There are so many fad diets out there these days. When you want to lose a quick pound, it’s hard to know where to turn. This is just a short review of popular fad diets, and a solution to the fad diet problem.
Fad Diet Principles
Many diets promote certain principles that will make you fatter. Super restricted calorie diets will only slow down your metabolism so that when you start eating again you will balloon right back up. Liquid or juice diets tend to follow this idea. High carbohydrate diets will just bulk you up with carbs and will negatively impact your insulin resistance over a long period of time, possibly leading to adult onset type II diabetes. Zero carbohydrate diets will leave you with no energy and nasty protein bi-products floating around in your system. Plus when you go back to eating normal, the increased carbs will be stored as fat right away and you will balloon back up again.
Proper Diet Principles
From now on your diet refers to the way you eat on a daily basis. Instead of going on a diet, you will change your daily eating habits. You will increase your protein consumption, decrease your fat and carbohydrate consumption, eat 5 small meals, and drink a gallon of water a day. These four actions will inherently function to both reduce your daily caloric intake, increase the calories burned by the metabolic processes in your body, and control your cholesterol. It is your responsibility to exercise 3-5 times per week for 45 minutes, and eat fewer calories than your body uses in a day.
Low Carb Diet – The basic concept of a low fat diet is to replace the simple carbohydrates in sugary and starchy foods, with high protein, high fat, complex carbohydrate foods. Low carb dieting forms the basis for most successful personalized weight loss diet strategies. A-
Atkins Diet – An extreme version of the low carb diet that sets a limit on the amount of carbs in a day to 20 grams coming only from fibrous sources. This is generally considered to be a moderately dangerous diet, which should only be followed for a month at a time. C+
Low Fat Diet – Since fat has significantly more calories than carbohydrates and protein, this diet aims to keep calories low and eliminate harmful trans fats and saturated fats from the diet, opting to eat mostly carbohydrates instead. The low fat diet craze is single handedly responsible for the rise in Type II diabetes in Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers. F
According to reports from the American scientists at the diabetes association, approximately 7% of US population, about 20 million people, suffer from diabetes. By 2050 diagnosis of type 2 diabetes will be confirmed for about 48 million people in the United States. We always knew diabetes is a very serious disease as it causes loss of hearing, loss of sight, nervous system disorders, amputation of extremities, and now we find out that diabetes is responsible for hormonal imbalances including low testosterone.
A recent study of 69 men with type 1 diabetes and 580 men with type 2 diabetes has confirmed that low testosterone levels are directly related to the existence diabetes. Blood samples were taken from the groups initially and after a 6 month period. Both groups of men exhibited a lower level of total testosterone than the average male without diabetes.
Insulin Resistance is the Culprit
Since men with low testosterone typically show signs of depression, loss of libido, impaired physical and mental performance, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, this study confirms that men with diabetes to have a legitimate overall heath concern as they grow older.
Typically men over 30 begin to show signs of decreased testosterone levels and often benefit greatly from testosterone replacement therapy. Now these men will have a better understanding of what is happening to them and why, and they can procure proper medical treatment in order to continue to lead happy and healthy lives well into their 70s and 80s.
Men who think they have a legitimate problem with strength, mood, or performance now have a reason to seek testosterone replacement therapy, especially if they have diabetes or think they might be insulin resistant.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy
While the use of testosterone replacement therapy has not show significant promise when trying to reduce insulin resistance, this type of therapy has been directly responsible for bringing hope to the lives of men with low testosterone. Testosterone replacement therapy reverses the effects of hypogonadism, which is an impairment of the reproductive system that limits the testes effectiveness at producing natural healthy levels of testosterone.
Supplementing with additional testosterone helps to decrease body fat, increase muscle mass, improve mood, improve physical endurance and strength, and also combat the threat of cardiovascular disease. The only downside is that there are no long-term clinical trials to report on the long term side effects of testosterone replacement therapy. But we do know that the short term effects definitely improve the quality of life for those with low testosterone.
Testosterone Supplementation
By now everyone knows that testosterone and other steroids are illegal. Even prohormones such as androstenedione and nor-androstenedione have been banned. So what do we have left?
Tribulus terrestris – Tribulus serves as a Luteinizing-hormone secretagogue (LHS). In other words, it causes the release of Luteinizing hormone, which in turn signals the testes to produce more Testosterone. And of all the natural T-boosting compounds on the market, Tribulus is the most powerful. Each of the active compounds in a Tribulus extract, including protodioscin must be available in the proper ratios to make it a super-effective all natural testosterone booster.
Vitex agnus castus – Vitex also works as a Luteinizing-hormone secretagogue (LHS), but it also acts as an anti-progesterone and anti-prolactin agent. This means Vitex works to lower progesterone and prolactin concentrations in the body, which means less estrogen, easier release of body fat, and decreased depression. Scary enough, prolactin is even known to cause lactation in men. By lowering progesterone and prolactin you will increase Testosterone through various feedback mechanisms.
Eurycoma longifolia – Eurycoma works by selectively controlling conversions of naturally occurring androgens, including DHEA, into Testosterone. It even works when the testes are non-responsive to Luteinizing hormone. As long as the substrate hormones are present Eurycoma works; thankfully those substrates are present in everyone.
At $19.95 a bottle, Biotest Tribex Gold (50 Tablets) is the only product that I have come across, which measures up to expectations and is affordable as a permanent nutritional supplement. Most other products fortify their supplements with protodioscin, which makes those products inferior due to their unnatural ratios of active compounds. Tribex Gold is a product you can stay on for a while and will noticeably increase your natural testosterone levels, making you stronger, leaner, quicker, and happier.
At $49.99 a bottle, Biotest Alpha Male (74 Tablets) is worth the investment, as it is the most complete natural testosterone booster on the market today. Alpha Male contains Tribulus, Vitex, and Eurycoma in super concentrated, highly effective ratios. A cycle of Alpha Male should run 4 days on, 1 day off, 3 days on, 1 day off, repeat, for at least 4 weeks. I recommend using it for a full 2 months before taking a break. Alpha Male also contains an additional muscle building supplement called Carbolin 19.
Carbolin 19 – Biotest Carbolin 19 (60 Capsules) is a carbonate ester of a naturally occurring diterpene called colforsin (aka, forskolin). Foreskolin actually exhibits an anabolic effect in the body, which means this supplement is especially effective at building and maintaining muscle mass while you are also attempting to lose body fat. As it is completely non-toxic, Carbolin 19 can be used year round, and is available as a stand alone supplement as well as being included in Alpha Male.
One Possible Cycle
Tribex Gold alone is a good supplement to stay on permanently, as is Carbolin 19. Alpha Male is a great supplement to boost your training for a couple months here or there. For those of you suffering with diabetes or insulin resistance, it looks like perhaps if you tried boosting your testosterone through natural means like this, you might feel a whole lot better.
If you wanted to go all out, I might recommend getting some Tribex Gold and Carbolin 19 in addition to your Alpha Male, and take the former two supplements when you are off Alpha Male, whether for 1 day or 1 month. No matter what, don’t forget to bust your ass training.
