Someone really needs to do a high quality study of BMR controlling for thyroid and testosterone issues, as well as for women things like PCOS.
It would be very helpful to show people that it doesn’t make a huge difference in reality if you’re eating clean, just makes it a bit harder.
I believe Olympians have x2 the rate of women with PCOS.. I always thought PCOS didn't give you a slow metabolism but more T and increased appetite, like men I guess 🤣
My whole hormone panel was in the normal range. Most people that want TRT and aren’t hypogonadal go to clinics like Hone health or TRT nation because they don’t really care since their business is to get ppl on TRT. For me personally I decided to get on Enclomiphene Citrate. Because it was way cheaper and doesn’t shut down your natural T production.
Did you feel “normal” in the 400s, and even better in the upper ranges? Or was it one of those things where you think you were normal, but after being on TRT and feeling super good you realized the way you felt before was never normal to begin with?
My personal experience is probably different than most. I had pretty bad anxiety, bouts of depression, terrible confidence and struggled with suicidal ideation my entire life. About two to three weeks into Enclomiphene all of those things just kind of faded away. I didn’t even know having higher T would make this happen. I was just experimenting and struck gold.
If you wouldn't get approved/qualified for trt you "can" run a steroid or sarm cycle to kinda shut down your natural test production. It's not an advice and you shouldn't follow it.
Crazy enough your personal experience matches mine. Even when I eat healthy, non-processed shit and exercise, it’s always been there. It could be genetic, I just found out both my parents and sibling take anti anxiety/depression medication. But I am still wondering if my messed up hormones could be contributing to it
I don’t know about those things I don’t really believe in them. I need to try Boron sometime I hear people have success with that. What have you tried?
Broken record I know as I have been pretty vocal on this sub, but dealing with symptoms of low T from a SARM cycle last summer about this time. Idiopathic high E levels (before and after) don’t help at all, but have another endo appointment soon.
You probably feel like a beta because you spent 3 years eating like shit and slacking off and aren’t in to it teens or 20s anymore. Your body is feeling the consequences of abuse, and 6 months hasn’t been long enough to recover fully. Try and check your thyroid/cortisol levels and some other stuff, LH, FSH, SHBG, estradiol and free testosterone are all important to check. Also blood glucose just in case you gave yourself type 2 accidentally.
Get screened for sleep apnea too, i know skinny and young people that have it, it’s not just a fatass or old man’s disease like everyone believes. That honestly has a good chance of being your problem.
Always being tired screams sleep apnea to me, same with cognitive issues.
Sounds like a thyroid problem to me. I would get labs done to confirm, and if your insurance allows for it, go see an endocrinologist. Hypothyroidism can be caused by a variety of factors, but usually it's diet-related.
On a side note, you don't want to lose weight by starving yourself...that will only lower your metabolism and wreck your hormones.
I wanna chime in here. I am a woman and I can’t lose weight either. I am on testosterone for having a hysterectomy been on it. I have normal thyroid numbers but no matter what I do my metabolism won’t pick up. I am stuck I am a vegetarian eat no sugar no bad carbs no sweets. Only good fats. Drink lots of water. I have no energy sleepy all the time and brain fog. I just don’t get it. I used to could lose easily now I have been stuck for several years.
I don’t know how you get your metabolism up.
Good luck I hope it is something simple and not like me.
Sometimes the thyroid numbers look normal, and further testing is necessary. For example, if you've had your free T3 checked and it's within range, along with TSH and T4, then your body might be converting T4 into reverse T3. But doctors never check that. If your reverse T3 is high, then you most certainly have a thyroid problem.
Also, I'm not sure what your reasoning is for being vegetarian, but Lierre Keith's book The Vegetarian Myth was instrumental in my health journey, and I highly recommend it.
Read up on cancer and inflammation biggest culprits are meat and sugar. Chicken pork and red meat are cancer producers and also major inflammatory factors. I have been so much healthier not on meat.
I do have my reverse t3 done. I order all my own blood tests and thyroid is fine. There is another reason I can’t lose weight or get my metabolism up. So far I only can find chronic fatigue syndrome as a cause. But will keep looking
Thanks for your input
The studies that linked meat to cancer have all been shown to be bogus epidemiology, not to mention healthy user bias. Humans have been eating meat for millennia, but cancer is substantially on the rise only in the last century. Numerous studies have shown that vegetarians have no reduced mortality from cancer. Hong Kong has the longest lifespan, and they also consume the highest amount of meat.
