I have been a follower of the NHE eating plan for nearly three years now and currently follow the HIE workout plan.  Since I started applying the principles I learned in NHE/HIE, I have become quite successful as an athlete, winning a nation-wide 'before and after' competition, and maintaining a 215lb, 9-11% bodyfat physique year-round, with no exogenous hormones of any kind.  Please see www.musclelaw.com.  Generally, whenever I have had a photo shoot in the past, it has been sometime between April and early October.  Now I am trying to reduce my bodyfat to around 6-7% for a photo shoot scheduled for January and, for some reason, I am having an extremely difficult time.  Everything seems to be the same in terms of diet, exercise, sleep, stress, etc., except the time of year that I'm trying to diet down.  I'm thinking it's hormonal, i.e., less sunlight which affects my serotonin levels which affects my mood which slows down my metabolism which is making is much harder to lose bodyfat or have the desire to lose it.  Common sense would suggest that I'm fighting my body's natural response to shorter, colder days: retention of subcutaneous bodyfat.  Have you done any research on this and if so, am I off-base?  I figure there must be a reason other than not going to the beach with their shirts off that bodybuilders' off-season is October-February, perhaps one born of experience in trying to diet during winter months?