When it comes to the subject of how much to eat for weight loss or to get more muscle mass, people can be divided into two camps: the ones who claim that calories don’t matter, and the ones who say that calories is what weight manipulation is all about.
 
To make sure that this article doesn’t turn into a fight between the two camps, I want to make one thing perfectly clear.
 

Calories are what its all about. You can’t lose weight without being on a calorie deficit, and it’s very hard for your body to synthesize new muscle tissue if you’re not on a calorie surplus. This is not an opinion, it’s a scientific fact.

 
To claim something else is just absurd, when pretty much all of the studies conducted about the subject of calories and weight loss/gain (independent of the macronutrient ratios), show very clearly that the above is true (study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study).
 
In fact, the only studies where calories don’t seem to matter that much, are the ones where the subjects report their own caloric intakes to the researchers. These kinds of studies are notoriously inaccurate and shouldn’t even be published, since the human species is extremely inaccurate at estimating its own calorie intake.
 
You simply cannot escape the law of thermodynamics, no matter what that “guru” or “weight loss expert” is telling you. Carbs will not make you fat, overeating does. Fat doesn’t make you fat, overeating does. Protein doesn’t make you fat, overeating does.
 
Now that you understand the importance of calories on weight loss and gain, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of this article. The importance of caloric intake on testosterone production:
 
 
 
 

The good news are that the hormonal damage caused by larger calorie deficits are often completely reversible. Simply start eating normally with maintenance calories or with a slight surplus after you’ve met your weight loss goals and your testosterone should bounce back up in a matter of few weeks.

 
What about calorie surplus and/or overfeeding?
 
Answer: It makes sense that if a calorie deficit lowers testosterone levels, a surplus of calories or just eating roughly the amount that your body needs, would be beneficial for testosterone production. This is also supported by research.
 

One claim that I’ve ran into many times goes by saying that in order to boost testosterone levels, you’d have to gorge with food and eat a lot more than what your calorie needs of the day would be.

 
This could work well short-term, and the claim is often backed-up with a study which shows how short-term overfeeding increases testosterone levels. However, what is often left unmentioned, is that the study had only women as subjects (gender differences are hugely important when it comes to hormones).
 
Another problem with the idea of eating a calorie surplus in order to boost testosterone, is the fact that you’d slowly get fat, which would increase your aromatase enzyme activity, and therefore boost the conversion from testosterone to estrogen. Getting fat would also reduce testosterone synthesis in the sack due to increased oxidative stress.
 
Bottom line: Even though eating a surplus of calories has been shown to increase testosterone levels short-term in few studies, it’s not a good long-term plan, because you would simply get fat, which would negatively affect T levels in the long run.
 
 
 
 

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DHEA (dehydroepitestosterone) is the most abundant steroid hormone in human circulation. It’s made when the CYP11A1 enzyme converts cholesterol into pregnenolone, which is then converted into DHEA by another enzyme called CYP17. The synthesis of DHEA mainly occurs in the adrenal glands, but also takes place in the gonads and brain.
 
Once DHEA is made and is “added” to the bodily pool, the body can then convert it into various “more potent” steroid hormones via enzymatic reactions (the two main hormones being testosterone and estrogen).
 

To make it stupidly simple, DHEA is a precursor hormone that the body converts to more potent sex hormones.

 
Since DHEA can be converted into testosterone, it would be only natural to assume that DHEA supplements (which are supplements containing synthetic dehydroepitestosterone, aka. the real deal steroid hormone) would also increase testosterone levels…
 
…But what says the evidence? And how legal/safe is DHEA supplementation anyway?
 
 
 
 

Enough with the jargon now, what is the evidence behind DHEA supps, do they even work as claimed?

 
First of, the anti-aging claim. Since DHEA peaks at around 20’s and then starts falling down (commonly being half of what it used to be at peak years when you reach 40, and being only 5% of the peak levels at 80), it’s claimed that adding supplemental DHEA to the regimen of older dudes, would have “youthful” benefits. The science on this is actually promising. In aging animals exogenous DHEA has been shown to significantly increase life-span. And a human study of more than 10,000 men aged over 50 years, it was seen that the lower the subjects DHEA levels, the higher the risk of age-related death was.
 
When it comes to testosterone, DHEA supplementation may or may not be effective. Even though exogenous DHEA increases serum DHEA levels in both men and women (study, study, study, study), almost all of the science on the ability of supplemental DHEA to increase testosterone comes from studies with menopausal women (study, study, study, study), or middle-aged and older men (study, study, study, study). In younger male subjects, exogenous DHEA is highly unreliable in boosting T and most often does not work at all (study, study, study), this may or may not be caused by the fact that young guys already have very high DHEA levels.
 
