FRUSTRATED!!!

Question
hello,

i am a 30 yo male

i am 5'8" 169 lbs with 15% body fat 41" chest 33" waist and 30" legs.

i am so frustrated because i CANNOT lose another 10 lbs which should put me to around 12% BF.  i went from a 36" waist to a 33" waist in 1 1/2 yrs with a strict diet and lifting weights 3x/week.  currently, i work-out 6 days/week.  3-4 days of cardio (20-25 minute sessions of interval training) and 3 days of hard lifting.  i look really good and i am not over-weight.  that said, i cannot see the lower abs and i have a little spare tire...very small but evident to me because i want ZERO spare tire.

no matter what i do i cannot get under 15% BF.  i don't go much by weight because i lift so much that my BMI means nothing due to lean muscle.  i look like i weigh 150 lbs or so.

i eat 3x day and rarely snack - almost never.  i eat chicken or tuna a lot.  lots of fluids.  diet soda.  protein drinks.  my cholesterol is 160 total with great HDL.  i can't find a flaw other than the fact that i don't eat enough!

what can i do to break this barrier?  advice?  thanks.


Answer
Chris,

Sorry to say, but you are fighting thousands of years of evolution.  Your body absolutely does not want to give up that last bit of fat.  Your body needs it to survive any upcoming famine.  During a famine, those with a body fat of less than 10% will die first.

Everyone has the same problem.  This is what liposuction was designed for (although I am not recommending liposuction).  The last 10-15 pounds do not go away easy for a reason.  It's in our genes, and some peoples genes are skinnier than others.

Bodybuilders look the way they do by virtually starving themselves for short periods before a competition.  And, oh yes, lots of illegal drugs and injections.  Soon after the competition, even their dreaded 10 lbs come back quickly.

Chris, there are no easy answers.  Keep doing what got you there...eat fewer calories, exercise more.  The more fanatical you get, the less body fat you will have.  But, boy, life may get to be less enjoyable.

Best of luck.

Todd

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