Lab Results

[Arcânn]

I just got results back from my first pre-cycle labs. And I guess it's good that I waited to see results before starting. Almost everything was in the normal range but the things that weren't, were kind of concerning. Here are the abnormalities:



Platelets: 101 LOW 150-379 x10E3/uL

Cholesterol, Total: 147 NORMAL 100-199 mg/dL

Triglycerides: 169 HIGH 0-149 mg/dL

HDL Cholesterol: 31 LOW >39 mg/dL

VLDL Cholesterol Cal: 34 NORMAL 5-40 mg/dL

LDL Cholesterol Calc: 82 NORMAL 0-99 mg/dL



I'm not sure what to make of the low platelets or if I should even be concerned about that for cycling purposes. Or what would even cause that and how to fix it.

I'm sure the cholesterol is all diet. I've only been on a GOOD diet (so I think) for probably the last 3 months or so. I do eat a fair amount of beans/legumes (lentils, black eye peas, lima beans), which I understand is supposed to help HDL. I take 1200mg fish oil caps at least once a day. I also eat quite a bit of oatmeal. When I have more time (I need to get ready for work) I'll post my specific meal plans so I can get further critique on that. Also, it is worth noting that before I really fixed my diet, I was eating a ton of super-processed foods for a VERY long time in my life. I'm talking lots of restaurant food, tv dinners, etc. I know, huge mistake, been fixing it. Maybe it just takes more time to correct? Idk. And I'm not even sure what to do about triglycerides, but I know that should

Labs were done about 2 hours after I woke up. I had fasted 13-14 hours before getting them done, although I did chew on chewing gum on the way there. Doubt that had a major impact but who knows.

One other thing I thought was interesting is that my free testosterone was actually high, which I never thought would happen:

Testosterone,Free: 22.91 HIGH 5.00-21.00 ng/dL

Any input you guys can offer would be greatly appreciated. I will be postponing this cycle indefinitely until I get these issues sorted out, mainly the lipid profile.

[AlphaMindz]

Your bloods aren't too bad I would incorporate kale into your diet and that should correct your platelet levels. I would also eat more oats as they are great for cholesterol balance. You also want to eat some fruits, preferably lower glycemic fruits like strawberries, bb's, raspberry as they stimulate your liver and metabolism and have antioxidant properties. Your triglycerides are high so I would stick to eating plenty of healthy fats from nuts, salmon, avocado, and epa/dha supplement and limit your intake of saturated fats. (*This is only for the time being once tri's are in healthy range then reintroduce grass fed red meat). This is just a suggestion based on what I would do.

I would def keep an eye on cholesterol cause when you go on cycle those levels are gonna go south pretty fast so you'll wanna be aware of that. Other than that I think you're gtg your clearly recovered with pretty high free test levels (no total test) so your HPTA is healthy for the next cycle.

[Arcânn]

Well I've never cycled yet. These labs were basically to establish a baseline for everything. Others are telling me that with my free testosterone numbers I probably shouldn't even cycle. Here are my full numbers:

Testosterone, Serum: 556 NORMAL 264-916 ng/dL

Testosterone,Free: 22.91 HIGH 5.00-21.00 ng/dL

% Free Testosterone: 4.12 NORMAL 1.50-4.20 %



I've also been told there's a correlation between blood glucose levels and triglycerides. Here are those numbers:

Glucose: 99 NORMAL 65-99 mg/dL

Triglycerides: 169 HIGH 0-149 mg/dL

[kelkel]

Start taking a quality Fish Oil supplement asap.

[AlphaMindz]

Yeah man there's def a correlation between blood glucose and blood lipids. The latest research shows that dietary cholesterol, in fact, has little to no impact on actual cholesterol levels. It's been found that sugar is essentially like poison in the blood stream, hence the reason we have insulin to remove it from our blood. Limit your intake of simple sugars, and if you do eat them try to do so after training when you have an increase of glut-4 receptors which allow you to pull sugars into glycogen without the need for insulin. I would highly recommend this for someone running high blood sugars such as yourself.

When fats are in the blood while in the presence of high glucose levels it's been found that the body has difficulty filtering the fat out of the blood properly and tri's and cholesterol levels in the blood stream go up, and if there's any hardening of the blood vessels from excessive inflammation (or bad genetics) then the lipids will stick to the walls of the arteries in the form of plaque. This is no bueno!

Like Kel said, you def want to get on a good EPA/DHA supplement, and preferably from fish oil as flax seed oil has been shown to have poor bioavailability. Having your omega fatty acids in balance will increase insulin sensitivity (by reducing blood sugars), reduce inflammation, aid in keeping arterial walls elastic, among several other benefits.

