Journal blog of an Avanar user: Cycle one results report

[stripling]

Age: 45/46
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 245lbs (goal 190 or -55)
Body Fat: 33% (goal 10%)
Arms: 15.5" (no goal, maybe 17.5"?)
Waist: 44" (goal 34" or -10")
Chest: 47" (no goal, maybe 48"?)
Dose: 40mg/day
Cycle: 8 weeks planned

This is my first cycle of any steroid or drug... ever. I've studied on and off for about a year until I finally got over my fear and just decided to dive in. Once I got a good supplier I ordered my Ox, mixed it with chocolate, poured it into molds and voila.

As you can see, I'm old and heavy. My ideal weight is 190 so I've been 55lbs over. I've been working out 4 times a week for 7 years now. I hit my wall years ago and got tired of healing slowly.

I attended seminars dealing with steroid therapy and did a lot of research before I finally decided I really have nothing to lose at this age. I had doctors tell me I'm classic low-T --- so I jumped in nervously.

I've been on Anavar for one month now and have one big regret so far. That is, that I did not do this ten years ago. I've decided to document (blog) my experiences here for all the world. Here's my detail:

Day 1: Took my first tab and hit the gym a few hours later. I felt a strange "clench" in my muscles while working out. Something felt like it was awakening. My buddy said he didn't feel it (we started, as virgins, this cycle together) but I work out a lot and he never does. It felt good lifting. I wanted to hurt my muscles to see what the healing results would be. After everything I've read I was excited to see what would happen. I've been suffering for years now.

Day 2: Hit the gym again. My muscles felt ... tight? That's the only way I can describe it. It felt pretty good.

Day 3: Hit the gym hard today. Sweating like crazy. Sweat is almost like water in taste. I'm a little sore but after the last two days expected to be more sore. Increased my weights for legs, arms and chest just to blow my muscles out. The "wolverine" healing is something I'd trying to test.

Day 4: This sucks ... I'm getting a cold. Sneezing so hard I threw my back out a little. My girlfriend just got over the flu and I hope I don't have it.

Day 5: I still sweat hard. I also have increased amounts of gas, as has been documented by several other Anavar users. I'm simply amazed how I can keep coming back to the gym. Day 3 and 4 I lifted so hard I generally have to take two and sometimes three days off before I come back to the gym. I'm hurting today so turning it down a little.

Day 6: My cold is getting worse and my back lower back is pretty screwed up. Taking the day off.

Day 7: Back at the gym. Still gassy, still sweating hard, still a little sick. Trying to work through it. I'm not sleeping well and I don't know if it's due to the Var or my illness. My friend who's cycling with me tells me he has zero effects at all so far. He has not even worked out yet. I don't know why he's taking the Var at all if he's not going to work out hard but I'm glad he is because it means my ill effects are due to my flu/cold.

This documents week 1. I will now go week by week.

Week 2: My back is bad all this week and I thought about stopping my cycle. I decided to press on and do what I can. Hope I'm not wasting my money. At the end of this week my muscles started to feel harder. No joke - just like they say. Tighter and harder. Chest, arms and legs. It feel good. Amazing, actually. I'm working out almost as hard now sick as I could work out well. Can't wait to get well to see what it will be like. Still sweating, still have gas.

Week 3: Gas has really slowed down and my sweating, while more than normal, is less than weeks 1 and 2. By the end of this week I couldn't believe my muscles... so hard! I increased my weights significantly. I'm starting to really feel it now.

Week 4: My back is finally better and my cold is gone. I get a cold in my back muscles once every 3 or 4 years for about 2 weeks. I'm so glad it's gone.

Sweating is much closer to normal now... still more than normal.
Gas is gone, no ill effect from the Var now.
Sleep if fine. Obviously my poor sleep was due to my illness.
I have lost 5 pounds of fat now and think I'm up 5 pounds of muscle. My legs are simply amazing. My girlfriend is shocked.

This brings me up to today. Let me tell you my impressions so far.

#1: Healing. I heal so fast it's insane. I can work out hard in the morning and feel like working out again that night. Sometimes I do. Before Anavar it would take 2 days minimum to recover. Now, I ONLY FEEL like working out. When I do I can NOT do the reps I can if I wait a full day and if I wait 2 days I can rep more and do more weight. But I'm ON CYCLE (precious time) and want to keep myself burned out so I'm going to try and hit it as much as I can.
#2: Strength. This took 2 weeks to notice and 3 to kick in. I'm kicked in now and I love it. I could do ten consecutive push-ups at the start... now I can do 25. I could do no pull-ups now I can do 3. I could do no dips now I can do 5. I could do 20 deep squats now I can do 60.
#3: Endurance: this is the least noticeable, yet noticeable!
#4: Cutting (or in my case weight loss): I'm gaining muscle at the same rate I'm losing fat. I'm happy with it. I hope now that I'm no longer ill the rest of my cycle will pick up. I'd like to lose 10 pounds of fat in November. I'm almost half way through my cycle so I need to pick up the pace.

