Do any of the male low carbers out there experience a lower sex drive than when eating a diet with glucose. MY sex drive is not completely absent but I have less interest in sex and my ercetions are not as hard as they used to be. I am thinking that it may have something to do with the fact that when eating carbs, insulin is released, which unbinds the sex hormones (testosterone) from the sex hormone-binding globulin making more free testosterone in the blood thus creating a greater desire for sex (increased libido). SHBG levels appear to be controlled by a delicate balance of enhancing and inhibiting factors. Its level is decreased by high levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). THis would mean that eating carbs would stimulate insulin release wich inturn would lower the amount of SHBG making more free testosterone in the blood thus enhacing sex drive.

I can't tell if my sex drive is lower becuase I stop weight training but I still do cardio. I am 24 and I am doing a 0 carb diet or as close to 0 as possible. Every once in a while I will slip and add in about 100 g of carbs in a particular day and the following day I will notice I am aroused more easily. I have been low carbing for about a year now and I know it is a healthier lifedtyle and I feel better and healthier in every other ares in body except for of sex drive. I can't seems to figure it out. Can anyone relate to this?

Your daily calorie intake is?

If you been LC for a year or so I'd say allow yourself a daily carb limit of about 50 or so. To yoyo from 0 to 100 doesn't do the body good. Try to aim for a more consistent number.

As for arousal, I think it got better for me over time. But initially there were days where I was not interested in much, let alone sex. I think if you just balance out some carbs in your diet you'll find the balance. Just make sure there good carbs.

So--you know the problem and you know the solution, and I'm guessing the problem's not too bad, or you would be eating more carbs.

There's nothing in your post that indicates why you think a 0-carb WOE is better than an all-around low carb. As a single woman who has dated a lot over the years, I sorta wonder how this whole thing presents on a date. But that's your call.

But really--if it bothers you, eat carbs. If there's a reason to be celibate, stay at zero. There's a lot to be said for kale.

for me libido improved with the weight loss i feel like my wife is wanting to be with me instead of just being my wife so actually my fires are burning hotter. an i am quite older than you. but i guess different people react different ways.

Once we adapted to low carb, my beloved's interest and physical response were a million times better than pre-low carb.

I'm with the others. Find the carb balance your body wants.

Or your percentage body fat? Like women whose body fat goes too low, men also will suffer libido loss if not keeping some body fat on board. I know runners who have very little body fat. They have higher voices than normal because I think they aren't producing normal amounts of testosterone.

You're discovering one of the reasons that Lutz (Life Without Bread) strongly recommends that people not avoid starches completely. As he states in one of his books, "sex starts in the head"... Lutz, for one, specifically recommends against doing very low carb.

I don't think this problem has anything to do with carbs. I have problems when my protien intake is too high.

Jay,

You really need to get a blood panel done that includes hormone levels of testosterone and estradiol and go from there. I suspect for whatever reason that testosterone is low and/or estradiol is high. However, you won't know for sure unless you get the test. IF those numbers are out of wack, there are a number of ways you can address the problem using modifications to diet, exercise and supplements before resorting to exogenous testosterone.

I see from your profile that you have read Fagin's 'Natural Hormone Enhancement'. He discusses some of these issues as they relate to exercise and diet but not in any great detail. Kebaldwin often posts on this general subject, "male hormone balance", and sites Al Sears, MD, whom (who? ) I think is peachy keen. You can find his website at www.alsearsmd.com

Kind regards




Kind regards

I can't believe a 27yr old would have hormone problems. I know it happens but it's the rarest of rare events. But a testosterone/estradiol test would tell you if that's the root problem. If levels are normal, then it's back to looking at your diet, I guess.

What about "o carbs" (still hard to believe someone can actually eat 0 carbs diet), and "starvation" mode response? If carbs are severely limited, it may trigger "starvation mode" alarm, so entire endocrine system goes into "standby" mode, slow and low just to support surviving but not procreation. Women with very low body fat stop menstruating for the same reasons, so it indeed can be related to too little carbs. Some Hollywood celebrities that used low carb diett for weight control had to increase carbs intake to being able to concieve. Could be that too little carbs (0) curbs sex hormone manufacturing in both, males and female?
I believe we had member of the forum , ID "Fatburner", who had similar diet, close to 0 carbs. He also mentioned lack of libido and ED, so he had to medicate. I haven't seen his posts for a long time, but I recall he discussed this issue already.
ETA: One more thing I want to add. PCOS is treated with low carb diet, and if this helps female body to produce less androgens (male hormones) won't 0 carbs diet will have the same effect on male body- produce less androgens? Just a thought.

Lutz wrote one of his books specifically about hormones, and the affects of food. As I noted above, his book "sick stomach, sick intestines" discusses why he recommends NOT going very low carb, due to the affects on the hormones, and other issues that people experience, such as reduced libido, bleeding gums (confused with lack of Vitamin C).

I don't recall whether his english version of Life Without Bread discusses very low-carb and its potential affect on libido.

I have been around zero carbs for over four years. Everything in my health is better. I started at 310 pounds and around 45% body fat - so I was in pretty bad shape to begin with.

When I cheat and eat a lot of carbs - I have no sex drive - I am just extremely tired, headaches, feel like crap, my blood pressure spikes, etc.

But yes, insulin going way up and crashing will mess up your hormones.

If you are 160 pounds - you should not need to be at zero carbs. Try adding veggies and fruit back in to get up around at least 50 grams of carbs per day.

Eating low glycemic whole / natural foods shoud not cause blood sugar problems.

Somewhere I read that the body has few tissues which require carbs: Some parts of the brain and the GONADS!