Lierre Keith was a long time vegetarian...you should read her book.
Wrong. I follow hundreds of people with cancer even stage four cancers and when they became vegans they have naturally cured not put in remission but cured themselves of cancers. It is a proven fact that meats cause inflammation and inflammation causes cancer to grow. Sorry you only follow the medical system and they are bought off by the pharmaceutical companies and companies like GE who sell them the equipment and all are out for the money. Watch on Netflix the documentary called “what the health”. Where this guy goes and interviews FDA and other so-called for the people agencies like the American heart association and they get their funding from the pharmaceutical companies it is all bullshit dude. And you and millions of others fall for it. It is all politics and most medical is owned by for profit corporations. Wake up but there is plenty of human proof that you can cure cancer without ever doing drugs for chemo or radiation.
And chemo and radiation only put you in remission they don’t cure cancer. Lots of things natural can cure cancer if you follow the protocol.
Hope you watch the documentary
Also shows that athletes that follow vegetarian lifestyle or vegan preform much better and their blood values are much better. This is documented science not bogus.
Do the research then you can talk about it. But if you just follow the institutions of medicine you will only get the bought off information by the FDA and the pharmaceutical lobbies. And if you look these institutions up and see where their funding comes from including the American heart association the diabetes association all get funding from pharmaceuticals. They want us sick. They want us on drugs.
Lord so many people know this. Even the AMA is bought off proven during the pandemic when those who found ways to treat covid were blocked from publishing their research. Again proven facts.
🤦🏻♂️. What The Health is vegan propaganda trash, I thought everyone knew that. Anyway, good luck trying to fix your health problems, I can see there's no talking to you.
That’s ok you drank the kool aid and that is fine. Hope you don’t get atherosclerosis or heart disease or cancer and find out the hard way that you are screwed.
I will stay with my way never been healthier.
Was sick a lot on meat diet. I have never have the vaccine for covid and so far never had Covid.
Good luck byeee
I did drink the coolaid, but I don't have problems losing weight because animal protein is filling. But you should do what you feel is right.
If you eat a lot of unsaturated fat, you might try going as low fat as possible to see if that helps you lose weight. My wife had lots of problems with poly unsaturated fats. They kept her from being able to lose. She ate meat too, but maybe just dropping the PUFA's would work
The UGL test looks too good to be true as far as cost goes. How long have you been on UGL test and is it real? Monthly costs for test is getting expensive for me and I've been thinking of going this route
My advice is to get on TRT. There are enough online TRT clinics to guide you. I was about 350. Now a year later, I am 900+. Yoked, hard and making twice the money and living my life to the fullest. I am doing so much more with my life than I ever could. I can do more fun stuff with my family, work harder, workout and recover better. And ever since getting on TRT, I am actually getting bloodwork done every 3 months and watching all lipids. I think I have made the best choice of my life
You should get a full endo panel including basic lab (hemoglobin, na, k, ca, creatinine, lipids, glucose, liver values), Prolactin, FSH, LH, e2, TSH, fT3 and ft4 and cortisol. Maybe even igf1…
Plus keep in mind most drs you visit do NOT want to prescribe test !! It’s tougher than you think 🤔 many drs still either don’t train properly after school or they do not want to extend our lives
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344 I told wasn't normal. I was told by my doctor that I was supposed to be around 900. I was at 200 so they started me on Testosterone right away. I take 1 shot in the thigh every 2 weeks. I had the same thing happen to me. I'm 45 and ever since I turned 38 I wasn't able to loose weight either. Also found out I'm diabetic so they also put me on Monjouro. I've lost 30 lbs in nearly 4 months and it feels like my muscles have been "reinflating" so to say. It look like (right before I got on the shots that my muscles were atrophied.
So far I'm feeling great, and the T shots seem to be working. Seeing an indocrinologist Thursday because I wasn't quite trusting the doc who originally put me on the meds. We'll see what they say on Thursday.