This is no joke. I've been doing this for YEARS! This is truly a turbo-charger.

Cardio: 3 miles is my usual on the elliptical and stairs. Now 3 miles goes by fast. I'm up to 5 miles now. (450 cal to 650 cal appx)

Here are my current stats:

Weight: 238 (-7 pounds)
Arms: 16" (+.5")
Waste: 43" (-1")
Chest: 47.5 (+.5" - noticeably less fat, moobs much smaller)
Body Fat: 29.5% (-3.5%)

Clearly the most notable thing is my muscles. They are tighter and/or harder. They feel amazing. Great, as a matter of fact. It's addictive. The difference between how fast I heal now and how my muscles feel is as wide as the difference between before I started to cycle Var and how I was when I was 18 years old. I never felt this good even at 18, 19, 20, 21 or 22. I never healed this fast. I should be limping! I should not be able to walk with how I'm working out and I simply get stronger and stronger! 1/2 way through the cycle and I'm a believer.

I've noticed testicular shrinkage. My testicles are roughly 35-40% smaller. I've been feeling testicular "cramping" or small amounts of pain from week 2. This I mention not because I care as I do not care one bit. The slight discomfort is well worth it. Now, in week 5, the pain is nearly gone.

I will keep you up to date with further results news. BTW, my friend has started to work out and reports exactly the same results as I, including testicular shrinkage, hardening muscles, fast healing and a slight decrease in appetite.

I dread going off my cycle. From what I've read I will not be able to cycle again until February! time on = time off... I'm very sad about this. I'm thinking of doing a T3/clen cycle once the roid cycle is over. It looks like 3 cycles per year is what I'll be doing.

Anyone want to tell me what you think of all this? I'm a total newbie at this... advise? Observations? Suggestions?

Thanks, forum...

Oh, I wanted to mention I purchased enough var for 3 cycles. I also purchased 3 cycles of primo and 5 cycles of Deca. THIS IS MY 1st CYCLE and I do not plan on stacking until I've single-cycled 3 or 4 times (over 1 year). I fear the deca and am thinking primo will be my next cycle.

Please, experienced roiders, I'm very open to your advise.

So far so good. Results took a while to come on (3 weeks or so) but I'm very pleased thus far.

[stripling]

Addendum 1: Forgot to mention I'm sleeping about 7 hours a night now instead of 8. I sleep fine. Also, I'm hotter now. Thank goodness it's October... I think if I were to have started in the summer I'd have died from the heat as I live in Las Vegas and it's hot as hell here.

Diet: I eat healthy. 2 protein shakes a day spread out, egg-beaters, salmon steaks, chicken, veggies. My diet is about 125g protein, 100 carbs (obviously no ketosis here! so much for Atkins) 80 fat (is that too much?). That's 4x125 or 500 pro, 4x100 or 400 carb and 9x80 or 720 fat total of 1620 cal / day. You diet people, what do you think of this? Was told you can't metabolize more than 30g protein per 4 hours so I'm trying to spread out my intake throughout the day. 25 morning, 32 lunch before workout, 32 after workout and 40 or so dinner. LOVE to read your advise on diet, roid usage, everything.

Obviously I'm taking Var due to my high body fat. I'm 29% so have to do cutting roids, right? The expensive stuff... Var and Primo... Hope the Deca is okay - got it for such a good deal I couldn't pass it up. Might try it in 18 months or so once I'm down to 190.

YOUR ADVISE MEANS A LOT TO ME! Thanks!

[Jackhouse]

I don't mean to slash down your goals but losing 50+ lbs and gaining 2 inches on your arms is a little unrealistic.

[stripling]

Thanks for the comment, Jackhouse... but 90% of my fat is on my stomach and very, very little on my arms. You're probably right, though, and 1" gain might be more correct considering that a will lose arm fat... it's not like i'm veiny and thin in my arms. I'm benching 45x5 now 10 reps (225) but hope I can do 10 reps at 250 by the end of my cycle. I'm giving myself six months to reach my goals, not to the end of my cycle. I should have been clear about that! My bad...

[big_ron]

Running a var only cycle is not the best idea

[Sicko]

you should post a now pic and some when you are done to show how well the var met your expectations..

[SergeantCarbs]

Hi Stripling, great thread buddy. I've been lurking on this board for a few weeks now but just registered in order to receive notification(s) when your thread is updated. Specially happy that your logging waist & BF% measurements to judge your progress along the way.

