How to go from 15% bf to 10%?

[greenleaf]

My bf% fluctuates between 15% to 19% all my life. Right now I'm at 15% and my body doesn't seem to want to go any lower even with lots of cardio, moderate weight training and clean and controlled diet. Any suggestions?

My specs are 5' 7", 145-150 lbs and going for the lean, athletic look.

Thanks!

[TheBartender]

Try getting most of your carbs from fruits and veggies

[greenleaf]

Originally Posted by TheBartender

Try getting most of your carbs from fruits and veggies

I'm cutting carb. Isn't it bad for you if you are trying to lose fat?

[Sirjohns]

Nope if all you care about is fat loss cut the carbs. The problem with that diet is when all is said and done you end up losing alot of lean mass. Then when you fall off and hit the 19% BF again it will be twice as hard to lose the fat due to the lack of lean mass to burn up calories. But like I said only care about fat loss dont eat carbs... hell dont eat at all...

[SFreppinitbig]

Don't cut carbs, thats stupid. You need carbs for energy and when lifting AND running you need that energy. Plus it may help you from becoming less carb sensitive, ie, someone resists carbs and then one night they go out for dinner and have carbs, a lot of it. Try the keto diet if you want but stay strict about it.

[KowboysUp]

Maybe it would be easier to cut down to a lower body fat percentage if you had more lean mass?

I know you're only 5'7, so 150 isn't that low, but I think you could definitely stand to ramp up the "moderate weight training", do a clean bulk and pack on some muscle, and then give 10% a shot.

[Coheed]

Are you actually measuring your BF or are you guestimating by looking in the mirror? Visually it is very difficult to see any difference between 15-12% (where your top abs should start to break through). I found that to be the most difficult period and ended up banning myself from looking in the mirror for two weeks.

If you are measuring properly and still at a plateau then I would suggest playing about with your cardio. Maybe switch machines, increase intensity, whatever. You could also try calorie cycling. That made a big difference for me when I got stuck about a month back.

[SK1989]

Tbh when I was at 15 I didn't see much in the way of abs, by the time I got down to 13% to 12% thats when they broke through and the results came. Carbs are fine keep them ata moderate level imo, but the carbs you don't want in your diet are carbs from sugars such as the obvious sweets and chocolate. Fruit has sugars but imo it's fine to have a piece of fruit a day, even half a banana post workout. Lots of veggies are good as it's a good source of fiber, carbs and it's generally very healthy for you.

I've got to the stage where I've sort of plateaued and im gonna change my diet so im consuming 6 meals per day, up the protein even more and change my cardio from just running etc to HIIT and also changing lifting. That should get me from 12% down to 6-8% or so. Then I can clean bulk and add muscle on at a slower rate but making sure I keep the body fat low but maintained.

[RTW2]

Im in the same boat

I have 2 months to get to 12% so i reach my main goal.

[Coheed]

I finally hit 12% last week and the top abs are showing nice. Lower down is still going to take some time since I've got a little pot belly but I figure 2-3 weeks. I can't really emphasise the difference when you hit that 12% enough. The change in definition is pretty drastic, even from between 13-14%.

[Jules Verne]

Originally Posted by greenleaf

My bf% fluctuates between 15% to 19% all my life. Right now I'm at 15% and my body doesn't seem to want to go any lower even with lots of cardio, moderate weight training and clean and controlled diet. Any suggestions?

My specs are 5' 7", 145-150 lbs and going for the lean, athletic look.

Thanks!

Change routine, change calories. Different type of cardio, different lifting routine, maybe increase calories for a week, then drop them back, carb-up/refeeds if you are really doing low carb.

Doing the same thing for a long time often causes a plateau and often simply reducing calories or doing more of the same type of cardio does not work very well.

[really_nice_guy]

Originally Posted by greenleaf

My bf% fluctuates between 15% to 19% all my life. Right now I'm at 15% and my body doesn't seem to want to go any lower even with lots of cardio, moderate weight training and clean and controlled diet. Any suggestions?

My specs are 5' 7", 145-150 lbs and going for the lean, athletic look.

Thanks!

All you have to do is continue weight training and eat less calories.

The amount of food is the most important thing. You can pretty much eat whatever you want.

[gettinfit26]

Originally Posted by really_nice_guy

All you have to do is continue weight training and eat less calories.

