hi

[ariel]

HI,

I posted about test cream a while ago, and seems that no one really had any info about it at all...

I wanted to ask if and and a women has next to no natural test, how does it effect her body, and while I am in treatment for this, how should I train and eat...

I have been eating clean and training without much of a pause for years, but even when my results started backsliding, I still kept on keeping on...I decided a few montsh ago that maybe I was just not motivated enough, hired a trainer to get ready for a fall show...I followed the plan closly for about 6 weeks(prior to that I was still training and eating clean just more cas) When there was no increase of strenghth and no change whatsoever in my body I went to the doctor...I had tried to diet hard last year for a show yet again, and NO CHANGE unless I ate below bmr.

I will post my diet and would like some critques, as I have slacked(on purpose) with my training...It took about a month after seeing the doc to get my prescription, and I took some time off, simply because I have not been out of the gym for 2 years any longer than maby 3 days...I thought, and was correct that I would lose my gains, and gain bodyfat if I stopped(but it seemed I was gaining bodyfat no matter what)

OK, my diet is 1700-2000 cals....200 grams pro 100 grams carbs(I play with this from day to day, 70-100) and 70-85 grams of fat in flax, pb, steak egg yolks...Clean fat...

This is the pre PRE contest diet my trainer had me following, along with next to no cardio, and heavy training...He had me training with higher reps for legs than I was used to , but due to the NO CHANGE in my bod for the past year, I felt some change was warranted.

At this time I have dosing the test for the past week, but I still don't feel that great, and yoga class leaves me sore for a full 7 days enough to not be able to train...Seriously...I have noticed a bit less water rentiontion, but still feel pretty week..

My tests levels came out to
20dgml
normal is 65(at the lowest) and 119 dl at the "accepted" highest for women..

I am wondering how and what and where to go from here. I have not ever gone completly off my diet in the past year or so...Some cheates but scheduled eating...I have had some wacky blood sugar probs when my carbs are to high...

I have one side of me that just wants to eat out, drink some wine, and not train, just do outdoorsy stuff to stay active, because I am not sure how much good gym time is going to do me until I am nomrla

thanks dani

 

[ariel]

OH,

I guess I should mention that I am 5f6i and 143lbs

My diet looks like this

meal1
6egg whites+2 yolks
.5 cup oats
.5 tbs natty pb

meal 2
5oz chicken, SOMETIEMS 2 scoops whey
.5 cup of rice or oats
.5 tbs of pb, or olive oil.

meal3
2 serving whey w/ either 1
.5 cup ckd sweet taters, .5 dry oats, or .5 cup rice.

meal 4
4-5oz cooked meat, beef chicken or fish
veggies
1 to 2 tbs pb or flax

MEAL 5
4 oz ckd london broil...lean only. sometimes chicken (5oz) whey 2 scoops...and a fat source..

Today had a cheat which was
2 slices of ezekial bread(no flour)
2 tbs of natty pb, and 2 tbs of all fruit spread and a glass of soy milk..

this is pretty much what I have been on(minus the cheat) for the past 3 months. I did get discouraged when i got my test results and cheated about 4 times...Dinner out a few glasses of wine ect...I am back at it again, but don't know which direction to take...

By reading through old posts, I see that most would reccomend my cal intake for maintaince??? I am looking to make some postive changes after my hormone crash...I do not have a thryroid problem, but it certainly does seem that 2000 cals even of clean food makes me gain fat....WHERE CAN I START???

This week my training was decent... SUNDAYD did yoga Did upper body tues, sprints for legs on thurs, then decided to hit back again on friday W/ an hour of slow walking outdoors....Sat no training. I feel this real need to start doing more cardio, but instincts tell me that I am in for trouble if I try it that way...I DID train for most of the year, heavy(which ended up light due to loss of strength) Basic lifts...Squats, deads, pull ups, dips...To failure at 4-12 reps...2 body parts a day...Just changing it up now because frankly, I have become disillusioned with the gym, the harsh lights, and my increasinly softening body..

Long ago I dieted hard for a contest that was canceled 2 weeks before the show date(guam what do you excpect) I got down to an incrediable 7% bodyfat, but crazy me did'tn want to put any more body fat on...I dieted and cardioed my ass off...FOR MONTHS...to try and maintain a VERY lean bod...Since that time,things have not been the same..>Normal intakes of CLEAN food go nowwhere but to fat gain.I since have tried to commit to a contest TWICE in order to stay on the strict diet that really only MAINTAINED my bodyfat..I have been on my test cream and progeterone cream for a week..I doubled the dosages and will do so this time through the first set of my script...The thing is I make a living with my body, and I am having an awful time thinking maybe I am going to just have to get a bit plump(ER) in order to reset it...I do not fear muscle, wish I would have not trained this past year with so much muscle (confidence) loss...I have had goals to compete, and have put forth much of my last few years, starting at 17 to being fit and healthy, and then training like a bodybuilder...2.5 years started eating like one...Now, I am just worried first and formost that I don't get fat from eating normal amounts of food...HELP

As I said I had a decent trainer, but I am looking for you girls advice, really because I DON"T believe in "high reps" for legs, and other training myths.... which is what this trainer had me doing...Don't get me wrong, he called out my hormone problems within 2 weeks of working with me(he was an online trainer at that) I just am looking for my next plan...

