I've adjusted my diet, but am puzzled at the results...
Back around May, I posted my cycle which has some NPP, Test C, and Var. The response I got back was rexamine my diet - that I should adjust and fix my diet - and to drop some of the AAS. That's what I did. I was tracking my macros daily. I was getting around 2500 calories a day, clean eating, around 220/220/80 of protein, carbs, and fat (in grams). I also moved back to just Test C with a pinch of NPP. I also took GW-501516 and SR9011 to try to trim off the fat.
After a month of this, I lost ~15 lbs. Here's the kicker: around 3.5 lbs was fat (if my memory is correct) but like 10 lbs was "lean mass." I'm wondering if this could have been water weight? I adjusted my Test C to like 300mg/wk and NPP to around 100. I was still training... Any ideas how to improve? The other possibility could be the device I used to track my mass. It measures surface area and has an algorithm and other body samples to calculate things like bone density, fat mass, lean mass etc...
I do want to get down to 200lbs. I'm sitting at 220 @ 22% bf. I have the body scans I'll need to get some pictures of to show you all. There definitely is improvement. Smaller waist, more pronounced v-taper, and good looking back muscle and arm development. I still have lose skin on my chest and stomach which seems to slowly be getting back to normal
I appreciate the feedback I get from you all, even if it's criticizing, I just ask for constructive criticism please. Don't tell me I suck with no given solution - that solves nothing. I've read a few posts about diet, and have done some of my own research and consulted with some of my doctor friends.
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Let's call that weight you lost fat and bloat not lean mass. When you are pretty high in BF and dropping fat you can expect to drop a ton of bloat also. Your cal restriction isn't so severe that you would be losing LBM.
If you are using one of those impedance dealies to track body comp then forget about it. I was 4% going into a comp and that damn thing was registering me as 17% BF. Totally unreliable IMO. Will vary greatly just based on hydration. Really nothing better than the good ole calipers.
Should you, or should you not run AAS with 22% BF?
Only if you are required to be on TRT and using your TRT dose.
Yeah... but this guy is not. 22% + AAS = nowhere fast
what do you mean by run AAS? I like exogenous testosterone. It's immensely improved my quality of life, even at like 175/wk. It seems like the effects it has on my body agree with it. I'm also in my mid 30s and feel like the rewards are worth the risk. And actually, my health has improved on all marks.
Do you get your blood work done regularly? How about monitoring blood pressure? Just some things too look out for if running AAS at a higher BF%. You might "feel" good but doesn't mean everything is good. Running copious amounts of AAS for extended periods of time with elevated Test levels is not good for the heart. Even though exercise is good for the heart all the extra work is working your heart. It's the most important muscle in the body and yes, it does respond to AAS and will enlarge over time. Blood will thicken as well and your heart has to work harder. It's why so many BB's die at an early age. Sure they're probably abusing way more than you but everyone is different. All the extra androgens running through your body and being a higher BF amplifies the negatives of AAS. Just something to consider.
Thanks for pointing out some smart markers to look for. Yes, I check my BP daily. It actually has gotten better over the last few months - it used to be abnormally high without AAS, even when I was just chilling.
Blood tests I get done every 8-12 wks.
ALSO....Something you wont hear much of is you don't want to run the top of the reference range. Sure doctors will say having a level of 1000-1100 is in the normal range but staying that high for extended periods of time is not good. You'll want to drop to a more normal range say I dunno a few hundred points lower 600-700 would be more ideal to more real world numbers.
Depends. Need a picture to answer
https://www.eroids.com/forums/newbie-corner/various-topics/my-progress-s...
Some months old... But progress has been made. It's just a pain in the ass to take the pictures on this thing.
Thank you for weighing in on the subject.
If you insist on taking AAS drop to a TRT level dose and lose the NPP. Don't run high stacked with NPP. having a higher BF% isn't really optimal for what you're running. It will make it harder to lose. Water weight is a real things. Which is why a lot of guys like Dbol. It blows you up and you get nice and juicy. The down side is when you get off you deflate. High test will have this affect as well. Especially if you are a higher BF, you will retain more water. Water can throw off them scans quite a bit as much as 5% and report it as lean mass. Pinch test would be more accurate.
Will you explain the pinch test please?
I havent gained any fat only nitrogen filled muscles on npp.
They use calipers on various areas of the body to get a more accurate result of BF%
Rustyhooker^^^^^boom....pinch or fold calipers. Inexpensive on amazon
I like the effect of T for sure. It's helped my quality of life immensely, even at TRT dosages. The NPP I try to get low enough for just therapeutic uses, but your recommendation is to drop that to trim up more? I'm doing like 100mg of that per week. It's definitely worth a try to drop it since I'm trying to get to my goal. I try not to go overboard with any of the dosages. Next week I'm dialing back T, and I'll drop NPP to see how that works. Thanks!
His results would be faster and better to focus on straight fat burn then run cycle afterwards. Makwa would agree.
I'm going to get a body scan this weekend (or try) and publish my results to show you all my cycle progress this time around. And hopefully work out a game plan for my off cycle work, and preparing for my next one for around Sept or Oct, if I'm ready by then.
