is being low bf or ripped worth it?

[snukers]

ive been staying around 15-18 % bf for about 3-4 months now and i only can sustain that by eating what i want like every 2 weekends which still keeps me fat but i cant take it for any longer then that. and during those 2 weeks im eating like 1700 cals a day of boring food. i find its alot easier,cheaper,more fun and im in a better mood if i just ate what i wanted all the time and still lifted weights. now i would obviously get even fatter but i just cant imagine what it would be like if i was at 10% bf. i wouldnt be able to enjoy myself ever!!! and people that say u can have like a cheat meal once a week well i dont wanna only enjoy myself with half a serving of a food i like for 50 times a year that just doesnt cover all the cravings i get.

so its more worth it to be fat and happy or ripped and miserable

[GregDeguzman]

ive been staying around 15-18 % bf for about 3-4 months now and i only can sustain that by eating what i want like every 2 weekends which still keeps me fat but i cant take it for any longer then that. and during those 2 weeks im eating like 1700 cals a day of boring food. i find its alot easier,cheaper,more fun and im in a better mood if i just ate what i wanted all the time and still lifted weights. now i would obviously get even fatter but i just cant imagine what it would be like if i was at 10% bf. i wouldnt be able to enjoy myself ever!!! and people that say u can have like a cheat meal once a week well i dont wanna only enjoy myself with half a serving of a food i like for 50 times a year that just doesnt cover all the cravings i get.

so its more worth it to be fat and happy or ripped and miserable

I'm ripped 24/7 and I'm happy as **** and girls love it ;-) What you need to do is figure out your macronutrients to help you lose weight and this is the secret that will help you enjoy junk foods and healthy foods while still losing weight. This is how Im able to stay at a low body fat while still being able to eat a big mac and in & out twice or three times a week.

[ejthomp]

15-18% body fat is perfectly healthy and a nice physique when compared to the average joe. I'm happy living in that range most of the time.


It's "fun" and "challenging" to drop lower from time to time. Why do people climb mountains, run marathons, etc? It's just another personal challenge. Some people get off on it more than others. Some people chase money...some chase women...

Your choice.

[kevi204]

Both good answers. Myself i personally don't like sticking to lower cals to maintain a lower bf. But i like getting there every now and then (now) currently. But for the next few years i plan on doing bulk/cut cycles until i can reach somewhere between 190-200 (lean). Once someone gets to that range, then your maintenance cals would be a lot higher.

And you don't have to eat boring foods, since i've adopted an IF/IIFYM style approach it's been a lot easier to sustain at lower cal levels. However i'm not at 1700 cals, i don't think i could do that. I stick to 2200-2300 cals/day at the moment.

[MCrow]

15-18% body fat is perfectly healthy and a nice physique when compared to the average joe. I'm happy living in that range most of the time.


It's "fun" and "challenging" to drop lower from time to time. Why do people climb mountains, run marathons, etc? It's just another personal challenge. Some people get off on it more than others. Some people chase money...some chase women...

Your choice.

Yes, when I had a bodpod done a while back the student doing them said she has done over a 1000 of them and most guys that come in are over 20%. So being 15-18% is a leg up on most guys out there.

[snukers]

I'm ripped 24/7 and I'm happy as **** and girls love it ;-) What you need to do is figure out your macronutrients to help you lose weight and this is the secret that will help you enjoy junk foods and healthy foods while still losing weight. This is how Im able to stay at a low body fat while still being able to eat a big mac and in & out twice or three times a week.

so for example if your caloric intake is like 2000 cals which is what mine is at around for my bmr or whatever and i was to eat a big mac meal which i dont like but its probably like 1000+ cals. do i just not eat anything else the rest of the day? how do u do that 3 times a week

[wdmvp]

No, you just fill in the rest of your diet with "bro food" (e.g. chicken and broccoli or any lean meat + veggie combo) so as to reach your macros while staying at a deficit. This method (iifym) allows you to enjoy life and maintain a good physique. People who advocate eating ONLY "healthy" foods are simply ignorant human beings.

[shawnxxx]

If you cook good healthy food it's easy to stay pretty lean. I'm a little leaner than my avatar pic and I enjoy what I eat. It's all about mixing it up and keeping it interesting.

