(04-07-2011 6:05 PM)Phantasy Wrote:  Even if they don't technically boost testosterone levels, things that aid in encouraging a more healthy system, boost energy, enhance sleep and brighten mood are great in my books.

And you're right. Hard work through good diet, plenty of water and exercise are the most effective ways. If you're not doing those, anything else is only going to either give a temporary feeling, or suppress any warning signals that your body is giving you to slow down, rest and start looking after yourself. but if you are already healthy, I feel supplements can be good supplements to this... hence the name.

In my opinion.

Agreed. The only thing I want to mention is that not every supplement is necessary good for you. First, avoid supplements made in China. Their quality is poor and you have no guarantee they contain acceptable amounts of heavy metals which are bad for you. Second, I remember taking something a few years back that weakened my immune system each time I tried it and each time I got literally ill within a few days. Can't remember the name of it right now, but the lesson learned is don't take any new supplement just because its label looks like something you really need. There is a lot of overhyped stuff out there that really doesn't do what it claims to. You are free to try whatever you like but do your research first.

Luksti,

I believe you feel a lot better eating like that. I did a similar thing years back when I was a teen and I ate only locally grown products (containing no chemicals). I was also about 90lbs lighter back then and I can't say I liked that though.

Have you seen "Food, Inc"? It's a great documentary about the food industry in US. Truly shocking. Anyone who cares about what they eat should watch it.

Ok first, lets take a step back and look at the first post. I said this was good for people who believe they are already lacking in testosterone, not for people who body build and are trying to get an extra boost in their test levels to achieve higher gains in the gym. And like i said i don't know if you, intrique, have naturally high test levels which is why trib and ZMA never worked for you... but as for me because I personally DO have low testosterone levels, these 13 (now 14) facts and the tribulus and ZMA has helped me increase my testosterone. And also, you're not the only bodybuilder here on this site, I myself body build and i've done immense reseach over at bodybuilding.com and if you were to do a little more research of your own you would see that everything i stated is correct and not just a personal point of view like yours is. and if you'd like i could post dozens of links from bodybuilding.com that back me up.

and to luksti, you are doing the exact diet that im doing right now!! have you heard of "the raw food died"? I was planning on doing that over the summer. Also I was planning on doing a 7 day raw food juice detox diet. Where the only think i am able to consume for a whole week is water and juice from fruits and vegetables that i personally juice with a juicer. I already tried it for 3 days and damnnn I felt amazing afterwords lol.

Bonadzz, I just realized you're only 20 yo (maybe 21 now). For comparison; I've been lifting weights for about 16 years. My workout partner in college was a guy who is now one of the top amateur body builders in the world. Since then I worked out with many MMA fighters, boxers, bodybuilders, power lifters and military personnel. I've basically tried any excercise technique out there and over time have learned tons about diet and supplementation. I have people coming up to me for advice with their diet and work out regime so believe me when I say I don't need to hear from you to do more research.

Tribulus and ZMA are not accepted over at bb.com as testosterone boosters. If they work for you, fine. But why don't you instead try some other products that actually get positive reviews for increasing testosterone?

cuz those are called steriods, thus is why the name of this thread is NATURALLY increase your testosterone. If you have any suggestions on how to naturally increase test levels, please do share! i'm always open to new sugestions

Intrique is right, there are plenty of natty test boosters with favorable reviews.
My test is in the higher range but I've tried E-Pharms testforce 2 and I definitely felt stronger, more focused, and had loads of energy.

Bloodwork shows it does indeed boost test levels. My boys also got noticeably bigger ...DAA is available much cheaper in bulk too.
Try it, you'll be surprised.

If you guys are interested in raw food diets, you might also be interested in the medical benefits of fasting.

The main premise being that once your body is relieved of all food it shuts down your digestive system, and then has energy to repair it and other parts of your body requiring attention.

It makes sense that if your liver has to keep focusing on processing things, it's not going to be able to fully devote itself to any repair required. Similar to how the first thing a plumber does is shut off the mains...

