrounding your stomach…you need to stop. I’m talking all traditional ab exercises like crunches, sit ups, side bends, weighted sit ups, bicycle sit ups, side crunches…anything that involves you doing some type of torso twisting or bending. These ab exercises don’t do much other than wreck your posture and put unnecessary strain on your lower back. Here’s the thing, flexing (bending) your spine isn’t what your ab muscles are supposed to do. The real function of your ab muscles are to maintain midline stability. Basically, your abs are there to protect your back from bending and twisting too much. It may seem contradictory at first, (especially if you’re a fan of ab exercises) but if you look at the functional anatomy of your abdominal muscles and spine, it completely makes sense. Here’s a quick overview.
Individual joints in your spine actually doesn’t have a lot of mobility, in fact the joints are primarily made to bear axial loading (along a straight axis), rather than shearing and twisting. So your spine can support heavy loads as long as it maintains neutral position which is it’s natural S curve. Any deviation from that position can put significant strain on the individual joints in your spine. It’s like the pillar of a house. The pillar can support the weight of the house simply because it’s structure can disperse the weight evenly along the pillar. But, once there’s a bend in the pillar, the weight can’t be evenly distributed anymore, and all of the weight gets put onto the small area where the bend occurred. Eventually the pillar can’t sustain the weight and it collapses. That’s essentially what happens when you injure your back. Excessive flexion of your spine only weakens the neutral curve (or the S curve) of your spine, so you can’t bear as much weight. So it makes sense to minimize excessive flexion of the spine.
Your abdominal muscles are attached to your spine, your ribs (both front and back), and your pelvis. The muscle fibers run in all directions, up and down, diagonal, criss cross, and horizontal. If your ab muscle were meant to flex (bend) your torso, don’t your think all of the fibers would just run up and down. If you look at all other skeletal muscles, they all have one direction, which is why it’s meant to flex and extend. Take a look at your bicep muscles, it runs up and down along your arm, so when you flex it, your elbow naturally bends. However, when you flex your torso, you’re essentially only activating one of six different ab muscles. In fact, the only way to activate all of your ab muscle at once is by bracing your stomach muscles like your about to get punched in the stomach. And the result of that action is spinal stabilization. It basically makes your spine more rigid, there by protecting it.
There are many ways to activate and strengthen your ab muscles, but none of them involve flexing (bending) your torso. Here’s a good sample exercise you can try, that gets your abs activated. Start on the floor in a plank position with both your elbows bent at 90 degrees. The only body parts touching the floor should be your elbows, forearm, hands and your feet. The torso should be in straight alignment without any slouch in your back or your butt up in the air. The goal is to maintain this neutral position for 60 seconds. Brace your abs, and lift one foot, one inch off the floor. Hold it for 15 seconds. Put it down and repeat with the other foot. Once you bring that foot down. Raise your arm off the floor and reach straight forward ahead of you. Extend you arm fully out in front of you along your head. While in this position, don’t tilt your body, hold a straight plank position. Hold that position for 15 seconds and bring it down and repeat with the other arm. If you were able to hold a perfect plank position for 60 seconds, while each part of your limb was lifted off the floor, you abs are in functional shape. Congratulations! But it you were unable to hold that position, you have some work to do! If you’re interested in learning more effective abdominal exercises my Max Workouts program has 12 challenging core stimulating exercises that effectively activates and strengthens your abs. But having strong functional abs aren’t enough to get you a flat stomach.
In order to effectively get flat abs you have to burn the fat from your stomach. The problem is you can’t target reduce fat. That means when you burn off fat, you burn it off from your entire body. But here’s the kicker, certain areas in your body are more resistant to fat burning for a specific reason…Insulin insensitivity. And one of the most common areas effected by insulin insensitivity is your belly.
How can one little hormone keep fat stored in your belly and not let it go? Normal functioning insulin actually helps you stay thin, by directing sugar and fat into areas of your body that need it, so your body can maintain a healthy balanced state. But, when your insulin gets abused, it stops doing it’s job and causes havoc in your body. And there lies the real problem of your stubborn belly fat.