I'm in a similar boat to yours which caught my interest. A bit more then a year ago now I started my journey around the same height (about 3/4" taller) & measurements as yours. I dropped about 50 lbs in a bit more then a year now (0.5 to 1lb per week) which was slow but I did great as far as minimal LBM loss (about 5 lbs total - 10%). However even with such a great job of protecting the LBM loss I was still around 18-20% bf and getting very low in body weight (165 lbs) and just looking sickly. Knowing I still had a lot more to lose to reach 10% but couldnt afford to go much lower in overall weight I decided to start a cutting cycle (was trying to hold out till I lost the weight naturally and save the cycling for bulking back up).

Figured I would start with Var & Sustanon but of course there were some delays in receiving. So I started with 2-3 weeks of some very old primo which I happened have around. After that I started the anavar and two weeks later started the sus. This Friday will make the end of week 4 on the anavar and week 2 of the sus.

First few weeks on the primo didnt do much as far as additional weight loss but I did have some positive effects with LBM gain (looking forward to running that at longer length in the future). I've had similar results to yours with the 4 weeks on var so far, fat loss has jumped from 1/4" to 1/2" per week and my overall weight has remained the same for the last 3 weeks despite having lost 1.5" from my waist and around 6lbs of fat during that time. So it seems to be increasing lbm at the same rate as the fat burn. Barely been 2 weeks since I started the test so I dont even know if any of the results so far are directly related to that or not.

I did try several cycles of clen throughout the year. My results though didnt show any increased fat burn despite taking 8 tabs per day. It did have a great anti-catabolic effect though but overall wasnt worth the side effects to me. I've stayed away from t3, afraid of to much lbm loss. However if I had to do it all over again I think I should not have worried so much about lbm loss and instead prioritized just getting from 35% to 15% BF ASAP (opposed to taking over a year and still not being at my goal(s) bf) with this type of cycle and that after that used a primo/var/sus cycle for the last of the weight and to put some lbm back on.

I hope ya dont consider this hi-jacking your thread (if so I'll remove the post) but since we both seem to be on such similar paths/cycles I thought we might share & compare notes.

~Sarge

[terraj]

You say that you have been training for 7 years, 4 time per week....but you could only do 10 push ups?

No short cuts bro, man up, start training hard and eating right. You are wasting time, money and health and should really know better at your age.

So you are planning Deca and Primo for your next cycle? I hope not....

I am unsure, are you on TRT?

^^ harsh but true

[stripling]

thanks for the comments. give me lots to think about. i'll post my photos soon, sarge, thanks for the input!

[stripling]

as it's my 1st cycle i'm going slow... but what would you recommend as a good stack for someone like me using var as my "base"?

[stripling]

love the truth, harsh or no!

truth is, i started training 7 years ago at world gym in WA state and got to be in really good shape. I was 38. I got down to the 190 lb range and kept it for 3 years. could do 25 push-ups in one set, 2 to 4 sets a day. squats were good too. then i moved to vegas and didn't work out for over a year. started back up again and hit it hard at 24 hour fitness (lifetime membership purchased 4 years ago). started out slow, healed more slowly now i was over 40. lost my job, yadda yadda, rental foreclosure, bla bla bla, stopped working out for a year or more, then hit it again 2 years ago. a month ago i could do 10 pushups in one set and did 4 to 6 sets a day. would hurt my tri's, stop for a few days and focus on something else... bla bla bla... got SICK of healing so slowly.

so, yeah, i could do more than 10 pushups but not at once. i think i did 12, actually, but was hurting. and yes, my pushups are perfect, none of the cheating crap.

i'm going to the gym now will do 4 sets of 20 poolside, maybe 5 sets for an even 100, and bench 4 sets of 5 at 45x3 plus 35x2 (205), abs on the cruncher, 150 flights of stairs at 16 stairs per flight and some light, deep squats (110 pounds 30 reps in 2 sets)

this is much, much more than when i started var. i'm a total believer. if i did this a month ago i'd be dead to working out for 2 to 3 days and in pain. i did a similar workout 24 hours ago. that's all i'm saying.

please, what would you recommend for my next cycle? i was gonna do a primo ONLY cycle and wait 18 months for a deca cycle (stacked with something to kill the aromitization (sp? rate it turns into estrogen) effects) but i'm so totally open to advise!

[stripling]

terraj, took me 10 minutes to find out what TRT means! Testosterone Replacement Therapy! HRT is Hormone Replacement Therapy...

No, I am not. Why do you ask? This is my 1st time every using any drugs of any type at all. I've never even had a drink of alcohol or smoked a cig... I don't even drink caffeine!

what's "man up" mean? I train pretty hard, but my main goal is to lose fat, 2nd to maintain muscle/gain. And I eat really well - no junk at all - and I have plenty of money... please be clear, my friend appreciated advise and comments. photos coming soon

[terraj]

terraj, took me 10 minutes to find out what TRT means! Testosterone Replacement Therapy! HRT is Hormone Replacement Therapy...

