Is getting "cut" really just psychological?

Since I've lost 30 lbs and got down to 12% I just plateaued and it seems as if my body just doesn't want to lose anymore... but what I notice also is that I've been cheating a LOT to keep my weight around 150 and I think that its purely psychological because I kind of am content with what I am but I am not super "cut." Is this just the natural way our bodies/minds work? Because when I was 22% BF and 30lbs heavier it was like the weight came off easily and I was super-motivated to drop the weight... now I find myself reaching for bad foods almost unconsciously when I feel like I'm losing weight. My goal is to get a six pack but its this constant cheating that's stopping me from doing so!

As you get leaner, your body fights harder and harder against you losing weight.

There is emerging scientific data indicating that the hormone leptin seeks to force your body to return to it's bodyfat "set point," which, in your case, is probably 22% BF. (the way it seems to work is that your "set point" can go up, but not down, lol).

Leptin is going to do things to you like make you hungrier, make you more sluggish (not burning as many "spontaneous" calories throughout the day, it will even lower your testosterone if you get lean enough.

OK, now that I'm done pissing on your Wheaties, my experience with guys that are trying to get six packs is that very often the problem is not that they are not lean enough, but that they haven't built enough muscle. Very few people have enough "natural" muscle mass to have a six pack and a nice looking body the first time they cut. If you're naturally skinny fat like me, it might take you several bulk/cut cycles (and years of frustration) before you ever obtain a six pack.

A lot of guys want to keep cutting, but when they lose so much weight, their bodies doen't look like they think they're going to look, they look more like concentration camp survivors. I can't say if this is the case for you or not, just something to keep in mind.

Well here is where I am at now... so I have some muscle left despite losing the 30 lbs.... its just that I'm soft.... I do lots of running and just started lifting last week so I guess I just gotta cut the cheat days.... what is Carb cycling? I run up to 13+ miles sometimes so should I be messing with carbs?

To get that look you want, you're going to have to shift your focus from running and on to lifting.

Yep. OP you're what they call skinny fat. Start incoporating some lifting in to your regiment.

He looks way too strong to be skinny fat.

I don't think he's exactly skinny fat. Look at the size of his arms. There's a lot of muscle there. Not saying there couldn't be more or anything -- I'm no expert. But if we're calling THAT skinny fat then.... wow. I guess I have a different definition of the term.