my symptoms are low testosterone (I had symptoms of it such as low libido and worsening depression, tiredness, irritability, etc. and got it tested. It was below 300
Holy cow, below 300 is REALLY REALLY LOW, no wonder you're having all those symptoms! "A little low" is considered anything below 400, so yeah.
A sedentary lifestyle and loss of muscle combined with eating junky foods (sugar, white flour, lots of chemicals, too much alcohol, etc.) definitely causes a decline in testosterone levels, which in turn causes all sorts of cruddy side effects like depression, mental fogginess, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, loss of muscle, increased weight gain, very low sex drive and a general feeling of not caring about anything. In other words, it's NOT just a natural aging thing, men are doing this to themselves with their lifestyle choices. It's no surprise that everyone here who exercises regularly say it makes them feel better- it boosts testosterone levels. Cardio (especially anything that gets your heart rate up) boosts T production, and resistance training is a HUGE testosterone-stimulating activity. Exercise, exercise, exercise, and avoid eating foods that spike insulin - anything white and/or sugary, anything that turns into glucose upon digestion, (insulin drops testosterone like a rock.)
If I were a guy, here's what I'd do, (it's actually what I do already):
*Lift heavy weights and do cardio regularly
*Eat mostly lean proteins and non-starchy veggies
*Save sugary, white carby foods for occasional treats only, (maybe for one "treat" meal on Saturdays, or something)
*Cut way back on the beer and drink more wine instead (but not tons), and don't regularly drink to the point of being drunk
*If you're smoking cigarrettes, STOP IT, STOP IT RIGHT NOW. You'll thank yourself a million times over down the road- I know I did.
You can totally turn it around if you want to. Not saying you have to become a full-on bodybuilder, you don't have to go crazy with the weights to get the benefits, but here's a really good thread at Bodybuilding.com for men over the age of 35, and there are loads of motivational pics and stories of older guys who started off in really bad shape and got super fit and buff and feel way better nowadays:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=11Check some of the guys in the "Males over 40" albums:
http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/photos/view-category/3Oh, and you don't have to take prescription drugs to raise your T levels: If you Google "How to naturally boost testosterone levels," you'll find lots of articles with all sorts of good advice about diet, exercise, natural supplements (like vitamin D, zinc, fish oils, etc.)
Boy, looking at the big picture, it's no wonder men are talking so much about this "male menopause" thing lately. A more sedentary lifestyle, muscle loss from sedentary lifestyle, lowered testosterone from sitting still and not exercising, crappy "American diet" (so-called)-> foods that raise insulin levels and drop testosterone while at the same time boosting estrogen levels, (high estrogen is very, very bad for men.) What a MESS!
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