Your insulin spikes every time you eat, since food is broken down into sugar and enters your bloodstream. However, depending on the type of food you eat, the level of insulin spike varies. The more you consume sugar or foods that break down quickly into sugars like pasta, bread, rice and other starchy foods, the more your insulin has to work. A repetitive constant demand for your insulin eventually causes it to loses it’s sensitivity and it stops working as it’s supposed to. Bottom line…insulin insensitivity causes more sugar to be in the blood stream and increases fat storage. And it just so happens that your belly has high numbers of fat receptors that accept fat deposited by insulin. So it’s a double whammy. Your poor diet causes your insulin to become insensitive which causes more calories to be consumed and more fat to be stored in your belly. If you think one donut or one candy bar won’t effect you…think again! Once you’re insulin insensitive, your body becomes even better at storing fat. So much so, that even a small amount of sugar you consume gets stored as fat!
Your only solution is to re-sensitize your insulin. And there’s two ways to do that - exercising at higher intensities and eating diet low in (refined) sugar. Studies have shown that exercise helps increase insulin sensitivity for up to 24 hours after exercising. However, they found that increasing the intensity of the exercise kept insulin sensitivity for up to 15 days afterwards. It’s also essential that you clean up your diet, by eliminating any refined sugars as well as significantly limiting the intake of starchy foods. Your best bet is to keep away from all foods that are processed, man-made, and/or packaged (and yes that includes fast foods!) which are heavy on simple carbohydrates (sugar and starches) and stick to (real foods) complex carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and whole grains (ie. quinoa, brown rice). Even though some fruits are higher in sugar, the fiber content in fruits help slow down the sugar entering your blood stream and helps reduce the insulin spike. Along with complex carbohydrates, make sure to consume enough lean protein from natural sources (ie. cold water fish) and healthy fats (ie. olive oil). Much like fiber, protein and fat help slow down the sugar uptake as well, helping insulin maintain healthy, steady blood sugar levels.
So there you have it. It may seem simple at first, but this information can really make a big difference if you apply it. A combination of high intensity exercises and a well balanced diet (low in refined sugar and processed foods), along with functional ab strengthening exercises, will finally help you burn off the stubborn belly fat and get you the flat abs you’ve been working for. If you want the formula for flat abs, check out my Max Workouts program. The workouts are based on high intensity strength circuit training and cardio interval training to fully maximize your body’s calorie burning potential. And since all of the workouts and exercises are systematically planned out, you don’t have to think about a thing.
Now that know how your ab muscles work, would you still do sit ups?
What are your thoughts on the insulin connection?
I’d love to hear what you think, so please leave a comment below.
About The Author
Shin Ohtake is a widely recognized strength coach and fitness & fat-loss expert. His unconventional, no-nonsense approach to getting fit has made him the go-to source for fitness enthusiasts and trainers alike. Shin is also the author of the world famous, MAX Workouts book, which has transformed and reshaped the bodies of thousands of people across the globe - without requiring hours in the gym. To learn more about how MAX Workouts can help you achieve your fitness goals, visit maxworkouts.com.
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55 Comments
Posted by angonita on 01/21 at 09:16 AM
please forward some pictures , examples of the ab exercise
Posted by mark wilshire on 01/21 at 09:16 AM
hi shin, never been into crunches,st-ups ect…. but since i aquired your max workouts plan, i have been slowly incorporating your core exercises i.e: side plank, med chops and plank twist and reach. the results are quite staggering ... very solid lower torso very quickly. initially i thought i was losing huge amounts of belly fat… but have come to realise its just tight(er) muscles underneath the fat! still feels great tho!! not really interested in a washboard stomach with a 6-pack showing, but the increase in core strentgh seems to be helping me in many areas of sport/fitness. Is it also true good core muscles help with back complaints and injurys?? as i am 6’3” with a long body, this should help me later in life i hope!! thanks for the great workouts, worth every penny (cent). mark (UK)
Posted by Theo on 01/21 at 09:18 AM
Hi I think it is great, would my insulin insensitivity ever go away? I want to reduce these foods from now on.
thanks
Posted by Gerald on 01/21 at 09:24 AM
Basically, Shin does not present any revolutionary techniques or theories. I do however utilize some MAX routines with clients looking to drop body fat.
