Can I get abs without losing muscle in other parts of my body?

Question

I'm a pretty healthy 22 year old who has started eating better. I've been working out and being active for about 5 years, I weight 192 lbs and am 6'3''. I've decided that I want to get more defined abs but from what i'm reading on the internet it seems pretty impossible.

First I need to lose the fat on my stomach, but from what i've heard the stomach is the last place your body converts fat to energy. Since I can't lose fat specifically in my stomach, it seems i'd have to lose a lot of my current muscle and fat elsewhere before i'd lose it. Then after months of that I might be able to see some definition, and then i'd have to rebuild all the muscle I lost.

This is the answer i've determined from watching multiple youtube videos on the subject. Is this close to correct?

Answer 1

Fortunately for you, you're wrong on almost every account. First of all, getting defined abs is certainly possible. Second, you cannot lose fat in different places on your body at different rates:

https://fitness.stackexchange.com/a/870/35

Thirdly, you can reduce the amount of body fat on your frame without losing muscle. Look at professional bodybuilders right before a competition for example.

Lastly, you need new sources of information or you need to think more critically.

Getting ripped abs happens in the kitchen, not the gym. You need to reduce your overall body fat percentage so that it's low enough to see your abs. The body fat percentage you need to accomplish this depends on the person. You actually don't need to exercise much to see your abs. Look at 9 year old boys that run around outside all summer for proof.