Consequences after cutting: Low libido and trying to stay lean!

[gcg27]

Hi Folks. My name Is Gabriel and im 27 years old, 173 cm around 10-11% bf. Last 2 years i've been preping for physique men contest dieting for at least 4-5 months each year. Currently i just finished leaning down for a photo shoot and im dealing with some consecuences. ( In the process i had to deal with a breakup so was pretty hard this past months. Lots of stress). First of all, low libido. I started to loose it after some weeks into the cutting phase and now that i rised carb and fat intake to maintenance, i dont feel like taking it back. Also i feel a bit overtrained, not recovering well from workouts besides getting 8 hs of sleep everyday. Muscles are sore for prolongued time and a im having a little sensation of fatigue overall. In the other hand, im reaaaaaally trying to deal with binge eating. Last friday (photo shoot day) i weighted 71.5 kg. Today after some cheat days and trying to control the urge for eating with poor discipline im weighting 73.7 kg. (Most of it is Glycogen and water restore but i must admit that i put a lil' layer of fat around my waist but i know that i managed to control it very well after all). Now im trying to IF for some hours and tracking macros eating at maintenance (around 2600 kcal/day --- 293 C / 87 F / 163 P) to see where im at and how im feeling trough the next weeks. Its Starting Summer time where i live, so i don't want to look puffy or bloated, i would really like to stay around my photo-shoot physique but not being in a big caloric deficit, because im not rushed to be at it. So, my question is: It is a good idea to keep eating at maintenance to see if my metabolism is catching up and i can maintain my weight in order to offet the hormonal imbalance? I would like to hear other experiences and how you guys manage to keep the shreds and eat more cals recovering the hormonal balance.
Im worried about the 'libido' thing. Im not having problems with keeping it hard but im not feeling horny to have sex.
Thanks!

[Bullcrab]

Hi Folks. My name Is Gabriel and im 27 years old, 173 cm around 10-11% bf. Last 2 years i've been preping for physique men contest dieting for at least 4-5 months each year. Currently i just finished leaning down for a photo shoot and im dealing with some consecuences. ( In the process i had to deal with a breakup so was pretty hard this past months. Lots of stress). First of all, low libido. I started to loose it after some weeks into the cutting phase and now that i rised carb and fat intake to maintenance, i dont feel like taking it back. Also i feel a bit overtrained, not recovering well from workouts besides getting 8 hs of sleep everyday. Muscles are sore for prolongued time and a im having a little sensation of fatigue overall. In the other hand, im reaaaaaally trying to deal with binge eating. Last friday (photo shoot day) i weighted 71.5 kg. Today after some cheat days and trying to control the urge for eating with poor discipline im weighting 73.7 kg. (Most of it is Glycogen and water restore but i must admit that i put a lil' layer of fat around my waist but i know that i managed to control it very well after all). Now im trying to IF for some hours and tracking macros eating at maintenance (around 2600 kcal/day --- 293 C / 87 F / 163 P) to see where im at and how im feeling trough the next weeks. Its Starting Summer time where i live, so i don't want to look puffy or bloated, i would really like to stay around my photo-shoot physique but not being in a big caloric deficit, because im not rushed to be at it. So, my question is: It is a good idea to keep eating at maintenance to see if my metabolism is catching up and i can maintain my weight in order to offet the hormonal imbalance? I would like to hear other experiences and how you guys manage to keep the shreds and eat more cals recovering the hormonal balance.
Im worried about the 'libido' thing. Im not having problems with keeping it hard but im not feeling horny to have sex.
Thanks!

low libido sounds 'normal' to me when you have been dieting down for so long and are also stressed out / overtrained.
Take a diet break man of a couple of weeks. Go to maintenance, have a deload week, and plan for the long run.

[gcg27]

@Bullcrab Thanks for your time. Im facing 2 big deals that happened to me when i was younger but not so hard like this time. I think im stressing out too much and can't find the path to get on track. My weight keeps going up everytime i cheat. I created a bad relationship with food and i'm eating past the point of being satisfied just for the taste/sugar on the foods i choose. I mostly binge on high carb/fats foods like Ice-cream, chocolate, nuts, cookies, etc.. I know that if i give in and relax about getting fatter, i could start eating wathever i want but thats not healthy and would lead me to very dark places. Im constantly craving junk food and if i eat something trying to manage portions, i usually eat more than i've planned. I started a fitness proyect and here summer its almost on the door so it is not a good idea to keep eating out of control and let it be. Last 2 weeks i've been eating close to maintainance (some days at deficit trying to compensate) and i feel stronger in the gym but not optimally in general terms. Plus, libido keeps low. Some days i feel like jerking off or watching porn, but most days libido is very low, no interest at all about sex.

I will be doing blood test next week to see if my hormones are out of whack or if something isn't good.

Any ideas to stop craving sugar like a 5 year old? I think it could be physocological or hormone related ( carbs are well known to stimulate endorphins and sertonin like drugs).

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks

[arafeandur]

It could be that your estrogen is out of whack. Testosterone converts via aromatase into estrogen in men. If your estrogen is high or low then it can make your crave sugar like a 16 year old girl who got dumped at the prom. Definitely get your blood work done. A tablespoon of cinnamon in the morning can help regulate your blood sugar throughout the day. Gymnema sylvestre can also help by suppressing the sensitivity of the 'sweet' taste buds on the tongue. Good luck.