Diet struggle (Sleep/Hormones)

MaxPrinz
MaxPrinz Posts: 33 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Like mentioned in the title i suffer from poor sleep (can fall asleep but wake up after 3 to 4 hours, cant sleep longer than 5 to 6 hours total) i have water retention that comes and goes for no reason, sometimes up to 4kg for a couple weeks bevore it disappears. My sex drive is pretty much not existing...

I lost about 20kg in the year 2013 and since then i am sticking to my diet very consistently, right now i am at about 2500kcal 200p 70f 275c. i workout 6 times a week for about 3 years now consistently. my lifestyle and job is sedentary.

I cant stand this situation much longer and have no clue where i am doing something wrong.

Any help is highly appreciated... especially the water retention and sex drive is a huge issue for me, since i am pretty ripped at 76kg 186cm when i am not retaining water.

please excuse my grammar/vocabulary, i am not a native speaker

thank you very much...

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Too little fat? Or cutting too much on something else - vegetables, for instance? Have you done blood tests?
  • MaxPrinz
    MaxPrinz Posts: 33 Member
    i eat about 500g to 1000g of veggies/fruit a day, fat should be sufficient, blood test said that my testosterone is on the very low end but still in range... everything else was perfectly healthy. Maybe training volume or calories?
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    I doubt any of us can explain water retention that occurs "for no reason." Exercise is one of the things that can cause water retention. So can drugs, but if you're into drugs this is not the place to be talking about it. 6 hours of sleep with waking up once during the night is hardly what I would call poor sleep. As for a lack of sex drive, I have no clue.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    when was the last time you ate at maintenance and had a rest week?

    i'd second increasing your fats as well.
  • MaxPrinz
    MaxPrinz Posts: 33 Member
    i am not into drugs, have never touched them. 2500 should be my maintenence. i was dieting on 2300
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    well I know mine is perimenopause, I am lucky to get 4 hours. but I feel good, I exercise well and eat well, get some bloodwork done, it could be many things.
  • EDTake2
    EDTake2 Posts: 165 Member
    I read once that garlic consumption helps boost testosterone level, both cooked and raw(more so raw). Water retention could be do to exercise or you are consuming to much salt. Do relook into your intake and exercise, sometime changing one thing can make a huge difference. Good luck!
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    Did the doctor only check testosterone or did he do a full blood panel? Might be something else going on there.
  • MaxPrinz
    MaxPrinz Posts: 33 Member
    i have checked everything. all markers came out within the normal range. maybe i should decrease training volume. thank you all for replying
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    If you have just seen a GP perhaps your need to referral to an endocrinologist regarding the hormonal issues. The water retention is also quite a bit, and I would imagine needs further work up.

    Lots of things can cause water retention to this degree, some benign others more concerning. If your doctor is not actively investigating your concerns, find one that is.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    MaxPrinz wrote: »
    i am not into drugs, have never touched them. 2500 should be my maintenence. i was dieting on 2300

    'should be' maintenance, or IS maintenance?
  • MaxPrinz
    MaxPrinz Posts: 33 Member
    since weight fluctuates heavily, i cannot tell what my real maintenance lvl is
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    edited January 2017
    MaxPrinz wrote: »
    since weight fluctuates heavily, i cannot tell what my real maintenance lvl is

    That's where a weight trending app might come in handy.

    Or plug your weights into excel, have it generate a diagram and draw a line down the middle. That should give you an idea on whether your gaining, losing or maintaining. From there you can extrapolate your maintenance calories. (if you're maintaining, you know that what you're eating is maintenance, if your gaining, deduct the average gain per week and you again have maintenance; if losing, add the average loss and, again, you're back at maintenance.)


    ETA: weight trending apps:

    android: libra
    apple: happy scale
  • jagodfrey08
    jagodfrey08 Posts: 425 Member
    If you testosterone is low, even if it's in the normal range, it's seriously going to affect your sex drive, sleep, and mood. Sometimes supplementing zinc and vitamin D can help. Did your doctor also check your vitamin D levels? If that is low, then it can also bring you testosterone levels down. Doctors don't always check that when they do bloodwork, and it's something you should ask your doctor to do.

    You could easily take 50-100mg of zinc a day and be safe. Just take it with food because it will make you nauseated on an empty stomach. Oysters have the highest concentration of zinc, which boosts testosterone and is probably why they have been considered an aphrodisiac for the longest. So, if you like them, eat them. Another benefit is that zinc also boosts the immune system.

    I would also request a repeat blood panel and a full hormone work up. It's not the same as a standard CBC. So, ask your doctor for a repeat and also to have your vitamin D levels checked.

    I wish you all the best!
  • MaxPrinz
    MaxPrinz Posts: 33 Member
    I take 100mg zink daily as well as vitD, 4g Fishoil, 5g Creatine... thank you for your wishes, maybe I just have to accept that my lvls are low and try to change training volume. Maybe with less training my sleep will improve, with better sleep quality my hormones might as well improve
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
    I completely second @jagodfrey08. A testosterone in low range is not going to feel very good. Some people can manage with hormones in the low ranges but most people feel and function better with their hormones in the upper 1/3 of the "normal" range. You might look for a functional medicine doctor vs. just your regular GP. FM doctors are way more willing to treat people when they don't feel well even if their numbers are in the "normal" range. My husbands testosterone is in the "low" end of normal range but when graded for his age, put him at like 90yrs old (he's almost 57). We treated him. LOL "Normal" hormone ranges can have wide swings and age and genetics play a role in how good someone will feel at certain levels in that "normal" range. Find a new doctor if yours won't let you try a bio-identical testosterone to see if it makes you feel better. The zinc and oysters are a good start while you're waiting/looking for someone to manage this for you.
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