Posted by Marat on 01/21 at 09:35 AM
I do not know much about how our muscles work but all the above said seems to be true and practical: 12 years ago at the age of 28 I was round about 120 kg, doing 2 hour 7 days per week Aiki-jutsu trainings. Should’ve seen my belly then! I decided to “lean up” a little and started doing crunches like some crazy robot - at that time I was able to do 200 crunches at a go…The result was: I looked like pregnant but with ab muscles hard as steel. You could punch me in the belly and break your fist.
April 2009, being 40 with some 105-107 kilos I decided to lower down a little and by now has reached 85kg, no belly just some left over side “flaps”. The approach was very much the same Mr Ohtake proposes: clean food + intensive trainings.
I like receiving info e-mails from Shin, very helpful, thank you very much.
Posted by Willa Ray on 01/21 at 09:39 AM
I never knew that about the Insulin.
Posted by Peter Kirstein on 01/21 at 09:51 AM
Very interesting, Shin! Especially the bit about insulin insensitivity causing more fat to stored in ones stomach and the stomach having more fat receptors than other parts of the Body. I have already started cutting down on the refined sugar intake and the amount of starchy food. That plus the Max workout routine are really starting to pay dividends! Thank you!
Posted by Lora B on 01/21 at 10:22 AM
Great article….Thanks for sharing!!
Posted by Linda E. Paxton on 01/21 at 10:23 AM
Hey Shin I was diagnosed with pre diabetes and I work daily at my diet. I am on some meds that cause this condition and I am going to see if I can get them changed. Because I believe in workout, and eating right and sleeping enough. It all adds up but when you are battleing with meds that put weight on it is a STRUGGLE. So we will see what the doctor says today.
Linda:)
Posted by Bonnie on 01/21 at 10:46 AM
Great information. I love these weekly informational segments
Thanks - Bonnie
Posted by Sharan K Chandrashekar on 01/21 at 10:56 AM
Good Information..Thanks
Posted by Rache Doyle on 01/21 at 12:38 PM
Wow that kink with the insulin is interesting and thanks for the great ab exercise. I must admit i did most of those traditional exercises :( i would love a 6 pack and i keep very active and Id like to think I eat healthy but I still have stubborn belly fat :( I do karate, long distance swimming and egyptian dancing and i walk or cycle in and out of college. i am also a vegetarian and i love my fruit and veg. i dont know what im doing wrong?
Posted by Rache Doyle on 01/21 at 12:40 PM
Brilliant tips as always 
Posted by Matty on 01/21 at 01:20 PM
Very nice. What are your thoughts on oatmeal?. i heard it helps lower insulin response because it is a low gi, slow digesting.
Posted by Martina on 01/21 at 01:42 PM
This is interesting I find the plank very difficult to hold for even 30 secs never mind lifting one leg or arm but I will try it out and see how it goes.
Thanks
Posted by Linda E. Paxton on 01/21 at 01:48 PM
I have tried doing the plank and it is not made for over weight small height people. Can you suggest something easier?
Linda:)
Posted by Alexandra on 01/21 at 04:10 PM
yes, is truth , but ...did you cont the age as well?
usual people over age have this problem , more often then the yang peoples….
is a problem with the metabolism, hormones as well .... don’t you think? plus the avers ...food,drinks ...
it is much ease for an yang person to lose waist , and look well , but a over ...50 year person, least is not an athlete before . An regular person , how do a routine exercises and a normal life…is not easy to keep shape .
what you suggest in this condition ?
Posted by Linda E. Paxton on 01/21 at 04:16 PM
Your right Age and weight and what u eat and how you sleep and of course depends on the physical fitness of a person. I am a proud 51 and I have pre diabetes and mental health issues. I totally believe the physical fitness takes care of how we feel mentally I am living proof of coming back to reality in 2 sickness. I can’t stress enough about what you put in your mouth affects the total body.
I am in good shape mentally and I work daily on the physical. Either going for a walk, riding my bike or workout with the wii fit. It all adds up. Life is what U choose it to be.