NOTE: There’s evidence that using DHEA supplements can increase serum estrogen levels (study, study, study), this occurrence however, is unreliable and highly dependent on the levels of aromatase enzyme, meaning that it’s more prone to happen in women, and in men who are either obese and/or use a lot of alcohol (both increase aromatase levels).
 
ALSO NOTE: It’s also worth mentioning that the production of DHEA and the stress hormone cortisol are both triggered by the same hormone (ACTH), and that they are both made from the same “raw material” (cholesterol). Because of this, a person who is under stress and has high cortisol levels, is also likely to have low DHEA, and is likely to be more “reactive” to exogenous DHEA supplementation (which by the way can actually decrease cortisol levels).
 
 
 
 

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Triclosan (2,4,4′-Trichloro-2′-hydroxyphenyl ether) is an antibacterial and antifungal compound that has been in wide-spread use throughout the United States since the 60’s. It’s also a potent endocrine disruptor and a known carcinogen.
 
In fact, triclosan is such a nasty chemical that the European Union decided to ban the use of triclosan in 2010, and so did the state of Minnesota 2 years ago.
 
However, apart from Minnesota, the rest of the United States still spends over 1 billion dollars annually on products that contain triclosan or its close relative; triclocarban.
 
It’s found in various everyday items, such as:
 

“the agency does not have evidence that triclosan in antibacterial soaps and body washes provides any benefit over washing with regular soap and water.”

 
More disturbing, few studies have shown that the continuous usage of triclosan based soaps causes resistance to antiobitics (study, study, study, study).
 
Here’s a great presentation, showing how useless triclosan really is:

Just toss away the triclosan laden “antibacterial” products and replace them with safer and equally as effective products. Or do whatever you want. It’s your life

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Green tea is considered to be one of the healthiest drinks around due to its fairly high content of antioxidants. In the case of green tea, or supplemental green tea extract, there are four antioxidants that are believed to be the principal cause to green tea health benefits. These are called “green tea catechins” (GTC) and include:
 

• epicatechin (EC)
• epigallocatechin (EGC)
• epicatechin gallate (ECG)
• and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)

 
Other compounds in green tea that can also contribute to some of its health benefits include: the flavonoids quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol, and of course, everyone’s favorite alkaloid; caffeine.
 

Due to the high amount of relatively powerful antioxidants (the catechins for example are about 2x more potent antioxidants than vitamin C), green tea has been linked to various health benefits, including: reduced cancer risk, reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, improved cardiovascular health, and it can even make you lose some weight (not a huge effect) due to its ability to boost metabolic rate.

 
Good stuff, right? Well not so fast. There’s some evidence that even though it’s generally quite healthy, too much green tea might actually and up reducing your testosterone levels:
 
 
 
 

• the “mild” group received a dose that was the human equivalent of 5 cups of green tea per day
• the “moderate” group received a dose equivalent to 10 cups/day
• the “high” group received an equivalent of 20 cups/day
• and control group received no green tea extract

 
The rodents received their respected doses of green tea extracts for 26 days, after which the rodents were sacrificed, and the researchers examined the ezymatic and hormonal differences from the blood samples taken before and after the 26 day study period.
 
The results were similar to the previous studies above. Dose-dependently green tea extract suppressed the testicular enzymes needed in steroidogenesis, decreased the size of testicles, and resulted in significant reductions of serum testosterone, being: -25% in the mild group, -60% in the moderate group, and -78% in the high group.
 
NOTE: few in-vitro and in-vivo animal studies also show that green tea catechins and tannins are capable of significantly reducing the 5-a reductase enzyme, and thus also DHT levels (study, study)
 

Sadly, I wasn’t able to find any studies on green tea and testosterone conducted on human males. However, since male rodents share a similar endocrine system with human males, it’s likely that the results above have some merit in humans too.

 
It’s also worth noting that the antioxidant content of the green teas and supplemental extracts varies greatly, and that green tea is considered to be one of the foods highest in fluoride, which in itself is a (at high levels) neurotoxic halogen that has been linked to lower testosterone levels and disrupted thyroid hormone production.
 
The rodent studies, lack of human research, and disturbingly high fluoride content of green tea, are 3 reasons why I personally don’t enjoy drinking green tea (although if you madly love the taste, a cup once in a while isn’t going to turn you into an eunuch just yet ).

The post Green Tea and Testosterone: Healthy Drink or Just a Hormonal Disaster? appeared first on Anabolic Men.

Sleep is crucially important for overall health and testosterone production. After all, the majority of your T is being produced while you’re sleeping, and several studies show how reduced sleep can significantly lower testosterone levels. Not to mention the fact that you’ll just feel like shit if you sleep too little, everyone knows that.
 
