While dieting men receiving placebo lost both fat and lean mass, the weight loss with testosterone treatment was almost exclusively due to loss of body fat."

As funny as this sideshow is here (Rusty v. Beirut…if y’all were a married couple I’d refer to y’all as “lil-hooker” or BiHooker, or Rusty Lil BeiRut Hooker” ;) nah I like you both around here.)…but let’s get down to business because you both make accurate statements I think OP would do well to understand. First the “parroting” - or, much like King Solomon I will just issue the ruling:

1. OP, drop the scale and scale your drops in clothing fit/size. Those scales gonna give you the wrong answer every time and a body image disorder. Obsess on your %of frequency and intensity in the gym versus your previous training levels. Whatever you think is pushing yourself to the max is not your max. It’s completely okay though, measure your achievement as your performance in meeting your goals/achievements. The day will come when you can think you got the health and body composition you wanted but for now you risk the problem of losing weight easily for a while until it comes slower and slower and motivation falls off. Next thing you know you’re back where you started. Don’t fall into this. The reward is the consistency and fortitude to do this long term. Every day is a milestone to reach and everyone of those can be reached by working a little more efficiently and effectively in your performance - the goal is to keep improving performance not going through the motions or checking boxes. Check that you’re knocking those boxes out better and better each time. ;)

2. Calipers, if you must. But see above. Those minutes spent focused on pinching fat should be focused on lifting weight instead. Try reducing to once a month or twice a year until you’re slimmer. By then, unless you’re competing in something you’ll use the mirror and people’s compliments as your calipers. Better metric for you imo.

3. Fat loss will occur more efficiently with larger muscle mass. And you can drop a lot of weight in shorter periods. Join a wrestling team and come back in three months. Rusty is right on this one, Beirut is more practical on this point because let’s face it, you ain’t dropping to 187 in 12 weeks just because you can - in fact it’s overwhelmingly likely you won’t. Don’t get discouraged the steady and continuous improvement will change more than your weight over the longer term anyway. Because let’s remember:

4. This is about improving your metabolism and metabolic markers of health, not strictly fat loss. So what do you do with the tools you have and your stated mindset and intentions?

5. You’re gonna stick to gear, so do it right, for yourself. Lipids and BP, inflammatory markers, endocrine numbers…testing this and watching for any signs towards better health or worsening metabolic syndrome risk factors is your goal. Losing fat and gaining muscle is a huge part of that. Gear might do wonders in that department but compromise what doesn’t appear in the mirror or that whack ass scale. Your heart and brain are real f’ing important. Stay on nandrolone long enough and it will put you at risk for some reduced mental health issues or CNS related differences, let’s say. They can be discomforting and subtle. You will probably be okay but keep these factors in your personal risk assessment. I’d lose the NPP for now. Let it shine later when you’re thinner and keep those androgen receptors fresh like a virgin.
   Since you’re gonna do what you’re gonna do, I’d switch to Var over NPP. Some really revealing new studies on oxandrolone since it’s going through an ANDA with the FDA to be marketed for burn injuries. They have 5 year studies and also short term studies in humans in RCTs with high frequency blood testing and it’s fairly stated that reasonable doses, probably even modest doses for our purposes, don’t in fact cause liver damage after all. It can increase liver enzyme values in some but appears not to damage the liver. It also seems less suppressive or not at all in many cases. You’re on “TRT” though and shut down by now anyway, but it might appeal. Last, the biggest takeaway is that it burns fat and builds muscle, yes, and does this even in the absence of any movement (those would be intensive care burn unit patients though rotationally in and out for surgical graphs while in the hospital only. Still the group given anavar had 3 pounds more muscle and those without had lost about the same. Once rehab started these trends continued. Far more elucidating was why. It seems anavar promoted a stronger inflammatory reaction with tissue damage (as it would with lifting), but cut the length of time this phase of inflammatory response to tissue stress/damage before the subsequent, less catabolic phases began and overall it resolved far better than an ordinary immune response, and this immune response is one of the worst dangers of obesity as it damages your brain and becomes systemic and eventually chronic. Dietary DHA and EPA as well as palmitoylethanolamide will help, especially if you fall back into a high fat diet. Protect your neck? Protect your brain.

6. I forget what number this is, sorry. It’s controversial, but there’s some calling for TRT practitioners to use trenbolone in higher body fat patients. It’s completely bizarre to me because I don’t associate tren with a lower risk profile, but the fact remains it is studied about twice now with I believe one in humans, so not enough for you to change over but a good read about why patient health isn’t always improved in men with higher body fat % than leaner, younger men with hypogonadism. Lipids and nearly every measure of metabolic disease was functionally registering better than test cyp in these high fat hypogonadal men and mice. Still, watch what I say. Don’t f’ing change to tren because I noted this. It’s a reminder that hopping on testosterone might make you feel better and will help body composition, it’s not medicine or TRT if you do it on your own like you are, and more importantly, you might be doing a disservice to yourself over the long term. So please measure your heath by your health, not the visual manifestation of poor health alone.
   Lastly, everyone can shit on me for this long ass post but I had 20 minutes so I jotted this out. Sorry if you want to know shit but can’t read for shit and have no attention span…just stop reading if you’re bored. I stopped paying attention 19 minutes ago ;)

Nice job so far bro. Keep it up. In fact, mark this date in your calendar and come post again in one year on this forum and show us what’s up. I bet you can do some big things in that time. I bet you surprise yourself; damn sure to surprise some of the sharks around here…be well my man.