The amount of food is the most important thing. You can pretty much eat whatever you want.

I really hope you meant he can eat whatever he wants AS LONG AS IT IS HEALTHY right?

If not, that is horrible advice. Diet is the most critical part. It would be great if it were as simple as calories in vs. calories out. If it were I would just eat like 4 brownies a day!

Keep diet really clean, allow one cheat meal or even cheat day a week. Cut out junk food. Don't sabotage your goals.

[really_nice_guy]

Originally Posted by gettinfit26

I really hope you meant he can eat whatever he wants AS LONG AS IT IS HEALTHY right?

If not, that is horrible advice. Diet is the most critical part. It would be great if it were as simple as calories in vs. calories out. If it were I would just eat like 4 brownies a day!

Keep diet really clean, allow one cheat meal or even cheat day a week. Cut out junk food. Don't sabotage your goals.

No he can eat whatever he wants. If you eat only 1000 calories in a day, and all of it was brownies, you'll still lose weight. Where is the extra fat supposed to come from?

[smludt]

I may be wrong, but especially someone who weight trains or runs, etc. You need a healthy diet to help repair and rejuvenate. Also replenish energy. By eating processed or junk foods, your body will simply just store them as fat. (Even in lower amounts say 1000 calories) Therefore eliminating the point of the diet. Yes, calories are energy, but your body will still just store all the fat, since there ARE several types of fats, good and bad...and junk/ processed foods are definitely the bad ones.

[RTW2]

Originally Posted by Coheed

I finally hit 12% last week and the top abs are showing nice. Lower down is still going to take some time since I've got a little pot belly but I figure 2-3 weeks. I can't really emphasise the difference when you hit that 12% enough. The change in definition is pretty drastic, even from between 13-14%.

Cant wait to see those changes, lol. ONLY 4% more!!

[jxdean]

Originally Posted by greenleaf

My bf% fluctuates between 15% to 19% all my life. Right now I'm at 15% and my body doesn't seem to want to go any lower even with lots of cardio, moderate weight training and clean and controlled diet. Any suggestions?

My specs are 5' 7", 145-150 lbs and going for the lean, athletic look.

Thanks!

i think most guys in here are trying to reach about 10% bf. from what i noticed when trying to lose fat, it's easier to lose the extra fat when you build more muscles. you can still have the nice lean look while pumping a lot of weights. believe it or not, it takes a lot of supplements to get gain the pro builder look. going from 12% to 10% is quite harder than going from 18% to 15%. putting on some extra muscle will definately help and don't worry about getting too big, it's actually quite hard.

[really_nice_guy]

Originally Posted by smludt

I may be wrong, but especially someone who weight trains or runs, etc. You need a healthy diet to help repair and rejuvenate. Also replenish energy. By eating processed or junk foods, your body will simply just store them as fat. (Even in lower amounts say 1000 calories) Therefore eliminating the point of the diet. Yes, calories are energy, but your body will still just store all the fat, since there ARE several types of fats, good and bad...and junk/ processed foods are definitely the bad ones.

I hear what you're saying man, but actually if you eat 1000 calories and your body burns 2000, then you lose 1000 calories from your body. You can't get fatter unless you eat more than you burn. And it doesn't matter what you eat, energy is energy.

[Coheed]

Originally Posted by really_nice_guy

I hear what you're saying man, but actually if you eat 1000 calories and your body burns 2000, then you lose 1000 calories from your body. You can't get fatter unless you eat more than you burn. And it doesn't matter what you eat, energy is energy.

/facepalm

You know that fat isn't the only type of mass your body can consume when you are in a deficit, right?

Eat clean. Diet is the single most important factor in achieving your goals.

[Coheed]

In fact just completely ignore this guy. He's either a troll or...well, I'll keep it civil. Either way you won't get any good advice from him.

[RTW2]

Originally Posted by Coheed

In fact just completely ignore this guy. He's either a troll or...well, I'll keep it civil. Either way you won't get any good advice from him.

lol

But he is a really nice guy

[aiming45]

Originally Posted by really_nice_guy

No he can eat whatever he wants. If you eat only 1000 calories in a day, and all of it was brownies, you'll still lose weight. Where is the extra fat supposed to come from?

There's no one out there that really still believes that, is there?!?!?