There are many things you can do for free to naturally improve your sleep time and quality, such as:
 

• reducing your exposure to bright “blue light” before sleep
• going and getting out of bed at the same time everyday
• a diet that supports hormone function
• sleeping in a completely dark room
• and of course, regular exercise

 
But what about supplements? Surely there’s some over-the-counter options that can significantly improve sleep quality? And, Well, yes there is:
 
 
 
 

In our modern society, we tend to consume only the muscle-meat of animals, which gives us plenty of the amino acids tryptophan and methionine, but very little of glycine. We could use more of that glycine though, since it’s an important amino-acid needed for the synthesis of various bodily enzymes, along with being a sedative (kind of like a “downer”) neurotransmitter in the body.

 
The last part of that sentence is the reason behind glycines ability to improve sleep quality. It’s a sedative neurotransmitter.
 
And what would be the best source for glycine then? That would be, connective tissue. And besides eating bones and organs, the simplest way of getting more of that connective tissue would be gelatin (which is 22% glycine by weight).
 
NOTE: you could also buy pure glycine powder, which is extremely cheap too ($24 for a kilo if you live in the states).
 
Besides the many theories of the importance of glycine and the warnings about not getting enough of it in our modern diets, there’s actually some research on its ability to improve sleep. For instance, 3 grams of glycine taken 1-hour before hitting the sack, was able to reduce morning fatigue and improve self-reported sleep quality in this human study…
 
…In another study, 3 grams of glycine taken before bed-time, not only increased self-reported sleep quality and day-time cognitive abilities, but also resulted in reduced onset sleep latency and faster time to reach slow wave sleep when tested with EEG apparatus (the kind of machine that senses brain activity via scalp electrodes).
 
The same dose of 3 grams glycine taken 1-hour before bed was also tested successfully in subjects which suffered from mild sleep problems (the day-time cognitive improvements were also noted in the study).
 
Bottom line: Glycine seems to be very effective at improving sleep quality and day-time cognitive abilities. It’s also cheap and easily accessible in the form or gelatin or pure glycine powder.
 
 
 
 

The research on melatonin is solid, which is not a surprise since its usually used as a go-to treatment for insomnia and many sleep related conditions.

 
Firstly, taking supplemental melatonin is able to increase blood melatonin levels, both at day-time and night-time. Also, supplemental melatonin at doses ranging from 2 to 10 mg’s is fairly effective at reducing insomnia (study, study, study).
 
In few studies, melatonin at 2-3 mg doses has improved sleep quality and morning-alertness without any noted withdrawal symptoms or side-effects (study, study).
 
NOTE: It’s common sense to think that more melatonin would be better for deeper sleep. However this isn’t the case, and high dosages might actually cause drowsiness in the day-time. It’s recommended that you work the dose up from small amounts first to see what is effective for you.
 
Bottom line: Melatonin is very effective, especially for reducing the time it takes for the user to fall a sleep, aka. at reducing onset sleep latency. For shift-workers, it’s almost a must have supplement. Also, time-release capsules are considered to be the best possible form of melatonin supplementation. If you’re already following a reasonably normal sleep-awake rhythm and have no problems falling to sleep, then there’s always a change that melatonin might not do much for you. I personally only use melatonin at nights when I hit the sack “too late” (hint: NHL games usually start at around 2AM here in Finland ).
 
 
 
 

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Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) is a herbal supplement (commonly root powder or extract) widely used in the Indian herbal medicine, aka. Ayurveda.
 
It’s considered to be an “adaptogen”, which is a term coined by Russian scientist to describe a herb that helps the body regain hormonal and psychological balance (homeostasis) in times of stress.
 

It’s claimed in Indian herbal medicine, that ashwagandha (which loosely translates to “the smell of horse”) would give its user the virility and power of a horse. Though, obviously that’s just some next-level ridiculous mumbo-jumbo bullshit…

 
…Don’t lose your hope on ashwagandha yet though, it’s actually pretty good stuff:
 
 
 
 

The post Ashwagandha and Testosterone: Potent Adaptogenic Testosterone Booster and Cortisol Suppressant appeared first on Anabolic Men.

For the past years, saturated fat has been getting a lot of negative press on the media. Since coconut fat is 92-96% saturated, it has gotten its (un)fair share of negative attention too.
 
However, if you look behind the scenes of the mass media fat demonization, you will quickly see that there’s a mounting pile of evidence which suggests that coconut oil, with its high saturated fat content, is actually protective against cardiovascular disease, and its even pretty good at balancing cholesterol (more HDL, less LDL) and blood lipids.
 