Linda:)
Posted by mark price on 01/21 at 04:33 PM
hey there shin ive started boady building at 45 am i to old could u give me some advice
Posted by joey p on 01/21 at 04:40 PM
Sir im not a booty kisser but, you are always on the ball when it comes to knowing your stuff. Everyone that ever needs advise or a source of info on workouts nutrition and how their body works need to at least subscribe to your news letters. Keep it up shin and thanks for putting allot of myths to bed its about time.
Posted by Alfiya on 01/21 at 04:44 PM
This is a cheer-up for Martina and Linda: I started planks @ 30 sec, not easy; but if you do it regularly, and push yourself by a few seconds,perhaps increasing by 5 seconds a week, it eventually gets easier. I can now do 3 minutes, don’t know too many guys at my gym who would dare joining in with me. I am 40, 4’10”, used to be 40% overweight. Not anymore.
Posted by sutten on 01/21 at 04:56 PM
Thank you once again Shin. Great information and easy to understand. Food is definately a drug and our body processes it like one! Last week brought 3 more people to me asking what program I do…I know for sure one signed up! Also, a trainer at my gym took me aside and said I was one of few women that came there that actually knew how to lift and workout properly and complimented me on my form.
So…please keep up the great work! Your expertise is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Sutten
Posted by Ann Vriezelaar on 01/21 at 06:29 PM
Love this article, makes perfect sense. How can I contact someone to inquire about my book purchase? Have not received them yet.
Posted by Shin Ohtake on 01/21 at 09:14 PM
Hi Mark,
That’s great to hear that you’re getting great results!
It’s true that a stronger core will help with back problems. It’s important to note that most back problems arise out of muscle imbalance caused from poor posture, poor exercises, poor technique and same repetitive movements. So doing varied functional full body exercises is very helpful in strengthening your core as well as keeping your back healthy.
Keep up the great work!
Posted by Shin Ohtake on 01/21 at 09:17 PM
Theo,
Insulin insensitivity is completely reversible as long as you get on a good sensible eating plan with no refined sugars and no processed foods and of course combine it with proper workouts!
Posted by Shin Ohtake on 01/21 at 09:30 PM
Rachel,
Sounds like you eat very healthy. The one thing you want to watch out for is the glycemic index of the foods that you’re eating. Since you’re a vegetarian, you want to make sure that you combine protein or fat with foods that have a higher glycemic index so that your insulin doesn’t spike. Although all fruits and veggies are great for you body, I recommend that you combine it with other types of macronutrients when you eat. The best is to eat some protein, carbs (fruits and veggies) and fats each meal. As for protein you can get it from nuts, tofu, fermented soybeans and quinoa etc.
Posted by Shin Ohtake on 01/21 at 09:40 PM
Matty,
Oatmeal is okay…although I’m not a huge fan of grains. It does fill you up and does have a fairly low GI. If you like oatmeal, try quinoa. It’s a better source of grains and also has a much higher protein content.
Posted by Shin Ohtake on 01/21 at 09:44 PM
Mark,
45 years young! You kiddin’!
You’re never too old to start anything!
Not to toot my own horn here, but if you’re looking for a great workout program definitely check out @www.maxworkouts.com. It’s not a bodybuilding program though. It’s a real fitness program that’s designed to get you lean, strong and fit.
Posted by Shin Ohtake on 01/21 at 09:45 PM
Thanks Joey!
Posted by David Wallace on 01/21 at 10:44 PM
very interesting,shin Ive read your maxwork outs program, i take up shotokan karate for allmost 30 years now. i am very fit but the wost thing in my
life is my stubbon fat stomach, i do deferent sit ups but it did not make any deference,please i need more information about fat stomach workouts
thanks
best regards
Dave Wallace
Posted by Joanna Taunton on 01/21 at 11:57 PM
Hi Shin this article all sums it up perfectly and is exactly what I have been doing for the last 9 months after purchasing your book. My results are fantastic I am in the best shape of my life (at 35 with 2 kids) and i have been going to the gym since i was 18. Nothing has worked for me like your program and eating only natural unprocessed foods. I thank you so much for helping me transform. I was never realy big but not lean either i am now 5 clothing sizes smaller and toned all over! Thankyou! I am forever directing people to your site and I am excited that I have decided to go and do my PT course so that I can go back into work force and help other mums get back into shape. Thanks again for making a difference to my life.