[aiming45]

Originally Posted by really_nice_guy

I hear what you're saying man, but actually if you eat 1000 calories and your body burns 2000, then you lose 1000 calories from your body. You can't get fatter unless you eat more than you burn. And it doesn't matter what you eat, energy is energy.

To get really technical, if the calorie deficit is too low then NO you won't lose any weight. Your body will most likely shift into a higher fat storing mode. So the same body you were working with and applying one set of rules to, has now changed the way it operates. I love how resilient our bodies really are. It does make it a bastard tough to get it to do what we want sometimes.

I firmly believe that everyone is different and he needs to try different plans out until he finds out what works for HIS body. It sounds like if you've been doing the same thing for a while a change won't hurt. I would suggest that you cycle your carbs. Do a search on the boards for details on that. Keto is a good option if you want to keep/build lean mass while dieting down. The rules of those games get a bit confusing though.

If you want to keep it simple a good strategy might be to only eat your higher GI complex carbs in the meals before and after your workouts. Try each "strategy" out for at least a month to really assess it's effectiveness on you.

Anyway, good luck and stay dedicated as you are. You'll find what works best for you.

[really_nice_guy]

Originally Posted by aiming45

To get really technical, if the calorie deficit is too low then NO you won't lose any weight. Your body will most likely shift into a higher fat storing mode. So the same body you were working with and applying one set of rules to, has now changed the way it operates. I love how resilient our bodies really are. It does make it a bastard tough to get it to do what we want sometimes.

I firmly believe that everyone is different and he needs to try different plans out until he finds out what works for HIS body. It sounds like if you've been doing the same thing for a while a change won't hurt. I would suggest that you cycle your carbs. Do a search on the boards for details on that. Keto is a good option if you want to keep/build lean mass while dieting down. The rules of those games get a bit confusing though.

If you want to keep it simple a good strategy might be to only eat your higher GI complex carbs in the meals before and after your workouts. Try each "strategy" out for at least a month to really assess it's effectiveness on you.

Anyway, good luck and stay dedicated as you are. You'll find what works best for you.

If you lower the amount you eat, you WILL lose weight. Period.

Listen, I don't want to argue here. Nutrition can get so technical. However, a calorie is a calorie.

You can enjoy your favorite foods and still get the nutrition you need. It only gets dangerous when you eat more than you burn.

You don't believe me? Google Chazz Weaver.

You guys are making this too hard for people to lose weight.

[really_nice_guy]

Originally Posted by Coheed

/facepalm

You know that fat isn't the only type of mass your body can consume when you are in a deficit, right?

Eat clean. Diet is the single most important factor in achieving your goals.

If you weight train and eat about 1200 calories, then your body will burn fat and you won't lose ANY muscle. You don't need too much protein either.

The bodybuilders of the golden era, like Frank Zane, Franco Columbo, and Mike Mentzer didn't eat high protein diets. They ate low calorie diets for their contests, with lots of carbs.

Look, you don't want to believe me, then fine. Just don't be rude.

There are kids here who are OBESE and need help, and the help they are getting is TOO HARD. People are talking about carb-cycling, HIIT cardio, and GI index, it's all too overwhelming. The MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR is burning more calories than you put in.

[Coheed]

Originally Posted by really_nice_guy

If you weight train and eat about 1200 calories, then your body will burn fat and you won't lose ANY muscle. You don't need too much protein either.

The bodybuilders of the golden era, like Frank Zane, Franco Columbo, and Mike Mentzer didn't eat high protein diets. They ate low calorie diets for their contests, with lots of carbs.

Look, you don't want to believe me, then fine. Just don't be rude.

There are kids here who are OBESE and need help, and the help they are getting is TOO HARD. People are talking about carb-cycling, HIIT cardio, and GI index, it's all too overwhelming. The MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR is burning more calories than you put in.

We agree on one thing: someone needs help. They need good advice. Not garbage. I think I actually burned calories when I was reading your posts, that is, if brain cells have a caloric value. My IQ literally dropped 5 points reading your advice.

But hey, let's forget about the hundreds of posters on these boards who know what they're talking about and have walked the walk. Let's all listen to you because you've read Chazz and everyone else is an idiot.