Heck, the Tokelau population in South Pacific eat roughly 60% of their calories from coconuts and still, cardiovascular disease is extremely uncommon there. Same goes for the Kitavan’s in Papua New-Guinea, whom eat coconut as their main source of fat, yet heart disease appears to be absent among these people…
 

…When you factor in coconut fats pro-thyroid effects, ability to increase metabolic rate, and ability to increase antioxidant status, you will quickly realize that coconut oil is in fact one of the better fats to consume.

 
NOTE: Coconut oil is also perfect for cooking, since its mainly saturated and low in cholesterol, which means that its not that prone to oxidation.
 
Consuming more coconut oil and/or coconuts becomes a no-brainer when you see how good it can be for testosterone production:
 
 
 
 

Since coconut oil is mainly saturated – and saturated fats are considered the best type of fat for increased testosterone production – it’s only natural to think that coconut oil would be pretty good for T production.

 
Coconut oils ability to increase antioxidant status of the body and pro-thyroid effects would also suggest that the oil would be a good fit for a T-boosting diet.
 
Even though there isn’t any studies readily available which would of have examined coconut oils effect on testosterone levels in human males, there are still plenty studies like that with male rodents as subjects (which share nearly identical reproductive systems to humans).
 
There’s evidence that coconut oil – largely due to its antioxidant effects – is able to prevent oxidative stress in testicles, and therefore also preserve testosterone levels from oxidative damage.
 
When four groups of male wistar rats were fed with diets containing either soybean oil, coconut oil, grape seed oil, or olive oil, the researchers noted that the activity of key enzymes needed in testosterone production (3-β-HSD and 17-β-HSD), were significantly higher in the olive oil and coconut oil groups. Testosterone levels were also noticeably higher among the rodents who consumed either olive oil or coconut oil.
 
In a study where rats received a combination of calcium, vitamin D, and boron with either canola oil, sunflower oil, canola + sunflower oil, or coconut oil (to go with the micronutrients), the group receiving coconut oil (+the supplements) noted significantly higher testosterone levels than the groups which received other oils.
 
In a study where 6 groups (8 rats in each) were fed with six different fat sources – sesame oil, sunflower oil, fish oil, olive oil, Iberian pig lard, or coconut oil – it was noted the groups which received coconut oil and Iberian pig lard had significantly higher serum testosterone levels than rest of the groups. It’s also worth mentioning that the lard group had significantly higher T levels than any of the other studied fat sources (including coconut oil!), while also having lowest LDL and highest HDL cholesterol levels.
 
NOTE: Many guys are scared that coconut oil would lower DHT levels by inhibiting 5-a reductase enzyme (I was too at first). This study which shows how free form lauric-acid and myristic-acid did just that in-vitro is often cited along with the claims. However, it’s important to note that the fats used in the study were free fatty-acids, which are the type found in rancid oils. What you normally get by eating non-rancid coconut oil is the triglyceride form, which I doubt causes similar effects. Yesterday night while I was trying to find more confirmation to that, I stumbled upon an old forum thread where a guy had followed a “Dr. Ray Peat inspired diet” with coconut oil and butter being the main sources of fat, going from a normal diet to that, his T levels had increased by 28% and DHT by 31% in 6 months. If coconut oil would lower DHT, I doubt the results would look like that.
 
 
 
 

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When thinking about physical activities that boost testosterone levels, many believe that you have to hit the gym hard or sprint as fast as you can to elicit a hormonal response…
 
…And while both are great for boosting T levels, some everyday regular activities, such as low-pace walking, hiking, biking, or even having a physical job can all be used to raise testosterone levels.
 

For someone who’s living a relatively sedentary life, making a habit out of some form of daily physical activity, can yield great hormonal returns.

 
Heck, there’s even studies to prove this:
 
 
 
 

(LPA = low physical activity, HPA = high physical activity, LCR = low calorie restriction, HCR = high calorie restriction).

The post Physical Activity and Testosterone: Walk your Way to Higher Testosterone Levels appeared first on Anabolic Men.

It seems to be in general knowledge that trans fatty-acids are extremely unhealthy and should be avoided. With that being said, most people still don’t really understand what they are, and which bodily systems they affect.
 
Hence, why in this article, you’ll learn about the following topics:
 

• What are trans fats?
• Why are trans fats unhealthy?
• Trans fat and testosterone production.
• How to avoid exposure to trans fats.

 
Without further introductory ramblings, let’s get started:
 
 
 
 

Now you might be asking yourself, what the heck has this got to do with trans fats?

