Hey guya hope u all doing well.i had some questions about supplement and need ur advice.

1)what do u think about dhea supplement specially for young age iam 23 years old...actually i had been using it for 3 months and it make me feel better and some how it lower by body fat also i shifted to IF from about 2 months ago but read an article on the internet about its safety and how it can be dangerous so iam now confused.I have never felt any side effect except increasing growth of facial hair

2)is there any natural supplement that can boost testorone levels within the normal range what about D aspartic acid

3)Does creatine cause intramasucular or subcutanous water retention or both

Whats the best of form of creatine for sensitive stomach cause i tried many typea and always fet gastric issue and constipation...I tried monohydrate and Creatine HCl

Any help will be appreciated 😊

Any thoughts

Ahmed,

See my responses below:

1)DHEA is a hormone pre-cursor and is grouped in with steroids. My personal view is I don't believe in any of these exogenous hormone products. The endocrine system is a very delicate and balanced system with built-in feedback loops and is tailored to the individual via one's own genetics. Trying to find quick fix things like steroids, testosterone boosters, and hormone pre-cursors is a personal decision. However, taking this route will result in consequences - either immediately or later in life. People forget that testosterone is only anabolic for muscles. Testosterone, especially excess levels, is converted to the much more powerful androgen Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. DHT is an important hormone but it is more androgenic than anabolic - it increase facial and body hair, causes male pattern baldness and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) for those genetically succeptable, can negatively affect blood lipids profiles if there is too much of it, and increases the action of the aromatase enzyme which is responsible for converting excess testosterone to estrogen (estradiol). There is a delicate balance between testosterone, DHT, and estradiol (the male version of estrogen) in the body. Taking DHEA or any other exogenous hormones screws with this balance.

It takes the human endocrine system up to 7 years to fully recover from just 6 months of using exogenous hormones and/or pre-cursors. You need to decide if the long term risk is worth the short term reward. At 23, your hormone levels are still high and if I were you I wouldn't screw with them. The choice, however, is yours.

2) Normal supplements that boost testosterone are healthy saturated fats, Vitamin D, and zinc as well as getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night.

3) Creatine causes INTRAmuscular water retention not subcutaneous water retention.

4) Creatine can cause gastric issues for some people. The only way to avoid it is to either reduce your creatine intake or avoid it altogether. I am not a fan of creatine as your body produces it naturally with the right food sources. While supplementing will increase the amount readily available to the body, my personal opinion is the results gained aren't worth the price of entry.

John

Of course i will not risk my long term health for temporary fixation..so i will discontiue use this supplement DHEA and never take it again

But about creatine and Daspartice acid i think there is alot of researches that support both of them.They claim that D aspartic acid kan increase natural T by 30 % and creatine is one of the most approved performance enhancer out there thats why i am searching for the right product that suit my digestive system

Also what do u mean that i can get enought creatine from the right food sources can u give me example ?

And thanks alot for your time and knowlege

Ahmed,

A 30% increase in testosterone is like pissing in the ocean. You will see zero impact. You need to increase testosterone levels 1000% and higher. Only steroids do this which is why they work so effectively. You can increase your testosterone more than 30% by increasing your saturated fat intake via coconut oil and egg yolks.

I am not disputing the research and evidence of creatine or aspartic acid. My point is by eating enough animal proteins, you will get enough creatine and aspartic acid and their pre-cursors. If you choose to spend your disposable income on these supplements versus wholesome foods which can provide the same benefit, that is your choice.

John

Hey john after i had stopped dhea supplement as u recommended i started to suffer from low test...difficulty in erection and always feel fatique and sleep alot and less pump during workout and feel my muscle smaller what should i do now should i take PCT?

Ahmed,

I think it is all in your head, quite frankly. T levels do not drop that fast unless you are coming off taking steroids. What you are describing sounds like your carbs are too low not your T levels. You are 23 which means all your hormones are still naturally high irrespective of supplements. You don't have to worry about your hormone levels and ways thru diet and exercise to keep them high until after age 35.

My honest advice to you is to stop looking to supplements for answers. Get your nutrition plan and training on point and the rest will happen over time. I think you have a good process in place but it gets thrown off by over analyzing things and trying all these "supplements".

John

Thanks alot john for your patience and advice .I always feel phsycological comfort when i talk to you and you always guide me to the right path to follow 😊

No problem - glad I can help. It is very easy at your age to get caught up in some of the supplement hype because you are excited about being healthy and fit. Supplement companies take advantage of this "unbridled enthusiasm" and try to convince you that you need more than what nature has given you to maximize your gains. Keep your fitness journey simple - eat, train, rest. The only true supplements you need are vitamins and protein powder and just as a stop gap for a sound nutrition plan.

Right now, you are in the most anabolic and hormonally advantagous part of your life that you will never experience again. As long as you give your body all the natural and nutritious foods it needs, train intensely, and get enough rest you will experience the fastest and most optimal muscular growth you can get naturally - no further supplementation needed :-)

John

Hey John how are you😊

I need your advice again now after i finished my bachelor dgree of dentistry in Egypt and now iam trying to study deutch to travel to germany and it is really difficult language

Anyway back to training and nutrition now iam stuck at 200lbs and and i want to lose more weight i think i might be anywhere about 15 % body fat but i wanna be leaner

I consume about 1900 cal in three meals of whole unprocessed food

170 gm protein

200 carb

55 fat

I train 5 times a week and i do standard bodybuilding split chest/bi back/tri shoulders and legs and may add arm day too

I do 2-3 cardio sessions two of them is hiit basicly circuit training

Also i wanna know if cardio timing matter

For supplement i use only omega 3 and multivitamin and sometimes whey protein

Now what i should i do reach 10 or below %BF safely without fad diets and without being depressed and low energy and without losing ton of muscle

As always appreciate your help😊

Ahmed,

Congrats on finishing Dentistry school. Best of luck in studying German and traveling there.

