🏋️♀️ Athletes who adopt a “super clean” diet in an attempt to build muscle mass may find their attempts backfire.
🤔 Why? This kind of diet can be too low in calories and fat, making it difficult to add mass, let alone even meet energy requirements. The energy imbalance that ensues leads a suppression in testosterone levels, which effects mood, energy, strength, power, sexual libido.
Additionally, overlooking caloric intake can significantly impede muscle-building efforts. A deficit in calories prevents the body from having enough energy to fuel intense workouts and support muscle growth.
In the pursuit of a preferred body composition, individuals often underestimate the importance of consuming an adequate amount of fats, mistakenly believing that this will help them to accomplish their goals. However, this approach can backfire, leading to muscle loss instead and a suppression of testosterone levels.
⭐️ Fat is an important precursor for testosterone. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in June 2021 examined the effects of a low fat diets and testosterone in men (PMID: 33741447) and concluded that “low-fat diets appear to decrease testosterone levels in men.”
Egg whites, Chicken, Spinach , Whey protein, Brown Rice – have hardly any fat at all.
There is so much a person can do here to get these levels up naturally.
Places to start:
✅ If you are concerned about this, check in with a doctor and have these levels checked.
✅ Be sure to also meet with a sports dietitian who can help you make improvements!
✅ Changes to diet: increase the amount you are eating to boost metabolism, close energy gap. Add fats! Avocado, nuts, hummus, oils, dressings, sauces on food, and yes get some cookies in there, chocolate (high in iron), ice cream etc. There is only so many nuts a person can have…..
✅ Weight gain (if indicated)- often people have lost too much weight, body weight/body fat too low (yes, body fat can be too low)
✅ Reduce training load – adding rest can boost parasympathetic nervous system response, helping to decrease cortisol levels. This will help with the hormonal axis.
And with these changes, come an improvement in mood, energy, and strength 💪!
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