RustyhookerScale weight vs lean mass....the dip test eould be more accureate in distinguishing between the two. Glycogen/water can drop with some chems, yes. Foods too can hold or drop water. Shitty part about cutting is we gotta stop tripping on scale weight and watch waist band on pants or loosening of shirts in bad spots. Pinch test can help with % being last but clothes tell the truth
I'll second that. I've dropped from 270 last Sept to hovering between 218 and 222 depending on water and if I've pooped. I bought all new clothes at 225 now I haven't lost much scale weight to say I've needed to buy new clothes but I'm down two shirt sizes from XXL to large and down 4 inches in pants sizes. And I look much different.
I go up in shirt sizes when I lose weight. My wife told me to keep all my smaller shirts because I will be able to wear them when I cut. Nope, they just keep on getting tighter.
RustyhookerApplause!!! Good to hear the success
This WILL BE THE ONLY time I EVER will agree with you about scale weight vs actual clothes fitting. Hope you understand that! Best you do.Yea yea yea everyone is a parrot with a mullet I know.
Clothes are fitting loser. The new pants I bought a couple of months ago now require a belt. And the belt I bought a few months ago is too large for me now.
The dip test?
I agree with you: how am I looking and clothes fitting? Everything is getting larger lol (my clothes). I still use my same gym shirt as i did back in Oct lol it obscures my size, but when I do something that requires me to lift my hands above my head, people then comment about my weight loss or whatever. it is a nice little confidence boost. I feel more confident and better every day.
RustyhookerCutting like suggested up above i like lower test with eq or dhb. With eq acting lightly as ai 300test 600eq and adjust test as needed. Makwa has a ton of firums on dhb and its a straight forward cycle. Basicall a dry anabolic stack. Var pops in as var is mega anabolic, kills appetite and does burn fat by binding affinity. Its not magic....it will still be focus and sweat
Anaerobic cardio post lifting too. I will see if i can find forum but weights burns carbs. Anaerobic cardio burns fat....of course body will use cheapest fuel first before fat burning so thats why weights first.
Thank you for the information! I don't want to rush into a lot of compound, but eq/dhb have piqued my curiosity, but I want to wait and try the exercise techniques. I do some HIIT type of cardio after lifting most days. Perhaps I will investigate other compounds later this year. The next 12 weeks though, TRT level dosages, clean eating, and good of course exercise.
I took a quick peek at the post. Thank you! It looks like an interesting read, and something I wasn't aware of before.
RustyhookerThis read....author has a complete set and competed. Gone now so says anonymous
https://www.eroids.com/forums/training-nutrition-diet/workout-exercise/t...
There's no point in running a cycle with 22% BF
RustyhookerGood parroting there.
Geezer tryna stay sharpe lol.
Haha. Boy I'll tell ya
You know when someone tries too hard and it starts to stink?
RustyhookerBut not a parrot. Go buy your mullet and get back of bus
Easy grandpa hook.. that stings me ego!
Back of the bus? That's something weird folks said back in the 60's. Not good. And those mullets. Seems to be fascinated with those.
RustyhookerYelliw helmets always sit in back. Window lickers. Lol
His insults are so outdated it's like watching the Andy Griffith show lol.
I know they are. And I hated that dang show. Those old re-runs.
Rusty-Re-Run.... is that his new nick name?
I watched the cheesiest movie ever. It's called Leprechaun in da hood! That lil nasty ugly creature was something else. He wanted his pot of gold! Lol I can picture his face when I close my eyes.
New nickname. I like that
Lifted-presence92That was actually kinda funny.
Hahaha. I smell it many thousands of miles away!
If you are at 22% BF, adding steroids is going to make it harder to get that fat off. Anytime you add muscle weight there will be a tiny bit of fat/water that comes with it. Anytime you lose bodyweight and fat, there will be muscle tissue that comes with it too.
You are better off burning all the fat at the expense of some muscle, then run a light cycle. Then repeat
EDIT: Even when you do cycle your milligrams should be no more than 100-250 total per week until your BF % gets lower.. Lower the BF % the higher dosage of a cycle you can run.
That is for the response. I've been on testosterone for about 8 months now. My first cycle was about 2 months. I started out at 300mg of T, then went up to around 420. I had great results from that, and didn't watch my diet near as closely. I lost quite a bit of fat that time.
Thanks for your comment. I'm done with my 3 months blast of T. I'll be dialing it back to 150-200 range like you said next week. The TRT lab has me at 200mg/wk. There are some peer reviewed medical publications indicating that T actually does help get rid of fat. I've lost around 40 or so pounds of fat so far. It's that last little bit that is the most difficult.
I don't want to get too crazy with high dosages of AAS. I want some muscle mass and less fat. The reverberating idea I get around here is diet is key. My diet has definitely improved over the last couple months.
When I'm back at my cruise, I'll keep working to get my overall weight down, so hopefully after summer I can be at close to my target weight.
RustyhookerPlease explain that theory since proper steroids will stop mass loss. Explain how losing muscle sparks up fat loss? Parroting 101
300mg of Test, 100mg of NPP with 22% body fat? Lol Unless this dude is eating in a 500-1000 calorie deficit there's no way his BF will go down otherwise he would be there already.
I'm at 2500 cal/day with 60-90 minutes of gym time 6 days a week. I can revamp my diet more. I just didn't want to fall into too large of a deficit.
I had a similar body type as you which is why I commented on this thread first. The faster you drop body weight and fat, the quicker you will get to your goal. Remember putting on muscle with steroids is very easy and happens very fast.
Burning fat? That's a whole different ball of wax and it's slllow. You must separate the two.