How I increased Testosterone by 116 pts naturally
Having low testosterone is tough to deal with. If you have low testosterone, you’re may have a lack of energy, decreased muscle mass and size, decreased strength, low sex drive, maybe even a lack of confidence, feelings of depression. There’s so many things in your health that are affected by low testosterone.
After competing in a men’s physic competition and getting into the best shape of my life last year, I was shocked when I started struggling to loose weight and get results from my fitness routines. If you have been following my journey you know that I was diagnosed with a Hypothyroid condition; so when I went in to get my thyroid checked, I also asked to have my testosterone checked. When I got the results back, on a scale of 350 – 1100, mine came in at 459.
I wasn’t happy with this so I started digging into how to fix it naturally and with nutrition. I’m excited to share with you in this video how I was able to increase my testosterone by 116 pts in just 4 months.
[DISCLAIMER: I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on the Internet. Speak with a medical professional before doing anything medical-related. This is not medical advice, I’m sharing my experience and what I learned a long the way]
Would you like to have your Testosterone, Vitamin D, Zinc or Thyroid levels checked?
If you can’t get them through your doctor, or just can’t afford them, there’s an very inexpensive way to have it done. You can order them online from Ulta Labs and go to a lab in their network near you to have blood drawn. Then they’ll email the results. This was cheaper for me than going through my Dr & Insurance.
Testosterone – FREE and TOTAL and SHBG – $46
https://www.ultalabtests.com/sttm/Item/Item/Testosterone-Total-And-Free-And-Sex-Hormone-Binding-Globulin
Vitamin D – D2 and D3 – $39
https://www.ultalabtests.com/sttm/Item/Item/Vitamin-D-25-Hydroxyvitamin-D-D2-D3-LC-MS-MS-QuestAssureD
Zinc – $44
https://www.ultalabtests.com/sttm/Item/Item/Zinc
Thyroid – this includes TSH, Free T3, Free T4 and 2 Antibodies – $88
https://www.ultalabtests.com/sttm/Item/Item/STTM-5-Thyroid-Baseline
Add each of these to you cart and then enter promo code ULTA41012 to save 10% off all of it.
Vitamin D
Correcting Vitamin D Deficiency
Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency:
- difficulty thinking clearly
- tired
- difficulty losing weight, weight gain
- gut problems
- depression-like feelings
- bone pain
- muscle weakness
- low testosterone
Just how common is Vitamin D deficiency?
I was first tipped off to the importance of Vitamin D when a Doctor in Arizona told my friend that there is an epidemic of Vitamin D Deficiency, even in sunny climates. I thought if I just went out in the sun a few times a week, I’d get enough Vitamin D, right?
Wrong… in fact, Doctors now believe that unless you live in the tropics and go to the beach exposing a lot of skin 3-5x a week, you’ll be deficient in Vitamin D.
I thought I could get enough Vitamin D in my food until I realized the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is extremely low.
The RDA is only 600 IU of Vitamin D but the Vitamin D council recommends 5000 UI/day.
At the same time, while studying for my Nutrition Coach certification with Precision Nutrition, I learned that this study and this study in the JISSN both concluded that Vitamin D was one of the most common deficiencies.
According to Harvard University, an estimated 1 billion people are low in vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiencies can cause short-term symptoms and long-term complications.
I then looked at Examine.com’s Supplement Report. For those of you who don’t know, Examine has a team of a dozen PHD researches who review every pieces of nutrition-related research, catalog it and summarize it. I was surprised that at the very top of this 1200 page report, it said your top priority should be supplementing Vitamin D.
Studies found that 92% of people with Hypothyroid were deficient in Vitamin D
Why is Vitamin D so important for Metabolism, even with a working thyroid?
Your body needs Vitamin D to allow your Thyroid hormone to raise your metabolic rate! Yes, that means, even if your Thyroid levels are normal, your T4 thyroid hormone cannot activate the receptor on cells, to increase metabolism! Dr. Peter Osborn explains this in more detail here.
Vitamin D is so important in many different functions in the body, including testosterone!
What are the optimal levels of Vitamin D in my body?
How can I get my Vitamin D levels checked?
You can ask your doctor to run the Vitamin D 25-Hydroxy test or you can do what we did and request your own lab work through UltaTestLabs for only $39 (save another 10% with code: ULTA41012) or MyMedLab for $80. After paying for it online, you just print out the form and take it to a lab near you and they’ll draw your blood. Your results will be emailed to you within 3-5 days.
Then use this article at StopTheThyroidMadness to interpret your Vitamin D results.
Our Lab Results for Vitamin D
So both Kate and I decided to get your Vitamin D levels checked, and sure enough, the results concluded we were both very low.
There’s something you should know about lab work with your doctor. They are only trained to identify extreme deficiencies. The “normal” range for Vitamin D is 30 – 100. David’s results came back at 32.9 so technically this is within the normal range, so a doctor may not even mention this as a problem to you.
The optimal levels are MUCH higher! Through my reading on StopTheThyroidMadness.com, Doctor Axe, and Dr. Amy Myers, your Vitamin D levels should be up around 50-70 to support your thyroid.
What Can I do to increase my Vitamin D levels?
Try to get out in the sun and expose as much skin as possible for 15-20 mins. Even doing this, it won’t be enough and you’ll need to supplement.
