Is taking more fat=more testosterone or any other benefits?

[mishipgainz]

First of all, my ultimate goal is to recover from lower sex drive due to an extreme diet.

I've heard that fat is essential for hormonal functions and I was wondering if more fat means more benefits or there's a limit in benefit of fat intake just like more than 1g of protein per pound doesn't lead further benefit.

Now I'm at a surplus of 300-500 cals.
Macros p130. F 90-120 c 370-400. 2950 cals.

172cm (5'8) 64 to 65kg (143pound)

[gbullock32]

First of all, my ultimate goal is to recover from lower sex drive due to an extreme diet.

I've heard that fat is essential for hormonal functions and I was wondering if more fat means more benefits or there's a limit in benefit of fat intake just like more than 1g of protein per pound doesn't lead further benefit.

Now I'm at a surplus of 300-500 cals.
Macros p130. F 90-120 c 370-400. 2950 cals.

172cm (5'8) 64 to 65kg (143pound)

Diminishing returns is always a thing; once you hit 'normal' hormone levels more fat wont boost you beyond that. Getting .4g per pound is pretty much what is needed to be 'optimal', more is fine if you like but I have not seen anything showing a benefit beyond that.

[SuffolkPunch]

Diminishing returns is always a thing; once you hit 'normal' hormone levels more fat wont boost you beyond that. Getting .4g per pound is pretty much what is needed to be 'optimal', more is fine if you like but I have not seen anything showing a benefit beyond that.

^This

Most nutrition and training is like this. If you think more is always better, you will be wrong at some point.

[Mrpb]

You've been cutting for a while. Give it to weeks at maintenance or small surplus and you'll be back to normal.

Probably no benefits in going higher than ~0.4-0.5 gram per lb.

[mishipgainz]

Guys thanks for the replies

I in fact took at least 60g of fat a day on the cut but still faced lower sex drive that's why I thought i needed to take more fat. So is it the calorie deficit causing the issue rather than fat in take?

Based on your opinions, for the maximum benefit of fat and protein, Macros would be
p 130~. f 70 ~. c ~ 462 at 3000 cals although I know it can be flexible

Any thoughts on this macros?

[Mrpb]

So is it the calorie deficit causing the issue rather than fat in take?

Yup. Mostly. Calorie deficit with insufficient fat makes matters worse.

Based on your opinions, for the maximum benefit of fat and protein, Macros would be
p 130~. f 70 ~. c ~ 462 at 3000 cals although I know it can be flexible

Any thoughts on this macros?

There's zero need to set your macros in advance. Flexible diet ftw.

Just make sure you reach your minimum fat and protein. More is fine too.

[mishipgainz]

Yup. Mostly. Calorie deficit with insufficient fat makes matters worse.


There's zero need to set your macros in advance. Flexible diet ftw.

Just make sure you reach your minimum fat and protein. More is fine too.

Thanks for your reply,

Ok, but I'm still concerned about fat intake. I've heard that fat intake should come from at least 30 percent of a total calorie, which means in my cass, 3000×0.3÷9=100g of fat at least. Is this thought a myth?

[mishipgainz]

You've been cutting for a while. Give it to weeks at maintenance or small surplus and you'll be back to normal.

Probably no benefits in going higher than ~0.4-0.5 gram per lb.

Apologies for asking too many but is that based on your experience? Like have you had lower sex drive due to cutting and recovered fine with that fat intake? Do you think recovery would've been faster if you had taken more fat?

In your opinion is recovery faster at a surplus than maintenance?

[Mrpb]

Apologies for asking too many but is that based on your experience? Like have you had lower sex drive due to cutting and recovered fine with that fat intake? Do you think recovery would've been faster if you had taken more fat?

No worries. That advice is mostly based on what I've read in research. If you want my personal advice, something I believe based on my own observations: the fastest way to recover your sex drive is probably a small surplus while eating plenty of whole eggs, whole dairy, fatty cuts of red meat, fatty fish like salmon and avocados. Higher fat intakes won't hurt and they may help.

And of course this advice is probably not ideal for optimising lipids or longevity.

In my anecdotal experience sex drive always goes down during dieting, although I find the effect less if do a ketogenic diet (with high fat intake).