No, I am not. Why do you ask? This is my 1st time every using any drugs of any type at all. I've never even had a drink of alcohol or smoked a cig... I don't even drink caffeine!

what's "man up" mean? I train pretty hard, but my main goal is to lose fat, 2nd to maintain muscle/gain. And I eat really well - no junk at all - and I have plenty of money... please be clear, my friend appreciated advise and comments. photos coming soon

Read some more about TRT, I think this is what your need. There is section of this forum regarding it, TRT is something that has help many guys at your age get back to what they once were.
Deca is never by done without Test, Deca without Test will kill your sexual function...and at your age it might take a very time to recover.
Primo at your body fat level will not help much.
When they say cutting steroids they are used to retain muscle mass rather than actively shed fat, with the exception of tren ( don't think about it). Its diet that dictates how you look. Not steroids.

[Sicko]

[SlimJoe]

you best of posting some pics bro get people interested in following the thread wouldnt recomend the var only but hey its your liver n your life.. slim

[SergeantCarbs]

Again at above 25% bf I would just concentrate on losing as much overall "weight" as you can and with that said I would suggest trying a clen/t3 stack. Still keep charting your weekly body fat though and adjust your diet if to much is coming from lbm. As you get closer to your goal bf, I would switch priorities to concentrate to losing slower and preserving/gaining LBM; with this I would suggest the var with a test base, also could add some primo in there to help gain some lbm while still at a calorie deficet. With that said and knowing your mid cycle now, I'd suggest adding test once a week for the rest of your cycle.

[stripling]

Read some more about TRT, I think this is what your need. There is section of this forum regarding it, TRT is something that has help many guys at your age get back to what they once were.
Deca is never by done without Test, Deca without Test will kill your sexual function...and at your age it might take a very time to recover.
Primo at your body fat level will not help much.
When they say cutting steroids they are used to retain muscle mass rather than actively shed fat, with the exception of tren ( don't think about it). Its diet that dictates how you look. Not steroids.

great advise! this is just the kind of think i was looking for... thanks! i will not do the deca for over a year but from what i've read and what you're saying i'd agree 100% - but i won't do deca until i'm under 20% BF ... thanks again, bro

[stripling]

Again at above 25% bf I would just concentrate on losing as much overall "weight" as you can and with that said I would suggest trying a clen/t3 stack. Still keep charting your weekly body fat though and adjust your diet if to much is coming from lbm. As you get closer to your goal bf, I would switch priorities to concentrate to losing slower and preserving/gaining LBM; with this I would suggest the var with a test base, also could add some primo in there to help gain some lbm while still at a calorie deficet. With that said and knowing your mid cycle now, I'd suggest adding test once a week for the rest of your cycle.

insane the great advise i'm getting from you guys on this thread. i've got photos on my phone and on my g/f's camera i'll upload asap.

clen/t3 stack i've been thinking about. maybe should have started with it, but truth is i am loving this var. TEST BASE is what i keep hearing, but the "problems" and risks associated with test concern me, but probably should not! Also, I've never injected myself before - but need to get used to it. I think I'll order some test now, at the very least for the deca cycle I'll take once I'm under 20% BF, but from what I'm reading taking test with VAR might be a good idea. I've already got the primo, what do you think of a 20mg/day of Var with Primo injected once every 2 days at 80-100mg? Thanks again, y'all!

[SergeantCarbs]

I'd save the primo for a future cycle. No need to worry about adding muscle while currently at such a high body fat - you may just wind up losing your gains afterwards continuing on your weight loss.

On another note I wanted to add I agree with how hot that var makes ya... I've been complaining for the last couple weeks about how hot it is in the house (thinking i was justified with the thermostat showing 70-75 everday), the wife finally turned around and said "juicing makes ya hott eh?"... doh - I thought I was being slick and never told her I was cycling.

[SergeantCarbs]

Diet: I eat healthy. 2 protein shakes a day spread out, egg-beaters, salmon steaks, chicken, veggies. My diet is about 125g protein, 100 carbs (obviously no ketosis here! so much for Atkins) 80 fat (is that too much?). That's 4x125 or 500 pro, 4x100 or 400 carb and 9x80 or 720 fat total of 1620 cal / day. You diet people, what do you think of this?

Before I add my personal 2 cents, the bottom line should be judging your own progress. Are you consistently losing weight each week? Out of the weight lost, what percentage came from fat vs lbm?

