Granted I am not a bodybuilder and never have been, but this retired powerlifter has dropped from 292lbs to now 225 since 2016 (10 years) without putting any effort into it. In the last year and 1/2 I dropped from 245 to 225 alone, but have put a little more effort. On average,, day by day I consume 5362cal, 25% protein(319g/d), 32% carbs(451g/d), and 43% fat(451g/d). All of the fat coming from virgin olive oil. I eat seafood and chicken every meal with a lot of Greek Yogart and very low GI carbs like brown rice, absolutely no vegies. I have been using 1.5iu of HGH for years and 500mg of metformin every morning for years. My wife is a bodybuilder and she says she has never seen anyone with such dedication/control to eating. I eat the same 6 meals every day for over a year at the same time of the day. I eat no processed foods and no high-GI sugar (Mediterranean diet) In time, this style of eating combined with 5 days of week of training (NO CARDIO) the composition of my body is slowly changing. No more 3-4X t-shirts, I am down to XL. Lipids are good, BP is 120/72, yesterday at the cardiologist's with a 63 RHR.
I can't say this combination will work with anyone else because genetics play a huge part, but I can tell you that dedication plays a huge part. I am a very anal person, so this part, whether it was gaining or losing, is very easy for me. I feel bad for all you guys who have to work so hard to lose.