I have been diagnosed with Andropause by 789

Do you count calories, 789? Of all the weight control methods, this seems to work the best.

No but I should for sure. I have struggled with weight issues my whole adult life. I know what has to be done, I just lack motivation right now. I just need to keep my pie hole shut.

For me the winning combination includes

1)cut back on alcohol intake
2)cut back on white processed carbs, such as white rice, breads, cereals, pasta and potatoes
3)cut out processed sugars
4)eat at least 7 cups of veggies per day
5)eat lean protein such as turkey, chicken or fish
6)increase cardio and weight training

I am not making excuses for myself but damn life gets busy somedays it just seems “easier” to eat pizza and a beer than to make a broiled chicken breast with a salad and a veggie.

The hardest part for me is the curtailing of wine and beer. I like to come home after a long day and have a glass (or two) of wine. I find it relaxing.

Two glasses of wine isn’t porking you up. :)

Great T read, btw. Good going.

Okay well maybe its more than two. I have been known to finish any open bottle of red wine in my house. And three glasses of wine = a bottle.

Alcohol is a motivation killer for sure and beer gives me the munchies for crunchy junk food. I am not very good with cutting back. I am much better at just cutting it totally out of my diet at least during with week. We party a lot at my house, we live on the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida and have people at my house almost daily for drinks and munchies.

Thanks on the congrats for the T read. I was pretty pleased with that myself. The Androgel is working great for me. My PSA is running in the .39-.48 range on a scale of 0-4.0.

a8, do you know if TRT causes blood pressure increases and heart rate increases?

I remember reading a piece that suggested that topical TRT preparations can sometimes cause hypertension but this is more likely in older men than you.

If you’re concerned, buy a blood pressure monitor at a good drug store ($30 or less) and keep a record of your b/p for a couple weeks, morning and night. Jot the results down. If they’re in the safe range, forget your concern. If they’re a little high, take your notes to your doc the next time you go. There are literally hundreds of anti-hypertension drugs out there; pretty easy to find a good one for you.

When I was trying to lose some weight, I went to one of those Thai or Korean salad bar places and bought pre-prepped veggies. Easy to take home and sautee up or steam or whatever. Veggies are good for us but most of them take some time to peel or prune. Already prepped, they’re a cinch.

Super PSA, buddy.

You guys out there who haven’t had a PSA read ever should consider starting that annual routine at about 40 yrs old, sooner of there’s a history of prostate cancer in your family. It’s simple blood test. Nobody has to poke your postate to run the test. I have a new urologist, btw, who has very small hands. Had to have an annual digital recently. It was a total breeze.

Well the reason I asked about the high blood pressure is because I am now on blood pressure meds. I take 300 mg of Avapro and 25 mg of Toporal. My blood pressure, prior to meds was running in the 130 over 88 range. I ALWAYS had blood pressure no higher than 120 over 80 regardless of my weight but the past few months it has creeped up where the doc had concerns. My heart rate has also increased to about 90 bpm which is high for a guy who works out as much as I do.

I also take 40 mg of lovastatin a day for cholesterol/triglycerides. Which seems to be working fine. My chol level last week was 175 (s’b under 200) and triglycerides at 152 (scale says 30-200, doc says under 100).

I do have an electronic BP machine and check mine daily. I try to check my BP when I am feeling especially tired or have a headache to see if there is a correlation.

It may be the Lovastatin that’s contributing to the weight issue. Check that possibility out with your doc?

Thanks, I bet she’ll say that the weight issue is contributing to the need to take the Lovastatin, lol.

789, how are your balls doing?

Well they are not back to what they used to be but they are not as small as they were a few months ago. I never had a huge set of hangers anyway but for awhile they were virtually non existent. If I was aroused they were just gone, you couldn’t pull those bad boys out if you had to.

How`s it going with the TRT? How long have you been taking that stuff?

The TRT is going great. My levels are now up over 700 on a scale of 250-1000. I am feeling good but I do have weight gain issues. I have emailed, chatted, IMed and spoken to other guys on TRT and about 75% complained of weight gain. Now is the weight gain just age who knows, but its hard to shake off thats for sure. My balls are about the same size, SMALL. I have stretched the skin but still have small balls from the TRT.

Im still not entirely convinced of the benefits of TRT.
IMO, most the problem is diet related. Low fat intake = low test levels.

Ill have to reread this thread, because Im sure I mentioned a book called “Natural Hormonal Enhancement” by Rob Faigin.
IMO its a great read and it has done wonders for me. Im dropping fat easier and putting on muscle just as fast as when I was 18 years old, not to mention a sky high sex drive :D

With regards the weight gain, are you worried about what your scales say or how your pants fit around your waist?
What the scales say is irrelevant. The still pants fitting is what counts.
If it the pants thing, that may be due to the test aromatising to estrogen, leading to weight gain.
Thats the thing I dont like about exogenous hormones (and the reason your balls are still small si the TRT shutting down your own test production)

But how long have you been taking TRT? Haven’t you done any breaks?

My buddy who takes TRT but does it by injection told me his balls still are the same size but he suffers the highs and lows of taking a shot every two weeks, my doc is not crazy about that but would do it if I insisted. If my levels are up significantly from my last read of almost 700 she will cut back my dose to see what happens. I have read some stuff and have tried Trib and Tongkat ali to bring up the testosterone more naturally but both made me edgy and irritable.

Also, I have had my estrogen levels checked and they are on the low side of the range, so the weight gain could just be too much alcohol and not shutting my pie hole, and slacking on my gym workouts, lol.