Doctor was taking a risk by putting you on it, but it looks like it paid off in your case so who cares at this stage. If the medical board found out they said that 900 is the level you should be at they’d have their licence stripped away.
Got a second opinion from an indocrinologist and ya, between 800-1000 all within normal. It's a wide range from what he described. If you're above 300, they will rarely put you on any T, however there are quite a few men who normally range over 800. No, their license doesn't get taken away. I've looked it up in medical journals too. The range for "normal" levels ranges widely.
IMO your low average. When did you take your blood test? Early morning, 8 to 10 am?
If a morning test Probably STILL could improve with lifestyle change. Once you're on TRT your system shuts down and you have to manage it with injections. Can be a game changer if your.body doesn't produce enough but it's all in.
I see a lot of guys saying that your low T levels have nothing to do with your weight gain but I have to respectfully disagree. It's not that the weight gain is CAUSED by the low T However, the feeling of utter exhaustion to the point of barely wanting to get up and walk across the room will cause anyone to slowly stop doing what's best for them (like going to the gym). This causes the weight gain and continues to be one more thing to lower your testosterone. I do agree with almost everything else though. You are only 38 and you have to consider all circumstances before going TRT. Do you want to have children (or anymore if you are already a father)? What did you do the day before the blood test? Did you workout hard? Was it an early a.m. test or p.m. test? Did you drink any alcohol the day before the test? Did you get enough sleep the night before the test? ALL of these can contribute to a lower T than what you might normally run at. 344 is "normal range" but without knowing what your baseline was all your life, there is no telling what YOUR normal is/was. Many men function with a 300-400 their lives and build muscle, have plenty of energy, and stay fit. I believe you need to find a doctor and get further testing. Going UGL or online clinic may seem like the easy answer but what if it is your thyroid or some other medical problem. It could be several problems together causing the symptoms. Tired, chubby, cognitive issues, no libido......diabetes(all of these), high prolactin level(no libido), thyroid issues(all of these).
TRT & HCG should clear up both issues. Get your total T up to 1,000-1,200 & your energy level will go up & fat will disappear. It pisses me off every time a Dr says you’re in range & you know you’re not. I found all I needed online & proved to my Dr what works. He’s a believer now in GLP-1s & Test. I’m 71 in 2 days & decided not to retire cause I love my work. I now have the energy & stamina.
Why speak on things you have no idea about? The range isn't a recommended range, it's a top and bottom percentile of the population. For example quest bottoms out at the 2.5 percentile. You want to be below the 50th percentile in anything?
It has nothing to do with what your testosterone is supposed to be at. Most of the labs even state that I'm the test itself. He is in the bottom percentile in men in testosterone production and it's showing in his life and results. He is deficient, simple as that
supposedly the ranges here mean nothing remember?…
350 is not a deficiency. a decent nights rest and he’s 400 and then everyone here would say he’s normal.
In the US, the ranges are based on insurance cutoffs, that’s basically it. Other countries like where I am some labs show as low as 150 ng/dl as normal which is outrageous lol.
It is possible to be deficient at much higher levels than 300 if you have AIS, but that’s rare and definitely not the case for OP I presume, but even in regular people their “normal” could be like 500-600. Would I recommend TRT to somebody at 400+? Maybe not but I wouldn’t say it’s a bad idea, I’d rather go off legitimate symptoms than just guess.
If you look at free testosterone instead it’s often much lower than it appears, especially for guys with low SHBG it can look like they have low end total and normal/good free testosterone, but in reality it’s much lower than it appears.
There’s so many variables that get into this, I’d rather make fun of people trying to boost their levels well over 1000 because they “feel better there”, then the people who have shit normal levels and want to be in the middle of the range to see if they feel better.
Your T levels had nothing to do with your weight gain. Your weight gain probably had a bit to do with your levels.
Plenty of guys with lower T than you stay in shape, I was one but fuck damn was I tired all the time.
That said, you levels aren't great. TRT would likely make you feel better (even if possibly placebo) and hold onto muscle while you cut.
Your scenario sounds really similar to mine. (6’1.5”and about 175lbs my whole life…then got lazy in my 30’s and put on 50lbs. (TWICE🙄. I’m 44 now). First time, I lost the weight naturally through diet and exercise. Second time, @36yo, I got my levels checked, (200 something Total, almost no Free T) and my GP suggested TRT. Hopped on and started hitting the gym. Still hitting the gym almost everyday. I hover around 185-190lbs. And now I get “fit-shamed” by people my age lol🤦♂️🤷♂️.
