Post: #31

(03-28-2016 5:29 PM)theLaw Wrote:  Keep in mind that all of this might be an attempt to hide an underlying problem...........low T. Best to try to raise T with Diet/Lifestyle choices long term, instead of relying on supplements.

Only issue with long term supplementation is that it might cause lower natural T production, as people see with too much Thyroid for instance. Although, with so many men on TRT today, I wouldn't be surprised to see most using it in 20-30 years........much like ED drugs.

I'm using them short-term as part of a workout stack, and for the other health benefits these provide. My T levels are about average, but not where I want them to be. This supplement regime is only intended to act in tandem with changed diet/lifestyle choices. Moringa and camu are just two of many foods I intend to stick with in the long run. Bee pollen, propolis, and royal jelly are others. As for maca, I always prefer to have an adaptogen or two in my stack. Maca and shilajit seem as good a choice as any.

Now tongkat? This is the only one I'm primarily using to boost testosterone. Epimedium and avena sativa, although fully capable of boosting testosterone, are more intended to mitigate some of the side-effects of MDMA. I'm curious if they can achieve this goal - HGW on its own reportedly did not, however the icariin concentration was unspecified, as was the source.

Secondarily, I'd like to test tongkat, epimedium, maca, and avena sativa as pheromones. This will require very little, less than a single ingested dose.

Pine pollen interests me more for its nutritional benefit - I think epimedium or avena sativa on its own should more than cover my testosterone needs. I'm frustrated with the lack of testing on some of these as well, so there's a lot more to it than just boosting testosterone. Don't think I'll be using crutches as a long-term solution, but I hear you.

Post: #32

(03-28-2016 6:03 PM)theLaw Wrote:  Ray Peat's forum has some excellent info on resolving those issues permanently.

My T crashed a couple of years ago.........Peat's resources made a huge difference.

-Lowering Estrogen

-High-dose Caffeine (+600mg/day)

-High Protein + High Carb + low/no carb + low fat

-MCT oil throughout the day (1.5T/1000 calories)......this is only at the beginning to mitigate endotoxin issues



***btw: acne issues probably caused by adrenalin.......fix blood sugar.....fix acne......mct oil works well..

These are some great suggestions. My diet is shifting in a similar direction as of this moment. High protein, high saturated fats (from coconut oil, coconut milk, etc.), plenty of greens (moringa, kale, chlorella/spirulina soon, hopefully), low carbs.

The high-dose caffeine suggestion certainly wouldn't be advisable in my case. I crash easily, get extreme jitters, and I've no time to build up a tolerance. Still, it's an interesting suggestion.

I wasn't aware of the connection between adrenalin and acne either. Do you have more information on this? Thanks.

Post: #33

(03-28-2016 6:54 PM)Ekscentra Wrote:  These are some great suggestions. My diet is shifting in a similar direction as of this moment. High protein, high saturated fats (from coconut oil, coconut milk, etc.), plenty of greens (moringa, kale, chlorella/spirulina soon, hopefully), low carbs.

The high-dose caffeine suggestion certainly wouldn't be advisable in my case. I crash easily, get extreme jitters, and I've no time to build up a tolerance. Still, it's an interesting suggestion.

I wasn't aware of the connection between adrenalin and acne either. Do you have more information on this? Thanks.

Your coffee jitters/crash is coming from a lack of glycogen stores from low-carb. I used to be the same way........former Paleo Diet/crossfitter..........now I can handle 300mg multiple times per day without any jitters. You can try a test of 1 cup coffee + 2T sugar + cream and see how you feel.

As for acne......all of mine disappeared as soon as I got my blood sugar under control. Basically Adrenalin is a stress response that we have developed to protect our bodies from other "worse" stressors like high cortisol. So you start to get tired in the afternoon when your blood sugar drops (even after lunch due to the lack of sugar/protein ratio), so you reach for caffeine to create an Adrenalin spike to cure it.........now you feel great........until you crash.

Danny Roddy has some excellent info on these issues :



These interviews are super-dense with a ton of material, but just keep going back, and it starts to become clear.

Personally, I knew that something was up when I ran a test of 4500 calories/day and lost weight without exercise or any other changes. Truly a new paradigm.

.........for some really strange reading, check out Haidut's posts about high protein diet and muscle gain with virtually zero exercise. This apparently used to be a protocol for expecting mothers to keep them healthy = High Protein (200+g/day) + low fat (under 50g) + high carb (300+g/day)!!!

Post: #34

Cutting out dairy cured my acne and blocked pores.

Post: #35

I second edging and celery. Tried both with similar results.

Haha, 600mgs of caffeine would kill me. No lie. Last November I was in a really healthy spot and tried to work bulletproof coffee back into my diet using decaf organic dark roast espresso. (drools) I could actually feel the caffeine for a while and then started to notice it draining me. Decaffeinated, not caffeine free!

Post: #36

(03-28-2016 7:20 PM)theLaw Wrote:  Your coffee jitters/crash is coming from a lack of glycogen stores from low-carb. I used to be the same way........former Paleo Diet/crossfitter..........now I can handle 300mg multiple times per day without any jitters. You can try a test of 1 cup coffee + 2T sugar + cream and see how you feel.