I have seen SPATT's diet plan, I am looking for a liviable long term plan...I have not had the enery(although I still go) for the gym for the past year...I still pushed thourgh...I am not sure if I should do 60mns of cardio daily...I am tired of putting forth so much effort, to see any gains I USED TO HAVE disappear, and watch my body change from a hard mesomorph into a heavy pear shaped, water rententive endomorph...I even eat less than what I did at a 130 pounds(and was able at 130 to lose 10 pounds and get abs) I am 143 now, and can't seem to lose or even maintain my fat levels unless I go to BMR, and STARVE...

Thanks for listening everyone..
aerial

 

[ariel]

Spatts,

Thanks for the reply...

My training cycle as of this month is NON EXSITANT...I decided just to listen to my bod...Hike if it feels good, swim in the ocean if that day it feels good...Squat if that feels good...

I realize that it will be a few months before my hormones are balanced to even the normal range...That is why I am asking for guidance...I am having a hard time perservering and doing the gym lifting, when I don't think it is going to get me anywhere...What do you think would be a good program for someone who has been overtrained to the point of metabolic crash...I know that I don't recover very well at all, and the gym time really has not allowed an enjoyable time outside of it...Which is fine if at least I had some gains Do you think just cardio and calistenics is the order of the day? I am not so sure that 5 days of heavy lifting and heavy cardio wiill get me anywhere....

I guess I need some guidance from people who understand the real biochemistry of hormones, and the resulting reaction when someone trains without an optimal level. My old trainer told me to keep my gym program the same...Let me post it here...It almost makes me fearful to do, because I did it for a 6 weeks, but really could not finish a true weekly cycle the way I should of because I just could not recover...

Sun.
LEGS
Front squat, 6 reps X5
leg ext...20reps,30reps,40reps,50reps
leg curl seated superset with lying...
seated 8x 4 with superset lying 15reps 20reps 25reps,25 reps

Monday
Back and tires
Superset back work....Pulldowns, rows....ect
tris put inbetween supersets

Tues...If I had even begun to recover
chest and bis...Same kind of superset scheme...

THurs or friday.
shoulders...COmpound supersets...Pauses inbetween excercise change...LiKE....Side lat...rest 1 min overhead rest 1 min...ect
about 12x13 sets total for each muscle group(besides arms, and legs) NO CARDIO...But see I was dancing 2 to 3 days a week...COuld not keep up with this very well...Finally got to the doctors...From what I understand my test, dhea, progesterone levels will take about 3 months to even start approaching normal...Need a plan and some eating that takes this into consideration

Thanks
aerial

 

[Candi Barr]

aerial, it sounds like you're having a tough time. Have you considered you might be entering perimenopause? Maybe research along those lines would give you some insight.

 

[ariel]

Candi Barr,

Hi, thanks for the respons..It seems not many want to give me any input, maybe because it has been discussed before so I have been searching the borads for the past week, and in fact do find tidbits of info...not much though

I am 24 years old, so I very much doubt that it is menopause..
THe compounding pharmicist the gave me my scripts said that while test is really low, all my other hormones are low for a 24 year old, not at all optimal.

Spatts, if you check in on this, I read some old posts of yours describing how you pms for weeks at a time, past the time your cycle should come, and then some...That is the exact same thing I suffer from(I have never heard of anyone to have the same thing before) All the symptoms of pms, then I skip my period, and the symptoms just get worse and worse, for sometimes a WHOLE MONTH!

I am coming to conclusion that I have over cardioed and overdieted to such an exteme as to have slowed my metobolism.(but I stopped the cardio and hard dieting 6 months ago).I stayed near comp weight and bodyfat for a good 6 months(2 years ago, and never was the same, in that time devolped disordered eating(EXTREME) and then tried 2 more times to "get lean" for comps again...NO LUCK, and the eating just got worse...I have not had a prob with eating for a good 8 months now, but I am going to soon be on the verge of beain a chunky chick..I am an exotic dancer, and really fear anymore fat gain. I may have to stop the dancing in order to not worry about how fat my ass is getting. measurments are 38,28,38.5 and increasing. at least it is proportional..hehe

I am the opposite of alot of the women on these boards, where I never had issues with food or weight UNTIL I got invovled with bodybuilding...It was not a postive experiance for me...I love physical activity, love lifting heavy and LOVE healthy food...Just can't do all of the above with not enough food...I did it for too long...