Def need to find a more knowledgeable doc, or ask to see an Endo maybe. Find out what your Free Testosterone is compared to your Total Testosterone (along with e2, shbg, and thyroid levels/TSH).
Worst case scenario, you can go straight to an HRT clinic. It’ll likely be a lot pricier than going through your insurance. Best of luck, man!!
Go to a clinic. I had numbers like those and my PCP said "look, you're fine!"...I went to an online clinic and they were glad to help, put me on a stout dose to start and we've dialed from there. Most all of the symptoms I had have improved significantly! My blood work comes back better than it's ever been all around. Find a clinic, get dialed in, if you don't like the cost then source through UGL once you know your dosage and get bloods when you want them.
Your post is sort of all over the place...you go from saying you were 6'1" and shredded at 190 to you are a hardgainer who then put on 50 pounds "suddenly".
Your T will likely increase if you get back down to 190. If you are not losing weight it is because you are eating too much or you have a thyroid issue. Get your thyroid levels checked.
What does your diet and training regimen look like?
Doc told me I wasn’t Low at a TT of 320. Went to a health clinic and got right. Now I fluctuate between 700-900. Like someone else said, it’s like night and day.
Sounds familiar to me. I was looking into TRT a while back and while waiting for my dr appointment for that a few months out, I started looking into what else I could to do get my T levels up in the meantime. I became like a dog with a bone researching and applying all of the natural ways to improve testosterone I could find and completely reversed all of my low T symptoms, mostly in just the first few months.
What was concerning to me is that most of the changes I made to the way I eat, exercise, and live were the opposite of what men are commonly encouraged to do for health and fitness. 8 years in at 47 and in the best physical and mental shape of my life with no drugs. So, I decided to take all of my notes and translate all the medical and science jargon to plain English for any guy to understand and put them all in a zero-cost PDF/ebook you can grab on my website: [mengredients.com](http://mengredients.com)
Note: I'm not selling anything here. No ads, no coaching program, no man camp retreats. This is completely free as I have no intention of monetizing this because I feel it's so critical for men's health. It's just my story and **full** protocol, and the genuine hope that it helps many other guys as much as it's helped me.
300 is low,( especially for a 38 yo)..…unless your doc is a MD..—— find a DO that understands T levels over 800 is reasonable…i was 45 and had same story (reg 10K runner, wo, fit, etc…and then fell off the cliff..wgt gain, no stamina, etc)…spent a year studying cause/effect….my MD said,…”your 45, that’s life”…....found a DO..he tested and said this is the problem…started with gel, then moved to shots…been there 10 yrs and fit…normal….
For 99.9% of people, weight gain/loss is determined by calories in/out. Are you eating more calories than you burn? You can either eat less or increase physical activity to burn more. TRT doesn’t help you lose weight, it may motivate you to get in the gym more but you still need to take ownership of your diet and activity. Ozempic seems to work great for people that have a hard time with proper dieting but I’m sure that comes
with its own challenges to manage
Do an extended dry fast. I'm 6'1" and weigh 185. I'm pretty toned and fit. I lost 20lbs on a 4 day dry fast. And my testosterone jumped through the roof
Not being able to lose weight is not because of your T levels - something wrong with your process.
Someone really needs to do a high quality study of BMR controlling for thyroid and testosterone issues, as well as for women things like PCOS. It would be very helpful to show people that it doesn’t make a huge difference in reality if you’re eating clean, just makes it a bit harder.
I believe Olympians have x2 the rate of women with PCOS.. I always thought PCOS didn't give you a slow metabolism but more T and increased appetite, like men I guess 🤣
Interesting that you mentioned PCOS, how does that affect women's basal metabolic rate? My wife has that issue
I tested in the 400’s TT, now I’m in the 800’s and the difference mentally is night and day. I never want to go back to how I used to be.
How do you go about getting TRT in the 400’s? I feel like many doctors would not go for that. Were any of your other levels bad?