With that said, I would think that your 1,600 calories is to low for your overall weight and that this would cause additional lbm loss and limited overall loss. Also I think your protein is way to low, specially while on a cycle. At a minimum I would suggest at least 1gram per body weight. 2grm per weight is usually suggested for those on a cycle (no clue how people could eat that much protein though).

Personally I'm going in a completly different direction, bring on the red meat and fat.... and on a carb cycling diet such as The Anabolic Solution it makes having the occasional cheat meal/day benificial to your overall progress. Again let your own progress dictate any adjustments you may need.

[stripling]

Before I add my personal 2 cents, the bottom line should be judging your own progress. Are you consistently losing weight each week? Out of the weight lost, what percentage came from fat vs lbm?

With that said, I would think that your 1,600 calories is to low for your overall weight and that this would cause additional lbm loss and limited overall loss. Also I think your protein is way to low, specially while on a cycle. At a minimum I would suggest at least 1gram per body weight. 2grm per weight is usually suggested for those on a cycle (no clue how people could eat that much protein though).

Personally I'm going in a completly different direction, bring on the red meat and fat.... and on a carb cycling diet such as The Anabolic Solution it makes having the occasional cheat meal/day benificial to your overall progress. Again let your own progress dictate any adjustments you may need.

after having read this article:

http://www.body-perfect-fitness.com/...-you-need.html

i've come to the conclusion that you are right. i need to up my protein. time to hit costco for some more chicken and salmon. man i love salmon...

i'm thinking i need 200g protein per day... probably closer to 190 as that is my ideal weight. i've been trying to keep my calorie intake low to lose body fat but i now see this may be costing me muscle (lbm). i've also noticed when i eat closer to 230g protein per day i heal faster than i do when i eat only 90 or 100.

i'm assuming you're talking 1g protein / pound ideal body weight? my ideal is 190, and this is your minimum? 2g and i'd die, that's 400g protein per day... i'm sure i can't do that and i'm sure 150g of that would just turn into fat...

thanks for making me look more closely at this, my friend. i will up my intake to 200-220 / day now. intake breakdown will be 4 servings per day one meal every 4 hours with 50g protein per serving (this is coming close to my limit and i'm pretty sure my body can't take more than this amount in one serving). 3 protein shakes per day at 32g per shake is 96g (about 100). so, i need 110 more appx. 1 salmon steak and 1 chicken breast should do it i think. maybe throw in 3 eggs. wow, that's a lot of food.

so, my calorie intake profile will look like this from now on:

Protein: 200g 4g/Kcal =800 Tcal
Fat: 80g 9g/Kcal =720 Tcal
Carbs: 100g 4g/Kcal =400 Tcal
I don't drink so zero alcohol.

That's right at 2000 Kcal/day. 1lb of fat is 3200 and I'm gonna try and burn my standard 1800 rest cal/day plus another 1000 or so at the gym. 2800 - 2000 is 800 cal/day deficit so i should lose 800Kcal x 4 days = just over a pound. So, 2 pounds of fat lost per week and muscle gain of 1/2 a pound per week. That should up my rest burn from 1800/day to 2000 per day in not too much time, i suppose.

I've been losing almost exactly that since i started this test. I'm 235 now, started at 245 5 weeks ago. So, that's 2 pounds a week or 8 pounds a month. I like that. I'll be at my goal around Valentine's Day to early March.

I WANT TO KNOW THIS!!!! HOW THE HELL do those obese people on "the biggest loser" lose, like, 15 to 20 pounds per WEEK!!?? WTH!?

20 pounds of fat! 3200cal / lb is a total of 64,000 calories lost in a WEEK!? INSANE! More than insane, impossible. 7 days goes into 64,000 more than 9,000 calories PER DAY burned! EVEN HALF that at 4,500 per day burned!! THIS DOES NOT include INTAKE of FOOD!

my g/f was into that show a while back --- i just can't understand the math. what am i missing?

again, thanks for your input and advise.

[stripling]

Ok, here I am on the 2nd of October at 145lbs. I've got more photos I just need to get them uploaded. As you can see, I've got 55 pounds to lose. I'll get more "the biggest loser" photos up for you to mock later remember, this is the "before" photo

[IMG] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

[SergeantCarbs]

Week total for me
Weight: -0.5 lbs (174.5)
Waist: -0.5"
Fat: -1.86 lbs (-55 so far)
LBM: +1.35 lbs
BF: -1% (14.6%)

Now I know I should be happy/satisfied with that for the week but it is less then last week and I was hoping to repeat last weeks results at least for 2 more weeks to meet my time line goals.
Tape is putting me at 33" at naval (started at above 46") and calculates out to 14.6% bf but I'm not sure of its accuarcy. My stomach is virtually flat again but I seem abnormally heavy in the love handles still. Very odd seeing more fat sticking out on the sides then the front. Alot of fat left to go (10-14 lbs) but cant afford to go much lower in overall weight, already looking to thin everywhere but waist.

