I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and say thanks for the information on eroids. I’m 46 years old and this is a bit of my journey from fat to fit.

Background: NCAA wrestler, extensive strength training / nutrition background, now an average family man and working executive.

Life is a journey through seasons and after 16 years, my “season” of wrestling came to a close. I was way burned out with all the workouts, weight cutting, mental prep, etc. I wanted a family, career and other pursuits that didn’t involve 2 or 3 daily workouts or calorie restrictions.

A “season” turned into two decades and my physique became unrecognizable from the lean fit dude that used to exist. I’m 5’8 and at the start of my fat to fit journey I was 205lbs, likely 25%+ bodyfat.

Physically, I felt very average or poor all the time. My patience was low and irritability was high. I ached all over and slept poorly. I attributed those symptoms to being fat and under-exercised. In late 2023, a close friend challenged me to a triathalon at age 45. I started working out again and knew something was wrong. Minimal adaptations, terrible recovery times and zero weight loss. I had low expectations, but this was epically bad.

I went for a medical checkup and got bloodwork because I felt so wrong. My T was at 305, which my doc said was “in the range”. That was the only thing that stuck out from the bloodwork and exam. Very fat but relatively healthy…

I went for a second opinion at a national hormone clinic and got similar blood values. We started TRT that day. The clinic was great: free bloodwork every 60 days as we dialed in the program. Titrated up to 200mg a week over 9 mos, with an HCG supplement. My estrogen went really high, really fast, likely because of all of the adipose tissue. We started a small dose of Arimidex and got the E into a comfortable spot for me. I learned that E too high and too low are both bad. The “good”range is individual and you have to figure that range for yourself. I run my T at 900-1,000 and my E at 40-60.

TRT is life changing!

Mood, patience, libido all skyrocketed. I felt like “me” again. Can’t say enough good things about TRT for men. We can debate the nuances of cyp vs en, dose timing, AI necessity, side effects, needle size, etc, but I hope we can all agree testosterone is flat out amazing, especially if you are low.

Here we are: Mar 2024 at 205lbs, estimated 25%+ bodyfat at the start of TRT. I steadily got down to 185lbs and 14.1% bodyfat (dexa) by December. Nutrition was the key to this stage. 180g protein from clean, whole foods. I weighed most meals and packed my lunches for work. Three lifts and three runs a week. Felt great, body looked good. Let’s go a step or two further.

I wanted the best body comp of my life at age 46 and decided assistance would help since I’m old. I wanted something “safe” and the minimal effective program that would deliver the outcome. Researched on eroids and other sources extensively. Decided on Anavar due to its “mild” reputation and low side effect profile. I found out that despite the “mild” reputation, Anavar is very powerful.

I did a 12 week cut at 1,750 calories, 185g protein with 25mg Anavar for 6 weeks and 50mg for the last 6 weeks. T dose stayed at 200mg. Nutrition 100% on point. I weighed every gram of food. It felt like my body remembered the 16 years of wrestling workouts and responded well. 4 lifts a week: Push, pull, legs, lagging parts, and 240 minutes of gentle cardio. Anavar is an amazing compound. My strength went up dramatically while cutting hard. Pumps were insane.

Weight dropped from 185 to 168. Dexa bf went from 14.1% down to 8.8%. For the record, my 7 point caliper test was 5.8% when my dexa was 8.8%. I hold a lot of fat in non-caliper areas. The lady running the dexa said “You lost 17 lbs and only 2 lbs of lean tissue. This is remarkable.” No shit, I’m boosted. Bloodwork 3x during the cut. All the expected outcomes from Anavar: Unfavorable lipid profile and some kidney stress, but recovered 6 weeks post-cycle. I used a milk thistle supplement as well.

Very happy with the results. I’m not shredded, but I’m pretty cut at 8.8% bf. People stare when I have my shirt off.

I’m currently eating maintenance calories and have cut back on the cardio. I’m going to try to get to <6.5% on dexa over the summer, just to say I did it. Probably need to be 157-159lbs with minimal lean tissue loss. It will be much harder than the first cut and I’m undecided on more Anavar. Hair loss is a concern and I don’t need to be flooding the system with DHT compounds.

I’m not in a position to give advice to others, so this is not that. My key learnings for myself are:

1. Testosterone is amazing, incredibly powerful on it’s own. I feel great on 900-1,000.
2. Estrogen is important and everyone’s “good” range is different. Mine is 40-60.
3. My goals can likely be achieved with just T. If I decide more is necessary, remember to choose the minimal effective dose and duration. Less is more.
4. Nutrition is 95% of the game. I can use T and A freely, and not get big or shredded without eating right.

Thanks to the current and past eroids members who have contributed to making the site what it is today. The library of advice is awesome. If I decide to continue the journey to get shredded, I will post an update later this summer. I’m sorry for not posting physique pics, but just posting this is enough risk for this season of my life.

Be good. If you can’t be good, be safe.