My whole hormone panel was in the normal range. Most people that want TRT and aren’t hypogonadal go to clinics like Hone health or TRT nation because they don’t really care since their business is to get ppl on TRT. For me personally I decided to get on Enclomiphene Citrate. Because it was way cheaper and doesn’t shut down your natural T production.
Did you feel “normal” in the 400s, and even better in the upper ranges? Or was it one of those things where you think you were normal, but after being on TRT and feeling super good you realized the way you felt before was never normal to begin with?
My personal experience is probably different than most. I had pretty bad anxiety, bouts of depression, terrible confidence and struggled with suicidal ideation my entire life. About two to three weeks into Enclomiphene all of those things just kind of faded away. I didn’t even know having higher T would make this happen. I was just experimenting and struck gold.
How long have you been on enclo? Heard that eye vision degrades after 2 months of use and some develop depression like feelings after half a year
I’ve been on almost 6 months. Zero issues so far. I will eventually end up on TRT I’m sure.
If you wouldn't get approved/qualified for trt you "can" run a steroid or sarm cycle to kinda shut down your natural test production. It's not an advice and you shouldn't follow it.
I’m scared of sarms. I’d rather just UGL my Test and run self prescribed.
Wouldn't you get more and better medical assistance and attention on trt?
Did you have any other problems like low libido?
Libido was a little less than average before, yea. Nothing crazy tho.
Crazy enough your personal experience matches mine. Even when I eat healthy, non-processed shit and exercise, it’s always been there. It could be genetic, I just found out both my parents and sibling take anti anxiety/depression medication. But I am still wondering if my messed up hormones could be contributing to it
Sorry to hear it. But I feel you. Have you tried and test boosters yet?
I don’t know about those things I don’t really believe in them. I need to try Boron sometime I hear people have success with that. What have you tried? Broken record I know as I have been pretty vocal on this sub, but dealing with symptoms of low T from a SARM cycle last summer about this time. Idiopathic high E levels (before and after) don’t help at all, but have another endo appointment soon.
Search for a functional medicine doctor/clinic or an endocrinologist.
How old are you, may I ask
35
You probably feel like a beta because you spent 3 years eating like shit and slacking off and aren’t in to it teens or 20s anymore. Your body is feeling the consequences of abuse, and 6 months hasn’t been long enough to recover fully. Try and check your thyroid/cortisol levels and some other stuff, LH, FSH, SHBG, estradiol and free testosterone are all important to check. Also blood glucose just in case you gave yourself type 2 accidentally. Get screened for sleep apnea too, i know skinny and young people that have it, it’s not just a fatass or old man’s disease like everyone believes. That honestly has a good chance of being your problem. Always being tired screams sleep apnea to me, same with cognitive issues.
Sounds like a thyroid problem to me. I would get labs done to confirm, and if your insurance allows for it, go see an endocrinologist. Hypothyroidism can be caused by a variety of factors, but usually it's diet-related. On a side note, you don't want to lose weight by starving yourself...that will only lower your metabolism and wreck your hormones.
I wanna chime in here. I am a woman and I can’t lose weight either. I am on testosterone for having a hysterectomy been on it. I have normal thyroid numbers but no matter what I do my metabolism won’t pick up. I am stuck I am a vegetarian eat no sugar no bad carbs no sweets. Only good fats. Drink lots of water. I have no energy sleepy all the time and brain fog. I just don’t get it. I used to could lose easily now I have been stuck for several years. I don’t know how you get your metabolism up. Good luck I hope it is something simple and not like me.
Sometimes the thyroid numbers look normal, and further testing is necessary. For example, if you've had your free T3 checked and it's within range, along with TSH and T4, then your body might be converting T4 into reverse T3. But doctors never check that. If your reverse T3 is high, then you most certainly have a thyroid problem. Also, I'm not sure what your reasoning is for being vegetarian, but Lierre Keith's book The Vegetarian Myth was instrumental in my health journey, and I highly recommend it.
