Feel like a neutered dog at 26.

[nxckf]

Also just noticed you don’t have a lot of carbs in your diet other than sweet potatoes and honey. Try eating 500-700 more calories in carbs and see how you feel. Don’t feed into the BS that carbs make you fat. They’re the body’s preferred energy source.

Yeah I don’t buy into that, my carbs are around 250-300g rn. Which for my activity level and my size seems okay. Don’t want to go overboard and eat more than I need due to taking the GH. Have tried pushing the food higher and rate of strength gains didn’t correlate as much as rate of fat gain. On training days I definitely have more high GI carbs like rice, honey, dates, rice cakes, bananas, etc. That screenshot just happened to be on a rest day where I was trying to keep the carbs mostly slower digesting such as the veggies and sweet potatoes.

 

[just some dude]

when i crushed my cholesterol it was just like when i cut out animal fats

maybe you are focusing too much on cholestrol deprivation (ex: statin) rather than ldl receptor upregulation (ex: repatha)

 

[SuperJew]

Eggs wouldn't be jacking up your cholesterol like that.
Any signs of sleep apnea?
Do you work construction or something very taxing?
Any periods of depression or severe anxiety in your history?

 

[bananafeet]

I'm not an expert. But that SHBG being high could be making it hard to get enough free testosterone (even tho it's normal).

Seems as you've tried everything if I were you I'd try the following:
1. Abdomen scan for fatty liver
2. Proviron/mesterolone to crash SHBG
3. Vitamin C (fruit juice) and red meat to increase iron stores. Cook with a cast iron pan
4. Get checked for sleep apnea

Maybe you're actually depressed and have been pushing so hard you have compartmentalized it. You obviously are very driven but sometimes that can be a healthy coping mechanism . I'd point more towards anxiety and hyperactivity as a coping mechanism. That's why you're successful .

But bro I'm just a dude. Hopefully you figure this shit out

 

[Elektrobot]

You've got come pretty obvious things in your bloodwork to fix

Fix them

Your SHBG is high, which can cause symptoms of low test.

Stop the low carb BS to fix that and try boron

no processed food

Your body doesn't have a receptor to tell if food is processed or not. This does not matter. Only the macros matter.

If anything, calorie dense processed foods are what your skinny ass needs right now.

diet consists of beef

You have high cholesterol. Replace your beef with chicken or other low fat meat. Get rid of any saturated fats in your diet. Start taking an omega fatty acid supplement. You need healthy fats, not beef fats.


Your bodyweight says you aren't eating, and your cholesterol says the food you are eating is the wrong food.

These are easy fixes my dude. Eat more, eat CORRECTLY, train hard, and sleep.

 

[nxckf]

You've got come pretty obvious things in your bloodwork to fix

Fix them

Your SHBG is high, which can cause symptoms of low test.

Stop the low carb BS to fix that and try boron



Your body doesn't have a receptor to tell if food is processed or not. This does not matter. Only the macros matter.

If anything, calorie dense processed foods are what your skinny ass needs right now.



You have high cholesterol. Replace your beef with chicken or other low fat meat. Get rid of any saturated fats in your diet. Start taking an omega fatty acid supplement. You need healthy fats, not beef fats.


Your bodyweight says you aren't eating, and your cholesterol says the food you are eating is the wrong food.

These are easy fixes my dude. Eat more, eat CORRECTLY, train hard, and sleep.

250-300g carbs is low carb?
I have been taking boron for 4 months- did not drop SHBG. Switched out the beef for chicken, consuming avocados and nuts for healthy fats now instead of animal fat. As far as eating more, you can only gain so much muscle in a short amount of time being natural. So what is the point in adding a bunch of bodyfat and becoming less insulin sensitive by pushing more food? I used to be 50lbs heavier, and i’m stronger at this weight than I was 50lbs heavier. I’m gaining weight but at what point are you eating extra just to gain fat? I’m not supposed to be 200lbs at 5’6 or 25%bf for no reason. I understand that I’m small but what does reaching a higher scale number really mean if it was just fat? I’m not going to add 20-30lbs of lean contractile tissue in a year- that’s just simply not even possible. As much as I wish it was.

 

[nxckf]

Eggs wouldn't be jacking up your cholesterol like that.
Any signs of sleep apnea?
Do you work construction or something very taxing?
Any periods of depression or severe anxiety in your history?

I do have frequent wake ups and have been told by my partner that I snore like crazy sometimes although it got better when i got leaner. I work a blue collar job carrying ladders and pulling cables all day, def had a crazy family life growing up where I was in a state of depression- but doing better now. At least I think.

 

[bananafeet]

Lol bro is working construction, has a family, is going to the gym and wonders why he is tired.

Bro you need a rest. You can't do everything lol

Maybe check your resting cortisol levels and get a sleep test done. Frequent waking, snoring and daytime fatigue are classic examples of sleep apnea. It fucked me up majorly before I figured out what was happening

 

[nxckf]

Lol bro is working construction, has a family, is going to the gym and wonders why he is tired.

Bro you need a rest. You can't do everything lol

Maybe check your resting cortisol levels and get a sleep test done. Frequent waking, snoring and daytime fatigue are classic examples of sleep apnea. It fucked me up majorly before I figured out what was happening

Lol, you’re probably right man. I’m hard on myself to hit all my marks daily and I feel guilty when I rest. That’s probably biting me in the ass. I have a sleep study scheduled in a few weeks, hopefully that will answer something.