Thanks for your reply,

Ok, but I'm still concerned about fat intake. I've heard that fat intake should come from at least 30 percent of a total calorie, which means in my cass, 3000×0.3÷9=100g of fat at least. Is this thought a myth?

Myth. Minimum fat intake should be based on body weight or LBM not on a percentage.

[Nedo]

I used to get hard/soft from insufficient fat intake, despite test, estrogen and cortisol levels being within range. I still had good drive though as I was smashing almost daily at the time. Not a single doctor ever asked me about my fat intake when they did know I was in a deficit. Then I came here and realized I was eating like a 1/3 of the recommended fat intake for my weight. Upped fats and problem solved, almost instantly too.

However OP, you indicated that you were eating 60g fat/day and still had issues whilst meeting the recommended fat minimum. Have your stress levels been higher than usual as of late? How much are you sleeping per night? If upping your cals doesn't help, I would be going to get blood work done.

[mishipgainz]

No worries. That advice is mostly based on what I've read in research. If you want my personal advice, something I believe based on my own observations: the fastest way to recover your sex drive is probably a small surplus while eating plenty of whole eggs, whole dairy, fatty cuts of red meat, fatty fish like salmon and avocados. Higher fat intakes won't hurt and they may help.

And of course this advice is probably not ideal for optimising lipids or longevity.

In my anecdotal experience sex drive always goes down during dieting, although I find the effect less if do a ketogenic diet (with high fat intake).



Myth. Minimum fat intake should be based on body weight or LBM not on a percentage.

So personally you are better with taking more fats despite the research? Or is it because ketogenic diet has other effect for improving sex drive along with higher fat intake?

Also could you give me a formula for culculating fat intake based on LBM?

Thanks a lot

[Mrpb]

So personally you are better with taking more fats despite the research? Or is it because ketogenic diet has other effect for improving sex drive along with higher fat intake?

Keep in mind the 0.4 gram recommendation is just a basic recommendation. There is research showing that high mono unsaturated and saturated fat may have certain beneficial effects on hormones. Same for dietary cholesterol. I suspect any beneficial effect of a ketogenic diet is probably because of higher intakes of those.

Also could you give me a formula for culculating fat intake based on LBM?

No, that's for overweight people. For you the minimum is 0.4 gram per lb.

[mishipgainz]

Keep in mind the 0.4 gram recommendation is just a basic recommendation. There is research showing that high mono unsaturated and saturated fat may have certain beneficial effects on hormones. Same for dietary cholesterol. I suspect any beneficial effect of a ketogenic diet is probably because of higher intakes of those.


No, that's for overweight people. For you the minimum is 0.4 gram per lb.

So as you say I might benefit from higher intake of good fat although it's not definitely happening?

Also how long does it usually take for you to recover from lower sex drive at a slight calorie surplus?

[MrCarrot]

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack the thread but I wanted to ask whether any fat is better than too little fat? During my cut I found it difficult to consume enough fat, so in the end I added breakfast sausages as a mid-afternoon snack and cream on my fruit in the evening. This helped to bump my fat calories up but I'm aware it's not the same type of fat you'd get from say avacados and nuts.

[mishipgainz]

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack the thread but I wanted to ask whether any fat is better than too little fat? During my cut I found it difficult to consume enough fat, so in the end I added breakfast sausages as a mid-afternoon snack and cream on my fruit in the evening. This helped to bump my fat calories up but I'm aware it's not the same type of fat you'd get from say avacados and nuts.

Hi any kind of thoughts or questions are welcome.

That's a good question. It seems that sausages or cream are mainly saturated fat and taking too much of them can be harmful. This is what I've heard of so no reliable at all but.

In terms of fat loss, I had no problem at all losing weight by taking any fat including pork belly, rib eye, butter, or milk. But it might have affected other health matters.

[Mrpb]

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack the thread but I wanted to ask whether any fat is better than too little fat? During my cut I found it difficult to consume enough fat, so in the end I added breakfast sausages as a mid-afternoon snack and cream on my fruit in the evening. This helped to bump my fat calories up but I'm aware it's not the same type of fat you'd get from say avacados and nuts.