The answer is: everything. The hydrogenation process flips some of the molecular “carbon-carbon” bonds into “trans” bonds, effectively creating trans-fatty acids. And when the hydrogenation process is completed only to the point where the optimal texture is reached (but not full hydrogenation), high amounts of trans fatty-acids will remain in the end product.
 
Bottom line: When cheap vegetable oils are hardened – or partially hardened – by the hydrogenation process, trans-fats are formed and they tend to remain in the finished product, which is now called as: hydrogenated vegetable oil, partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil, hardened vegetable oil, partially-hardened vegetable oil, or margarine.
 
NOTE: Trace amounts of naturally occurring trans fatty-acids (CLA and vaccenic acid) can also be found in some natural animal-fats, but these are not to be concerned about, since research has shown that they are perfectly healthy, and don’t poses the same adverse health effects as the synthetic man-made trans fats do (study, study).
 
 
 
 

• industrial vegetable oil shortenings for baking and confections
• margarine and vegetable oil spreads
• fast-foods, especially: Burger King, McDonald’s, and KFC
• potato chips (not all, but some)
• store-bought pies and piecrust
• cookies, cakes, cake mixes, and frostings
• some brands of ice cream
• non-dairy coffee creamers
• muffins and doughnuts
• microwaveable ready-meals

 
NOTE: The list on trans fat containing foods could go on for days, since its extremely popular to use them in processed foods, due to the fact that it makes production cheaper and shelf-life longer. And even though some products are labeled as “trans fat free”, the FDA still allows them to contain up to 0,5 grams of the bad stuff.
 
Bottom line: Processed foods and fast-foods are notorious for being high in man-made trans fats. Consume real foods with real all-natural ingredients, and you don’t have to worry about them. It’s as simple as that.
 
 
 
 

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Well here it is. After 2+ years of blogging I finally appeared in a podcast – and yes, English is not my first language as you might notice

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It’s 2016 and everyone and their dogs are now making resolutions to do great things. It goes without saying that for most people that this resolution will be related to weight loss.
 
There’s one problem though. Most people have absolutely no clue how to really lose weight.
 

• Some think you need to “eat clean” which is not true…
• Some say to cut out carbs which is utter bollocks…
• Some think you have to kill yourself with cardio…
• Some say its all in the sugar or dietary fat…

 
Want to hear the boring truth? There are really no “secrets”. Weight loss is – and will always be – all about calories. You eat more than your body uses and that’ll make you gain weight. You eat less than what your body uses and that’ll make you lose weight. End of story.
 
In other words, to lose weight you have to create a state of caloric deficit. To gain weight you need to create a state of caloric surplus. You don’t even have to exercise one bit to do that, though it’s easier to create the deficit with exercise.
 
Science has proven time-after-time that weight-loss is all about the energy balance, not about the amount of carbs, not the dietary fat, not the glycemic index of foods, not the gluten, not the meal frequency, or any other kind of shenanigans or fad diet (study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study, study).
 
With that in mind, here’s a no-BS guide on how to actually lose weight:
 
 
 
 

• You need to know your basal metabolic rate
• You need to know how many calories you have consumed on a daily basis.
• You need to know how many calories your body has burned on a daily basis.
• You need to know how much you weigh in the morning without clothes on a daily basis.
• You should measure your body fat percentage with calipers and measuring tape.

 
If you don’t know how many calories you have consumed, you’ll never know for sure if you’re on a deficit. Same goes for the amount of (un-tracked)exercise. Studies have shown that we humans tend to always underestimate our calorie intake and overestimate the amount of exercise.
 
Track both and you can stop guessing.
 
Having a good scale is kind of self-explanatory, obviously you want to know if you’re losing weight or not. Just remember that water retention can some times mask the true weight loss, and in some days you might gain weight even though you didn’t eat a caloric surplus, this is just water though and will eventually be flushed out.
 
Because of the fact that you can’t always 100% trust the numbers on the scale, it’s not a bad idea to take measurements of your body with a tape and body fat calipers. Measuring body fatness is also a good way to be sure that you’re losing fat instead of muscle mass.
 
So, how does this tracking and weighing stuff happen then?
 
First off, you want to get yourself a food scale so you can weigh your foods and/or the ingredients if you’re making a meal. Measure everything raw, and then get yourself a fitness app (like MyFitnessPal or FatSecret) where you can input the amounts and select the foods/ingredients that you ate during the day. The fitness apps also have a way of identifying your basal metabolic rate from weight, age, gender, and height.
 
NOTE: Skipping this step would mean that you wouldn’t have a clue of your caloric intake or basal metabolic rate, and you would eventually fail. Which is exactly why you don’t want to miss this step.
 
