Has anyone here truly gotten down to sub 10% BF without strict dieting and/or drugs

[Adam3000]

Hitting a fat loss plateau and want some anecdotal stories. Here is my situation:

1) 5'9", small frame
2) A year ago I had ballooned up to 190 lbs and would guess 25% bodyfat after years of shytty eating and not much exercise
3) Started a lifestyle change, eating better playing disc golf daily for minimal exercise
4) Got serious about getting in shape about 5 months ago and starting calorie counting (1800-2000 daily) and exercising 3 days per week
5) Currently sitting at 155 lbs and around 13% BF, professionally measured using a Bod Pod
6) Currently eating 2000 calories per day without a ton of attention paid to macros other that trying to get a lot of protein and fiber
7) Currently lifting weights for 30 minutes 3 days per week and doing various cardio (Low Intensity, Steady State, or a little HIIT) 4-5 days per week

Now, all that being said, I have been stalled at my current fat levels for well over a month now. I may have lost a pound or so at most during that time, but I have definitely plateaued. My original goal was to get to sub 10% BF which would put me at around 150 lbs then I was going to bulk/cut until I got to 160 lbs with 10% BF and maintain from there.

The problem is, this is a lifestyle change that I want to be permanent, and the internet research I have done shows that people seem to have to resort to severe carb restriction and/or clenbuterol or other drugs to get there and I refuse to change my lifestyle because it isn't sustainable and I don't want to turn this into a gimmick. I want to get there through standard calorie counting and exercise.

So after all that, I guess this thread boils down to: have you gotten to sub 10% bodyfat without turning nutrition into the dominating aspect of your life? Should I just give up and start my bulking now instead?

 

[The ADD]

For the record I will never see 10% in my life but just based on what you posted:

5'9 at 155 is pretty low and at 2000 cals that may not be enough deficit to lose weight. I'm cutting at right around 2000 now same height and I'm walking around at 185ish. You have to remember that as your weight drops so does your TDEE so what worked 30 pounds/5 months ago isn't relevant now.

For as low as you have gone I don't see what the purpose of hitting 10% with that body composition. You are planning to bulk anyway so "some" fat in inevitable.

@MMSex is around the same numbers and currently cutting (I think). He would be a good resource.

Either way good work on the new direction you took

 

[MMS]

once you get to 12% of so, its basically time to start carb cycling

the protein needs to go up up up, lifting + cardio, the hardest part about getting low(as im doing now) is being exact. For the longest time i could get away with not being exact because i was above 12%

the lower you get the more you have to shift the macros around to favor protein/fat. If ur genetics dont push you that way naturally youre gonna have to eat better

in the end that means:

avoiding processed food altogether(aka reducing salt intake)
eating protein with just about every meal
reducing carbs to 100g or less a day
consistently getting healthy fats in your system

im struggling with this myself considering my real life work load but im making good progress. You just gotta stick to the plan once youve set it. And also be honest about ur current musculature(are you big enough for cutting to be worth it?)

 

[MMS]

also as a side note, weekly and biweekly refeeds are also necessary to keep things in check

@Spliff knows better than i do

 

[The ADD]

also as a side note, weekly and biweekly refeeds are also necessary to keep things in check

@Spliff knows better than i do

Just to clarify you mean in terms of carb intake correct?

 

[MMS]

Just to clarify you mean in terms of carb intake correct?

yeah, as far as i remember you wanna limit fructose

i just finished biochemistry and as far as i remember fructose inhibits glycolysis somewhat, its weird id have to look at my book again lol

 

[HarlemsOwn]

also as a side note, weekly and biweekly refeeds are also necessary to keep things in check

@Spliff knows better than i do

whats a refeed?

 

[MMS]

whats a refeed?

basically on a low carb diet, a refeed is a day where you go ham on carbs(not necessarily "bad" food just carbs in general ie sweet potatoes and shyt)

 

[The ADD]

yeah, as far as i remember you wanna limit fructose

i just finished biochemistry and as far as i remember fructose inhibits glycolysis somewhat, its weird id have to look at my book again lol

I thought the refeed thing really only applied to people with really low BF wise but that shyt is real for anybody. I've been less than 75g of carbs a day for the last few weeks, it actually can be as low as 30-40 on weekend and I after a few days shyt sucks. Sure enough I have a higher carb day and everything goes back normal.

 

[MMS]

I thought the refeed thing really only applied to people with really low BF wise but that shyt is real for anybody. I've been less than 75g of carbs a day for the last few weeks, it actually can be as low as 30-40 on weekend and I after a few days shyt sucks. Sure enough I have a higher carb day and everything goes back normal.

its mainly to keep ur hormones in the right balance. Being at low carb indefinitely isnt a good idea.

 

[Adam3000]

For as low as you have gone I don't see what the purpose of hitting 10% with that body composition. You are planning to bulk anyway so "some" fat in inevitable.

My purpose behind getting to 10% is that when I do start eating more and bulking, it will be easier to maintain a lower level of bodyfat if I am already there rather than cut harder again later. I have no interest in climbing above 13%, I would rather stay skinny and low bodyfat than a little more muscular with higher bodyfat simply because I want to be able to see abs as much as possible. As much as my pecs and back are currently underdeveloped, having a flat stomach is more important to me and is the ultimate motivation to keep at it every day and walk past the Doritos aisle when grocery shopping

You also mentioned that 2000 calories might be too high for me...I got that number based on a 500 cal deficit using online metabolism calculators, but as you suggested I suspect that my metabolism has just caught up with my current fitness levels and I might need to drop more. I am going to cut out another 50 grams carbs (should be easy) and drop down to 1800 calories daily for a couple weeks and see if I notice improvements

Thanks for the input

 

[Adam3000]

once you get to 12% of so, its basically time to start carb cycling

)

Thats pretty much what I have gathered from a few days of online research, and it is bad news for me because I don't really want to carb cycle. I guess it is either going to be "happy at 12%" or "time to find some clen" for me

 

[MMS]

things like clen, albuterol, and t3 arent going to solve everything. You still have to diet properly

even still its not terribly difficult. It just takes a certain amount of food planning so that you dont deviate. Id say the best bet is to cook meats in advance and then have single serve vegetable packs. And limit ur carbs to maybe 1-2 meals a day

id also say take a hard look at the vitamins you currently have

multi, fishoil, zinc, magnesium, b-complex would be a good start

 

[The ADD]

My purpose behind getting to 10% is that when I do start eating more and bulking, it will be easier to maintain a lower level of bodyfat if I am already there rather than cut harder again later. I have no interest in climbing above 13%, I would rather stay skinny and low bodyfat than a little more muscular with higher bodyfat simply because I want to be able to see abs as much as possible. As much as my pecs and back are currently underdeveloped, having a flat stomach is more important to me and is the ultimate motivation to keep at it every day and walk past the Doritos aisle when grocery shopping

You also mentioned that 2000 calories might be too high for me...I got that number based on a 500 cal deficit using online metabolism calculators, but as you suggested I suspect that my metabolism has just caught up with my current fitness levels and I might need to drop more. I am going to cut out another 50 grams carbs (should be easy) and drop down to 1800 calories daily for a couple weeks and see if I notice improvements

Thanks for the input

In that case I see what you are aiming at.

As far as dropping just remember that eventually you hit the floor and go to low and can't get under. Also I wouldn't make your deficit a hard number like 500, work more in percentages 1-20%. 20% is close to the max you want to drop to. Recalculate and see what that gets you. Have you thought about eating at maintenance for a few weeks so restart everything?

 

[unit321]

No. I got down to around 13% I think. I thought that was pretty good.