Read up on cancer and inflammation biggest culprits are meat and sugar. Chicken pork and red meat are cancer producers and also major inflammatory factors. I have been so much healthier not on meat. I do have my reverse t3 done. I order all my own blood tests and thyroid is fine. There is another reason I can’t lose weight or get my metabolism up. So far I only can find chronic fatigue syndrome as a cause. But will keep looking Thanks for your input
The studies that linked meat to cancer have all been shown to be bogus epidemiology, not to mention healthy user bias. Humans have been eating meat for millennia, but cancer is substantially on the rise only in the last century. Numerous studies have shown that vegetarians have no reduced mortality from cancer. Hong Kong has the longest lifespan, and they also consume the highest amount of meat. Lierre Keith was a long time vegetarian...you should read her book.
Wrong. I follow hundreds of people with cancer even stage four cancers and when they became vegans they have naturally cured not put in remission but cured themselves of cancers. It is a proven fact that meats cause inflammation and inflammation causes cancer to grow. Sorry you only follow the medical system and they are bought off by the pharmaceutical companies and companies like GE who sell them the equipment and all are out for the money. Watch on Netflix the documentary called “what the health”. Where this guy goes and interviews FDA and other so-called for the people agencies like the American heart association and they get their funding from the pharmaceutical companies it is all bullshit dude. And you and millions of others fall for it. It is all politics and most medical is owned by for profit corporations. Wake up but there is plenty of human proof that you can cure cancer without ever doing drugs for chemo or radiation. And chemo and radiation only put you in remission they don’t cure cancer. Lots of things natural can cure cancer if you follow the protocol. Hope you watch the documentary Also shows that athletes that follow vegetarian lifestyle or vegan preform much better and their blood values are much better. This is documented science not bogus. Do the research then you can talk about it. But if you just follow the institutions of medicine you will only get the bought off information by the FDA and the pharmaceutical lobbies. And if you look these institutions up and see where their funding comes from including the American heart association the diabetes association all get funding from pharmaceuticals. They want us sick. They want us on drugs. Lord so many people know this. Even the AMA is bought off proven during the pandemic when those who found ways to treat covid were blocked from publishing their research. Again proven facts.
🤦🏻♂️. What The Health is vegan propaganda trash, I thought everyone knew that. Anyway, good luck trying to fix your health problems, I can see there's no talking to you.
You really need animal protein to thrive. Plant proteins won't do it
That’s ok you drank the kool aid and that is fine. Hope you don’t get atherosclerosis or heart disease or cancer and find out the hard way that you are screwed. I will stay with my way never been healthier. Was sick a lot on meat diet. I have never have the vaccine for covid and so far never had Covid. Good luck byeee
I did drink the coolaid, but I don't have problems losing weight because animal protein is filling. But you should do what you feel is right. If you eat a lot of unsaturated fat, you might try going as low fat as possible to see if that helps you lose weight. My wife had lots of problems with poly unsaturated fats. They kept her from being able to lose. She ate meat too, but maybe just dropping the PUFA's would work
You’re going to get the make lifestyle changes answers. Just get underground testosterone and do it yourself
The UGL test looks too good to be true as far as cost goes. How long have you been on UGL test and is it real? Monthly costs for test is getting expensive for me and I've been thinking of going this route
Im on underground test since the last two months and im making nice gains, im blasting it tho
Since 2019. Cost 100$ for 20 weeks.
Wow 😲
My advice is to get on TRT. There are enough online TRT clinics to guide you. I was about 350. Now a year later, I am 900+. Yoked, hard and making twice the money and living my life to the fullest. I am doing so much more with my life than I ever could. I can do more fun stuff with my family, work harder, workout and recover better. And ever since getting on TRT, I am actually getting bloodwork done every 3 months and watching all lipids. I think I have made the best choice of my life
You should get a full endo panel including basic lab (hemoglobin, na, k, ca, creatinine, lipids, glucose, liver values), Prolactin, FSH, LH, e2, TSH, fT3 and ft4 and cortisol. Maybe even igf1…
Plus keep in mind most drs you visit do NOT want to prescribe test !! It’s tougher than you think 🤔 many drs still either don’t train properly after school or they do not want to extend our lives
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Buy an at home test or just go get your labs done.