I have a blog regarding my diet. I post a recipe a day from Mon-Fri. Almost all of the meals on there are less than 350 calories, and are delicious.

http://www.shawncanblog.com/

Once you get used to the 'dieting gourmet' you will never want to eat crap again.

[Tommy W.]

It all comes down to priorities. Do want to be lean or do you want to enjoy eating? pick one because you can't have both. You can bump up cardio to compensate then that's a whole other dimension to add to the equation. Personally, the times Iv'e let myself get over 15% I hated it and leaned back out again ASAP.

Nothing tastes as good as being in shape feels

[csb5731]

I can't say whether the “sacrifice” will be worth it to you, as honestly from a social standpoint I haven't seen much of a difference between when I was kinda average-chubby vs. lean. I am definitely more comfortable with taking my shirt off in public these days, wearing nice-fitting clothes, and I feel healthier and more active. But it's not like I became a different person and had to start buying Trojans by the case at Costco.

That said, maintaining leanness for me has proven way easier than achieving it in the first place. I haven't really dieted in eight months and my bodyfat hasn't increased by any measurable extent in that period. I don't crave things that I used to crave, two beers accomplishes what six used to, and honestly I don't feel like I am missing out on anything. I eat out on occasion, but it's mostly for convenience or social requirement, not because I really crave something. On the couple of occasions that I have pigged out on pizza or whatever in recent times, I was so uncomfortable afterward (NOT feeling “guilty”) that I wasn't prone to repeat for some considerable time. I don't equate “pigging out” = “enjoying myself” anymore. I enjoy nice meals, but for different reasons than I used to.

My point is that habits and priorities can and do change.

[hansnfranzzz]

Maintaining 10-12% body fat isn't hard if you keep working out from what I've read. It's getting there that's the hard part.

Maintaining 8% becomes a challenge for most people.

[jon1995]

its worth it

[Electricheadd]

This is a great question, I wish I could answer. I have been sitting in the 18-20% range for some time now due to similar eating habits. From everything I have read or been told its easier to maintain than it is to get there and the slower and more controlled you get there the easier that is. Your at a perfectly healthy body fat percentage so unless you are doing it as a personal or aesthetic goal don't bother. For me, its more about the personal challenge and accomplishment than anything so I intend on making that final push.

[snukers]

This is a great question, I wish I could answer. I have been sitting in the 18-20% range for some time now due to similar eating habits. From everything I have read or been told its easier to maintain than it is to get there and the slower and more controlled you get there the easier that is. Your at a perfectly healthy body fat percentage so unless you are doing it as a personal or aesthetic goal don't bother. For me, its more about the personal challenge and accomplishment than anything so I intend on making that final push.

your post actually helped me alot, thanks man

[BulkedRunner]

I was 8% body fat for 2 years when I ran D1 cross country, I got injured, now I still run sometimes and lift sometimes and am about 17%. When I was 8% I was depressed and missed out on social events because I didn't want to drink alcohol and have extra calories or go out to eat because of the bad food choices. Now that I am at 17% now I have realized you can steal eat junk and be around 10% bodyfat, as well as drinking sometimes. I guess this doesn't make much sense but essentially being lean is awesome but being happier is better, and you can be both, just hit your protein mark and calorie mark then fill in the rest with whatever food you want. On days when you go out to a big meal just eat light during the day. On a final note at 9% I had a much lower sex drive.

[snukers]

I was 8% body fat for 2 years when I ran D1 cross country, I got injured, now I still run sometimes and lift sometimes and am about 17%. When I was 8% I was depressed and missed out on social events because I didn't want to drink alcohol and have extra calories or go out to eat because of the bad food choices. Now that I am at 17% now I have realized you can steal eat junk and be around 10% bodyfat, as well as drinking sometimes. I guess this doesn't make much sense but essentially being lean is awesome but being happier is better, and you can be both, just hit your protein mark and calorie mark then fill in the rest with whatever food you want. On days when you go out to a big meal just eat light during the day. On a final note at 9% I had a much lower sex drive.

any reason why it affected your sex drive? and also my maitenence is around 2100 so after having all my cals in protein theres not a whole left for fun food but if thats not gonna make me fat then hey chicken for breakfast and lunch and a bag of popcorn and choco bar and night ftw

[Electricheadd]

any reason why it affected your sex drive? and also my maitenence is around 2100 so after having all my cals in protein theres not a whole left for fun food but if thats not gonna make me fat then hey chicken for breakfast and lunch and a bag of popcorn and choco bar and night ftw

Its pretty common for people who have very low body fats to have decreased testosterone levels. To some extent you can fight this by hitting your fat macro and using a small deficit but its a pretty common problem when dieting down below 10%.