 

[lamehack]

first of all i would ignore the cholesterol completely. tbh the higher better (if trigl are normal). your ferritin could be too high, and couple donations will fix that. if anything in blood work is off is the a bit too high ferritin tbh.
otherwise its pretty good. the next culprit is tirzepatide. i would just stop and see if there is a diff (within 1 month). that stuff made me lethargic. next thing get a fasting insulin test.

 

[nxckf]

first of all i would ignore the cholesterol completely. tbh the higher better (if trigl are normal). your ferritin could be too high, and couple donations will fix that. if anything in blood work is off is the a bit too high ferritin tbh.
otherwise its pretty good. the next culprit is tirzepatide. i would just stop and see if there is a diff (within 1 month). that stuff made me lethargic. next thing get a fasting insulin test.

Trig are pretty good. Thought of trying some blood donations to see if that handles the iron overload issue due to lack of transport. As far as the tirz, I did think that was the culprit but tbh i’ve been dealing with the lethargy and fatigue for a couple years now (since before taking GLPs) but I will take a break from it and see how I feel.

 

[Tbaz192]

I work blue collar & do mechanic work. Working sun up to sun down a lot.
So I get the always being busy and when you’re not doing anything it feels off and weird.

But that job takes a major toll. So much so I have to back off the gym and go 4-5 days a week. 5 if I’m lucky And limit my intensity. For multiple reasons. But training too hard catch’s up real fast.
And I also up my food to compensate.

But when I was running Reta and GH I felt terrible and had sides effects. Tired as fuck. Reta gives me ZERO libido. GLPs have been known to cause this is some.
And nightly I’d wake up at 2-3 am. Classic low blood sugar middle of the night. So I dropped the GH and Reta. Reta didn’t help my lipids. never got to a high enough dose.
I was snoring more as well. So I wasn’t sleeping good. Probably sleep apnea. Still gotta get tested.
I also have daily fatigue. I’m tired 24/7.

All this is just “food for thought” though.

 

[SuperJew]

I do have frequent wake ups and have been told by my partner that I snore like crazy sometimes although it got better when i got leaner. I work a blue collar job carrying ladders and pulling cables all day, def had a crazy family life growing up where I was in a state of depression- but doing better now. At least I think.

Sleep apnea will make you exhausted, kill your libido, etc. Simply diagnosing and treating that might make all the difference in the world. It'll also save your life. Please do get that checked out.
Every guy I've known who works construction and works out, prides himself on being a total workhorse. That's an awesome trait and at 26, you might be able to handle it well. But it might also be wise to knock back training to 4 days a week and let your body rest and recover more. I just turned 48 and I WANT to go balls to the wall, 6 days a week....but when I do, it always backfires.

 

[Elektrobot]

first of all i would ignore the cholesterol completely. tbh the higher better

...... huh

Thats contrary to every bit of advice anyone here has ever given or received.

Cholesterol and blood pressure are possibly the 2 most important indicators we have. And keeping them in check is part of everything we do here

 

[lamehack]

...... huh

Thats contrary to every bit of advice anyone here has ever given or received.

Cholesterol and blood pressure are possibly the 2 most important indicators we have. And keeping them in check is part of everything we do here

i dont want to stir too much here or drag into long posts, but, apart from high triglycerides, higher cholesterol is a longevity tool. a lot of the AAS community is stuck in the pharma/statin dogma and tbh i have 0 desires to convince anyone, but you find enough credible voices talking about it. BP on the other side is definitely an important health marker, but also the question how much is too much and my findings lead me to anything below 140/90 is good.

 

[lamehack]

Trig are pretty good. Thought of trying some blood donations to see if that handles the iron overload issue due to lack of transport. As far as the tirz, I did think that was the culprit but tbh i’ve been dealing with the lethargy and fatigue for a couple years now (since before taking GLPs) but I will take a break from it and see how I feel.

i delt with fatigue for a long long time, but then I was low T and pretty fat. high T and losing weight helped immense. there could be issues you won't see on your blood markers. anything from past viral infections to gut issues could play a role. good luck on your journey

 

[Liter O' Test]

its the tirz 100% , i had the same symptoms didnt know it was tirz

 

[nxckf]

its the tirz 100% , i had the same symptoms didnt know it was tirz

Had these symptoms and blood marker issues since before tirz. I don’t know how tirz would raise SHBG and Estradiol

 

[Tbaz192]

Another thing. I might be wrong with some shit. But some of these things also mirror my labs and issues.

Get a new full thyroid panel done?
Maybe a thyroid stress test if your thyroid labs are messed up or even closed to messed up.
I have nodes all over my thyroid. So I keep a close eye on mine.

But you saying this -> low energy, low drive/vigor, and just generally feeling “off”.

Makes me think thyroid issues since all these other labs don’t really point to anything of major concern. Like not low T. Not crazy high or low e2 etc.
and GLPs can effect your thyroid and almost put you in a stress altered state like hypothyroidism in a sense.
Like If there a lot of weight loss or calorie deficits, stress raised, over training etc.
It can happen.

and that can also raise SHBG. Which will also bring sides. Pretty fuckin much all of what you said tbh.
Libido, erection issues, lack of sexual desire, muscle building issues, flat mood / depressed, feeling off.

And the elevated ALT with SHBG kinda points at too much training/activity. Without enough recovery or carbs to maintain. Possibly mixed with lower insulin signal from Tirz.

So it could be a combo of things also making it stick around.

Tbh. I’d drop almost everything and get into “health phase”. It’s what i had to do & then experiment and see what helped or didn’t help me.