“I’m trying to give up sexual innuendos, but it’s hard. So hard”
– Someone –
The body is governed by several hormones, which can either help or hinder you on your weight loss journey. Having a reasonable level of understanding of these hormones will be very beneficial for you. Let’s start with the king himself…
Testosterone
Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone that plays many important roles in the body. In men, it regulates libido (sex drive), bone mass, fat distribution, muscle mass, strength, production of red blood cells, and production of sperm. It’s the daddy of all hormones when it comes to losing fat and building muscle. Anyone you know who is in great shape has a high testosterone level naturally or is taking an exogenous supply of testosterone in the form of anabolic steroids or some other performance enhancing drugs. Women have testosterone too, but the average male will have 15 times more than the average woman, which is why men are generally stronger than women, with more muscle mass and less body fat.
With high T levels bringing more muscle, less body fat, increased aggression and an increased sex drive, you can see why the pursuit of higher levels is so important to many men, especially professional athletes and sportsmen. Low levels of testosterone have been linked to low energy and depression, lack of motivation, increased chances of obesity, and an increased risk of disease and premature death. That’s not even mentioning the fatty deposits, lack of strength, and decreased ability to achieve and maintain an erection.
I don’t know about you but having a penis that only reaches “half-mast” or only works sporadically is not my idea of fun. If losing more fat, building more muscle, increasing motivation, confidence, and all-around performance in life, AND having lead in your pencil sounds like your cup of tea, this is the section of the book for you.
How Do We Increase Testosterone?
No 1: Exercise and lifting weights
Exercise is one of the most effective ways to prevent many lifestyle related diseases, but it can also boost your testosterone. Resistance training and lifting heavy weights is the best type of exercise to boost T levels. Studies show that a heavy set of high rep squats (15-20) can raise your testosterone significantly. Focus on compound movements: movements that utilize as much muscle mass as possible. This boosts testosterone, builds muscle, and burns fat. Increased testosterone means less body fat and more muscle, which leads to an increase in the weights you can lift. This continues to go full circle with each mechanism feeding the other. It’s a win-win.
No 2: Diet and nutrition
Your diet has a major influence on testosterone, as well as other important hormones but for now we will focus on testosterone. Adequate protein can help to maintain and increase muscle mass, which will in turn increase your levels of testosterone. A diet rich in healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds, cold-water fish like salmon as well as saturated fats from sources such as beef and coconut oil have been shown to boost T-levels. Contrary to popular belief, a diet rich in fat is one of the best things you can do to improve your health.
No 3: Minimise stress and cortisol levels
Cortisol is an important hormone when it comes to testosterone. When cortisol is raised, T levels are lowered.
No 4: Vitamin D levels and sun exposure
Vitamin D is a crucial nutrient in boosting and optimising your overall health as well as testosterone. Vitamin D can be obtained from your diet. Tuna, mackerel, salmon, cheese, egg yolks, and beef liver all contain good amounts of vitamin D, although it’s very difficult to achieve optimal levels from food alone. Supplementation is usually required, and of course adequate sunlight exposure is also needed. Despite its importance, nearly half the population of the US is deficient in vitamin D, and if you live in northern Europe, you can forget about it. There just isn’t enough sunlight to expose yourself to. It’s highly likely your vitamin D level will be deficient. A recent study showed that supplementing with around 3000 IUs of vitamin D per day increased T-levels by 25%.
No 5: Other vitamin and mineral supplements
In one study, zinc and vitamin B supplements increased sperm quality by 74% and zinc has been shown to increase T levels at least in those deficient in zinc. Other studies suggest vitamins A, C, and E can play a role, but more research is needed.
No 6: BPAs
Limit exposure to oestrogenic chemicals found in cleaning and personal care products, tap water, and BPAs. BPA (Bisphenol A) is a chemical that is added to many commercial products including food containers and hygiene products.
No 7: Sleep
Sleep is so important. In relation to maximising testosterone, there can be no debate. The University of Chicago took a group of lean healthy young males in their mid-twenties and limited them to 5 hours of sleep per night for one week. They tested the blood of the participants and the results were astonishing. The results showed that the marked drop effectively “ages a man by 10-15 years in terms of testosterone virility”.
Men who report sleeping too little or having poor sleep quality have a 29% lower sperm count than those getting a decent night’s kip. More importantly perhaps, they also have significantly smaller testicles than those who sleep well. If maximising your efforts at the gym, burning fat, and the size of your balls holds your attention in even just a remote way, getting quality sleep should be high on your agenda.
No 8: Reduce alcohol intake
I’m not saying give up alcohol entirely, but I’m saying reduce intake if testosterone production is important to you. The devil, as always, is in the dose. I get it, you like a drink. You work hard and your life is stressful. You don’t sleep much because of work and family commitments. I’m not saying that this is going to be easy, far from it. But if you want to achieve some level of efficiency in the gym and your life, then getting a grip on lifestyle factors that affect your testosterone is paramount.
I had a client called Chris. He really struggled to lower his body fat and get lean. He was in reasonable shape (his words), but just couldn’t seem to lose those love handles. He’d seen a hint of his abs once, but a six-pack was a long way away. His diet was okay, he trained three times per week, but he boozed quite heavily, drinking about 20 to 30 units per week. I suggested that we get his testosterone tested. It’s quite a simple test available on Amazon. A quick saliva sample was sent off and the results were back in a week or so. The result was a real eye opener for Chris. The test alone caused him to decrease his boozing. He focused on his nutrition and sleep. We re-tested his testosterone 12 weeks later. Not only were his T levels way above normal for a man of his age (38), he lost 18 pounds of body fat, and his performance in the gym increased dramatically. That’s the power of increased testosterone.
Chris’ Testimonial:
“I just couldn’t seem to get the results I wanted, and I knew it was probably down to my drinking. I reluctantly took the testosterone test that Gav suggested and was shocked by the results. Because of this, I cut my drinking by at least half and noticeably saw the difference in my body in a few weeks. I felt stronger, had more energy and lost body fat. Without going into too much detail, the Mrs said that she noticed a difference in the bedroom too. I’ll take that. Thanks Gav”.
The above is an excerpt from my book, The GHG Method. Grab a copy. It could change your life. Maybe… 🙂