You can eat foods such as fatty fish like tuna, mackerel, salmon, beef liver, cheese, egg yolks, etc. It still may not be enough and you’ll need to supplement.
BEFORE YOU RUN OUT AND BUY A CHEAP VITAMIN, READ THIS!
A multivitamin with Vitamin D will waste your money because it won’t make much of a difference in raising your levels. The best form of Vitamin D is D3 CHOLECALCIFEROL. This is the same form of Vitamin D made in your skin when exposed to sun and it’s the most absorbable in your body.
The best Vitamin D supplements we recommend:
After doing our research, the 2 best supplements we’ve found for potency and effectiveness (and available from Amazon) are:
How much Vitamin D should I take?
Based on recommendations from Doctors I’ve seen, you may need about 4000-12,000 IUs/daily to correct a deficiency and once you’re up at optimal levels, you can probably reduce daily intake to 2000 IUs/daily.
I took 10,000 IUs for about 4 months and my Vitamin D levels increased from 32 to just over 50. I’ve now increased my daily intake to 12,000 IUs. My goal is to get my Vitamin D levels up to around 70.
Zinc
Correcting Zinc Deficiency
Symptoms of Zinc Deficiency:
- Weak immunity
- Slowed metabolism
- Trouble focusing and paying attention
- Reduced testosterone
- Hypothyroid problems
- Thinning hair
- Allergies
- Leaky Gut
- Acne & Rashes
Top Benefits of Zinc:
- Improved athletic performance and strength
- Prevents cancer and boosts immune system
- Increased testosterone and fertility for men
- Cell repair
- May treat thinning hair and baldness
- Improved cardiovascular health
- Elevated mood
- Deeper sleep
Just how common is Zinc deficiency?
Although severe zinc deficiency is quite rare, the Linus Pauling Institute estimates that up to 2 billion people are affected by marginal zinc levels, which can affect virtually every aspect of your health. (3)
It’s also a common held belief about doctors who treat hypothyroid that the RDA amounts for Zinc are not nearly enough.
If you exercise a lot, you’re more likely to be deficient in zinc!
This study analyzed 70 athlete diets. Every single diet was deficient in at least three nutrients. Some diets were missing up to fifteen nutrients! The most common deficiencies?
- iodine
- vitamin D
- zinc
- vitamin E
- calcium
Why is Zinc important for the body and Thyroid?
Zinc is used in over 300 enzyme reactions in the body and is essential for testosterone & thyroid hormone production. Zinc is used by the body to produce TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone). It also allows conversion of T4 thyroid into T3. When you’re deficient in it, your metabolism is slowed.
It’s 1 of 10 essential nutrients needed for the thyroid. You can read more about the 10 Nutrient Deficiencies every Thyroid Patient should have checked.
How can I get my Zinc levels checked?
You can ask your doctor to check your Zinc levels or you can do what we did and request your own lab work through UltaTestLabs for only $44 (save another 10% with code: ULTA41012) or use MyMedLab for $50. After paying for it online, you just print out the form and take it to a lab near you and they’ll draw your blood. Your results will be emailed to you within 3-5 days. Then use this article at StopTheThyroidMadness to interpret your Zinc levels.
Our Lab Results for Zinc
I got my lab levels checked and it turns out I have a moderate deficiency. The recommendation is to be in the top 3rd of the range.
So when you first look at my results below, you might think 86 seems good out of a range of 56-134, but to be in the top 3rd of the range, it should be 108-134.
What should my Zinc levels be?
Based on recommendations from StopTheThyroidMadness.com: the Top third of the range is optimal.
What Foods can I eat to increase my Zinc?
Foods rich in zinc include pumpkin seeds, grass-fed beef, lamb, cashews, chickpeas, mushrooms, chicken, turkey, eggs, almonds, kefir or yogurt, spinach, cocoa powder.
I eat a lot of these foods and I was STILL moderately deficient in zinc! Why? The more you workout and sweat, the more Zinc you deplete!
Why it may be essential to supplement Zinc:
Zinc is not stored in the body so it’s important to get it in daily.
BEFORE YOU RUN OUT AND BUY A CHEAP ZINC SUPPLEMENT, READ THIS!
There are many forms of zinc, about 10+ that I’ve seen so far. Research shows that Zinc Orotate is the most absorbed in the body. I’d hate to see you waste your time and money on a supplement that doesn’t raise your levels in your body.
The best Zinc Orotate Supplement we recommend:
After doing our research, the best supplement we found and are using is Zinc Orotate because it’s the most absorbed:
How much should Zinc supplement should I take?
The RDA is extremely low, around 11mg for adult men and 8 mg for adult women but those are typically the minimum amounts to stave off major health complications.
Based on my research on the web from various doctors who treat hypothryoidism, you need about 50 mg of zinc a day to correct a deficiency. But keep in mind your #s should be less if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding:
According to Dr. Axe,
- Pregnant women over 18 should limit their zinc intake to 40 mg per day
- Pregnant women under 18 should limit their zinc intake to 34 mg per day
- Breast-feeding women over 18 should limit their zinc intake to 40 mg per day
- Breast-feeding women under 18 should limit their zinc intake to 34 mg per day
After David has taken this for 6 weeks, I’ll be returning to get my Zinc levels checked again to see how it worked.
