Honest Abe's Reviews

Abe's Supplement and Nutritional Reviews

Should You Take Testosterone?

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As someone that’s been in the gym for the better part of 20 years, there’s an entire -like underworld of people taking testosterone.

It seems like to get to where you want to be that you have to take it.

This just isn’t for men either.

Plenty of women are taking test to reach their physical fitness goals.

But the question remains – Should You Do It?

As I ask that question, I want to direct this article back to my initial intention.

It was simply to shed light on testosterone and what it means to be on the “juice”.

In no way are we advising to take this or to break the law.

However, to ignore it like it isn’t even there is naive.

I say that because my initial reaction to testosterone was very negative.

That is until I hit 35 years of age.

I began seeing the effects of rapidly declining test levels experiencing everything from:

  • Low energy
  • Lethargy and Fatigue
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Loss of the ability to lose the spare tire

I’d always been lean and fit.

However, now I had a new set of obstacles and I never knew the root cause of it all.

That is until I decided to get my labs done by a doctor.

No, I didn’t inject anything from someone at the gym.

I went to a doctor to see where I was so I could get a baseline reading.

Here’s what I found…

My testosterone levels had bottomed out because of something called SHBG.

That’s short for Sex Hormone Binding Globulin.

SHBG binds the sex hormones and prevents them from getting to the body for use.

Even with fairly low testosterone levels, the high SHBG levels made it so that I had next to nothing.

Pair this with low Growth Hormone, low cortisol, and low estrogen – I was a walking zombie.

What is HRT?

That’s when the doctor recommended I began HRT or Hormone Replacement Therapy.

I began taking weekly injections and supplementing with vitamins and other prescription grade supplements like HCG drops for natural testosterone production.

And within 3 weeks, I was feeling more like myself again.

That all started 4 years ago.

Since then, we’ve had to watch my blood levels every 91 days, making adjustments based on the labs.

My point in telling all of this is the fact that this takes work.

It’s not as simple as taking a shot and feeling better.

It doesn’t work that way.

There are a number of elements to evaluate before deciding any HRT protocol and should be gone over and under the supervision of a medical professional – preferably someone with direct knowledge of how hormone therapy works and that has a track record of getting results.

We’ve had to change my medications and protocol on a number of occasions basing it on how my current levels are looking.

What is my dosage?

It really doesn’t matter what my dosage is or what anyone’s dosage is.

Everyone is different.

Some will be prescribed higher amounts based on their labs.

Some will be prescribed medications to reduce estrogen levels.

In my instance, it seemed everything was low so we had to work to get everything up then moderate those levels with an ongoing basis.

I’ll wrap this up by saying don’t be a meathead and think you can just get something from the gym underworld because I know of several guys that have been ripped off with fake test.

That’s not even taking into consideration the impact of not knowing your baseline levels you have to work with.

If you’re the type to worry about going to the doctor to get a checkup, then consider something like Testofuel and see how you react after 30 days.

It’s a recipe for disaster that can do more damage than you ever imagine.

What are the top Fitness Trackers for 2017?

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This is the question that came to my inbox just last week.

With the influx of fitness trackers, it’s tough to decide on which is right for you with more and more models coming out with new features.

This is important because when I’m tracking my activities – I see more success.

When I slack off and get lazy, that’s when things go a little haywire.

Here’s a video I think you’ll find beneficial that outlines the

 

Following Weight Loss Rules that Claim to Work

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Aiming for your perfect body is not just a walk in the park. Sometimes, we tend to overdo dieting and exercising that instead of losing weight, we gain even more. Because of too much information on the web, and too much diet tips and exercise routines online, we never stick to one effective workout and diet plan.

When we see how much people have tried this meal plan and have lost a lot of weight because of it, we are motivated to do it to. But when it’s our turn to try, it’s not really as effective.

So, what should we follow then?

Menshealth.com provided 9 Weight Loss Rules that Work

Cut Calories

The low-fat/low-carbohydrate debate comes down to this: You still have to eat fewer calories than you burn if you want to lose weight. Every study I looked at shows this. The perfect weight-loss diet is the one you can live with, whether you cut fat, carbs, or some combination.

They’re a basic unit but a tricky concept.

 

Use Whey to Cut Waist

Protein-rich foods put more distance between hunger pangs. And the fuller you feel between meals, the easier it is to avoid binges.

The best food for appetite destruction: whey protein. A daily shake made with two scoops of whey protein, fruit (fresh or frozen berries or a banana), and water or crushed ice will improve your middle line. You can buy whey protein at any good health-food store.

 

Meat Cuts Fat

When you eat, your body has to expend calories to digest the food. Protein causes this inner fire to burn the hottest, followed by carbohydrates, followed by fat. Animal proteins increase thermogenesis more than vegetable proteins, so the best calorie-burning foods are lean meats.