Processed meat is linked to several negative effects, so good idea to limit that as much as possible. Saturated fat from cream: as long as you keep saturated fat at or lower than ~10% of total calories and your lipids are fine, I wouldn't worry about it.

So as you say I might benefit from higher intake of good fat although it's not definitely happening?

You may even benefit from a higher intake of saturated fat. Eating for maximum sex drive is something different than eating for the lowest LDL cholesterol.

Also how long does it usually take for you to recover from lower sex drive at a slight calorie surplus?

Depends on many variables. In your case I suspect you're fine within 2 weeks.

[mishipgainz]

Processed meat is linked to several negative effects, so good idea to limit that as much as possible. Saturated fat from cream: as long as you keep saturated fat at or lower than ~10% of total calories and your lipids are fine, I wouldn't worry about it.


You may even benefit from a higher intake of saturated fat. Eating for maximum sex drive is something different than eating for the lowest LDL cholesterol.


Depends on many variables. In your case I suspect you're fine within 2 weeks.

That's true, I've been taking quite lots of fat so hopefully I will recover soon.

Thanks for your help, you've been giving me really useful information. I genuinely appreciate that.

[Mrpb]

That's true, I've been taking quite lots of fat so hopefully I will recover soon.

Thanks for your help, you've been giving me really useful information. I genuinely appreciate that.

You're welcome. Here's one more tip, as it seems that you may sometimes over analyse things. Instead of trying to a hit certain number of fat try to notice what YOU prefer. Eat what YOU are in the mood for. If you prefer a low fat diet (~0.4 gram per lb) that's probably just fine for you. If you happen to enjoy fatty foods that's probably also just fine for you. You don't need to hit specific numbers everyday.

Just don't go overboard on saturated fat.

[mishipgainz]

You're welcome. Here's one more tip, as it seems that you may sometimes over analyse things. Instead of trying to a hit certain number of fat try to notice what YOU prefer. Eat what YOU are in the mood for. If you prefer a low fat diet (~0.4 gram per lb) that's probably just fine for you. If you happen to enjoy fatty foods that's probably also just fine for you. You don't need to hit specific numbers everyday.

Just don't go overboard on saturated fat.

That's true I do over analyse things but that's who I am🤷🏻‍♀️

Yeah definitely, I just like to set a rough idea of macros so that I don't have to plan my meals with some complication.

Again thanks a lot!

[Curmudgeon7]

20% of total caloric intake when you're at maintenance is good enough. Anything less than 15% is too low. Personally I prefer low fat diets as they help me not over-eat and also I just really love carbs like bread, oats, fruits and lentils. My total fat intake daily comes out to be around 45-50 grams on cronometer, of which saturated fats make up only about 6-8 grams - all my fat comes from poly and mono-unsaturated sources like walnuts, avocados and a variety of seeds. . I feel really good and my T-levels were pretty decent in the bloodwork I got done December last year.

[IronElder]

First of all, my ultimate goal is to recover from lower sex drive due to an extreme diet.

I've heard that fat is essential for hormonal functions and I was wondering if more fat means more benefits or there's a limit in benefit of fat intake just like more than 1g of protein per pound doesn't lead further benefit.

Now I'm at a surplus of 300-500 cals.
Macros p130. F 90-120 c 370-400. 2950 cals.

172cm (5'8) 64 to 65kg (143pound)

Fats do affect your testosterone. Cholesterol is a precursor to testosterone, although cholesterol gets some bad press, you do need some. I think 100 grams of good fats is more than sufficient, increase food from other macros. As for foods that aid testosterone eat a handful of brazil nuts daily and 100 gram portion of prawns for cholesterol. Other than that you needminerals such as zinc, boron, selenium

[Nedo]

As for foods that aid testosterone eat a handful of brazil nuts daily

You shouldn't eat more than 4-5 brazil nuts a day to avoid selenium toxicity. I've even gone as far as testing my selenium levels to be certain I was within recommended range and I was okay on 4-5 per day. I've been doing this for over a year now and haven't noticed any change in metabolism or test. To my knowledge, it has not been proven to effect test levels, although you do hear of such claims. I would say its more getting the fat in from the brazil nuts that contributes to good hormone function as part of a balanced diet. Its also SAID that brazil nuts have anti-oxidants and immune system benefits and they are delicious to boot.