As for your question, it comes down to calculating your TDEE and then running a 250-500 calorie deficit from your TDEE. There are plenty of TDEE calculators on the internet. TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure and is a combination of your RMR and the calories you burn for exercise.

In your case, it may be as simple as keeping your current macro and calorie levels and just increasing your activity via HIIT cardio and/or more intense workouts. Without knowing what your TDEE daily target is and then calculating your deficit, it is hard to know for sure. Once thing to be aware of - the body does not like going below 12% body fat and for the majority (not all) of the population getting to 10% or lower will require more advanced techniques like IF and/or fasted training.

I am a big fan of IF as you know already and have been doing it for about 2 years now. I am now adding in 24 hour fasts on training days and training fasted to further spark fat loss now that I am in the 8-9% range. The key to your goal is to manipulate insulin and growth hormone effectively. There are many ways to do it and IF is jut one way. Carb cycling and ensuring you eat enough healthy fats of all types is another as well as ketone dieting. There is plenty of info on all of these on the internet and to lengthy to describe here. I would recommend checking each of them out and seeing which one you want to try and can stick with over a long period - at least 3-6 months.

John

Actually Iam more familiar with IF protocol as I think its easier and more enjoyable cuz i like to have big meals rather than small meals all the day but i have some issues

1)first of all from my readings and research i find that IF is nothing special than other protocol it only makes sticking to calorie dficit easier by this i mean if u have the same caloric deficit wether u follow IF or not result will be the same

2)also when i shifted back again to IF 2 days ago I felt low energatic and of course i could not lift weight in this condition so i trained within the feeding window...Is that normal and i will get used to it and will have good energy and less hungry or it just not for me?

3)about big meals ..I have read that if the meal is to big for example 1200 cal chance that the body will store more fat is increased as it can not handle all this amount in one setting so its prefered to go lower in calories per meal and and increase frequency..is that true?

4)I also find that eating within stable eating window is too strict for me cause i dont wake up the same every day and i dont sleep at the same time ans I dont train at the same time so its difficult to stick to certain type of feeding window so when I was searching I found website called KINOBODY and the gay have modified IF protocol which I found it will be better for my lifestyle instead of classic Martin Barkham setup

5)also about training..if iam active in specific days which i will play football or go swimming beside gym is it ok to do IF or will not have the energy for thia activity

Also if i like to go to the gym 5 times aweek can this go with IF cause I usually find people who follow IF train 3 days a week only and do very little (LISS) to zero cardio?

Sorry for asking too many questions 😅

But I know that u have aton of experience regarding to IF

No worries. Answers to your questions below;

1) IF has considerable health benefits above and beyond just being an eating protocol. There are too many to articulate here but IF offers much more than seen at the surface in relation to longevity, cancer prevention, boosting the immune system, and preventing Type II diabetes - to name a few.

2) Train whenever you want. If you have more energy training during the feeding window than when fasted, that is fine. IF is meant to be adaptable. Also remember it takes your body a while to re-adjust to your new eating window again. A good part of the fatigue you are feeling is mental not physical. Try drinking some green tea or coffee to get a little cafeine to boost your mental alertness. I do both - sometimes I train fasted and sometimes I don't. It all depends on how I feel.

3) This is total bullshit. Your body will process calories the same regardless of amount in a meal. If you eat many 1200 calorie meals and don't need all those calories, you will gain fat regardless of the eating protocol. The same if you eat many small 200-300 calorie meals and give the body more calories than it needs. Also, the body was not meant to have many small meals over the day. Having insulin constantly in your bloddstream, which occurs when you eat frequently, not only leads to more potential fat gain but also chronic disease states like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Our genome is optimized for periods of fasting as our ancestors did not have 24/7 access to food like today.

When you fast, you run on fat not glucose. When insulin levels are consistently low, your body not only becomes more sensitive to insulin but also more eficient in using calories. Thus, when you do eat, it is less likely the calories will be used for fat storage as the body cells will consume the majority of the calories. These meal myths like the one you heard have been debunked decades ago. This is why IF dictates you have your biggest meal calorie-wise POST workout when your body is in most need of nutrient replenishment.

4) IF is meant to be adaptable. When and how long your eating window starts and lasts is up to you. It is not a Draconian regiment that must follow a set timetable. IF is just an eating protocol where you mix in periods of eating normally with fasting. These windows are totally user defined. The key is to find an eating pattern you can stick with for good.

5) You should be able to do all activities while doing IF. The key to make is successful is you must eat your total calories and macro counts withing the specificed eating window. IF is not a diet and it is not forced starvation. If you are supposed to consume 3,000 calories and you have an 8 hour feeding window, you must get all 3,000 calories in during this feeding time. This is where nutritionally dense foods like healthy fats and wholesome carbs will help as they have a lot of solid calories in relatively small servings. You shouldn't notice any energy issues if you eat your required daily calorie amounts consistently.

John