newb needs help please

[ibuyhouses]

ok im 35 years old im 5foot 9 weigh 229 body fat prob 25 % ive been in the gym for almost a year when i started i was 285 so pretty decent loss of weight noticed was always tired still so had test levels checked it came in at 214 so doc put me on cyp at 200 mg every other week 1 cc but i figured might as well do 200 mg 1 cc om mon and fri so 400 mg a week now i just did my third shot so its b een nine days now i dont feel much diff should i be taking more based on my levels were so low to begin with i work out 6 days a week cardio in morning weight training in evening diet pretty strict mostly chicken and salads pork veggies no high fat foods no fast foods pretty much same diet i lost 50 pounds on naturally how ever ive notice ive gained weight was 229 last night weighed 233 after gym went did cardio this morning weighed again 235 why am i gaining weight when im working out harder then before more cardio but same diet so two part question

should i up my cycle to see gains in muscle and strength from my routine now which is mon 1cc 200mg fri 1 cc 200mg based on my natrual low test levels of 214 ????

also why do you think the gain in weight im encountering is from

[forrest_and_trees]

Welcome to the site and congratulations on your recent weight loss.

There are others on this site with a bit more knowledge of cycling who may chime in at some point however, from what I can see, my first reaction is you need to *slow down*. If you're treating Low T, you're in this for the long term, i.e. "the rest of your life". It's not something you can choose to stop at some point.

400mg a week is way too much. Even 200mg a week is *plenty*. [Most people here who aren't cycling use 200mg a week]. I was on 200mg a week for about 6 months; when I started, my Total Test was 174, a month ago it was 1132. That's actually high so I've had to back off. Average range, [even for the hard core body builders on this sight] is around 775-875 Total Testosterone . I'm now down to 180mg a week and about to test again to see what my levels are. Which is the next piece of the puzzle.

You'll need to get your blood tested regularly. At least every 6-8 weeks or so until you get yourself dialed in. Next what you should be worried about, especially with the amounts of Test you're taking, is your estrogen or "Estradiol". [E2] Too much will both counteract the Testosterone and worst case, give you "man-boobs" [Gynecomastia] also referred to sometimes as "gyno". Did you have your E2 check when they checked your Test? What else was tested? How about your Thyroid? TSH, Free T3 and T4? There are a number of things that can be contributing to your feeling tired but you need to know what all your levels are to have a better understanding.

Who's your doctor? Are you working with a GP, Endocrinologist or an anti-aging clinic? I would stick with what they prescribed and down the road, I would seriously consider adding an Anti-Aromatase. [Also known as an Aromatase Inhibitor [AI] or estrogen blocker.] There are several to choose from. The most effective and most popular is Arimidex . But before you can choose any of them you need to know your E2 numbers. It's really important to know your starting number and then follow up number after being on the Test Cyp for a while. Average E2 for a male is 20-50. Most try and stay in the 20 range.

Lastly, as for your weight gain, it's likely two fold. You're probably gaining muscle mass, especially with the amounts your taking however you're also likely retaining water too. That's a side effect of elevated E2 numbers.

You're embarking on a pretty complex and long road. There are a lot of other factors to be addressed as you get in to Testosterone Replacement Therapy, [TRT]. A good place to start educating yourself is to read the half dozen or so permanent threads at the top of this forum. That will give you a much better understanding of the whole deal.

Best of luck.

[ibuyhouses]

well my dr presribed 200 mg cyp 1 cc every two weeks but before i even went to dr i was gonna do a cycle of cyp at 400 week1 cc of 200 on mon and one on fri for 12 weeks so m y plan was to do the 400 a week for the 12 weeks then step down to dr prescribed dose of 200mg 1cc every other week im doing this to gain lean muscle mass and was gonna follow up with winny to shred the unwanted weight i plan on taking liquid dex .5 eod for water weight so on

[forrest_and_trees]

Well if you've already made up your mind and all you really wanted to know is *why* you're gaining weight.. I could have saved myself a lot of time and trouble and simply told you, "You're gaining muscle mass and retaining water". Do the math.

Your welcome and good luck.

[Vettester]

Welcome to the forum. Your opening thread line is, "Newb that needs help" ... What is it exactly you would like help with? Your weight gaining concern is probably 90% water retention related. Please clarify ... Your doc just started you here within a week or so on 200mg/e2w (or could break down to 100mg/wk), but you've elected to go 400mg/wk right out of the gate, not knowing how your body will react to any of this?

Will gladly help, but I doubt you're going to like my suggestions. If you are dead set on going this route then best of luck to you.

[coop1212]

Slow down ! Listen to them.

[flatscat]

Hey man, you are a newb to what? trt? have you done cycles in the past? what are your goals and initial lab results. There will be no hacking on ya from me, but we gotta know what you are trying to do in order to point you in the right direction. Hope you let us. But if not, good luck anyway. Flats

[bowers32]

First you have come to the right place. These are very cool folks here who know their stuff. I am more like you in that I have been on TRT for only about 5 months... these guys have been doing this a lot longer and they have already figure a lot of it out.

I can't give you all the years of knowledge they .can, but I can tell you from someone who like you had low test and started this journy without much help from a doc.

Whatever you do... take your time... start very low... take notice of how you feel.... look for any side affects... do blood work in about 6 weeks and let that guide you to any changes. If you don't there could be some bad times coming.

trust me I know... i went through hell for weeks until I finally stopped everything... asked for some advice on this board and folks like vetteman helped out... I then started back.. low doses.. did lab work regularly and lo and behold, things evened out and some of the bad times I went through stopped.

it is true that all of us are different... our bodies deal with this stuff differently so at some point you will have to make the best decsion for you whether or not anyone agrees with it or not.. it is afterall your body.

But those kind of decisions should come later, down the road when you have the basics nailed down, and you have down several labs and understand what is going on with your test, estrogenm, IGF, Liver, Thyroid and pitutary and lipids... they are all connected to this TRT game and they all matter.

as one poster said, this is for life.. so you have time.. slow down... take your time and make sure you understand everything you are taking and what it's affect is on your body.

I wish you good luck.

[coop1212]

Good post bowers.