I also suggest to get a blood glucose monitor and start checking your blood sugar. I've started doing this although I don't take insulin. I may add it to my regimen ONE DAY, but before I do I better damn well know EXACTLY what my blood sugars look like though out the day. This is something I would suggest to anyone as it will give you more control over your ability to burn fat and build muscle, enhanced or not.

I got the entire set up for only $10. Start checking your blood first thing in the morning, then later in the day 2 hours after a meal (preferably a bigger meal), then post workout and lastly before bed. Those are the times I check mine and in only a couple weeks of doing so I've noticed some interesting patterns that I have since fixed and it's made a big difference for me!

The better you learn how your body operates the more successful you will be in any endeavors related to your body. Makes sense right!? The more time and effort I put into learning how my body functions and trying different things to see how my body reacts the better I get at manipulating aspects of diet and training to my benefit.

Alone the fact that you got blood work done is great! This is a solid starting point for you. Once you get your diet in check and bring down those glucose and triglyceride levels you'll be ready to add some testosterone to your regimen. I hope this info helps you in your journey to get where you're trying to go. Do you know where that is? Meaning what are your goals?

[Arcânn]

Yeah man there's def a correlation between blood glucose and blood lipids. The latest research shows that dietary cholesterol, in fact, has little to no impact on actual cholesterol levels. It's been found that sugar is essentially like poison in the blood stream, hence the reason we have insulin to remove it from our blood. Limit your intake of simple sugars, and if you do eat them try to do so after training when you have an increase of glut-4 receptors which allow you to pull sugars into glycogen without the need for insulin. I would highly recommend this for someone running high blood sugars such as yourself.

When fats are in the blood while in the presence of high glucose levels it's been found that the body has difficulty filtering the fat out of the blood properly and tri's and cholesterol levels in the blood stream go up, and if there's any hardening of the blood vessels from excessive inflammation (or bad genetics) then the lipids will stick to the walls of the arteries in the form of plaque. This is no bueno!

Like Kel said, you def want to get on a good EPA/DHA supplement, and preferably from fish oil as flax seed oil has been shown to have poor bioavailability. Having your omega fatty acids in balance will increase insulin sensitivity (by reducing blood sugars), reduce inflammation, aid in keeping arterial walls elastic, among several other benefits.

I also suggest to get a blood glucose monitor and start checking your blood sugar. I've started doing this although I don't take insulin. I may add it to my regimen ONE DAY, but before I do I better damn well know EXACTLY what my blood sugars look like though out the day. This is something I would suggest to anyone as it will give you more control over your ability to burn fat and build muscle, enhanced or not.

I got the entire set up for only $10. Start checking your blood first thing in the morning, then later in the day 2 hours after a meal (preferably a bigger meal), then post workout and lastly before bed. Those are the times I check mine and in only a couple weeks of doing so I've noticed some interesting patterns that I have since fixed and it's made a big difference for me!

The better you learn how your body operates the more successful you will be in any endeavors related to your body. Makes sense right!? The more time and effort I put into learning how my body functions and trying different things to see how my body reacts the better I get at manipulating aspects of diet and training to my benefit.

Alone the fact that you got blood work done is great! This is a solid starting point for you. Once you get your diet in check and bring down those glucose and triglyceride levels you'll be ready to add some testosterone to your regimen. I hope this info helps you in your journey to get where you're trying to go. Do you know where that is? Meaning what are your goals?

Thanks. This actually makes a lot of sense. I've heard many on here talk about mostly leaving white carbs alone (except maybe oatmeal). I sort of dismissed that because I was more focused on getting my macros right. I figured I could let the rest slide since I don't eat a lot of sugar at all, but I guess simple carbs aren't much better. And I do remember learning how sugar was actually worse for cholesterol levels than actual cholesterol in college. So it all makes sense.

The simple carbs I eat are: whole grain bread (probably fairly simple), special k protein that I put in my shakes, grits, taco shells, and whole grain spaghetti. IDK if potatoes could be grouped in that category as well. I don't eat all of these in the same day, these are just different foods taken from different meal plans that I have. I'm certainly open to any suggestions on replacing these items, if necessary.

I'm also assuming brown rice isn't much of a problem but I could be wrong.

[AlphaMindz]

It's really the sugar that fucks you up. Simple carbs are fine in moderation. I prefer Jasmine rice which is white rice but these little details aren't going to matter right now. Maybe in a contest prep you'll notice a particular food working better for you and then it matters, but right now you're just trying to eat clean to grow and be healthy.