The second step is knowing how many calories you have burned during the day. For this the fitness apps above are great, just log-in your average daily activity values first and then whatever exercise you do you’ll also add in there, both apps should automatically calculate the average calories burned accordingly to your size. If you want to be extra-sure, you can also get an activity tracker.
 

When you know your caloric intake and the caloric output, you can then easily eat and/or exercise in a way that you end up on reasonable calorie deficit every day. As a result you will lose weight (provided that you’re not cheating yourself with the numbers)…

 
…And to know that you are in fact losing weight and mostly the body fat instead of muscle mass. You want to have a good scale, in where you step each morning without any clothes to get a good daily measurement of your overall weight in a same “scenario” every time. You then log this number into your fitness app.
 
To know your body fat percentage, you can use a measuring tape and calipers like these, and learn how to use them from YouTube. You can also get your body fat % measured by a DEXA scan or some other fancy method if you have them available in your city. I do not recommend those “bioelectric impedance analysis” scales though, they are highly inaccurate, especially if you have high amounts of muscle mass.
 
That’s all you need to know about creating a calorie deficit and tracking stuff to make sure you’re on the right path. Quite boring really, but the truth is that there are no secret or magic-pills, it’s all in the deficit.
 
 
 
 

What I’ve always followed during a calorie deficit is pretty close to a macronutrient split of 35% protein, 35% carbs, and 30% fat. That’s a pretty balanced ratio and it should keep you somewhat sane during a time of lower caloric intake. It’s also a good ratio for hormonal health and muscle preservation.

 
Protein is by far the most satiating of the macronutrients, and due to its thermal effect it’s the most “diet-friendly” too. However if you go too high on protein and lower your intake of carbs and fat, you will end up wrecking up your hormones and thyroid function, which then starts messing up with your overall life quality, sleep, and metabolic rate.
 
Bottom line: Macronutrient ratios don’t really matter for weight loss (as long as you’re in a deficit), however to prevent lean mass loss and keep up hormonal health, you might want to make sure that you’re getting a balanced intake of all the three main macros. And remember; carbs don’t make you fat, fat doesn’t make you fat, but overeating on anything makes you fat.
 
 
 
 

It benefits the fitness industry to claim that 6 small meals a day would “stoke the metabolic fire” and be optimal for muscle building, because with those claims they can sell you more protein powders and meal-bars, etc. In reality there’s no research to prove that more small frequent meals would be any better than fewer bigger meals with longer intervals…

 
The reason why I do intermittent fasting is simply because I’m a guy with massive appetite. I simply cannot bare myself to eat “six small meals a day” of rabbit size portions. I will rather fast for a short while and then eat like a king in the evening while still being on a caloric deficit.
 
Bottom line: IF is not mandatory if you want to lose weight, it’s simply enough that you’re on a caloric deficit. However, intermittent fasting is something that – for me and hundreds of thousands of other people – makes it downright ridiculously easy to be on a deficit.
 
 
 
 

• Agressive Fat Loss 2.0 by Greg O’Gallagher (perhaps the best intermittent fasting guide you can get).
• Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon (an intermittent fasting pattern with 24 hour fast, also contains a lot of research about fasting).
• Bigger Leaner Stronger by Mike Matthews (evidence based approach for burning fat and building muscle, excellent for beginners).
• Examine.com (everything you need to know about supplements and/or fat burners).

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Have you ever wondered why men and women are eating the same foods? Why we consume similar diets, although the bodies and hormonal differences among men and women are vastly different? Since men thrive on testosterone and women thrive on estrogen – and these hormones can be modulated by our diets – why do we men still eat like women?
 
I’ve wondered the above questions a lot – and apparently so has Chad Howse – the author of the revealing title; The Man Diet. The downloadable e-book (along with its additional resources) claims to be the answer to men who are looking for a diet that suits their needs in knowing the best nutritional approach for males to build muscle and burn fat. Since 80% of the weight-loss & nutrition market is currently dominated by women and their “toning down” programs, it’s true that the market needs something just like The Man Diet…
 
…But the question is, how good is the program, and should you spend your money on it?
 
 
 

The post Reviewing Chad Howse’s ‘The Man Diet’ appeared first on Anabolic Men.

DIM (3,3′-diindonylmethane) is a naturally occurring byproduct of indole-3-carbinol (IC3), and IC3 itself is a byproduct of glucosinolate glucobrassicin, which is a compound found in all crusiferous vegetables, such as: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, and the like.
 
There has been much discussion about DIM and its effects on the reproductive system. It’s claimed to work by reducing estrogen, while also promoting optimal free-testosterone levels via reduced SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin). Hence, why many bodybuilders and health conscious men do consume cruciferous vegetables in hopes of raising T and reducing estrogen.
 