344 I told wasn't normal. I was told by my doctor that I was supposed to be around 900. I was at 200 so they started me on Testosterone right away. I take 1 shot in the thigh every 2 weeks. I had the same thing happen to me. I'm 45 and ever since I turned 38 I wasn't able to loose weight either. Also found out I'm diabetic so they also put me on Monjouro. I've lost 30 lbs in nearly 4 months and it feels like my muscles have been "reinflating" so to say. It look like (right before I got on the shots that my muscles were atrophied. So far I'm feeling great, and the T shots seem to be working. Seeing an indocrinologist Thursday because I wasn't quite trusting the doc who originally put me on the meds. We'll see what they say on Thursday.
Doctor was taking a risk by putting you on it, but it looks like it paid off in your case so who cares at this stage. If the medical board found out they said that 900 is the level you should be at they’d have their licence stripped away.
Got a second opinion from an indocrinologist and ya, between 800-1000 all within normal. It's a wide range from what he described. If you're above 300, they will rarely put you on any T, however there are quite a few men who normally range over 800. No, their license doesn't get taken away. I've looked it up in medical journals too. The range for "normal" levels ranges widely.
IMO your low average. When did you take your blood test? Early morning, 8 to 10 am? If a morning test Probably STILL could improve with lifestyle change. Once you're on TRT your system shuts down and you have to manage it with injections. Can be a game changer if your.body doesn't produce enough but it's all in.
I know more than one strong guy that is a beta. Your body type does not define beta or alpha.
I see a lot of guys saying that your low T levels have nothing to do with your weight gain but I have to respectfully disagree. It's not that the weight gain is CAUSED by the low T However, the feeling of utter exhaustion to the point of barely wanting to get up and walk across the room will cause anyone to slowly stop doing what's best for them (like going to the gym). This causes the weight gain and continues to be one more thing to lower your testosterone. I do agree with almost everything else though. You are only 38 and you have to consider all circumstances before going TRT. Do you want to have children (or anymore if you are already a father)? What did you do the day before the blood test? Did you workout hard? Was it an early a.m. test or p.m. test? Did you drink any alcohol the day before the test? Did you get enough sleep the night before the test? ALL of these can contribute to a lower T than what you might normally run at. 344 is "normal range" but without knowing what your baseline was all your life, there is no telling what YOUR normal is/was. Many men function with a 300-400 their lives and build muscle, have plenty of energy, and stay fit. I believe you need to find a doctor and get further testing. Going UGL or online clinic may seem like the easy answer but what if it is your thyroid or some other medical problem. It could be several problems together causing the symptoms. Tired, chubby, cognitive issues, no libido......diabetes(all of these), high prolactin level(no libido), thyroid issues(all of these).
TRT & HCG should clear up both issues. Get your total T up to 1,000-1,200 & your energy level will go up & fat will disappear. It pisses me off every time a Dr says you’re in range & you know you’re not. I found all I needed online & proved to my Dr what works. He’s a believer now in GLP-1s & Test. I’m 71 in 2 days & decided not to retire cause I love my work. I now have the energy & stamina.
he’s not really “wrong” it’s on the lower side of average but you’re far from a deficiency.
Why speak on things you have no idea about? The range isn't a recommended range, it's a top and bottom percentile of the population. For example quest bottoms out at the 2.5 percentile. You want to be below the 50th percentile in anything? It has nothing to do with what your testosterone is supposed to be at. Most of the labs even state that I'm the test itself. He is in the bottom percentile in men in testosterone production and it's showing in his life and results. He is deficient, simple as that
Some labs have 350 as their bottom end range. So I wouldn't say he's far from deficiency...
supposedly the ranges here mean nothing remember?… 350 is not a deficiency. a decent nights rest and he’s 400 and then everyone here would say he’s normal.
In the US, the ranges are based on insurance cutoffs, that’s basically it. Other countries like where I am some labs show as low as 150 ng/dl as normal which is outrageous lol. It is possible to be deficient at much higher levels than 300 if you have AIS, but that’s rare and definitely not the case for OP I presume, but even in regular people their “normal” could be like 500-600. Would I recommend TRT to somebody at 400+? Maybe not but I wouldn’t say it’s a bad idea, I’d rather go off legitimate symptoms than just guess. If you look at free testosterone instead it’s often much lower than it appears, especially for guys with low SHBG it can look like they have low end total and normal/good free testosterone, but in reality it’s much lower than it appears. There’s so many variables that get into this, I’d rather make fun of people trying to boost their levels well over 1000 because they “feel better there”, then the people who have shit normal levels and want to be in the middle of the range to see if they feel better.