[stripling]

Week total for me
Weight: -0.5 lbs (174.5)
Waist: -0.5"
Fat: -1.86 lbs (-55 so far)
LBM: +1.35 lbs
BF: -1% (14.6%)

Now I know I should be happy/satisfied with that for the week but it is less then last week and I was hoping to repeat last weeks results at least for 2 more weeks to meet my time line goals.
Tape is putting me at 33" at naval (started at above 46") and calculates out to 14.6% bf but I'm not sure of its accuarcy. My stomach is virtually flat again but I seem abnormally heavy in the love handles still. Very odd seeing more fat sticking out on the sides then the front. Alot of fat left to go (10-14 lbs) but cant afford to go much lower in overall weight, already looking to thin everywhere but waist.

bro, there's no way you were 15.6% BF with 55 MORE pounds then you are now (175 now, 230 then!) and 14.6% now! that's impossible, bro. You WERE about 35% BF - i'm jealous - i can't believe at 174.6 you still have 14 pounds to lose... you must be 5'6!

As you can see from my photo, i'm all torso fat... legs, arms, everything else is pretty good. can't wait to be where you are now. how did you do it?

I was 44 at the naval then probably 42 now How much did you lose per week?

[SergeantCarbs]

bro, there's no way you were 15.6% BF with 55 MORE pounds then you are now (175 now, 230 then!) and 14.6% now! that's impossible, bro. You WERE about 35% BF - i'm jealous - i can't believe at 174.6 you still have 14 pounds to lose... you must be 5'6!

As you can see from my photo, i'm all torso fat... legs, arms, everything else is pretty good. can't wait to be where you are now. how did you do it?

I was 44 at the naval then probably 42 now How much did you lose per week?

I think you might be comparing my single bf percent loss for the week to my overall weight loss. I lost 1.86lbs fat this week -55 lbs from fat in total for the year. You are correct I started somewhere around 35% bf and a 46" waist about 14 months ago now. My high/starting weight was 218 at the time.

No I'm just shy of 6' by a 1/4", hence being worried about having more fat left to lose before I start to bulk to build back up.

I got hurt pretty good a few years back while deployed and have become a medicated couch potatoe since - my sob story for getting so far out of shape. For most of the last year my weight loss was only diet, no exercise until this past summer.

Throughout this I went fom 218 down to 167 lbs naturally (51 lbs weight lost). I was fine with contining to diet natually but as you can imagine 167lbs at 6' tall and still around 18-20% bf is a problem and looks pretty shitty. Getting to 8-10% on this path would have put me somewhere around 150lbs.

My original goal(s) was to get to 10% naturally and then cycle to bulk back up this winter, hopefully putting the end result somewhere around 185 lbs with a low bf. Because my overall weight was getting so low I decided to start a cycle early, was still hoping the second half of the cycle could be turned to bulking.

Begining of this cycle had good results. I went from 167 back up to 175lbs while on a calorie deficit. Probably a combination of the first couple weeks starting with primo & some beginner gains/muscle memory from starting to exercise again. End result was 175lbs around 18% fat after the first 2-3 weeks on primo.

The last 2-3 weeks (var & sus) I've continued to make progress each week but my overall weight has stopped climbing. Wish I had more primo to help finish up this cycle and put my weight a bit higher but it would take to long for me to get at this point.

Oh well thats where I'm at currently. I was hoping to get to 10% and then turn the remainder of the cycle to bulking to get back up around 180-185lbs. Unless I extend this cycle way past 12 weeks in length that doesnt look like its gonna happen this go-round. So my weight loss journey continues...

Pre-cycle I was loosing at a rate of about 1lb per week (yes there were bad weeks with no loss), about a 1/4" per each pound lost. Not bad considering the lack of exercise. Since the start of this cycle I was averaging a 1/2" each week, plus some lbm gain; except last week where it jumped up and I lost 1" - 2% for the week, hence being disappointed that I didnt repeat those results again this week.

Scheduled an appointment to go get my bf bodpod tested in a couple weeks. Will find out how accurate my tape testing is then. Worried though since many report finding out they are a much higher bf then they expected...

[SergeantCarbs]

after having read this article:

http://www.body-perfect-fitness.com/...-you-need.html

i've come to the conclusion that you are right. i need to up my protein. time to hit costco for some more chicken and salmon. man i love salmon....

Pretty good article (finally got a chance to go back and read it). I think (my own theory) that worrying about weight gain with too much protein is more a matter of more protein equalling more calories. As far as I know if you ingest more protein that your body can handle at once it is simply pissed out.