If you’re active on the “natural hormone optimization” circles, you must have seen recommendations about DIM or IC3 multiple times already.
 
But the big question is – does DIM or straight on IC3 work as claimed – or are they both just two farts in the wind?
 
 
 
 

The post DIM and Testosterone: Does the Indole-3-Carbinol in Cruciferous Vegetables Lower Estrogen and Boost T? appeared first on Anabolic Men.

Few of the most often asked questions I get are: what do I eat to maintain high testosterone levels, and if I have a specific list of foods that I recommend on a high testosterone diet. While there are many food related posts scattered around this blog, I’ve never really made an all-around post about what I would put into a high T pantry. Until now.
 
In this massive article, you will basically get a 30 item shopping list of testosterone boosting foodstuffs with all the nitty-gritty explanations about why the foods are great for the endocrine system.
 
Think of it as a grocery list that your balls would write if they’d have hands.
 
 
 
 

Sweet potatoes, white potatoes, russets, red potatoes, purple potatoes, etc. If it’s a potato, you should be eating it. Potatoes are excellent no-gluten source of testosterone boosting carbohydrates, and also very dense in nutrients. Stock pile your pantry full of them, and make potatoes your main carbohydrate source.

Not macadamia nuts though. 100 grams of these wonderful little fat balls contain ~75 grams of dietary fat, out of which 60 grams are MUFAs, 13 grams are SFAs, and less than 2 grams are PUFAs.

 
Did someone say perfect for testosterone production? .
 
 
 
 

…Gelatin. It’s an incredibly dense source of connective-tissue protein, providing you with ~27% glycine and ~15% proline. It’s also tasteless, so you can easily scoop it straight on with a spoon.

 
Why would gelatin be pro-testosterone then? For starters, once you balance out the neurotransmitters in your body, your sleep quality and hormonal signaling will improve, this alone will lead to significant increases in testosterone and life-quality.
 
 
 
 

…and not only that but raw cacao products have pretty much perfect fat ratios for testosterone production too. For example, out of the dietary fat in raw chocolate ~61% is saturated fats, ~37% is monounsaturated fats, and only ~2% is polyunsaturated (depending bit on the manufacturer).

 
So, chock-full of antioxidants, live bacteria, and enzymes. Full of testosterone boosting minerals. And has perfect fat ratios for healthy testosterone production. That is, raw cacao products.
 
 
 
 

The most important factor that makes eggs a high-T food, is the fact that the yolk contains hefty doses of cholesterol, which like you might already know, is the direct precursor of testosterone.

 
NOTE: I know that many people get scared about cholesterol and fats in the yolk, but there’s no need to. It has been scientifically proven that regular egg consumption on a daily basis does not negatively influence your cardiovascular health (study, study).
 
 
 
 

This is all done because of increased profits, aka. longer shelf-life. When salt is stripped from its natural minerals, it’s no longer salt. It’s processed shit.

 
So, would you rather consume the shitty purified table salt that has mere 2 minerals and heavy-metal caking agents, or the real deal that contains 100% real salt and 0% caking agents, with a taste that explodes in your mouth. Your call.
 
 
 
 

So, how do you nourish the gut flora and colonize those healthy probiotics, prebiotics, and friendly enzymes into your intestines more effectively? Simple, by eating fermented foods, which naturally have the friendly bacteria and enzymes.

 
Yogurt is a great example. It contains the L. Reuterii and C. Scindensis, and several other – yet unresearched – probiotic strains.
 
 
 
 

I developed a deep love for beef jerky in the military, since it’s probably one of the most healthiest foods you can carry as a “snack”. And there’s no way I would leave it out from a testosterone boosting grocery list.

Minced meat is almost like a staple in many testosterone boosting recipes. It’s so easy to use, tasty, and pro-testosterone. Why not load up with it?

 
NOTE: I use organic meat since I don’t want to eat meat that has been treated with estrogen (to make the meat-giving animal fat). If you can’t afford organic/grass-fed minced meat, it’s better to buy the kind with lowest amount of fat, since that’s where the trace hormones tend to accumulate.
 
 
 
 

That last part is crucial. Because of the high fat content of the pig meat, the hormone residues are much more of a concern. You see, the adipose tissue (fat) is exactly where the hormone traces can be found.

 
So, organic estrogen-trace free bacon is a great testosterone boosting food, but the conventionally raised stuff should be avoided. You’re better of using some lower fat conventional meats if you can’t afford organic bacon.
 
 
 
 

The post The Testosterone Boosting Pantry, aka. Your 30 Item High T Grocery List appeared first on Anabolic Men.

