Keto and T levels

#1

Hey All, I’m 4 days into this Keto diet and it seems to be going OK. Lost 6lbs and test strips show i am in Ketosis. It’s not the best marker for testing i know, but at least it shows that my body is in fat burning mode. Anyway I’ve read or heard someplace that being on a Keto diet can lower Testosterone levels. Does anyone in the know have some solid proof either way? The reason i ask is because i am on shots due to already having low T. So i wondered would it be wise for me to continue on this life changing lifestyle? Anyone posting with any information on this subject would be much appreciated. Thank You and while I’m here i guess i should say Hi. :slight_smile:

(Dan Dan) #2

“May the Force (fat adaption) be with you”

IF/EF Keto WOE is Self-Discovery :wink:

Good luck and much success in your journey in IF/EF Keto WOE :grin:

(Chris) #3

If you are on exogenous testosterone, it is not going to matter either way. You’ve given up on natural production at that point.

If I had to bet either way, I would believe a ketogenic diet to be beneficial for hormone production. ZC diets even more so

#4

Thank You for the info. There is just too much conflicting information out there regards this, so it makes it hard to see which is correct. I guess the same applies to the Keto diet as well. Some so called experts claim it’s good for you, yet other’s claim it isn’t.

(Damon Chance) #5

As @Untraceable said taking testosterone will definitely shut down natural production. Your body has a pretty tight feedback loop for that. It won’t really matter what you eat or don’t eat, that’s what the shots are for.
Go by how you feel a month out on the diet, that should remove most of the conflicts with the information.

(mike) #6

Where is your proof it does not?

Congrats on starting this woe.

#7

My testosterone has been borderline low for many years. Almost a year eating Keto and my recent blood tests T level has doubled.

#8

I don’t have links on hand, but i have read studies that claim it to be good and some say its bad. Btw what is this WOE you speak of?

(Consensus is Politics) #9

Lol… I feel your pain. I hate the use of acronyms or initialisms in writing unless spelled out at their first use, then freely used afterwords.

WOE, which should be WoE, is ‘way of eating’. Just wait, there’ll be more.:cowboy_hat_face:

#10

Thanks for clarifying. I thought being on keto was woe for a second :smile:

(Consensus is Politics) #12

Yeah, that sorta points out my peeve without using the non acronyms first.

(Bunny) #13

Fat Burning Hormones:

  1. Human Growth Hormone HGH (most important one for fat burning that peaks at last stage of sleep)

  2. DHEA (can be converted to Testosterone in the body) http://clinchem.aaccjnls.org/content/46/3/414

  3. Testosterone

Fat Blocking Hormones that block the Fat Burning Hormones:

  1. Cortisol (goes back to normal once your fully keto adapted) which also contains Progesterone and can be converted to Testosterone in the body also http://www.drmarcantel.com/hormones-and-how-they-interact/

  2. Insulin

  3. Estrogen

image
7BA57BDA-D5D6-467D-9DE6-5363738D3671.jpeg1242×962 534 KB

BOOSTING TESTOSTERONE:

#14

Awesome information. You and everyone else who posted has been a huge help. I am only on day five of this Ketogenic diet and i think my “flu symptoms” have gone already. The first two days were the worst, but since then i have felt pretty darn good. I started out at 220lb, and im now 212lbs. Im 6ft if that matters.

Obviously that’s mostly, if not all water weight. I will wait until i am fully adapted, which im not sure how long that will be?. But when i am, should i adjust my carbs, proteins and fats intake to the weight i currently am? Thank You again for the helpful post. It seems like a very friendly forum :slight_smile:

Edit: im working on 1654kcal per day.

136g - Fats
20g - Carbs
97g - Protein

I haven’t actually been counting the grams, so my guess is im a little on the lower side of those. I have not felt hungry much at all since starting this. So i guess my body is OK with what i am giving it. I am sure it would tell me if it wasn’t…lol

(Consensus is Politics) #15

Thanks Bunny, these should prove to be very useful!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #16

Protein seems a tad high, since the general recommendation is around 1.0 grams / kg lean body mass / day. But from some stuff I’ve read recently, the upper limit may be somewhat flexible. Don’t worry about how much fat you’re eating, just eat enough to satisfy your hunger. Your body will tell you when you’ve given it enough energy. It will hang on to its fat store if it thinks there’s a famine going on.

#17

Thank You PaulL. Now regards fat. What about the amount of saturated fat? Do i need to watch that? or need i not worry about all fat in general? Its weird but i woke up this afternoon (im on a weird schedule) and i didn’t feel hungry at all. Should i continue to eat even if i dont feel hungry? I only eat two times a day in about an 8 hour window. Sorry for all the questions but this is really new to me, and i want to stick with it as i already feel a lot better than i used to. This is just on day six or so as well :slight_smile:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #18

Saturated fat is not the demon it’s been made out to be, and monounsaturated fat is also good for you. Think tallow, lard, butter, bacon grease, coconut oil. Olive oil has a good fat profile too, but its low smoke point makes it not so good to cook with. Avoid all other vegetable oils, except avocado oil (which is a nut oil, actually). Avoid polyunsaturated fats like the plague.

DON’T eat if you’re not hungry; DO eat when you are. The idea is not to eat too often, since insulin spikes with every meal. I know that “I’m not hungry” sensation feels weird at first; you will soon grow to like it. And if you think you feel good on day 6 . . . !

(Dan Dan) #19

LOL Would you like some cheese with your Whine :wink:

I wish I was as perfect as you guys but since I’m not I’ll struggle over here on the side lines basking in your glory :sunglasses:

(Consensus is Politics) #20

Oh, no. I know I’m nowhere near perfection. It’s a never ending struggle on a path often not taken. As evidenced by my guilt of doing the very thing I complain about.

(See what I did there, I kept it short for once :cowboy_hat_face:)

#21

Proof for me, anecdotal for everybody else, but I’ve been on TRT for a couple years and when I started I wasn’t 100% off the wagon but I was in a lower carb but not quite keto anymore phase for a couple months prior. Since going back 100% my levels (I get tested at the very bottom of my cycles) average around 70-100 higher than they did prior. Granted I’m still forcing it in, but that’s part of the numbers. To ME at least, I see that as my body picking up a little more slack. I don’t inject enough to cause a total shutdown of my own production (based on many months of tinkering over the last couple years).