Switching to raw foods (or simply doing a healthy eating plan) to is great way to start getting your body back on track to optimal condition. And fasts are eased into using a raw food diet, then just juices, and then the main period of nothing but water, and then finally eased out of in reverse order.

Here's a book I've read on the subject. Very interesting.

I've only done six days, but I'm looking to do twelve sometime in the next year. You can do up to twenty or even forty, but I have no allergies or medical conditions requiring attention.

With all the junk we've ingested over time our bodies can end up in desperate need of repair, and switching to a healthy diet is the first step, but all the underlying damage is still there and can take a while to heal. I recommend reading some info on fasting. Even if you don't do one, it's good to learn about the capabilities of our bodies and the way it reacts to what we subject it to.

So just some food (or lack thereof) for thought -_-

Cheers bondazz and phantasy

Ive looked at doing that juice diet/detox thing but the price of a decent juicer kinda puts me off. I have read a lot into diet and things like that, however diet is only one part of health. Stress, sleep, exercise and environment also play a big part.
Since you’ve done the whole juice thing, how time conserving is it. I mean you obviously cant juice stuff at work so do you have to do all you juices in the morning and bottle up for work? how fresh are they? And do they provide you with enough energy to do exercise?

I do a lot of martial arts and weight based stuff at the gym, not like a body builder or anything but just to keep in good shape. Just want to know if I would be able to keep that up for a week whilst just on juices? Doubt it on water that just sounds bad for more than a day considering I don’t have a lot of body fat just muscle.

Fasting does feel good, but the problem with it is that you will pretty much invariably lose some muscle mass.

I've thought about trying a protein shake fast to get around this, but have never managed it.

You could do some minimal weight training on a fast, but I'd avoid any moderate to heavy cardio. You'll run out of blood sugar quick.

On the subject of exercise.

From my experience (up to six days), and of others I know personally (up to 8 days), I can tell you that you can most definitely maintain any pre-existing exercise regime. Just don't try and start something new or the shock to your system will be too much.

Obviously the more strenuous the exercise the more like running through mud it may feel, but you won't faint or anything if you're keeping yourself super hydrated.

I found cardio is the best since your body is working unhindered, so I find that running a few kms is never a problem. My friend continues to play rugby, but admits his muscles lack power. So I'd say weights are hard, but running is doable. This is all I know from experience.

Yes, some muscle mass is lost, because that is the quickest and easiest way to get glucose. At first. but after two or three days of this your body realises it's not getting any food and it's going to severely weaken itself if it keeps cannibalising muscles. So it starts to conserve muscle mass.. Instead of taking glucose from muscles it starts working harder to convert the energy in fat stores (more difficult to do), and your liver starts to process mass amounts of ketones. This is a different form of energy and will spare your muscles further loss at that accelerated rate. (not to say it doesn't still happen, but only around 0.2kg a day).

So, yes, you may lose some muscle mass, but if you're doing a fast of less than 12 days, you can continue moderate exercise, which will lessen this. Plus you can always gain it back. Ideally think about why you want muscle tone. To look healthy, or to be able to lift a heavy bar? If it's the former than you have nothing to worry about, if it's the latter, yes you will lose a few weeks of peak performance.

On the subject of juicing

I've done a 5 day and a 6 day fast. And I prepped for neither of them with juicing. In fact the last thing I ate before starting the 5 day fast was KFC. lol.

Straight to water and nothing but water and I was fine.

I did however come out of them slowly. Otherwise I'd make myself sick.

Juicing is no problem, but yes of course it takes a bit longer to cut up an orange than to cook a piece of toast for breakfast. but then pretty much ALL healthy eating takes longer to prepare. It becomes a way of life. You just make sure you're not going to bed late, and you get up earlier - which is good for you anyway.

There is no short cut to healthy eating.

__

I don't mean to write so much, but that book says even a thin person can successfully fast for 40 days. You'll be surprised at how much energy we have stored. And I can attest from personal experience that up to 6 days is fine and won't impact on your life too much. However if I was to do anything longer, I'd take time off work after 6 days so that I can have more resting time.