Joanna
Posted by Dennis on 01/22 at 12:50 AM
I hurt my ankle 2 months ago this will be my 3rd week back at the weights just starting to do abb work outs thanks for the info for the abb work out and diet i have the problem getting rid of my abb fat
Posted by Olive on 01/22 at 08:22 AM
Very encouraging Shin!
God bless Ya!
It is true, all you need for a lean body is healthy food and some appropriate excercise.
Posted by Valerie Smith on 01/23 at 12:51 AM
Hi Shin
I am a 52 yr old woman from NZ, 5’4” and weigh 198lbs, been through menopause early, have a job that keeps me active, run 2-3 times a week, rpm 2-3 times a week, weight train 3-5 times a week, interval training 2-3 times a week. Over the last 8 weeks I have lost 6kgs and are now finding it very hard to lose weight plus seem to run out of steam by the end of the day. I was wondering how many calories I should be consuming? and how to keep my energy levels up naturally. I eat fruit, yoghurt, meat, chicken, protien drinks,veges,porridge, museli, fish, LSA. I am not sure of portion sizes versus exercise. Any ideas how to rectify this would be most welcome. CHEERS-VAL
Posted by Matt on 01/23 at 03:16 AM
Hi there Shin,
I think what you have to say is very true, but in todays busy fast paced lifestyles it is hard to fit in packing good lunches and snacks etc. I myself work as a pt and as a stripper/life model and am constantly asked about my abs, and how do get so dam lean?(I had a body composition test about 3 weeeks ago that told me I have 2.7% body fat) My favorite word is INTENSITY when talking about exercise followed by CONSISTENTCY, short sharp explosive exercise(strength training, full body) every second day, with all other days 15 mins of high intensity training, rotating betweeen muscular endurance training and cardio on those days.This means that your insulin sensitivity will stay at a workable level, people really need to get through there skulls its LIFESTYLE that adds up to successfully having and MAINTAINING a beach body! OH, and getting abs is as simple as engaging your core on every exercise and simply sitting up straight in your chair. Cheers Mattth
Posted by Cheryl Boyd on 01/23 at 07:40 AM
Hi Shin,
I know you have heard it all before but you are great i love reading and doing any of the info you send to my e-mail. I especially like the fact you give the answers in your reports instead of going into detail then right at the end it says “for more info you have to pay” it really goes to show you do it for the love of it not just for the money!! thanks. I would like to know if you could help me with info for figure comps i have one in April and i need help with the last 2 weeks before diet etc. I have done 3 now and i look good until the day of the comp and there it is FLUID around my midsection. The next day i look really good, i only have one kidney as i donated my other one to my huby so any info would be good.
Once again thanks for a great web site.
Posted by Dorreen Abad on 01/24 at 01:00 AM
Hi Shin, Hope all is well with you and Susan. Missing you and so is my back. Haven’t found anyone yet to work on it that I like. I rejoined today but I am unable to sign in. What am I doing wrong. Have a great weekend!!!!
Dorreen Abad
Posted by jacobus on 01/24 at 02:44 AM
Thanks for everything Shin, with all the dodgy bits of contradicting information readily available across the internet, I feel I can trust your views and opinions and the ideas they express.
Thanks
Jacobus
Posted by STEPHEN on 01/25 at 04:53 PM
HEY SHIN….. LOVED THE ARTICLE AND IT TOTALLY MAKE SENSE BASED ON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE… MY QUESTION IS THAT IF I TARGET EACH MUSCLE TO EXPERIENCE MUSULAR GROWTH,(I.E BICEPS),WHAT MAKES THE ABS DIFFERENT? THEY ARE MUSCLES TOO! SO HOW DO I CONVINCE CLIENTS WHO SWEARS BY MACHINES AND DIRECT ABDOMINAL CONTRACTION…THAT THIS HAS ABS SOLUTELY NO BENEFIT…
Posted by mrs h on 01/26 at 12:48 PM
hi shin
absolutely fanastic
i really want to get your books and start losing weight but icant get down to it
i am destroying my body and cant help myself
i have no willpower
plz advise me
Posted by Gary Taylot on 01/27 at 05:46 AM
I was wondering about a subsitute for the lean protien as I am allergic to most fish, but can eat meat.
