Plummetting sex drive during cutting

[oatmealandtuna]

Does anyone have this problem during cut phases? I feel so utterly unhorny during this time. Hell I'm only 21, my hormones should still be raging out of control. I keep my fat intake moderate, about 58 g a day, I assumed that would be enough to keep T levels high or at least stable. Am I the only person who feels like this?

 

[Viroid]

Are you consuming essential fats? How much do you weigh and what is your cal intake?

 

[oatmealandtuna]

I weigh ~ 180 pounds at about 13% bodyfat. Allow me to breakdown a standard day for me by meals.

I am currently on a cutting cycle so obviously my calories are low.

Food intake for my workout days:

Meal One: Pre/Post workout shake
Meal Two: Chicken Breast and veggies (broccoli, carrots, beans)
Meal Three: Whole Almonds, Tuna, and fish oil capsules
Meal Four: Sometimes chicken breasts, or maybe a small steak, veggies and some more fish oil capsules.
Meal Five: Milk Protein Isolate mixed with non-fat cottage cheese, fish oil capsules, a fiber supplement, and 2 servings of liquid cod liver oil

Food intake for my non-workout days:

Meal One: Some bran cereal (Fiber-One for those who are curious) and 2 scoops of Optimum Whey Protein.
Meal Two: Chicken Breasts (Sometimes two), veggies
Meal Three: Whole Almonds, Tuna, and fish oil capsules
Meal Four: Chicken breasts and/or steak, veggies and some more fish oil capsules
Meal Five: Milk Protein Isolate mixed with non-fat cottage cheese, fish oil capsules, a fiber supplement, and 2 servings of liquid cod liver oil

Average macronutrient intake for workout days:

Calories: 1844 | Fat 53.8 | Fiber 42.2 | Protein 219.6 | Carbs 136.7

Average macronutrient intake for non-workout days:

Calories: 1874 | Fat 55.8 | Fiber 56.2 | Protein 252.6 | Carbs 96.7


Every Sunday I will incorporate a refeed as well. I've always had problems with my sex drive during cut phases and it bugs the hell out of me.

 

[Viroid]

Well, your diet looks SOLID! Good work. Your getting 30% of your cals from fat (And good fat too) which is just fine to keep test levels from dropping.

Maybe you are over training? What does your workout look like (weights and cardio)?

What kind of job do you have? Under a lot of stress? Getting enough sleep/rest?

Are you taking any supplements?

 

[oatmealandtuna]

Thanks, this diet has been years in the making. I have to admit I had to work through all kinds of stupidity before I finally got to this point.

I hope I'm not overtraining, I'm following the HST regimen and HST is very serious about people avoiding overtraining. Although I suppose it's possible, I sometimes feel I'm too gung-ho during my weight training time. (www.hypertrophy-specific.com) in case you don't know what HST is.

Cardio I'm doing a few short bouts of HIIT...although I've been really lazy with this. I skipped another session today. If I don't get my ass out on the track regularly I'm going to be cutting forever...literally.

I am rather busy, so perhaps stress is a factor. But things are not different from when I was bulking and my schedule was just as bad. I'm a student and work about 25 hours a week with my part-time jobs. Sleepwise I have to admit I have never excellent sleep, around 5-7 hours. Luckily I plan on getting a new bed since my old one sucks. But again I'm not sure sleep would be a factor as well, since my sleep, stress levels are the same during bulking and my sex drive is quite normal during that time.

Supplements: Nothing special just creatine and an ECA stack...er, I think that's it really. I don't take anything else really. I do use some melatonin once a week if I feel I need some extra sleep.

 

[wheelin&dealin]

If there's one supplement that's the next best thing to creatine it is LIVER TABS. I take them and I have alot more energy.

You also might wanna try some ZMA. It will raise your test levels if you are deficient in zinc.

 

[oatmealandtuna]

Regarding taking more Zinc, how many mg do you take a day? Is there a specific number of mg I should be aiming for? And what natural foods are chock full of zinc?

 

[Viroid]

It could be the ephedrine. You might want to drop it and take something like CLA or yohimbine HCl. Ephedrine always gave me shrinkage too.

You can also try Sida Cordifolia. Sida Cordifolia contains ephedrine alkaloids which some people think is the best for fat burning (better BAT fat stimulation) and health. From what i read you dont get the bad side effects you get from ephedrine/Ma Huang. You still get appetite suppression as well. I just took a supplement containing Sida about 20 minutes ago. Ill let you know how it feels.

How are you doing with the HST? I think its the best program ive ever done.

 

[wheelin&dealin]

Originally posted by oatmealandtuna
Regarding taking more Zinc, how many mg do you take a day? Is there a specific number of mg I should be aiming for? And what natural foods are chock full of zinc?

I take 50 mgs of zinc a day. 100 mgs is toxic, so don't get too crazy with it.

I don't know which foods have zinc in them besides oysters(Mmmm... oysters), but a google search should bring up a few more names.

 

[oatmealandtuna]

Oh? Perhaps that's the case then. I'll see what happens if I drop my current ECA stack. Hopefully it'll solve the problem.

Sida Cordifolia...I haven't heard of it. Where can I go to buy this? Can I buy it at standard health food stores?

HST is alright, although it's difficult to gauge how well it's working especially during a cut cycle. I think my strength is relatively stable, which is good I suppose during a cut cycle. I'm still on my first HST cycle and I just finished my 5 rep maxes. I seem to be still able to make them although I suspect I was slightly stronger then before. It's understandable though I think since I tested my maxes at the tailend of my bulking cycle right before I jumped into cutting and starting HST. So I'm happy with it so far if it has contributed to me sustaining my strength.


Oysters? Hm...I don't eat much of em'. I suppose I'll do a bit of research into what foods contain a lot of zince before I supplement with it.