First a little background. I’m 31. I know this is the over 35 lifter forum, but I have HRT issues, so I’m posting here. Today my weight is at 179, down from 236 Jan 11th, and down from my all time high of 266 2.5 years ago. I’ve done it the right way, basically following Bartl’s exact diet and exercise regimen for the last 4 months. I’m pretty lean now, with a 6 pack and everything. Some lose skin around the waist, but I hope that tightens up over the next year or so.
I was a very good athlete all the way up to age 19. Varsity sports in high school, varsity rowing my freshman and soph year in college. I had a knee problem I thought was fixed before my freshman year in college, but it got worse my soph. year, so I quit rowing and joined a fraternity. In the frat, I’d spend 4-6 months getting fat eating crappy food and excessively drinking, with no exercise except walking to class. Then I’d spend a month “getting back into shape” which basically was just running/biking and starving trying to lose weight.
Then when I got my 1st job, and internship in Phoenix. Not wanting to go to a warm weather climate being fat, I searched for a good weightlifting routine, and I found T-Nation. This was back in 2000 or so. I started following the coaches here, and spent a good 9 months lifting and eating right, and got back into shape. When I came back to Ohio, I was in great shape, and felt pretty good.
Then for the next 6 years I basically ate fast food 2-3 times a day, pizza 2-3 times a week, and drank 5-6 beers a weeknight, and 12-18 during the weekend. Add in no lifting, too much stress from working on my MS, then my PhD, and then starting my own company. A good formula for fat gain. That’s how I ballooned up to 266.
But for the last 2.5 years I’ve been on and off training and dieting, going up and down 20-30 pounds. This year I decided to make it permanent, and quit drinking all together, and follow a strict diet and exercise plan. And it’s working, dropping 56 pounds this year and looking freaking great right now.
The problem I have, and why I’m here, has to do with my libido. Ever since I quit rowing, I’ve had basically zero libido. Freshman year in college was great, I never had any performance issues, and could chase women all night long, sleep 4 hours, go to class, go workout and row, and repeat.
But since then, I’ve had no sex drive. So I stopped asking girls out. And in the few cases where women were agressive and asked me out, I end up having “performance issues.” It’s gotten to the point where I actually avoid any situations that could end up with me flirting with any women. Just to avoid that embarrassment. A situation I want to clear up asap. So last week I went to the doctor, and after reading posts here from guys like KSman, I asked for and received several tests.
So I just got back from the office and here are the results:
Lipid Panel:
Cholesterol: 148, 100-199 mg/dL
Trigycerides: 42, 30-150 mg/dL
HDL: 50, 40-59 mg/dL
LDL Chol Cacl: 90 mg/dL
Chol/HDL Ratio: 3.0
So the clean diet for the last 4 months has completely cleared up my lipids. This looks super healthy to me.
Test tests:
Estradiol: 22, 0-56 pg/mL
Prolactin: 4.1, 1.6-18.8 ng/mL
Test, Free: 7.9, 8-7-55.0 pg/mL
Test, Total: 255, 280-1000 ng/dL
TSH: 2.95, 0.32-5.00 mclU/mL
Here is the real problem. I have the testosterone of a girl!
There was one other test that was off. It’s a liver enzyme test:
ALT(SGPT): 74, 0-40 U/L
But I was wondering if beta-alanine would cause this to test high, since SPGT is alanine aminotransferase. I’m currently in the 3rd week of taking Beta7.
For the test, the doc agrees the test is too low, and is scheduling an appointment for me with a Urologist.
So my task is now to research the hell out of TRT. KSman, or any other of you in-the-know guys, anything you can point me to on the web to get me started? I’ve read several of KSmans posts about TRT shutting down the tests, and needed HCg to keep them going, and an ai to keep the e2 in check. But I’d like to know more before going to the Urologist so I don’t get screwed up any worse.