Hello all,
I have noticed that I tend to hover around at a certain bodyfat level year around no matter what I do( in terms of caloric restriction, cardio i.e). I looked at some pictures from a year ago- and damn it, I looked almost exactly the same. I am 165lbs and 6%bodyfat right now, but whenever I went lower than that my mood took a swing for the worse. I have gone 2-3 weeks with a ridiculiously low bodyfat level but I was always thinking of stuff like “what is the meaning of life”.
The hunger wasn?t really an issue here, but I clearly seem to enjoy life less when I am lean beyond a certain point. And the depression triggered the binges that brought me back to more manageable bodyfat levels.
Does anyone else experience this? And does anyone have a “cure” for this condition?(…except for massive calorie restriction, hourly cardio sessions and a handful of prozac=))
what’s wrong with being 6% body fat year round? If that is where you feel most “healthy”…than what’s the problem? 99% of the population would kill to be at 6% body fat and if it is relatively easy for you to do…than good for you!
Hey Helmholz,
What I would recommend is you go to the bathroom and put both hands on the counter edge. Make sure you are looking yourself in the eyes. Then with your dominant hand (if you are ambidextrous, pick a hand)…slap yourself silly until you wake up. 80% of the population think 12% bodyfat is a dream(and probably 80% here think single digit is a dream). The fact that 6% for a good length of time is maintained is phenomenal. You are probably triggering body defense mechanisms.
Cure find contentment with where you are right now, enjoy life and don’t sweat the meaningless.
Peace,
T-Ren
Yeah the bodyfat setpoint is a very real thing. Feel lucky that yours seems to be around 6% or so. For most people the setpoint is way above the single digit range and what the research shows is your bodyfat setpoint can go up, but it never goes down. This would also be supported by what we see in society. People “naturally” get and stay fatter but they don’t “naturally” get and stay leaner unless they’re depriving themselves in someway. As bodybuilders we get used to deprivation. What feels totally “normal” to me and you as far as diet attention and exercise adherence would probably be total hell for the average american. What you’ll find is anyone who loses bodyfat and maintains at a lower weight is also doing things to stay at that new weight whether it’s exercise, diet, a combination of the 2, drugs, or whatever. Just realize the bodyfat setpoint since is regulated by the brain. The body sends the brain signals based on it’s bodyfat content. The strongest player is probably leptin. Leptin is released from the fat cells and ends up sending a signal to the brain. The brain wants to see certain levels of leptin, if the levels start to get low, which it does when you lose bodyfat, the brain responds accordingly. Your metabolism goes to shit, you get hungry as hell, sympathetic nervous system output falls, you get depressed, so forth and so on until you get tired of it and eat yourself back up to your normal bodyweight to make your brain happy again. So is there anything you can do to “trick” your brain into thinking it’s fed? Yeah, besides using re-feeds, periodic carb-ups, or whatever, certain drugs will basically send the same signal in the brain that leptin would. Ditch the prozac and try Wellbutrin. It’s both a dopamine and Nor-epinephrine re-uptake inhibitor, we definitely know that the leptin signal strongly involves the dopamine receptor and NE would just have other advantages. Another one would we Bromocriptine or another dopamine agonist which you can find lots of feedback on if you search the net. Works really well for some, not so well for others. Basically, with drugs like these we’re sending the brain a false signal. It thinks it’s fed even when it’s not so the results is body-fat can be maintained at a lower level or lost to a lower level without the regular deprivation.
If you want to see progress… try putting on some weight. 165 at 6% for over a year? Are you trying to be a model? Or is there any other reason?
Most athletes, bodybuilders, hell anything to do with a physique would probably try to put on some quality mass at that point, UNLESS they have to stay under a certain weight for some reason.
T-Ren:
You are absolutely correct.
I should be satisfied with 6%bf, but I am not. My lower abs start showing really nicely at 4-5%. Since I am a model my priorities are different than 99% of the population.
Kelly Baggett:
Absolutely fascinating information. Thank you, your post made a very nice read.
I would like more input on this topic anyone?
I have to seriously question either:
- your bodyfat estimate
or - your training
if your lower abs only “show nicely” at 4-5% bodyfat (this is near expiration range)
try hitting the weights harder, with better ab workouts - see CT’s or Davies articles on ab training.
I second what rumbach said…
If you aren’t showing well at 6%, something is amiss in your muscle or your measurement.
Take a look at some pics around here of people down near 6%, and tell me they don’t show well enough. You could say they don’t, but it would mean as much as saying a half squat is parallel.
Rumbach:
You might be right, maybe I am higher than 6%, but considering I have been measured by a) calipers b) infrared body analysis and been getting that number on both occasions, 6% is the number I choose to refer to. It might be wrong, but is that such an issue here? I am more interested in body fat set points and what you can do to overcome them, or if it is at all possible to do so.
Thanks for the advice on ab training, I might look into that, although I seriously doubt that direct ab training has much to do with good abs. In my experience it is genetics and a low bf levels.
Ive seen guys working their abs hard, being low in bf, yet having a poor excuse for a six pack. And I know some guys with 8 packs that never train their abs, just do a lot of cardio. Go figure…
Infrared body analysis?
Never heard of that before. Care to fill me in?
If your goal 100% of the time is to lose bodyfat (especially at levels this low), you’re musclulature is going to suffer as a result. This is a no brainer. Including your precious abs!
If you can afford to go up a couple of percent from breakdowns and binging, why can’t you afford to do a mild “bulking” cycle and go up maybe 2%, while looking much better?
Anyway, you’re a model, so you obviously have pics. Post them so people can help. Numbers don’t give people much to go on.
DocT:
At a gym in Germany=)
The tool measures LBM and FM.
If you want, I can PM you the link to the gym, and I am sure someone can provide you with further and more detailed information about how the procedure works.
Dave-
This topic was not supposed to be about MY bf levels or how I look, but about how to overcome plateus in fat loss.
Hey Helm,
I don’t know a whole lot about the body chemistry, but the quicker you try to lose weight the harder the body will defend it. As for set points, they can go down, it just takes longer for it to reset completely, it is easier if you make the necessary lifestyle/dietary changes needed and make them habit. The longer you maintain that esp while remaining clean on your diet, the more your body comes to recognize it. But the set point also is influenced by the level of activity. change both factors and you have a dramatic impact over the long haul.
Peace,
T-Ren