Just found out I have Low T

[frankie411]

Hey guys, this is my first post and I have a few questions that I'm hopeful you can answer. Thanks for taking the time. First, my background:

I'm 37 yrs old. 250 lbs, 6'2" and my waist is 40 inches with a lot of belly fat that I'm trying to lose. I've yoyo-ed quite a bit the last couple years. Been overweight, dropped to 225 and 36 inch waist --a few times-- then shot back up. Just lack of discipline with my diet and high high stress at work. But when I need to eat clean, meaning I can't stand the way I look or feel, I start dieting again. I was doing mostly protein and veggies with minimal carbs and began to think I had adrenal fatigue, or wasn't having enough dietary fat. Now I'm back to eating more complex carbs to support the weight training I've been doing (deads,squats,bench,chins) but I feel pretty lost, tired - like I'm really fvcked myself up and I want to be a good dad and husband so here I am.

I had been dieting and lifting for only about a month when my lack of progress, mood swings and chronic fatigue finally led me to the doctor's. Since my testosterone was low, she referred me to a urologist she said is very experienced in hrt.

My total testosterone was measured at 249 ng/dl. Both my free (32.5pg/mL) and bioavailable (79.6ng/dL) were also low. My cortisol was 7.9 ug/dl. Apparently my thyroid is ok, free t3,t4 and Thyroid Stim Hormone were all in normal ranges. The initial doctor refused to test my estrogen, dhea, etc. I'm reading the stickies here now to accumulate more data when I visit the urologist.

Here are my questions if you'd be so kind:

#1. If I manage to lose the weight, continue to exercise and keep it off, can I restore my test levels to the average without hrt? The doctor said this is impossible, but I've read otherwise online. But I know this is mostly anecdotal. I would love to not be on anything at all, if possible.

#2. Is a person always hypogonadal for life? Could I use a conservative treatment, taper off and with lifestyle changes, expect to maintain average levels?

#3. If I elect to do treatment, what would be the most conservative approach that you'd recommend? If you could take yourself back to that first day at the doctor's, knowing what you know, what would you have done differently? I have two kids and would most likely inject. I've read about some edging into the water by starting only with Clomid first, but can this be done long term?

Thanks for your patience. Please forgive the rudimentary questions. My follow up with the urologist is in ten days and I'd love to go in there as informed as possible. Best regards, Frankie