Body fat requirements and stress

[clr18287]

Hey all,

I have been on a diets in the past few years.. namely the abs diet, burn the fat feed the muscle, power eating, and now the anabolic diet. The BFFM program took me to 8% bodyfat but at that level, I looked great but felt AWFUL..always tired, always stressed..

How stressful on the body is it to be in the 8-9.5% bodyfat range?
Are some people genetically healthier at say 12-14% bodyfat?

I ask because I've gained back some weight to recover my adrenals and basicallymy entire endocrine system after overtraining. I am 170 12-14% BF
I used to be 150 8%. I've gained some muscle for sure, but a lot of chub too.

Thanks a lot.

[xink]

Hey all,

I have been on a diets in the past few years.. namely the abs diet, burn the fat feed the muscle, power eating, and now the anabolic diet. The BFFM program took me to 8% bodyfat but at that level, I looked great but felt AWFUL..always tired, always stressed..

How stressful on the body is it to be in the 8-9.5% bodyfat range?
Are some people genetically healthier at say 12-14% bodyfat?

I ask because I've gained back some weight to recover my adrenals and basicallymy entire endocrine system after overtraining. I am 170 12-14% BF
I used to be 150 8%. I've gained some muscle for sure, but a lot of chub too.

Thanks a lot.

5 foot 10 and a lot of chub at 170?

Post pics, I think mot of it is in your head.

[Rosie Chee]

Hey all,

I have been on a diets in the past few years.. namely the abs diet, burn the fat feed the muscle, power eating, and now the anabolic diet. The BFFM program took me to 8% bodyfat but at that level, I looked great but felt AWFUL..always tired, always stressed..

How stressful on the body is it to be in the 8-9.5% bodyfat range?
Are some people genetically healthier at say 12-14% bodyfat?

I ask because I've gained back some weight to recover my adrenals and basicallymy entire endocrine system after overtraining. I am 170 12-14% BF
I used to be 150 8%. I've gained some muscle for sure, but a lot of chub too.

Thanks a lot.

It is very stressful on the body to maintain low levels of bodyfat close to essential fat stores: 3-5% BF for male and 8-12% BF for females (varies depending on the individual). For a male 8-9.5% BF should not be very stressful at all.

Perhaps you feel the way you do BECAUSE you have pretty much consistently been on one diet or another and not really been eating properly. Or maybe, as you mentioned, you will feel better at a higher BF%; I know someone who does not like to go below 10% BF because it makes them feel as you describe. Personal preference (and genetics) on how low you can go re leanness and stay (and low levels of BF can affect your health regardless, especially with females).


~Rosie
Team APPNUT