As for acne......all of mine disappeared as soon as I got my blood sugar under control. Basically Adrenalin is a stress response that we have developed to protect our bodies from other "worse" stressors like high cortisol. So you start to get tired in the afternoon when your blood sugar drops (even after lunch due to the lack of sugar/protein ratio), so you reach for caffeine to create an Adrenalin spike to cure it.........now you feel great........until you crash.

Danny Roddy has some excellent info on these issues :



These interviews are super-dense with a ton of material, but just keep going back, and it starts to become clear.

Personally, I knew that something was up when I ran a test of 4500 calories/day and lost weight without exercise or any other changes. Truly a new paradigm.

.........for some really strange reading, check out Haidut's posts about high protein diet and muscle gain with virtually zero exercise. This apparently used to be a protocol for expecting mothers to keep them healthy = High Protein (200+g/day) + low fat (under 50g) + high carb (300+g/day)!!!

I don't see any reason I'd want high doses of caffeine, regardless. I'm pretty happy with the direction I'm going in now, but I'll keep this in mind should I decide to change my mind.

I have next to no problems with acne, fortunately. I'm mostly looking to improve endurance, joint soreness after long hours of work, and sleep. I seem to be coming a lot closer to achieving these goals. In fact, one of my primary reasons for buying maca and epimedium was to improve bone density and possibly reduce soreness later in the day. This soreness is pretty mild, but it's an annoyance from time to time.

Really interesting information at the end of your post. Muscle gains without exercise would be nice. I'm wondering if those benefits might increase if one chose to exercise regardless. Hmm....

Post: #37

I haven't read the posts thoroughly (I may later on) but I think you (eks) said that you are planning to buy maca as a supplement to increase your T levels. I actually read that it's a myth; apparently maca doesn't do that. Since it increases libido, people has mistakenly labeled it as a T booster. I may be wrong so you may want to research it.

Post: #38

(03-28-2016 8:28 PM)ShadowX114 Wrote:  I haven't read the posts thoroughly (I may later on) but I think you (eks) said that you are planning to buy maca as a supplement to increase your T levels. I actually read that it's a myth; apparently maca doesn't do that. Since it increases libido, people has mistakenly labeled it as a T booster. I may be wrong so you may want to research it.

I don't recall specifically mentioning maca as a T booster, but I definitely mentioned maca in numerous posts regarding raising test levels. One of us may have mixed that up - it doesn't matter. Either way, I am aware of this, but it seems to have plenty of other benefits to justify its use. I've definitely heard good things about maca and signature changes (others claim dosing becomes more tricky).

Post: #39

(03-28-2016 7:47 PM)SuperJoy Wrote:  I second edging and celery. Tried both with similar results.

Haha, 600mgs of caffeine would kill me. No lie. Last November I was in a really healthy spot and tried to work bulletproof coffee back into my diet using decaf organic dark roast espresso. (drools) I could actually feel the caffeine for a while and then started to notice it draining me. Decaffeinated, not caffeine free!

Unfortunately, Asprey is a scam artist through and through. I used to follow his material, and even purchased some of the coffee. Joe Rogan had him on his podcast several times, and Asprey couldn't back up his claims about mycotoxins in the coffee. Armi Legge, who used to work for Asprey, has outed him as well with some pretty damning claims.

Asprey was using Modafinil and TRT, which explains most of his "gains without exercise" claims...........even with high-fat (butter+coffee). He conveniently left this out of his success story, but was uncovered by 60min. Modafinil keeps you up for days at a time without the classic signs of sleep deprivation.

Caffeine is really stimulating in a positive way, even at high doses, after you learn how to avoid the Adrenalin response.

Many great studies on high dose caffeine and longevity as well as apparent liver-detoxifying effects!!!

Getting off Adrenalin was a real wake-up call for me, as I used to pound 2 Venti coffees a day and felt like superman............until my T crashed, and I felt like I was walking around in a fog all day due to the cortisol spike.

Post: #40

(03-28-2016 8:04 PM)Ekscentra Wrote:  I don't see any reason I'd want high doses of caffeine, regardless. I'm pretty happy with the direction I'm going in now, but I'll keep this in mind should I decide to change my mind.

I have next to no problems with acne, fortunately. I'm mostly looking to improve endurance, joint soreness after long hours of work, and sleep. I seem to be coming a lot closer to achieving these goals. In fact, one of my primary reasons for buying maca and epimedium was to improve bone density and possibly reduce soreness later in the day. This soreness is pretty mild, but it's an annoyance from time to time.

Really interesting information at the end of your post. Muscle gains without exercise would be nice. I'm wondering if those benefits might increase if one chose to exercise regardless. Hmm....

Salt has really helped me with sleep (reduces Adrenalin spike).

2T MCT oil + 2T sugar + 1t sea salt (not mine....someone from RP forum gave me recipe)
.....careful with mct oil.....work up from teaspoon, or it will give you a blowout!!!

When your glycogen stores run out, then your body says "no time to sleep, you need food!!!" and you wake-up.

Also, for bone density.........eggshell calcium works well (just cook to kill bacteria and grind in spice grinder). Next to dairy, the most bio-available calcium available.