First HGH Cycle - Second guessing diet and Creatine

[Jdrose1961]

I'm in the 2nd quarter of my first HgH cycle. I'm doing it alone with Creatine Monohydrate. I'm 52 years old and am feeling stronger, but have gained 17 lbs in the past 4 months. (Current weight 244) So I'm not sure if the strength is attributable to the HgH, creatine, or if its all in my mind.

My question is this...When I eat well, I feel like I'm putting on more fat than muscle, I cant tell day to day if I'm making progress in getting leaner. Are there dieting mistakes that can ruin your HgH experience? Or does HgH cover a myriad of sins? My muscle mass is definitely increasing but so is my waist.

My dose has been 2.1-2.4 IUs...mostly an anti-aging cycle, but I'm on the verge of jumping to 4 and dont want to waste it if I cant eat right.

If a person could do 4 IUs for 112 days (15 pens...30 IUs per pen) what would be the best use and stack for a guy who doesnt want to have a heart attack but get back to a 365 bench...and under 20% bodyfat...and again....suggestions on diet/food intake?

[MuscleInk]

Both creatine and GH can lead to water retention and edema. HG will also elevate BP, especially if you are already above 20% bf, so you should be monitoring your BP.

A bigger factor is likely your diet and cardio (or lack thereof). Do you know what your TDEE is? How many calories above or below your TDEE are you consuming daily? Your macros may be misaligned for shedding weight (e.g. Too many carbs, not enough healthy fatty acids). Your nutrition and cardio are greater variables in weight loss than any drug/hormone/peptide you could take.

I'd recommend posting your nutrition plan here or preferably in the nutrition subforum with your specific goals (e.g. lowering bf) and ask the nutrition experts if your nutrition plan is properly aligned with your goals.

[MuscleInk]

I just checked your profile and it says "probably 30% bf". In all honesty, I'd drop the creatine and possibly the GH (2iu is a low dose) and work on cutting that bf in HALF (get closer to 15%). Being above 30% is a risk factor for many medical problems and your priority now should be dropping calories below your TDEE and increasing cardio. "Move more, eat less" is the dogma for lowering bf.

[Jdrose1961]

Thanks, I guess when it comes to diet I have never been disciplined enough to pick a plan and stay on it. When I lower carbs my strength takes a hit...which means my ego takes a hit and I start second guessing if I'm feeding the muscle enough to not lose any. 25 years ago I entered a contest in Utah and started a precontest diet at 223...I had 8 weeks and by contest day still had some fat around my stomach. The night before I weighed in at 191...8 lbs less than I wanted...after the main show contest night... I weighed myself and I came in at 181...(on a different scale)...but I had dropped significant weight that night and next day...I was flat and barely looked like a bodybuilder. Within 4 days I was back into the mid 190's. Whatever state I put my body in the last couple of days...it really reacted in a negative way. I'll work on the diet data.

[Jdrose1961]

Thanks for the "blunt" analysis. I'm not 100% sure on the bodyfat percentage...I'm seeing a doctor next week. Everytime he sees me he always talks about strength training and things he's seen people do on the internet or TV. I did not get this Somatropin from him, but my gut tells me I can talk to him about it. So I'll get him to do a bodyfat percent test, do some blood work in relation to this. I have upped my cardio the past couple of months and I'm seeing results. In energy levels, but no weight loss. Also slightly in definition... I'm 5'11 and sporting a 38 waist. So until I get an actual bf test I dont want to just drop everything. So I'll keep this advice under my belt til next Thursday. Seems like I've been reading about people cutting with HgH and Anavar. Do you feel this is possibly an alternative to coming off the HgH? My ego really takes a hit when my strength declines, and it takes over in my diet/food choices.