Posted by steve Bellamy on 01/27 at 05:55 AM
Thanks Shin, great info, i do eat realy well as you reccomend, and ive really increased my intensity the guy i train with loves it aswell, people are commenting on my progress already, would be nice to have a six pack again, looking forward to it.
Regards Sreve
Posted by Chris Sheldrick on 01/30 at 05:50 PM
I normally do one set of sit ups a month, along with some side lifts ad dead lifts, but I’m not a great fan of ab excercises due to the pain it causes. I keep my abs in shape by lifting heavy weights on one side only, and using my core muscles to remain upright, or just by sitting up straight and not slouching.
The insulin link is interesting. I wasn’t aware of it, but since I started working out again I have started eating more fruit and veg, as well as lean meat and fish, and cut out a lot of ready meals, so without realising it I was following the plan. Now its time to cut sugar out of the coffee.
Posted by David Birznieks on 02/03 at 03:28 AM
Hi Shin, Great article, great website. It’s way past my bedtime and I can’t stop reading your recent entries!! Like water to a sponge!! You are an inspiration. Keep up the tremendous work. P.S. Tell Doreen Abad maybe I can help.
Best, Dave
Posted by daz on 02/12 at 02:39 PM
hi shin.enjoy most of your workouts,however i used to smoke 30cigs a day before xmas and now ive cut down to 15 a day replacing boredom cigs with weight lifts until the craving goes away!any advice on quiting alltogeather?ive got 2 kids who prefere “easy” foods and i tend to eat the same but ive heard some foods can stop cravings. thanx in advance.daz
Posted by Shin Ohtake on 02/15 at 03:28 PM
Hi daz,
I can’t give you any advice on quitting smoking all together, but I can tell you the best way to stop cravings is to eliminate eating foods that are addictive..such as refined sugars and processed foods. Instead, eating a diet comprised of unrefined natural whole foods which will help you balance the hormones in your body and get rid of food cravings altogether.
Posted by cristantiello on 02/16 at 08:38 AM
Shin,
I must tell you that I was very skeptical of your MAX workouts. My wife found it and tried to get me on it because I love the gym. What hocked me was watching the power you have, very impressive! After doing some of the workouts, and getting my buttkicked, I’m sold! Fantastic job!
James
Posted by andreasgregorio@fsmail.net on 02/17 at 01:05 PM
Hey guys
Just joined your forums here
here is Q’s:
Doing 20 mins of low impact aerobic (i.e cycling at 65% of my max bpm) at the END of my high intensity work out will it helpme burn body fat ??
Posted by Shin Ohtake on 02/17 at 08:01 PM
Hi,
Doing low impact aerobics is a great way to warm down and bring your heart rate down. As for burning fat, it will to certain degree…but not significantly. The metabolic deficit created by the high intensity workout will be doing majority of the fat burning.
Posted by Leanne on 02/18 at 01:40 PM
Shin, I really can’t thank you enough. You’ve transformed my entire philosophy on “health”. I’ve always been active, but at 40, I look and feel better than I ever have and that’s all thanks to you! And your articles are packed with great information. This piece on insulin insensitivity ... everyone needs to hear about this!!! Hugely valuable information! A million thank u’s to you my friend! 
Posted by Nia on 02/22 at 05:18 AM
Shin speaks of eliminating processed foods and incorporating fresh vegetables, protein, brown rice etc. There is a diet called the Harcombe diet which basically is formulated on the diet foods that Shin mentioned. I have done this diet and I lost almost 10lbs in 5 days and I am not especially overweight. incorporated with the exercises my belly fat was gone within a month. It’s hard work in terms of being strict with yourself but it’s worth it for the results!
Posted by neotsikas on 03/07 at 07:12 PM
I appreciated this Shin. Had no idea about the insulin insensitivity . That is where my problem is. I have done so great with your workouts and I am looking good. This will only take me to another level & I will apply immediately and see what transpires. 
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Posted by Gregor Smith on 01/21 at 09:01 AM
Love the way you express the information- inclined to shut down if it is too technical - and the best advertisement is your own bodyshape, you look terrific, not all bulging and muscled, I hate that. So keep going, my friend, you are my inspiration!