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  #1   ^
Old Sat, Sep-17-16, 14:40
mccoy_3000's Avatar
mccoy_3000 mccoy_3000 is offline
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Posts: 88
 
Plan: moderately LC, HF, LP
Stats: 149/143/143 Male 170
BF:
Progress: 100%
Default Lesser libido on low carbs??

This is something unexpected which really happened to myself, just after having started a moderately low carb regimen. I dropped my carbs intake to about one third of my previous amount and now it is in the vicinity of 90 grams per day.

I observed a noticeable, significant decrease in libido. This was interesting and unexpected, since I'm not practicisng any caloric restriction and am regularly eating eggs, which usually tend to have the opposite effect on me.

I used to ingest lots of honey. So I was wondering whether it had perchance a boosting effect on libido???

I'm not really anymore in the reproductive age, so I have no immediate concerns about it, but I've been ruminating this baffling issue.

Today, I came across a Youtube video, an interview with Dr. Attia.

He just explained that. When, as a consequence of decreasing carbs, insulin levels decrease, SHBG (Sex Hormones Binding Globuline) increases, binding testosterone. So, free testosterone, which is evidently the testosterone which affects the sexual functions, is lower hence lower libido.

Has some of you dudes noticed this effect?

I also find almost incredible that it was so sudden. So, according to dr. Attia's explanation my serum insulin concentration dropped almost overnight after cutting carbs. I've been having cravings for sure.

Last edited by mccoy_3000 : Sat, Sep-17-16 at 14:51.
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  #2   ^
Old Sat, Sep-17-16, 17:43
Ccat69's Avatar
Ccat69 Ccat69 is offline
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Posts: 472
 
Plan: LCHF/ketogenic
Stats: 163/132/130 Female 5'4"
BF:
Progress: 94%
Location: Upstate NY
Default

Alright, I know you were asking the guys, but... how long have you been low carb? If it's really early in, I wouldn't worry too much. Your body is adjusting. Now that I am getting thinner, my libido is way UP, just because I feel much better about myself. If it's early, give it time.
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  #3   ^
Old Sat, Sep-17-16, 21:58
MickiSue MickiSue is offline
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Posts: 8,006
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 189/148.6/145 Female 5' 5"
BF:36%/28%/25%
Progress: 92%
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Default

Stop and think about humanity, and the length of time its been around. Humanity was primarily low carb for the vast majority of its existence. Certain subsets were zero carb well into the 20th century, and others remain low carb.

And yet, the species managed to continue to expand and expand.

I very much doubt that it's the low carb. Especially when you state that you are "moderately" low carb, not VLC. If it were the case that those who are low carb experience a loss of libido DUE TO the lack of carbs in the diet (a ridiculous thesis, on the face of it) then the lower the carbs, the lower the libido. And that doesn't happen.
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  #4   ^
Old Sun, Sep-18-16, 08:48
mccoy_3000's Avatar
mccoy_3000 mccoy_3000 is offline
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Posts: 88
 
Plan: moderately LC, HF, LP
Stats: 149/143/143 Male 170
BF:
Progress: 100%
Default

~ ccat: thanks very much for the reassuring words, i too think that probably it's a transitory occurrence until when the free testosterone will find a new balance. I'mean not too concerned though
again, at 56 I am past my reproductive age and it's good to channel the energies somewhere else. My interest is mainly scientific. I experienced such a phenomenon many years ago when I went vegan. It was sudden and just killed my libido notwithstanding my young age. With the present wisdom I
Would say it was just too few proteins.
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  #5   ^
Old Sun, Sep-18-16, 09:13
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GreekRibs GreekRibs is offline
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Plan: Protein Power
Stats: 212/169/150 Female 5'9"
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Progress: 69%
Location: Saskatchewan
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I'm 54 and my libido has dwindled. Many of my friends, both male and female, tell me they experience less libido in their 50s. It's entirely normal and has nothing whatsoever to do with low-carb. It's hormonal. There are those who are still sexually active in their 50s, 60s and beyond. But I think they are the exception rather than the rule. I've been told by specialists that if you don't use it, you lose it and I think there's truth to that especially for women. My pelvic floor has dropped (tmi?) so that makes things even more ridiculous

Sexuality is an intrinsic part of our being and losing libido is definitely a loss that involves a certain amount of grief. After going through the grief, I came out the other side and can joke about it now. I used to joke with my friends that if I go on one more date where a guy is test driving his new drug, I'll shoot myself. Yet, I completely understand their quest. After my complete hysterectomy, I got an injection of testosterone. WhooooZA! After it wore off, I begged doctors to give me more but they said they didn't want me to grow a beard But it gave me incredible insight as to why men have higher libido. Testosterone is gold! So I can see why it's such a loss because I experienced it first hand.

