Maintaining Low Body Fat

Well, it has been 3 months since I dropped down below 13% and here I am still sitting at 12-13% (depending on the tides and last measurement was 12.4%). No magic to it. Just keeping it simple and staying active. Generally speaking, I follow the percentage idea that I ninja'd from John Berardi. I need to do the right things that I know work for me at least 60% of the time to keep the bodyfat low and performance (strength training perfomance for the dirty minded folks) at a higher level. I think that is the key when it comes to individual body composition. You have to know what works for you and what doesn't. We all have to start at some default point but over time you can really customize it for your body's kinetic abilities and genetics. More specifically some of us have outstanding athletic abilities and some not so much.Also, some of us have the genetics to feast and drink like sweet tooth kings all along the body burns the calories with a vengeance and others...not so much.

 Just to make sure we are all on the same level with the "default" guidelines. I use John Berardi's easy to follow guidelines. I give him credit but I have seen these guidelines before in different books and articles, from different nutrition experts.

 General Guideline:

1. High protein  in all your meals. Guys generally want a gram or more per pound of lean body mass and women half that. Make sure the protein comes from good sources and take note I said LEAN MASS.
2. Carbs should mainly come from vegetation. Keep everything else to a minimal for fat loss (including healthier versions of rice and noodles). Also the vegetables will help keep your PH levels balance. SO load up.
3. Drink water or green tea and consider everything else a cheat or workout drink (besides coffee that would be blasphemy).
4. Carbs should be tapered off at night but make sure healthy fats keep coming. You want 30% of your calories coming from your fat.
5. Follow thes rules 90% of the time for folks just doing activities an hour a day. The more active you are the more you can get away with lowering this percentage. I train for a total of about 7-8 hours  a week so I can get away with upping the junk calories on my hard workout days and drink a few pints of beer with good friends. On top of this I keep my non-training activities stable as much as possible. I do a half of a mile morning walk, active recovery drills, and generally keep in motion all day.

 Some guidelines I choose to skip:

1.  Eat 6 meals a day or every 3 hours your awake. I still do this because I need to get enough calories and protein in but if I can do it in 3 meals, so be it. I still have not found any solid evidence supporting the frequent meal idea and I can do it or I don't have to. I have yet to see any adverse effects from not doing this.
2. Eat carbs around workout time. I actually just do protein and caffeine before and after.If I do carbs at this time they are pretty low in the glycemic index.
3. Don't cash in all your cheats on the same day. Bah! I make sure I get adequate protein and vegetation in me but next thing that goes down the hatch is burger and fries, beer, and cookies (not necessarily in that order). When I cheat I don't screw around. HOWEVER, I always do additional aerobic activities the morning after.

 Now I'm at the point where I know how to maintain 194lb at 12-13% BF. Well, that is just too friggin' small though. It will take time but I will need to put on at least 10lb of FFM (fat free mass). For me and my current lifestyle and environment, I can put a solid 12 pounds on in a year and a half. So 10lb will take a little less. If I don't mind the body fat raising by a few percentages I can do it in less time. BUT I DO MIND! So slower process is the way if I want to stay lean.