I'm a long-time reader, first-time poster.
Some brief background info:
I'm between 5'11 and 6' tall. I used to be a long distance runner in my 20s. I ran half marathons, 10ks, and 5ks, regularly for years. I weighed about 165 - 170 depending and I got skinny in doing so (as expected).
Shortly after that, I got into some basic body-weight only lifting as well as some HIIT. I enjoyed it and noticed some muscle gain via the lifting.
Then we had kids so my entire scheduled changed and over the course of a couple of years (we have two [precious] daughters now), I gained about 40 lbs.
Through diet and exercise, I got back to 168lbs. A year and a half later, I'm still working, and I'm focusing on adding muscle, so I've been working out six days a week with a combination of cardio, resistance, and stretching (once a week), with a single rest way.
Over the year, it's paid off and based on my notes and my performance, there are noticeable strength gains and some visible gains, too. My weight is up to about 185lbs at this point.
However, I'm hitting that point where I'm hitting the body-fat plateau (if there's such a name for it ;). I can't seem to get down past 12 - 14% (depending on the week) body fat percentage no matter what I try or how hard I work.
Some notes:
- I don't eat fast food except for the occasional meal on a long road trip
- I drink 0 coke/soda/pop/etc
- I drink 0 alcohol
- I drink water
- I drink coffee with no sugar
- I eat fruit, meats, some carbs (wheat bread, rice, etc.)
- I don't smoke
- I don't do any drugs
- I don't eat sweets save for the occasional birthday party
- If I have a cheat meal, it's normally a personal size pizza on Friday nights.
For whatever reason, I cannot shed this layer of body fat on me. People say "Oh you look great don't worry about it," but then I see results some of you are getting and then I read various books, and I know I'm missing something.
The thing is, I have no idea where to go from here. I don't overeat, I don't snack on junk, I workout wearing a weighted vest to help build a bit more muscle than I've previously done in my life, but this persistent layer of a little bit of body fat is preventing me from realizing what I'm capable of doing.
To that end, I'm looking for some advice and guidance. I've read through some Leangains, and I've read about IF, but I'm still not sure how to incorporate this into the lifestyle of a self-employed work-at-home computer programmer with the standard demands of an early 30s dad (who's happily married; that is, I'm not a single father) with two kids.
For what it's worth, I also have a standing desk that I use throughout the day, so I'm not sitting for hours-on-end. All that to show that I'm not a desk jockey for the majority of the day except for when I'm working on my fitness.
I'm looking for some realistic, practical advice for someone in my stage of life on how I can begin cutting back these last few points of body fat given all of the above.
Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for whatever advice you have!