Anyone else obsessed with testosterone?

[AndrogenHacker]

Is there anyone else out there like me?

I literally spend all my free time reading studies and articles.

I've been able to increase my testosterone levels with just lifestyle changes from 412 ng/ml to now over 900. I don't think im special or anything, but Im pretty proud of this accomplishment.

Also, I've been a lurker on excelmale for a long time now. I figured it was time for me to make an account and get involved with the community.

Nice to meet you guys.

- David

 

[Systemlord]

Welcome AndrogenHacker.

I also spend a lot of time researching all the latest studies and share them with anyone on the fence about starting TRT and wondering about the health risks.

It's nice to hear for a change that someone was able to more than double his testosterone, this is nothing short of amazing!

I'm glad to see you finally decided to show up and join the community.

 

[fifty]

Is there anyone else out there like me?

I literally spend all my free time reading studies and articles.

I've been able to increase my testosterone levels with just lifestyle changes from 412 ng/ml to now over 900. I don't think im special or anything, but Im pretty proud of this accomplishment.

Also, I've been a lurker on excelmale for a long time now. I figured it was time for me to make an account and get involved with the community.

Nice to meet you guys.

- David

Any tips?

 

[seppuku]

Yes, me. Ever since i recieved my first testosterone blood test back in around 2012, i've literally spent all my spare time reading up on testosterone, how to increase it, what things can lower it, how to replace it etc, etc, etc. I must have put the word 'testosterone' into Google more than any other. It becomes an obsession, and i bet there's many men on this site who are the same. I sometimes wish i'd never had that first blood test.......

 

[AndrogenHacker]

Any tips?

Honestly probably nothing you haven't heard before. There's no magic bullet.

- heavy lifting
- regular sex
- I got my bodyfat percentage down to like 11% first and then ive been eating in a steady caloric surplus since.
- lots of good healthy fats in diet
- avoid xenoestrogens

... there's other things. Like I said, nothing you haven't heard before.

I think consistency (or lack thereof) is where 90% of people get tripped up. I'm OCD about my lifestyle.

 

[AndrogenHacker]

Yes, me. Ever since i recieved my first testosterone blood test back in around 2012, i've literally spent all my spare time reading up on testosterone, how to increase it, what things can lower it, how to replace it etc, etc, etc. I must have put the word 'testosterone' into Google more than any other. It becomes an obsession, and i bet there's many men on this site who are the same. I sometimes wish i'd never had that first blood test.......

So have you made any changes?

Retested since?

 

[seppuku]

So have you made any changes?

Retested since?

The short notes for my story are -

Got NHS tested (UK) around 2012, age 41, tested low normal. Tested two weeks later after taking DAA, tested much lower. Bought some black market clomid, took it, tested again about four weeks later, came back double my first tests value. No testing till last year which i had through online service, had been taking low dose clomid since 2012, first test in 2018 came back low again (but with top of range LH). I think my low levels may have been caused by proviron that i had been taking, foolishly believing it didn't affect levels, but it can. I've had about eight blood draws done privately since last June, each one after either trying something new (ie, tocotrienols), or just waiting it out. It had gone down a bit after i stopped the clomid following the first draw (in case the constant high LH levels were causing problems), and crept up a bit after that. My last reading in June this year was 9.67 nmol/l (278ng/dl). My main complaint at this level is painful joints, hips, shoulders etc. I've wrestled with the idea of trt. You'd think at that level it would be an easy decision, but in my case i've been so fixated with being a 'natty' weight lifter for so many years now (nearly 30) that i worry i might not.....i don't know.....respect myself maybe? So i'm kind of in limbo, making no concrete decisions over any path of action (i've started self prescribed trt several times now and regretted it/stopped after first shot each time. In fact i did this again this Thursday, no doubt i'll be chomping on clomid again soon to try and undo any damage).
So basically, no useful tips from me i'm affraid.

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

"Obsession" sounds like a mental disorder. I would replace it with "Passion".What you describe is a good example of a medical truism IMO which is that if you have a health issue of any kind (e.g. cancer, arthritis, hormones, anything), you cannot rely on the knowledge of others (especially "experts") but rather you have to become passionate about understanding everything you possibly can about it yourself.

 

[DragonBits]

Is there anyone else out there like me?

I literally spend all my free time reading studies and articles.

I've been able to increase my testosterone levels with just lifestyle changes from 412 ng/ml to now over 900. I don't think im special or anything, but Im pretty proud of this accomplishment.

Also, I've been a lurker on excelmale for a long time now. I figured it was time for me to make an account and get involved with the community.

Nice to meet you guys.

- David

I think you are special, the exception.

I don't think many even start out with 412 ng/ml and I haven't seen any posts about more than doubling total T through natural means. No doubt this can happen, but I think it's rare, less than 5% would be my guess.

 

[AndrogenHacker]

"Obsession" sounds like a mental disorder. I would replace it with "Passion".What you describe is a good example of a medical truism IMO which is that if you have a health issue of any kind (e.g. cancer, arthritis, hormones, anything), you cannot rely on the knowledge of others (especially "experts") but rather you have to become passionate about understanding everything you possibly can about it yourself.

Beautifully worded.

Yeah especially with testosterone I think. Everyone is so unique. I will say that some of the basics probably hold true universally though - i.e. sleep.

 

[AndrogenHacker]

I think you are special, the exception.

I don't think many even start out with 412 ng/ml and I haven't seen any posts about more than doubling total T through natural means. No doubt this can happen, but I think it's rare, less than 5% would be my guess.

I tend to agree.

My lifestyle requires a lot of dedication.