I use a protein shake called isopure made by natures best, it has 50 grams of protein, 0-1 carbs (depending on flavor), 0 fat and about 200 calories per serving. I'm sure natural foods are a better source of protein but I think this sup is an excellent way to get alot of protein in with keeping overall calories low.

[SergeantCarbs]

How's it going for ya this week buddy? Any updates?

[SergeantCarbs]

You hiding buddy?

End of week 5, I got nothing

Weight & measurements remained the exact same for this week. Despite thinking I had a very good week as far as my diet & exercise goes. I even managed to not sample a single piece of halloween candy even though I'm the one that gave it out all night in our house. Besides my high carb day last Saturday, I was super low in carbs & calories througout the week. I dont want to jump the gun just yet and will give it some more time before making any changes.

This is the end of the third week since I've added the sustanon, so I'm hoping that perhaps it may have caused some additional water retention that is throwing my measurements off. Not sure though how much water can be retained while in ketosis most of the week.

Looking forward too but worried about negative results with the upcoming bodpod test next week.

[stripling]

Update:

My weight is a total of -8lbs. My back has been out (lower, L2) for three weeks now, making my workouts very difficult. With the seasons changing into Fall here in La Vegas I've been feeling ill. My g/f's been throwing up with flu and is also very sore. This illness is making my workouts a nightmare.

Yet, I've not given up yet. With 1000mg advil (script Motrin) and rest I feel a lot better, then work out, then bam, my back hurts. I'm sure it's an inflamed disc L2 to L3.

So, my results are not as effective as it would have been had this illness, hence sneezing, hence slipped-disc come upon me. Yet, I'm still pushing on to the end of cycle 1.

I've notice, likely a matter of my age and coincidence, I have an increase in grey hairs on my face and head. I doubt it has anything to do with the Ox but just thought I'd mention it. G/f says I had 1/1000 hairs on my face and head were grey, now it's about 1/100 on my face and 1/700 on my scalp/head. Probably nothing to do with the Var, but thought I'd mention it.

Upon hurting my back 3 weeks ago I pressed on for almost a week, then stopped cycling for 4 days as I was unable to leave my bed. I notice within a day that tight feeling left me and the magnified healing seemed to have left my body as well. I hated to end my cycle in the3 middle, so I started back up at 40mg/day and hit the gym once again.... with not nearly the intensity I'd like. It took almost a week for the effect of tightness and greater strength to return. Initially it took almost 3 weeks for the power and tightness to come full on. I can only assume the effect came on sooner this time as a result of Ox still being in my system and/or my muscles were still stimulated by the prior Ox usage.

Over all, my illness and lower back injury has truly disappointed this cycle. Yet, I push on and the effects are still clear and real.

Pros: Just as stated in all other blogs - Tighter, stronger, harder muscles. Slight weight loss due to increased body temperature as well as slightly decreased appetite. Best effect is clearly the faster healing of muscles.

note: I've read 85% of increased muscle mass is retained post Var cycle.... I'll keep you updated as my cycle ends in 2 weeks now.

Cons: Slight testicular discomfort, 30-40% testicular shrinkage (which I don't care about, really, only the discomfort) and the nasty taste (I mixed it with chocolate instead of putting it in a gel pill). The increased heat is not really a con except when it was hot outside when I first started the cycle. Gas has stopped long ago and I no longer sweat in buckets.

I'm not thinking of post-cycling clenbeuteral (anti-catabolic, increased body heat) and/or T3. Perhaps T3 alone, I've had suggested that since I've gained 50 pounds in the last 5 years (41 to 46) of my life I may wanna check out my thyroid.

I'm interested in also checking out my adrenal gland and see what I can do to assure it is working well. I had a doctor tell me the 4 things to watch for are:

1) Low-T
2) hypo-thyroidal
3) hypo-adrenal
4) HGH levels

I think I will address issues in this order.

My diet is great, protein, carbs, everything doing really well. I will cut down on my caloric intake at cycle end.

I need to increase my aerobic/cardio (ie BORING) workouts while on Var (since my back went out cardio's been a nightmare) but especially increase my cardio post-cycle! Since my intention is not so focused on muscle tear-down and build post-cycle and I don't want a catebolic effect.

[SergeantCarbs]

Happy to hear your still with us buddy. Sorry to hear about your back problems.

I can offer a few suggestions that I used to do for my disc problems that will help in the long term. First of all, continue with the weight loss, that will surely help! Start a regular ab traning sessions, this will help strenghen your core and relieve some of the pressure from your back. Stretching & hanging type exercises seem to help the most for pain relief. Ice your back to reduce the swelling, specially after you work outs. Don't over do it, do what you can and slowly increase from there each week. Treat yourself to a massage.