As I said above, I am trying to find a livable way to eat and train without getting fatter...I am eating about 2000 cals a day, and yes I am gaining fat as we speak, but I don't seem to be able to eat 1500 cals indefinatly, so I am almost just accepting that my bodyfat may creep into the high 20s and stay there...I don't want to accept it, but I guess I am not willing to be tired and hungry for the rest of my life. I eat whole bodybuilding foods, as all can see above...I have been doing this for the past year with no long lay off at all..Prior to that years, but lots of food and then post comp bingeing. So I will say a good solid year of good eating with of course cheat days, maybe 2 times a month. Prior to that, just a clean lifstyle since I was 17.

Thanks
ariel

 

[FitFossil]

Ariel,

I've also tested for low test. I'll be starting the 2% test gel made by a compounding pharmacy. I'll keep you posted on how it works.

Since you said your other hormones are out of wack, I highly recommend the book "Natural Hormone Balance for Women" by Uzzi Reiss. It has chapters specifically relating to younger women and hormonal imbalances they may experience. It's been a godsend to me.

 

[JJFigure]

Wow - your situation really sucks. I feel for you. It seems you need a big diet change to get past this situation; unfortunately, I'm too new to this diet manipulation game to give you advice there. I prefer how I feel on the low carb/high protein/moderate fat diet too, so I understand why you'd rather stay on it, but maybe you need to take a break from it for a while to get your metabolism kick-started again. Do you incorporate refeeds at all? Or carb load days?

 

[ariel]

Warlobo,

OH, no! in no way did I mean that bad, and taken out of the context it does look petty...I know how many times the same question has been asked time and again by just being on here a few months...I SEARCHED THE BOARDS, but often times come up with nothing...IF I read for a few hours each day, now and again I can find some blurb about females and their natural hormone levels...Fine with me What I meant to say was along the lines of...

I probably am being annyoing with my rants and raves and my issues...And that you guys know of the wealth of knowledge that awaits me on the search function

Spatts,
Maybe I did not word it right, but believe me my ears perk when I see your old posts...I think your period was delayed, and that you were holding lot's of water for a long time, like you were ABOUT to get it, but skipped it and just held on to the water...My issues are near the same, but I do cramp...So, I hold about 10lbs water for somtimes 60 days at a time(not fat) with cramps and sore boobs...I think I am pregnant half the dang time..

Take your time, I have been on these boards for a few months and I am not going anywhere...I am just living off savings and letting my butt get kinda chucky until I
1. Get a goodl level of test going and can actually repair the damage incurred by training...
2. Use food for the repair process...Oats and egg whites DO go to my ass...
3. Take up yoga, and say screw it, I am not a body but a soul...

My goals for so long have been to compete and do well...I had it in me...Mentally that is....

SO, now I am following spatts training split, and eating what I said I was above...Oh well if I have 46 in hips....

OH, also, while my thryoid came back normal...I have been told that thyroid tests can be misleading...My doc is a DO involved with antiagin and is pretty open minded...I have been told that thyroid may be subclinical(not by doctor by my old trainer), and that something called Wilsons disease is viable..>Then I read Dr wilson almost lost his liscense and almost killed a women by sending T3 through the mail...Hokey?

So, I want to know how I tell my doc that my thryoid is NOT NORMAL, and that I want some anavar instead of this low level of test... I have got to earn a living, and will continue with crazy starvation if my ass is on the line so to speak....

ariel..

 

[Temple]

Is you doctor treating only your test deficiency or is he treating all of your hormone deficiencies?
For how long did you overtrain and diet stringently?
Is the eating disorder that you are struggling with binging or starving?

If your doctor is involved in antiaging I would say that he is fairly progressive in his thinking. Have you laid all of this out for him?

Wilson???? MS???? Do either of you have any ideas???

 

[SteelWeaver]

Hi Ariel. Welcome to the boards. I'm afraid I don't have any advice for you - I don't have any hormonal knowledge or whatever. But I can tell you why responses seem so slow:

You titled your thread "Hi". I'm afraid, for many folks on the board, that is not a very inviting title. People think when they see it that it's just a new person saying hi, not that they have a specific issue or question. I've found it's best to spell out whatever your question is in the thread title, then add details inside. That way people can see immediately whether it's something they know about or are interested in. For folks with limited time, they don't wanna go and click every thread to see what's in there. They just click on the ones that look interesting to them.

That's probably why MS and W6 haven't seen this yet, too. They generally don't respond to hi to the board threads.

I would be very interested to see their (and other) replies, though, because I know I piled on too many pounds way too fast after my last comp., but worry that attempting to stay relatively lean after the next one could likely mess up my metabolism.

Good luck!