So eat protein at each meal—build your dinner around lean chicken, beef, or pork. That way, you’re burning the most calories through digestion at the end of the day, when your metabolism is slower.

 

Remember These Letters: BCAA

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and the branched-chain amino acids—leucine, isoleucine, and valine—are the best of the bunch. BCAAs are as close to magic foods as we’ll ever get.

They help you recover from hard workouts by reducing the protein breakdown within your muscles; they increase testosterone and growth hormone, your body’s most important fat-fighting and muscle-building hormones; and they have their most profound effect when you’re following law number 1 and cutting calories in order to lose weight.

For starters, try to get at least 10 grams (g) of BCAAs a day. Since they’re most abundant in meat and dairy products, you can get the better part of that by following laws 2 and 3. (Two scoops of whey protein and 3 ounces of beef contains 10 g of BCAAs.)

You can also buy BCAA supplements (which, you should be aware, are expensive). Look for supplements that are 50 percent leucine, 25 percent isoleucine, and 25 percent valine. Start off with 10 g per day, and wait a month before bumping up the dose. The maximum useful intake is probably 60 g a day from food and supplements.

 

If It’s Fryin’, You’re Dyin’

One thing that every weight-loss researcher and diet-plan author can agree on: Highly refined carbohydrates, such as fructose-sweetened beverages and low-fiber breads, are a terrible idea.

Among the many sins of Mountain Dew and Twinkies is the way they cause your blood sugar to spike soon after eating. What goes up fast comes down fast, and you end up feeling tired and hungry much sooner than you should. Goodbye diet, hello diabetes.

Now we know of a way to make refined carbohydrates even worse: Fry them. Researchers have found a suspected carcinogen called acrylamide in such products as potato chips and french fries.

A “suspected” carcinogen isn’t the same as a proven carcinogen, such as tobacco smoke. But anytime I get a chance to talk you out of eating worthless snack foods, I do it.

 

Food Goes Farther with Fiber

Fiber’s effect is the opposite of snack foods’. When you have fiber in your stomach, food takes longer to enter the bloodstream, and your blood-sugar level stays steady.

The benefits: You’ll have a more consistent energy supply and less between-meal hunger. The only potential downside is that you won’t get as much reading done in the bathroom.

What slows down your blood sugar at the front end speeds things up at the back end. I could give you the usual riff about eating more broccoli and raisin bran, but you can safely and easily take in more fiber by using a supplement. (MD Labs’ Fiber-Psyll is a good one; go to MDlabs.com.)

Start with 7 to 12 g a day, mixing some with water and drinking it before your main meals.

 

Count on Calcium

Recently, nutrition researchers discovered that dairy and other calcium-rich foods help you stay lean, prevent osteoporosis, and possibly prevent colon cancer. The recommendation is to take in 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day. (A cup of milk contains 300.)

Unfortunately, too much calcium may increase the risk of prostate cancer. The tragic number seems to be 600 mg a day from dairy products. And what’s the point of having a V-shaped torso if your prostate has a spare tire?

Here’s how to reap the benefits of calcium without the risks:

  • Avoid taking high-dose calcium supplements unless you really need them (under doctor’s orders, or if you never eat foods naturally rich in calcium). The fat-fighting properties of calcium are activated only if you obtain it from real food.
  • Look for low-fat dairy products fortified with vitamin D, such as fat-free milk and yogurt. Vitamin D offers prostate protection.
  • Triple your home-gland security by occasionally eating a tomato salad (rich in prostate-protecting lycopene), mozzarella cheese (rich in calcium), and olive oil (which contains a cancer-fighting fat called beta-sitosterol).

 

Alpha Males Use Omega-3 Fats

Each year, we learn more about the health benefits of omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, which are found in fish, nuts, seeds, and flaxseed and fish oils. (And also in the cool, orange-flavored supplement Coromega, available at iherb.com.)

These health benefits—less risk of heart disease and diabetes, for example—are great on their own. But omega-3 fats contribute to a better physique as well.

For example, omega-3s reduce inflammation throughout your body. That not only can prevent heart attacks (inflammation in the tissues surrounding blood vessels is a major cause) but also helps your muscles recover faster from workouts.

Bigger, less-inflamed muscles mean a faster metabolism, and speeding up your metabolism is crucial when you’re trying to get lean.

If you don’t eat fish twice a week and can’t stomach fish-oil supplements, try eggs high in omega-3s, which are found in the dairy case, next to the regular eggs. You can eat four of them a day without any negative effect on your cholesterol levels.

 

Make a Plan

Next time you read a weight-loss story in a newspaper or magazine, count the number of disparaging references to popular diets.

Based on the way diet gurus trash their competitors, you’d think there was no plan on earth that actually works. But the truth is that you can’t lose weight without a diet.

You must have a plan. The more sophisticated it is, and the more tailored to your likes and dislikes, the better. You can’t wing it and expect to see results.