Cortisol is a naturally occurring steroid hormone in the human body. Its release from the adrenal cortex is stimulated by a brain hormone called ACTH, and the release of ACTH on the other hand is stimulated by physical or mental stress, which is why cortisol is often called “the stress hormone”.
 
Because of the “scary stress hormone label”, many people think that cortisol levels should be kept as low as possible. That ain’t the full-truth though…
 
…Without cortisol, any kind of minor trauma would instantly bring you into full shock and kill you. Without cortisol you wouldn’t be able to walk with 2-feet. Cortisol also wakes you up in the morning (levels peak in the morning and dip towards the evening), and it’s needed in the process of burning fat (fat mobilization to be precise).
 

In other words, cortisol is definitely not as evil as some ” fitness experts” claim…

 
That is, at least in people who have normal patterns of cortisol secretion and are not under any kind of chronic physical or mental stress, and who can eat and exercise in a way that supports healthy cortisol secretion rather than messes it up.
 
Sadly, that’s not the majority of people in this day and age.
 
The modern 8-5 jive of work was not how the human body was meant to operate, and I guess it’s safe to say that the vast majority of the working-class are constantly under some level of work-related stress.
 
When most people hit the gym they do hours of grueling endurance-type cardio (which is notorious for skyrocketing cortisol), and they follow-up with a high-volume daily resistance training programs that can easily put them into a state of overtraining, which furthermore boosts the chronic elevation of cortisol…
 
…In a worst case scenario, that’s all topped of with a low-calorie low-carb diet, both of which are known for completely messing up your natural cortisol secretion (study, study).
 
Then there’s money-related stress, let’s not even start with that.
 
NOTE: Cortisol also has an inverse relationship with all the body’s anabolic hormones, including testosterone and growth hormone. When cortisol is high, testosterone levels will go down. Cortisol also promotes the release of a protein called Myostatin, which breaks down muscle tissue. Try building muscle in an atmosphere like that…
 
Ever heard of how some bankers drop dead in their 30’s? That’s what chronically elevated cortisol levels will do eventually…
 
…As your body is in a constant “stress-mode”, cortisol – with its catabolic nature – breaks down muscle mass, if you let the situation go on for years, this catabolism will eventually start happening in your internal organs.
 
Not to mention the fact that cortisol stimulates the synthesis of visceral fat, aka. the “deadly fat” that builds up in your abdominal cavity and surrounds your organs.
 
Then there’s also the fact that chronically high cortisol induces a state of chronic inflammation. Quick inflammatory responses related to exercise for example, are nothing to worry about, but if the inflammation persist long-term due to chronically elevated cortisol levels, then thats what exposes you to a myriad of diseases.
 

The above – in short – is what happens when someone suffers the tragic fate of “death by burnout”.

 
Now, here’s a quick list of completely free and natural ways to bring your cortisol back to healthy levels and rhythm:
 

• Minimize your stress, mental and physical.
• Keep yourself hydrated thorough the day, especially during exercise.
• Try to get 7-9 hours of restorative sleep every night (I know this might be a huge problem if you’re under stress).
• Get lean, certain enzymes in fat-mass are known for converting cortisol metabolites back into the active form.
• Eat enough carbohydrates, low-carb diets are notorious for skyrocketing cortisol levels
• Consume adequate amounts of calories, starvation diets can greatly increase cortisol levels.
• Keep your strength workouts short, and instead of overtraining yourself with daily workouts, consider training 3-4 times a week.

 
On top of the bulletpoints above, there are these four scientifically proven supplements that can help you too:
 
 
 
 

In reality, ashwagandha will not turn you into a powerful horse-man (fortunately), though there’s still some interesting scientific evidence on its effects on testosterone and cortisol levels.

 
For instance, a randomized double-blind study using 300mg/day of a standardized water extract of the adhwagandha roots called “KSM-66”, noted a significant 27% reduction in serum cortisol levels, along with self-reported reduction of anxiety and mental-stress.
 
Another study with KSM-66 extract showed a cortisol reduction of 14%, while one study using 5g/day of the pure root powder saw reductions of 32%.
 
The benefits of ashwagandha are not limited to reduced stress levels. Several studies have also found out that on infertile subjects, ashwagandha is very effective at restoring poor sperm quality, while also boosting lagging testosterone production (study, study, study). One particularly interesting study that came out at the end of 2015, had 57 young and perfectly healthy men as test subjects. The guys consumed 300mg’s of KSM-66 ashwagandha on a daily basis for 8 weeks, and on average their T-levels increased from 630 ng/dL to 726 ng/dL.
 
 
 
 

The post 4 Scientifically Proven Supplements to Bring Down High Cortisol Levels appeared first on Anabolic Men.