31 y/o Just Confirmed Low Testosterone

I have been having the symptoms of low testosterone for quite a long time now. Lack of energy, extreme fatigue, overuse injuries from 2 years ago not healing, very slow results at the gym, etc. I was a construction worker by trade, but lately my symptoms got so bad I have been unable to perform worth a darn on these physical jobs anymore.

I just got a test done, and I had 445 ng/dl total testosterone, and 10 pg/ml free testosterone. Not so good, although I’ve heard of others recovering from lower, so I’m optomistic.

Now I have read the stickies and in general already spent a great deal researching online how to boost testosterone, so I have a decent start to a plan already, but just looking for advice to make my plan even better.

Heres my primary plan.

  1. Loose weight. I am 225lbs, 23.7% bodyfat (bodpod tested). I’m trying to loose 1 lb a week until I get down to 10% bodyfat or less. I’m counting all my macros and calories exactly, using a scale, etc.

  2. Increase my saturated fat intake. I believed all the “fat is bad” I heard everywhere. I have been on an “as little fat as possible” diet for 15 years. Only getting 30-50 grams per day in general and rarely any saturated fat. Maybe that is why I’m so low. Now I’m shooting for 100-150 grams of fat a day, and eating more eggs, olive oil, soon to be coconut oil, etc.

  3. I’m already doing heavy compound exercises (deads, squats, bench, military, etc) on my 5x5 routine, so I’ll keep those up of course.

  4. Avoid bottled water, and look for different sunscreen, and avoid whatever estrogenetics I can.

  5. Attempting to get 3 servings of broccoli per day.

  6. Continue getting good sleep, which I have been currently.

  7. Taking ZMA each night.

That’s the primary plan, anyone have anything to add, or any input?

Also I’m wondering, are there any good pro testosterone supplements which actually legitimately work? I’ve heard of things like Alpha Male and other T boosters, but are they actually legit or snake oil? And if so, do they have side effects?

I’m hoping to do this as safely and naturally as possible, first through food/lifestyle, second would be through safe supplements with minimal side effects. If that doesn’t work I’d try more drastic or risky supplements, leaving any sort of actual t replacement drugs as a last resort.

Thanks in advance for any help/input.

Assuming that you have been reading up …

Why are you not posting lab work? You have T tunnel vision? There is more to these issues than T levels.

FT really needs lab ranges to be understood, labs can have vastly different results.


This is standard advice maintained here:

There is a huge amount of knowledge in the stickies. Please study these. Start with the advice for new guys sticky.

There is a lot to read there, so read carefully. There are suggestions for things that are root causes of low testosterone [T]. Low T is a symptom, not a root cause itself. But low T itself is a root cause of many of the symptoms one experiences. Note that other things cause the same spectrum of symptoms, so do not have T tunnel vision. Many docs are guilty of that and they only treat the symptom [low T] and do not attempt to find the real problem. If you go to a clinic that specializes in low T, you will get T tunnel vision for sure.

Post info about yourself as suggested in the above sticky. We need labs, almost all of your labs, not just hormones. We also need the lab ranges.

We see a very high number of thyroid issues in the population of guys that show up here. So there is a strong focus on that. Most people are iodine deficient to some degree. Your history of iodine intake from iodized salt and vitamins that list iodine is important. If you become iodine deficient, the RDA [recommended daily allowance] is inadequate for recovery of iodine stores. Please see the thyroid basics sticky for more information.

You do not want to suffer from subclinical hypothyroidism or get Rx thyroid meds to treat iodine deficiency.

If you are injecting T or contemplating that, read the protocol for injections sticky.

There are stickies for finding a TRT doc, estradiol [E2] and lab work.

Do not place your history or treatment details in the stickies! That belongs in your thread. Keep all of your posts in your thread so we can have a clear picture of your situation and needs.

OK, here are the lab test results

Testosterone, Serum 445 ng/dL 348-1197
Free Testosterone(Direct) 10.0 pg/mL 8.7-25.1

Not much has changed since my first post, just been doing everything I posted about. Still looking for other advice, and researching if there are any legitimate T boosting supplements that actually work. Most I’ve found so far seem hyped, without much legitimate scientific proof.

This is not enough labs.

Read the advice for new guys sticky and have a look at other people’s threads… Lots to be learned here.

Welcome

Well. I did read the “advice for new guys” sticky, and looked over it again, but didn’t see anything specific to which tests to get.

Are the extra labs you speak of expensive? I don’t have health insurance, and pretty much spent the last bit of money I could afford getting the lab that I got.