In bed by 9pm sharp every night, diet, exercise etc. My friends and family think im crazy. At family functions for example, I drink my filtered water out of a glass mason jar while everyone else drinks coke out of plastic.

Im a bit of a nut, but idc. I feel amazing.

 

[Rabbit91476]

It took me about 4 months before it calmed down

 

[Cataceous]

...
My lifestyle requires a lot of dedication.

In bed by 9pm sharp every night, diet, exercise etc. My friends and family think im crazy. At family functions for example, I drink my filtered water out of a glass mason jar while everyone else drinks coke out of plastic.

Im a bit of a nut, but idc. I feel amazing.

Sounds familiar. I generally take my own meals to family get-togethers.

 

[AndrogenHacker]

The short notes for my story are -

Got NHS tested (UK) around 2012, age 41, tested low normal. Tested two weeks later after taking DAA, tested much lower. Bought some black market clomid, took it, tested again about four weeks later, came back double my first tests value. No testing till last year which i had through online service, had been taking low dose clomid since 2012, first test in 2018 came back low again (but with top of range LH). I think my low levels may have been caused by proviron that i had been taking, foolishly believing it didn't affect levels, but it can. I've had about eight blood draws done privately since last June, each one after either trying something new (ie, tocotrienols), or just waiting it out. It had gone down a bit after i stopped the clomid following the first draw (in case the constant high LH levels were causing problems), and crept up a bit after that. My last reading in June this year was 9.67 nmol/l (278ng/dl). My main complaint at this level is painful joints, hips, shoulders etc. I've wrestled with the idea of trt. You'd think at that level it would be an easy decision, but in my case i've been so fixated with being a 'natty' weight lifter for so many years now (nearly 30) that i worry i might not.....i don't know.....respect myself maybe? So i'm kind of in limbo, making no concrete decisions over any path of action (i've started self prescribed trt several times now and regretted it/stopped after first shot each time. In fact i did this again this Thursday, no doubt i'll be chomping on clomid again soon to try and undo any damage).
So basically, no useful tips from me i'm affraid.

As far as being natty goes, my philosophy is that if you can swing it, then obviously it's a better option. If you cant though, im sll about quality of life. Idc what people think. You only life once.

Im going to ride the natty train for as long as i can, but as soon as im given reason to do otherwise, im going to jump all over it.

My 2 cents

 

[seppuku]

As far as being natty goes, my philosophy is that if you can swing it, then obviously it's a better option. If you cant though, im sll about quality of life. Idc what people think. You only life once.

Im going to ride the natty train for as long as i can, but as soon as im given reason to do otherwise, im going to jump all over it.

My 2 cents

I get what you're saying, and i (don't think) i care what other people think of me being natty or not either. It's more to do with my owm self perception of who or what i am. If my main ''thing' in life was not gym (sounds sad doesn't it?) but lets say, being a musician - i don't think i'd have the same reservations about replacing my man juice with an external one. But this does affect me, even though i currently move and act like a geriactric. It's like i'm waiting for 'something' to change in me (for the better, not osteoarthritis or heart disease). Also, trr to me seems like a trump card, a last resort that would solve all my problems in life. Knowing i 'could' start any time i want is somewhat comforting. If it didn't live up to my expectations, i think to me it would be like a religious person finding out there was no God...

 

[fifty]

I think trt is overrated unless your levels are gutter low and/or you can’t keep up with your partner.

Lots of guys having trouble year after year adding more and more substances. I don’t get it.

 

[Cataceous]

... Also, trr to me seems like a trump card, a last resort that would solve all my problems in life. Knowing i 'could' start any time i want is somewhat comforting. If it didn't live up to my expectations, i think to me it would be like a religious person finding out there was no God...

Better would be to treat it as one of many tools in the toolbox. You use it when you need to fix hypogonadism, which is diagnosed from symptoms and lab results. Other tools include GH secretagogues, thyroid meds, supplementation with substances whose endogenous quantities are not optimal, etc.

 

[DragonBits]

Sounds familiar. I generally take my own meals to family get-togethers.

Same for me, I took a case of white castle sliders to my brothers house last month. We both love sliders, everyone else, not so much.

 

[DragonBits]

I tend to agree.

My lifestyle requires a lot of dedication.

In bed by 9pm sharp every night, diet, exercise etc. My friends and family think im crazy. At family functions for example, I drink my filtered water out of a glass mason jar while everyone else drinks coke out of plastic.

Im a bit of a nut, but idc. I feel amazing.

No doubt it requires a lot of effort, but it's not your lifestyle that I was talking about that make you special.

lifestyle improvements can increase serum total T by 10%. Certainly it's useful for many healthy changes, lowering trigs, raising HDL, better heart, etc. A 10% increase in Total T was when measured when lifestyle was changed and total T amongst other things were checked.

But on average no matter your lifestyle it doesn't raise testosterone for the vast majority of men enough to make a real difference. That is what makes your situation special.

To get more than double your original total T is very rare IMO.

Anyone else increase total T naturally and by how much?

 

[Vvs1]

Is there anyone else out there like me?

I literally spend all my free time reading studies and articles.

I've been able to increase my testosterone levels with just lifestyle changes from 412 ng/ml to now over 900. I don't think im special or anything, but Im pretty proud of this accomplishment.

Also, I've been a lurker on excelmale for a long time now. I figured it was time for me to make an account and get involved with the community.

Nice to meet you guys.

- David

Awesome mentality and improvement! There are many that wouldn't have the discipline for a lifestyle change.

Would you happen to have a before/after shbg or estradiol?

I do feel like most of the T obsession is media/marketing. People don't care about things unless other people care, and that's media and marketing exploits. But it also what makes sites like this gain enough support, and awareness.