There has been a scientific study that showed fat cells to be producing aromatase, an enzyme that speeds up chemical reactions. These enzymes are also responsible for building estrogen from molecules of testosterone. For women, this is in very small amounts while for men, testosterone is more. So if a man starts to gain weight, he produces more estrogen and the testosterone level will drop. Likewise, abdominal fat produces large amounts of aromatases, so if fat builds up in a man’s abdomen, his testosterone levels would become lower. This is just one side of the story, why testosterone levels become low. There are other reasons that can contribute to this like chronic disease, genital conditions, or ailments. As people age, hormone levels also decrease.
Being obese in men is a threat to having a balanced hormone. If this happens, your body is unable to send signals to your brain to do exercises, so this becomes a cycle. How? Once you stop losing fat, your testosterone level drops and disables your body to send a signal to your brain, that you should move or do physical activity. If this happens, you need to boost your testosterone levels again. How can we boost testosterone levels? You can reverse the cycle, and direct your body’s testosterone levels to increase by losing weight, especially belly fat.
Losing weight has proven to be an effective way to boost testosterone levels. In fact, if you are overweight and your testosterone level is low, you have to shed off some pounds to get higher testosterone levels. This is true because it was proven that there is a link between testosterone and body fat percentage – the higher percentage of fat that you drop, the higher the level of testosterone will be produced. According to a study when you lose weight, testosterone levels can increase up to 50%. You can achieve this if you start dieting, exercise regularly, or undergo surgery that destroys fats that deplete testosterone.
Some approaches that you can do to boost are:
- Trying to do the heavy lifting and less running activity. Vigorous exercises trigger a large production of testosterone. Do weightlifting activities and strengthen your muscles. Limit rest to keep your cardio activity at a minimum level, too. This can stimulate your body’s production of growth hormone, thus your muscles are built faster.
- Watch your daily habits after your gym workouts. Anything done outside the gym can still contribute to the levels of body hormones. Get enough sleep, avoid alcoholic drinks, and have an active sex life.
- The food you eat also dictates how your body produces these hormones. Do not skimp on calories, increase protein intake, minimize carbs intake and minimal saturated fat for it is a precursor in testosterone production.
There is a high risk of having low testosterone levels if you are obese or overweight. If you do not act on it, there is a greater possibility of you getting bigger because of accumulated fats. A weight-loss strategy can be recommended so you can consistently lose excess body fats and elevate your testosterone levels. Remember that your goal is to remove belly fat, increase muscles, and boost testosterone hormones.