brand new, need guidance... please read and help, thank you.

[curious250]

The idea of steroids has always scared me. maybe it's the media influence, maybe it's all the horror story's you hear.
i am considering doing a cycle but i hear once you start the addictive tendencies are strong and you will do it all the time.
Questions:
1) where is a reliable source to go to get accurate information concerning pros and cons for steroid use?
2) i have been working out for 7 years, the last 4 months i have slacked considerably and gaind 20-30 lbs of fat due to an injury and a bit of depression and stress in my life. will steriods help me burn that fat while im putting on muscle?
3) im interested in lean muscle not a large amounts of bulk, 20 to 25lbs would be more then enough, what is a good steroid to use in order to put on 20 to 25 lbs of lean muscle and drop the fat i have at the same time?
4)what are good ways to help with the side effects, acne, depression when the cycle is over, getting your own testosterone levels back to normal after the cycle is over, etc?
5) where can i go to fined a meal plan that will work while doing a cycle? at my best im 6"1 and 170lbs right now im 190lbs, 30lbs of fat of course i know how to loose fat but have no idea how to lose fat while gaining muscle because although i have lifted iv'e never actually gained much muscle.
6) where can i find a good work out plan to put gains on and loose body fat?
7) is roid rage real? if so how do you deal with it?
8) what are the chances that after going though a cycle i will be able to avoid doing another cycle if i dont want to?
9) 5 years ago i tried the "legal" steroids that the sell at max muscle all i got was a case of shingles which was the most painful thing iv'e ever been though, has anyone ever had a case of shingles due to taking roids?
10) last but not least Are steroids worth taking???
any response or advice would be greatly appreciated, im not going to just jump in and do this with out research or advise.

[brazey]

Welcome to the board. You asked a ton of questions but didn't provide much information about yourself. Age, training experience, diet, health, current and past programs, etc. are important elements to consider in order to provide you with meaningful advice. Most of your questions can be answered by reading our various forums, especially the stickys. I'm glad you said you're not going to jump into anything without doing research. Using a proper cycle & PCT when your're ready, to enhance a good training & eating plan can be very rewarding if done wisely.

[curious250]

i appreciate the response. there is a lot of info to read hear, my apologies, after posting I realized that a lot of the information is already available. im doing research as we speak, It can be very overwhelming though. I'm 34, 6'1 between 190 and 200 right now, at my most ripped I was 168lbs and about 3.5 percent body fat. At the age of 26 I was 260lbs, I was 80lbs over weight. so it took me over a year and I lost it. After loosing all the weight it became apart of my life eat right go to the gym, etc. most of my work outs are free weights and self resistance's, push-ups, pull-up, etc. In 2008 I decided to start kickboxing and that is what I've done sense then. kickboxing is much of the same, free weights, push-ups, pull-ups, squats, crazy cardio and of course fighting. I was going 2 to 3 hours a day 4 to 6 days a week. in addition I have gone through 10 rounds of p90x and a few rounds of insanity just to mix it up. to get completely of subject I must let you know that 16 months ago I injured my shoulder kickboxing. it wasn't healing so I did x-rays, MRI,( the MRI showed nothing wrong but it still hurts like hell) I had physical therapy for 6 months none of it has worked except for cortisone shots. The doc has been talking scope surgery because I've already had 16 months of shots ( every 3-4 months another cortisone shot). so the doc told me NO fighting NO training just do exactly what the physical therapist has taught me. He said I could run as well. the thing is the physical therapist wants me to lift weights and move my shoulder a lot.(confused yet???) I F'ed up my foot running 4 months ago, so running was out of the question. My foot healed a month ago and I have been running sense. back on subject I got caught up in life and left my exercise and diet at some point 4 months ago. I've put on 20lbs of fat because of a bit of depression and bad eating habits I recently formed. (no worries mate I can get that under control in no time) my brother in-law had a similar shoulder injury he didn't want surgery so he did some research and decided that he would try a cycle it worked, his shoulder healed up nicely. and in addition he put on 25lbs of solid weight and his waste trimmed down. I've though about riods in the past because when I am ripped I'm so damn skinny the wind could blow me over. ( I tried some of those "legal steroids" they sell at nutrishop but I think I messed up when I was taking them because 2 weeks after starting a cycle I ended up getting shingles. I had no idea what I was doing) so the plan is this, do research, fined a cycle that will help me gain muscle and loose the fat I've put on and hopefully the shoulder will heal up as well. I think a lot of my injuries are due to getting old and I might be low in my testosterone levels. I know there are rules to this site and I am in no way wanting to break them. any info or help would be greatly appreciated.

[Tigershark]

Welcome.