Do it 🤙
Your T levels had nothing to do with your weight gain. Your weight gain probably had a bit to do with your levels. Plenty of guys with lower T than you stay in shape, I was one but fuck damn was I tired all the time. That said, you levels aren't great. TRT would likely make you feel better (even if possibly placebo) and hold onto muscle while you cut.
Maybe you are actually fine, but doctors tells people their fine unless they are on their death bed.
Your scenario sounds really similar to mine. (6’1.5”and about 175lbs my whole life…then got lazy in my 30’s and put on 50lbs. (TWICE🙄. I’m 44 now). First time, I lost the weight naturally through diet and exercise. Second time, @36yo, I got my levels checked, (200 something Total, almost no Free T) and my GP suggested TRT. Hopped on and started hitting the gym. Still hitting the gym almost everyday. I hover around 185-190lbs. And now I get “fit-shamed” by people my age lol🤦♂️🤷♂️. Def need to find a more knowledgeable doc, or ask to see an Endo maybe. Find out what your Free Testosterone is compared to your Total Testosterone (along with e2, shbg, and thyroid levels/TSH). Worst case scenario, you can go straight to an HRT clinic. It’ll likely be a lot pricier than going through your insurance. Best of luck, man!!
Go to a clinic. I had numbers like those and my PCP said "look, you're fine!"...I went to an online clinic and they were glad to help, put me on a stout dose to start and we've dialed from there. Most all of the symptoms I had have improved significantly! My blood work comes back better than it's ever been all around. Find a clinic, get dialed in, if you don't like the cost then source through UGL once you know your dosage and get bloods when you want them.
Your post is sort of all over the place...you go from saying you were 6'1" and shredded at 190 to you are a hardgainer who then put on 50 pounds "suddenly". Your T will likely increase if you get back down to 190. If you are not losing weight it is because you are eating too much or you have a thyroid issue. Get your thyroid levels checked. What does your diet and training regimen look like?
Doc told me I wasn’t Low at a TT of 320. Went to a health clinic and got right. Now I fluctuate between 700-900. Like someone else said, it’s like night and day.
Total T isn’t the whole story
Sounds familiar to me. I was looking into TRT a while back and while waiting for my dr appointment for that a few months out, I started looking into what else I could to do get my T levels up in the meantime. I became like a dog with a bone researching and applying all of the natural ways to improve testosterone I could find and completely reversed all of my low T symptoms, mostly in just the first few months. What was concerning to me is that most of the changes I made to the way I eat, exercise, and live were the opposite of what men are commonly encouraged to do for health and fitness. 8 years in at 47 and in the best physical and mental shape of my life with no drugs. So, I decided to take all of my notes and translate all the medical and science jargon to plain English for any guy to understand and put them all in a zero-cost PDF/ebook you can grab on my website: [mengredients.com](http://mengredients.com) Note: I'm not selling anything here. No ads, no coaching program, no man camp retreats. This is completely free as I have no intention of monetizing this because I feel it's so critical for men's health. It's just my story and **full** protocol, and the genuine hope that it helps many other guys as much as it's helped me.
300 is low,( especially for a 38 yo)..…unless your doc is a MD..—— find a DO that understands T levels over 800 is reasonable…i was 45 and had same story (reg 10K runner, wo, fit, etc…and then fell off the cliff..wgt gain, no stamina, etc)…spent a year studying cause/effect….my MD said,…”your 45, that’s life”…....found a DO..he tested and said this is the problem…started with gel, then moved to shots…been there 10 yrs and fit…normal….
Don’t do trt
For 99.9% of people, weight gain/loss is determined by calories in/out. Are you eating more calories than you burn? You can either eat less or increase physical activity to burn more. TRT doesn’t help you lose weight, it may motivate you to get in the gym more but you still need to take ownership of your diet and activity. Ozempic seems to work great for people that have a hard time with proper dieting but I’m sure that comes with its own challenges to manage
Do an extended dry fast. I'm 6'1" and weigh 185. I'm pretty toned and fit. I lost 20lbs on a 4 day dry fast. And my testosterone jumped through the roof
I’m assuming you pinned on day 3?