[najee786]

IMHO It's just reaching that goal that will be worth it for me. If your like me, you've started the journey in the first place (which is the hardest step) and dropped how much % of bf to get ripped...then why stop now?! Why stop till you reach that goal!? Couldn't you use those cheat meals once weekly in your diet until you get to that desired bf? Then once your there re-evaluate whether it is worth it as a lifestyle or a diet. Many who reach it say it's worth it!

[DaniSP]

For myself, being under 20% bf is already a challenge lol.

But yes I think its worth. Also they say once you reach a low body fat level, its easier to mantain it or at least not get too fat again. Being over 20% all the time is not healthy and difficults the fat loss, ironically.

[godzilla916]

i think its worth it im dieting back down now to about 8% and plan on staying around that zone....

Once ur around there for a while u can find it easy to have cheats a couple times a week, and i u know how to cook well all ur meals will taste fine

[cyco85]

What you need to do is figure out your macronutrients to help you lose weight and this is the secret that will help you enjoy junk foods and healthy foods while still losing weight

That and meth. #hemet

[jon1995]

any reason why it affected your sex drive? and also my maitenence is around 2100 so after having all my cals in protein theres not a whole left for fun food but if thats not gonna make me fat then hey chicken for breakfast and lunch and a bag of popcorn and choco bar and night ftw

how is your maintenance so low?

[snukers]

how is your maintenance so low?

thats what the calculators gave me

[DSUP]

so its more worth it to be fat and happy or ripped and miserable

I've found that either extreme is uncomfortable. Right now I'm about 15% and cutting for Summer. I haven't been able to get much lower than about 10% ever. When I'm at my lowest, I'm weak and irritable. When I'm fat (like now), I feel good and strong but still fat.

Truth be told, it's a lot of "work" to get down there, hard to sustain, and, once you do it, the only reward is looking a little freakish. It's fun to be able to do though.

[elterrible987]

ive been staying around 15-18 % bf for about 3-4 months now and i only can sustain that by eating what i want like every 2 weekends which still keeps me fat but i cant take it for any longer then that. and during those 2 weeks im eating like 1700 cals a day of boring food. i find its alot easier,cheaper,more fun and im in a better mood if i just ate what i wanted all the time and still lifted weights. now i would obviously get even fatter but i just cant imagine what it would be like if i was at 10% bf. i wouldnt be able to enjoy myself ever!!! and people that say u can have like a cheat meal once a week well i dont wanna only enjoy myself with half a serving of a food i like for 50 times a year that just doesnt cover all the cravings i get.

so its more worth it to be fat and happy or ripped and miserable

You sure youre eating 1700 calories just for maintenance? that seems really low, coincidentally, I just started tracking my calories for the first time ever and they are right when they say you usually underestimate how many calories you consume. I have been doing 1700 calories and I couldnt believe how ****ing hungry I was at the end of the day.

[jon1995]

thats what the calculators gave me

My maintenance is 3200-3500 calories I'm only 5 inches taller and around the same weight

[GregDeguzman]

No, you just fill in the rest of your diet with "bro food" (e.g. chicken and broccoli or any lean meat + veggie combo) so as to reach your macros while staying at a deficit. This method (iifym) allows you to enjoy life and maintain a good physique. People who advocate eating ONLY "healthy" foods are simply ignorant human beings.

Yup. totally agree with this.This is exactly what I do ;-)

[BigD208]

Sex drive definitely lowers. Ha ha but the demand definitely raises.

[sneaksss]

I think it's best to exercise moderation. I want to strive to hit the lowest bodyfat % while living a happy life.

[jennum]

I'm at 7.4% as of two weeks ago. Although, I'm probably not as muscular as most on here. I'd like to maintain close to that percentage...maybe up to 9 or so if need be, while putting on a little more mass. To answer the question, I love being where I'm at "ripped" wise. I used to be 260+, so I'll take this any day of the week.