Taking testosterone?

[chrisis]

Do any guys here do testosterone injections? I'm wondering if mine is low due to, 1) suffering sides from Propecia and 2) struggling to put on muscle mass. I'd be interested in anyone with experience or opinions.

I'd like to put on some muscle and someone recommended doing it.

[Highlander]

If you're not putting on muscle it's likely because you're:

1. Not following any gym routine, indeed not doing weights training at all
2. Likely have a poor diet that's low in protein due to being a vegetarian
3. Possibly not drinking enough
4. Not resting enough / not resting properly
5. Drinking alcohol / smoking / drugs etc. (not saying you necessarily do drugs or smoke...)

If you're not putting on muscle mass then it's a combination of not doing weights and not eating enough (of the right things).

To be blunt about it, you're in a very poor position to be bulking or putting on any substantial muscle. Testosterone in your case would be a total waste of time as you're not near your natural physical limits. It would also be incredibly risky as if you fail to understand the basics of human diet and exercise, then I think you'd be in an incredibly dangerous position to be messing around with your hormonal profile.

If you must, consult a doctor and see an endocrinologist. But I can't advise against strongly enough. Drugs are the last thing you should be worrying about at the moment.

[mattj]

You should definitely have your testosterone levels tested before doing anything, to be sure that they're actually low. It sounds like you haven't done that yet and you're only guessing that your levels are low.

[Davey Jones]

If you feel like your testosterone levels are low, you might not be getting enough fats. Studies show that limiting your fats can hugely limit your bodies ability to produce testosterone. Testosterone is made from cholesterol, you know? But dietary cholesterol has only a minimal effect on your actual blood cholesterol. It's more important to make sure you're getting all the other fats. (Most research is on the effects of saturated fats on production of testosterone, but they're all important.)

Don't worry about all the bro-scientists saying you'll never get big as a vegetarian. I know vegetarian girls stronger than most of them. I recommend you start drinking a tablespoon of olive oil a few times a day. Like, at least three.

You should also look into foods that are high in protein, vegetarian, and have a good amino acid profile. Sometimes people forget about how complete a protein is, which is important. Gemma pea protein powder is complete, and a good way to just jam a lot of protein in your body at once. But again, considering that amino acids are recycled, modern science shows that protein isn't half as important as we once thought, and fats are 10 times more important than we guessed.

My suggestions:
1) Again, get healthy fat in your. Olive oil isn't too expensive. It's something like $8 for a big bottle here, and that lasts a while. I have to imagine it's cheaper so much closer to Italy, but I don't know shit for shit about international trade and finance. Three or more tablespoons a day will get some more testosterone flowing.

2) You should check out truenutrition.com. They have pretty good deals on vegan/vegetarian protein. As well as non-vegetarian protein. If you decide to get something, you should Google "true nutrition coupon codes". There's a million 5% off coupons out there.

Side note: some people scare monger about purines in peas causing kidney stones, meaning you shouldn't eat gemma pea protein. Well, there's a lot more purines in beef than gemma pea protein, and no one screams about that. Besides, studies show that the purines from vegetable sources don't affect rates of kidney stones. Only the purines in meat do. (The purines from dairy sources actually lower rates of kidney stones.)

Just my humble advice, anyway.

[Highlander]

Originally Posted by Davey Jones

If you feel like your testosterone levels are low, you might not be getting enough fats. Studies show that limiting your fats can hugely limit your bodies ability to produce testosterone. Testosterone is made from cholesterol, you know? But dietary cholesterol has only a minimal effect on your actual blood cholesterol. It's more important to make sure you're getting all the other fats. (Most research is on the effects of saturated fats on production of testosterone, but they're all important.)

Don't worry about all the bro-scientists saying you'll never get big as a vegetarian. I know vegetarian girls stronger than most of them. I recommend you start drinking a tablespoon of olive oil a few times a day. Like, at least three.

You should also look into foods that are high in protein, vegetarian, and have a good amino acid profile. Sometimes people forget about how complete a protein is, which is important. Gemma pea protein powder is complete, and a good way to just jam a lot of protein in your body at once. But again, considering that amino acids are recycled, modern science shows that protein isn't half as important as we once thought, and fats are 10 times more important than we guessed.

My suggestions:
1) Again, get healthy fat in your. Olive oil isn't too expensive. It's something like $8 for a big bottle here, and that lasts a while. I have to imagine it's cheaper so much closer to Italy, but I don't know shit for shit about international trade and finance. Three or more tablespoons a day will get some more testosterone flowing.

2) You should check out truenutrition.com. They have pretty good deals on vegan/vegetarian protein. As well as non-vegetarian protein. If you decide to get something, you should Google "true nutrition coupon codes". There's a million 5% off coupons out there.

Side note: some people scare monger about purines in peas causing kidney stones, meaning you shouldn't eat gemma pea protein. Well, there's a lot more purines in beef than gemma pea protein, and no one screams about that. Besides, studies show that the purines from vegetable sources don't affect rates of kidney stones. Only the purines in meat do. (The purines from dairy sources actually lower rates of kidney stones.)

Just my humble advice, anyway.

"Vegetarian protein" is nowhere near as good as the proper stuff.

Veggies gon' veg.

[Highlander]

Originally Posted by Davey Jones

I know vegetarian girls stronger than most of them.

No, no you don't. Maybe they can outlift a DYEL teenage nerd, but I've never seen any girl in all my years of lifting come anywhere near that of a man. Let alone a veggie girl. I mean, if she's a woman AND a vegetarian then she has been dealt a vicious blow of poor logic. I'd be astounded if she somehow managed to work with that and develop a proper gym programme.

[Davey Jones]

Originally Posted by Highlander

"Vegetarian protein" is nowhere near as good as the proper stuff.

Veggies gon' veg.

So if I assemble a list of common protein sources (some vegan, some vegetarian, some neither) with their respective amino acid and digestability scores, are you going to approach that with an open mind? Or are you just gonna be the dumb 15 year old you always are? 'Cause I love to explain what I know about nutrition to people who care. So do you actually care, or are you a turd?

Originally Posted by Highlander

No, no you don't. Maybe they can outlift a DYEL teenage nerd, but I've never seen any girl in all my years of lifting come anywhere near that of a man. Let alone a veggie girl. I mean, if she's a woman AND a vegetarian then she has been dealt a vicious blow of poor logic. I'd be astounded if she somehow managed to work with that and develop a proper gym programme.

Well, we can quantitatively settle this right now: what'cha deadlift, brah? Common enough big lift. That's a fair assessment, if you ask me. You are certainly at no risk of lifting less than my vegetarian, female friend, right? Kilograms will be fine, if you want to give me your silly foreigner numbers.

[25 going on 65]

As long as you are getting complete proteins (which is possible for vegans), I didn't think the source mattered.

[aim4hair]

Originally Posted by Davey Jones

Kilograms will be fine, if you want to give me your silly foreigner numbers.

stupidity has no cure!