I’d say sex 3 times a week, which is actually pretty decent for me. I wouldn’t say sex drive is bad by any means, just not high
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Ok. It was a hasty search and I apologize. I am aware that heavy anabolics use can crush lipids but perhaps this isn’t the case here.
This is from 2015 and further builds on what you are saying
" Testosterone & lipids
- Endogenous testosterone is associated with an antiatherogenic lipid profile with higher HDL-c and lower total cholesterol and triglycerides.
- TRT can lower HDL-c, however, it is usually accompanied with lowering of total cholesterol and LDL-c.
- Though HDL-c lowering has been considered a mechanism for increased CV risk with TRT, the true role of that metric has come into question.
- Other metrics such as HDL particle size, protein composition and functional assays may explain effects on CV risk better than cholesterol content of the particles.
Conclusion
Thus, despite numerous research efforts to date, the role of hypogonadism in the pathogenesis of CVD remains unclear, as does the cardiovascular risk profile of TRT. The inconsistent findings to date and lack of standardized approach to TRT administration in these studies mandate a large-scale randomized controlled trial to better define the cardiovascular effects of TRT. This study must be powered for CVD outcomes and, ideally, should examine TRT among a broad spectrum of hypogonadal men to stratify treatment effects by age and baseline health status, among other clinical variables. In the absence of such data, caution and clear goals for treatment should be discussed with men with known CVD while prescribing TRT. In parallel, ongoing work is required to further elucidate the mechanisms by which T may influence CVD risk, including its effects on HDL and other plasma lipids. Thus, expanded research efforts are needed to adequately address both the clinical and biological complexity of the relationship between androgens and CVD."
So, with that being said, @bkb333 are you still eating a hypocaloric diet?
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I actually haven’t been tracking food intake – been focusing on mindful eating. I don’t want to set an example for my kid of being vigilant about every calorie, so I’m trying to repair my outlook there. But my body comp has stayed roughly the same, very slowly getting a bit leaner. I’d say I’m right around maintenance, probably 2,000-2,500 per day.
I also have been getting Galectin-3 tested as one measure of heart health, and results have always been good. Of course, this is far from foolproof, but it is something. The HDL is the one (somewhat) concerning thing to me that I’ll be monitoring. I don’t plan to lower my T dose for now but will keep it in mind for next bloodwork.
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I should add: I don’t think tracking itself is bad, and I think everyone should do it for a time to learn what they’re putting into their body. I just know some personalities that lend themselves to OCD (like my own) need to take a step back sometimes and refocus on what really matters in life (provided you don’t have any big-time fitness goals).
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The doc recommended I donate blood (due to RBC 5.63, HGB 17.3, HCT 51.1 on these bloods) – planning to do that this week.
Did you notice better drive on the cream ? I know you switched from it once or twice. How is the thyroid thing going?
Nah bro, injections actually have led to libido being WAY higher. I think the cream I had last time was bad. Injections seem easier to control to me. And we also dropped thyroid a couple months ago — haven’t noticed a difference, which is nice because it simplifies things and is cheaper.
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Must of been low quality cream I agree.
Thing about thyroid is synthetic thyroid like cytomel doesnt really produce the results similar to armor thyroid. Especially when doctors dont give a good amount of the thyroid or often enough. Ive noticed too many give 1 or 2 a day and start at 5mcg. Thats like 10% of 1 grain most people end up trying.
My wife and my friend / his wife all were on cytomel. They all switched to armor thyroid and they all said the same thing. They actually feel better and healthier and more energetic and etc…Now they can feel the thyroid medicine working. I think you’ll find most folks say this. The ones who haven’t tried armor thyroid just don’t know the difference. : ]
Honestly if you don’t have thyroid symptoms like hair thinning, metabolism, fatigue and etc, I would not bother. It is expensive and just another pill to take twice a day.
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I’m back to having lots of sleep issues 
Gotten a total of 9 hours the past 3 nights.
Not sure why – I’ve been careful about caffeine, taken melatonin, no conscious stress to speak of (maybe subconscious stress about the impending birth of my son, but I don’t feel it on the surface).
I switched to injections 1.5 months ago, and my T has risen quite a bit since then. The level should be fairly stable at this point, though, and there’s nothing new in the mix. Do you think hormones could be at all playing a role, or is this something else?
I’d bet it could be a little bit of both. Have you had any more panic attacks? I hope not–I almost had one the other night and it sucked. I think subconscious stress is a very real thing–the almost panic attack the other night was the night before the first ultra sound and the first I had had in months. I didn’t feel like I was worried about it but that’d be one heck of a coincidence for it to not be related.
I’d maybe try a lower dose for a bit or skip an injection or two and see what happens when your levels get down a little bit. Are you still working out like you were? In researching TRT sleep issues I found several people who slept fine if they worked out hard regularly but had issues sleeping if they didn’t
You aren’t still taking any thyroid meds are you?
It is a balancing act for me with sleep and training. If I push too hard on a workout, it is like being on a ton of caffeine and my body is really warm. Hard is good. Too hard is not.
I feel the same; gotta keep it balanced. I have still been training consistently and hard, but these sleep issues actually came at the end of a deload, when I was physically active but not pushing it…so I don’t think that’s the cause.
Dude, I’m really sorry to hear about that. I’m glad you avoided it. What’d you do to get out of that headspace? And how did the ultrasound go?
You are absolutely right that subconscious stress is a real thing. For a long time, I would’ve called that ‘pussy language,’ but now I’m realizing how blind that perspective is.
For me a super hot/long shower helps a lot. Then anything I can do that’s as mind numbing as possible so I stop thinking about it… so something dumb like swiping through TikTok or Reddit until I eventually get really tired and fall asleep without thinking about it. My main issue is still congestion from all the sinus issues I have, I think I’m going to go ahead and get sinus surgery in the next month or two, before my wife is miserable level pregnant, so I can hopefully not have to keep dealing with it
All good, 148bpm, ~8 weeks along, due late August. Going back for genetic testing, etc. in a few weeks. It was super freaky to see how small he/she is right now but somehow that little blob turns into all the tiny things that have to be just right to not have any issues. I guess I’ll know the sex in another 3-4 weeks
Haha…yeah, hard to keep that perspective after an ambulance ride over something that, at least on paper, isn’t going to hurt you and is pretty common… I thought the same way at one point but after you know what a panic attack feels like it changes things
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Bro it’s mind-blowing. Remind me, is this your first?
Yep, a late first for me. I’ll be 37 soon
Are either of you taking Magnesium Glycinate at night? If I take less than 750mg a night I have negative ruminations and cant get out of my fucking negative headspace.
I’ve tried it a few times but can’t tell any difference
do you remember how much? Some need higher doses.