If this guy was just starting out then perhaps introducing terms such as calorie cycling etc. would be a bit complicated but he's not. HE IS NOT OBESE. He's at 15%, he's at a plateau and needs to break it. Your suggestion is a fast track to screwing up his metabolism and depriving his body of badly needed nutrients. Just because you're too damn lazy and weak to look after your body doesn't mean you should go filling these kids heads with crap.

p.s. I knew a moron once. Something about you reminds me of him.

[scoot557]

Originally Posted by really_nice_guy

The MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR is burning more calories than you put in.

about the only good sound piece of advice i've read from this guy.

calories consumed - calories spent > 0 - you will gain weight
calories consumed - calories spent < 0 - you will lose weight

Assuming you have your training in check, it's the *type* of calories you eat that dictate what kind of weight you gain/lose.

[really_nice_guy]

Originally Posted by Coheed

We agree on one thing: someone needs help. They need good advice. Not garbage. I think I actually burned calories when I was reading your posts, that is, if brain cells have a caloric value. My IQ literally dropped 5 points reading your advice.

But hey, let's forget about the hundreds of posters on these boards who know what they're talking about and have walked the walk. Let's all listen to you because you've read Chazz and everyone else is an idiot.

If this guy was just starting out then perhaps introducing terms such as calorie cycling etc. would be a bit complicated but he's not. HE IS NOT OBESE. He's at 15%, he's at a plateau and needs to break it. Your suggestion is a fast track to screwing up his metabolism and depriving his body of badly needed nutrients. Just because you're too damn lazy and weak to look after your body doesn't mean you should go filling these kids heads with crap.

p.s. I knew a moron once. Something about you reminds me of him.

A calorie is a calorie. The most important thing is the amount of food you eat. The amount of protein you need is 60-70 grams per day. Frank Zane, Franco Columbo, and Mike Mentzer all ate low calorie, high carb, low protein diets to get into contest shape.

The Glycemic Index doesn't matter unless you're a diabetic. Even then many doctor's don't use it.

If you weight train and eat less than you burn, you will lose fat and keep ALL your muscle.

I haven't said anything wrong. Keep bullying me.

[scoot557]

Originally Posted by really_nice_guy

A calorie is a calorie. The most important thing is the amount of food you eat. The amount of protein you need is 60-70 grams per day. Frank Zane, Franco Columbo, and Mike Mentzer all ate low calorie, high carb, low protein diets to get into contest shape.

The Glycemic Index doesn't matter unless you're a diabetic. Even then many doctor's don't use it.

If you weight train and eat less than you burn, you will lose fat and keep ALL your muscle.

I haven't said anything wrong. Keep bullying me.

You can't make a blanket statement and say that 60-70g of protein is all you need. What if I were 145 lbs? Or 285 lbs? The more muscle fiber that needs mending, the more protein you will need to consume. Not to mention the effect of getting a lot of your food from carbs/fat. There are food partitioning effects. Insulin spikes with a lot of fat in your system are something to be avoided. Insulin spikes in general (exception: immediately post-WO) should try and be avoided. There is a lot about nutrition and its not cut and dry. Everybody is different, but don't come on here sippin your koolaid like you're the be-all end-all of nutrition. If it works for you, do it.

[really_nice_guy]

Originally Posted by scoot557

You can't make a blanket statement and say that 60-70g of protein is all you need. What if I were 145 lbs? Or 285 lbs? The more muscle fiber that needs mending, the more protein you will need to consume. Not to mention the effect of getting a lot of your food from carbs/fat. There are food partitioning effects. Insulin spikes with a lot of fat in your system are something to be avoided. Insulin spikes in general (exception: immediately post-WO) should try and be avoided. There is a lot about nutrition and its not cut and dry. Everybody is different, but don't come on here sippin your koolaid like you're the be-all end-all of nutrition. If it works for you, do it.

You're right about the protein. I should say the average trainee needs 60-70 grams of protein. Someone with a LOT of muscle mass may need 100.

Insulin spikes aren't an issue if you eat less calories than you burn. If you overeat then that's a different issuel

I'm not tooting my own horn. I'm no guru. But I know what is right. I'm just trying to make it as easy as possible
for people.

Especially the very big people out there. These poor people are probably overwhelmed with stuff about carb cycling, GI, and HIIT cardio. They need help and for someone to make it easy as possible.