ADVANCED FAT LOSS VIA HORMONAL BALANCING
by Victor Cabot

By now, mostly everyone knows all the different ways to lose fat or at least control it. Or they think they do. Watch your carbs, boost your protein, eat smaller meals, eat frequently, do your cardio, get adequate exercise, drink lots of water, take fat burners, fat blockers, and fat trappers. And it all works.

But, have you considered the role your hormones play in fat formation? Specifically estrogen? This is something NOT everyone knows. Serious bodybuilders, of course, do. So what do they know that the average dieter doesn't? Let's find out.

Estrogen is necessary not just for women, but for all men, too. Men have certain levels of estrogen, just as women have certain levels of testosterone. Obviously, men have more a higher ratio of testosterone to estrogen and women have a higher ratio of estrogen to testosterone. In fact, there is an intimate relationship between estrogen and testosterone, the main hormone that produces more muscular mass. Testosterone converts to estrogen through a process known as aromatization - because that action involves an enzyme called aromatase.

Given that a certain amount of estrogen is required for a normal healthy hormonal balance, what happens when there is too much estrogen? In other words, what are the side effects of too much estrogen? Again, as bodybuilders know, too much estrogen results in an increase in body fat and an increase in water retention.

Another important aspect to consider is what causes increased estrogen. For men, it turns out that one answer is age. As men get older, their estrogen levels rise. For women who have not reached menopause, excess estrogen can cause fat. After menopause, though, their estrogen declines, but they may still get fat. That may be more due to poor diet, lack of activity, or a decrease in the sensitivity of their insulin receptors - so lowering estrogen would not be useful to post-menopausal women.

Another cause of increased estrogen, particularly for men, can be the use certain anabolic or androgenic prohormones or steroids. Some of the prohormones which convert to testosterone, such as androstenedione, readily convert to estrogen. Other compounds, such as androstenediol or Maxteron (a precursor to DHT) do not, which means they are effective in maintaining lower body fat. Yet another result of taking prohormones is that they may (and steroids definitely will) cause the body to its own natural production of testosterone, automatically creating a higher level of estrogen in ratio to testosterone.

So, how do you control or safely lower your estrogen level to create the condition for lower body fat? For years, bodybuilders have relied on expensive prescription drugs such as clomid, nolvadex, proviron, arimidex and cytadren to manage their estrogen. Clomid and nolvadex mainly work by occupying the estrogen receptor sites, blocking the body's more powerful estrogen from creating its side effects. Clomid also allows the body to continue producing a low level of testosterone which would otherwise be shut off. That helps keep fat and water down. It is common for bodybuilders to use clomid to block their estrogen receptors after a cycle of prohormones or steriods so that they aren't affected by estrogen while their testosterone levels are increasing back to normal over a period of several weeks. Proviron, arimidex, and cytadren interfere with aromatase, preventing it from turning testosterone into estrogen.

Keeping in mind that the above-mentioned products are drugs, they are not for the average person. And the average person will not have access to those drugs, nor are they likely to find a doctor who would help them obtain them. Which is all for the good.

There is another way to go. An over-the-counter way. Threecompounds have excellent capability for reducing estrogen's fat-producing and water-retaining effects. They are diindolylmethane (known as DIM), formastane (brand name Formastat) and methoxyisoflavone. DIM acts as both an anti-aromatase and as blocking agent at the estrogen receptor. It is able to cause estrogen to break into derivative metabolites that do not have the negative effects of normal estrogen. Formastane is more specifically only an anti-aromatose. Methoxyisoflavone is an estrogen receptor blocker. By reducing the estrogen attaching to receptors, it allows a higher effective concentration of testosterone in the body.

It makes sense to combine DIM and methoxyisoflavone or formastane and DIM. These combinations are more effective when used together rather than separately. Effective daily dosages would be 150 mg. to 300 mg.of DIM (depending on body weight - over 200 lbs, go with 300 mg.), formastane from 50 to 250 mg., and at least 150 mg. of methoxyisoflavone. Methoxyisoflavone becomes more effective at higher doses, of say, up to 600 or 800 mg.

These three compounds are not the only substances for to controlling or lower estrogen, but they are an excellent start. For men, adding tribulus terrestris into the mix would also be beneficial, especially after ending a prohormone or steroid cycle, since it stimulates an increase in natural testosterone levels and prevents the testes from shutting down.