The nice thing about being in our 50s and beyond is life does become so much richer in many other ways. We march on
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  #6   ^
Old Sun, Sep-18-16, 16:35
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mccoy_3000 mccoy_3000 is offline
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Posts: 88
 
Plan: moderately LC, HF, LP
Stats: 149/143/143 Male 170
BF:
Progress: 100%
Default

In my case it's probably not the progressive dwindling due to age, since it happened almost overnight and after I cut the carbs. Other things remained more or less equal.
So I am compelled to suspect a cause-effect relationship.
Dr Peter Attia's explanation appears satisfactory. I'm only moderately low carb but I'm probably insulin-sensitive. I have not weightloss problems but I can have problems in gaining weight. So my 90 grams of carbs to my body may be equal to 20 grams of an insulin resistant person. As a matter of fact, I'm loosing weight right now and if it goes on I'll have to increase either my carbs or proteins or both since I have no desire at all to loose weight.

~ Mickysue: the pre historic situation was maybe different. Also, I have my doubts that it was everywhere zero carbs. In temperate and tropical climates tubers and fruits were available with some abundance to the paleolithic man. I mean sugar-rich, large wild fruit now almost unknown. Plus honey.
Also, even in glaciated areas, when there were glaciations (not always) a prolonged surplus of food (like the killing of a very large herbivorous) might have caused some rise in the insulin background (which is sensitive to proteins as well). Such rise would have activated the mTOR pathway, leding to growth and reproduction. A subsequent scarcity of food might have inhibited mTOR, decreased insulin, increased SHBG and caused decrease in libido, coherently with the shift from reproductive to manteinance mode elicited by mTOR. Again, Attia's explanation makes sense even in an ancestral context.
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  #7   ^
Old Tue, Oct-25-16, 21:24
bomberkenn bomberkenn is offline
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Plan: Atkins 20
Stats: 176/175/143 Male 167cm
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Actually I felt that too when I was into the second week of the Atkins Induction phase. I'm a 32 years old, male.
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  #8   ^
Old Wed, Oct-26-16, 08:53
mccoy_3000's Avatar
mccoy_3000 mccoy_3000 is offline
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Posts: 88
 
Plan: moderately LC, HF, LP
Stats: 149/143/143 Male 170
BF:
Progress: 100%
Default

BomberKen, I am pretty sure now that the cause was what exposed. I increased carbs because I do not wish to loose weight, libido returned. What happened most probably that in my insulin sensitive case, insulin dropped, shbg soared, total T remained the same hence bioavailable T decreased taking down libido.what happens is that after some time total T increases, shbg remains constant hence bioavailable T returns to previous or close to previous values. An extremely interesting mechanism.
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  #9   ^
Old Wed, Oct-26-16, 10:23
jaywood jaywood is offline
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Plan: the FightDoctors plan
Stats: 215/171/165 Male 177 cm
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Location: Scotland
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If it is anything, it will be temporary.

The reason for my reply is actually to do with your way forward from weight loss. I assume there is a reason for going low carb. To maintain weight or gain weight, low carb is great. Just eat more. You do not need to increase carbs, or increase carbs (by increasing protein).
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  #10   ^
Old Thu, Oct-27-16, 04:57
mccoy_3000's Avatar
mccoy_3000 mccoy_3000 is offline
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Posts: 88
 
Plan: moderately LC, HF, LP
Stats: 149/143/143 Male 170
BF:
Progress: 100%
Default

I agree that testosterone in such cases will adjust by itself, simply by increasing total T hence increasing bioavailable T. AS to weight loss sorry I just hate too low a BMI. I also practice protein moderation and could not eat many fats.
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  #11   ^
Old Thu, Oct-27-16, 07:57
Sagehill Sagehill is offline
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Plan: My own
Stats: 250/161.4/130 Female 5'3"
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Progress: 74%
Location: Central FL
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Quote:
I increased carbs because I do not wish to loose weight, libido returned. What happened most probably that in my insulin sensitive case, insulin dropped, shbg soared, total T remained the same hence bioavailable T decreased taking down libido.what happens is that after some time total T increases, shbg remains constant hence bioavailable T returns to previous or close to previous values. An extremely interesting mechanism.
A lot of people who go on the potato hack report an interesting increased interest in sex, especially in libidinous dreams. I myself was surprised to notice such an increase on the PH some 5 years ago, and I was nearly 60 at the time. Since then, I've been eating more whole-food carbs... and sleeping better at night; and my thyroid is naturally increasing as well.

Even Atkins never said we were to spend all our lives at very low levels of carbs. Instead, he always encouraged dieters to climb the carb ladder.
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