For those with six pack abs, I am curious how you guys avoid these sticking points that I experience when getting under 15% body fat:
1. Hunger pains. When I start to get under 15% body fat, my hunger pains really tend to increase especially in the evenings. My diet is currently a high fat, low carb diet that consists of foods like: eggs, salmon, walnuts, celery, mixed greens, apples, blueberries, grapes, apples, olive oil, whole raw milk, greek yogurt, avocados and sometimes broccoli. I usually eat 2 meals a day and do IF two times a week where I eat only one meal and fast for 24 hours. Any ideas or suggestions?
2. Mood dips. I tend to be more depressed and irritable during these times. Not sure if it is just a phase as the body adjusts to the lower body fat levels or if it is a normal reaction to simply having less body fat. How do you handle this hurdle?
3. Drop in overall strength. As my body fat drops, I find that my strength in various weighted exercises (ex. dumbbell presses) declines save body weight exercises like pullups where I will be able to add a few more pullups when the weight dips. It seems like this is a sacrifice one must give but what has been your experience here?
4. How do you handle maintaining six pack abs and growing muscle? I have seen a lot of conflicting information on this. Do you cycle where you will try to put on mass in the winter and cut fat in the spring and summer? Or do you try to maintain a six pack year round and then how do you go about gaining extra muscle? Where do you try to keep your body fat percentage at during these times?
5. How do you handle the holidays (Thanksiving, Christmas) where overeating or bad eating is commonplace especially in the winter? Do you indulge and simply workout extra hard before these times or do you take steps to curb overeating? Also, just curious how often do you cheat at other times and eat bad food like say deep dish pizza or what not?
1. Hunger pains. When I start to get under 15% body fat, my hunger pains really tend to increase especially in the evenings. My diet is currently a high fat, low carb diet that consists of foods like: eggs, salmon, walnuts, celery, mixed greens, apples, blueberries, grapes, apples, olive oil, whole raw milk, greek yogurt, avocados and sometimes broccoli. I usually eat 2 meals a day and do IF two times a week where I eat only one meal and fast for 24 hours. Any ideas or suggestions?
2. Mood dips. I tend to be more depressed and irritable during these times. Not sure if it is just a phase as the body adjusts to the lower body fat levels or if it is a normal reaction to simply having less body fat. How do you handle this hurdle?
3. Drop in overall strength. As my body fat drops, I find that my strength in various weighted exercises (ex. dumbbell presses) declines save body weight exercises like pullups where I will be able to add a few more pullups when the weight dips. It seems like this is a sacrifice one must give but what has been your experience here?
4. How do you handle maintaining six pack abs and growing muscle? I have seen a lot of conflicting information on this. Do you cycle where you will try to put on mass in the winter and cut fat in the spring and summer? Or do you try to maintain a six pack year round and then how do you go about gaining extra muscle? Where do you try to keep your body fat percentage at during these times?
5. How do you handle the holidays (Thanksiving, Christmas) where overeating or bad eating is commonplace especially in the winter? Do you indulge and simply workout extra hard before these times or do you take steps to curb overeating? Also, just curious how often do you cheat at other times and eat bad food like say deep dish pizza or what not?