Ya the heat issues seems to have passed with me as well. Also I'm not getting the pumps I did the first few weeks but things are still going good. My cardio sucks as well, more like physical therapy then a cardio workout (lower body injury) but I am doing it and trying to progressively make it session slightly longer/better then the last. Are you still running anavar alone or did you add in anything else?

Due to my "stall" lack of progress for last week, I was going to skip my refeed this past weekend but had an anniverasry dinner with the mrs. I was fairly good considering... some bread, soup & mashed potateos was the extent of my cheats with dinner. Stayed away from booze, desert (some sampling of the mrs though) and some other things I would have had if not for the diet. Seemed to be exactly what I needed, the stall has already passed and I'm already seeing some progress for this week. I put on 2lbs of water the since though. I used to put on at least 4lbs after low carbing all week and then having a cheat meal. So I still think I'm still retaining at least some water but I feel a bit better & tighter then I have the last week or two.

[stripling]

UPDATE: I had my BF measured today. As stated before my weight is at -7 from start

MY BF is now 29%, down from 33%! 4% reduction :O Holy crap! At 245lbs then and 238 now I would not expect that kind of drop. 1% of 245 is 2.5 pounds so a loss of 4% BF is 10 pounds even! Having only dropped 7lbs I assume I've GAINED LBM! Well, it's pretty obvious I've gained, I feel it and see it. But how much?

Well, tell me if I'm right... the math should be easy. If B= (now) 29% BF at 238 and A= 33% BF at 245 (then):

A= 245-33%BF = 164 LBM
B= 238-29%BF = 170 LBM

Thus B-A = 6 pounds gain in LBM
Thus 245-A = 81 pounds of fat and
235-B = 65 pounds of fat

So, from the math I've lost 16 pounds of fat in 6 weeks.

I actually don't believe this... My g/f tells me it's right but I won't know for sure until we do measurements later. And my pants are not fitting THAT much loser! BUT!! ENCOURAGEMENT!

[stripling]

Happy to hear your still with us buddy. Sorry to hear about your back problems.

I can offer a few suggestions that I used to do for my disc problems that will help in the long term. First of all, continue with the weight loss, that will surely help! Start a regular ab traning sessions, this will help strenghen your core and relieve some of the pressure from your back. Stretching & hanging type exercises seem to help the most for pain relief. Ice your back to reduce the swelling, specially after you work outs. Don't over do it, do what you can and slowly increase from there each week. Treat yourself to a massage.

Ya the heat issues seems to have passed with me as well. Also I'm not getting the pumps I did the first few weeks but things are still going good. My cardio sucks as well, more like physical therapy then a cardio workout (lower body injury) but I am doing it and trying to progressively make it session slightly longer/better then the last. Are you still running anavar alone or did you add in anything else?

Due to my "stall" lack of progress for last week, I was going to skip my refeed this past weekend but had an anniverasry dinner with the mrs. I was fairly good considering... some bread, soup & mashed potateos was the extent of my cheats with dinner. Stayed away from booze, desert (some sampling of the mrs though) and some other things I would have had if not for the diet. Seemed to be exactly what I needed, the stall has already passed and I'm already seeing some progress for this week. I put on 2lbs of water the since though. I used to put on at least 4lbs after low carbing all week and then having a cheat meal. So I still think I'm still retaining at least some water but I feel a bit better & tighter then I have the last week or two.

Did almost everything you've advised. My g/f (almost my ex now - now kidding) is sick of massaging my back. Good news is the pain is 80% gone! With Advil online I'm almost back to my workout as usual!

Today I did 2 hours of working. 1 hour of pump, 40 min of cardio (500 cal) 20 minutes weights and 1/2 hour stretching in the sauna at my gym. I think my back pain will be totally gone in 3 or 4 days! (hoping!)

Like you i'm still feeling strong but the "pumps" are starting to subside. My cardio is improving, though I know what you mean about it being like PT I am pumping out 14cal/min on the eliptical instead of my pre-var level of 11-12 with heart rate at 148-152 bpm

I am only doing Anavar. Next cycle I might do 20mg/day var with 50mg EOD of primo inject. Won't know 'till new years if this is good. Wish I could afford HGH... from what I'm reading that's the real shizzizzle

I know what you mean re: carbs and water! I stay away from carbs now --- and my g/f has had it with me. I think eating out at nice places was 50% of our relationship and the other 50% was me not requiring her to rub my back Oh well, I'm sure she'll be happier with someone else anyway. Besides, I need to focus on losing weight, gaining muscle and eating right. After this cycle is over I'll stop ripping the weights so hard and maybe do some T3 (clen? not sure yet) with lots and lots of CARDIO (boring!) to burn the calories. I hope to get down to the 210 LBS zone by new year.. maybe 220 is more realistic... then come Jan 20 or so start up a cycle again of primo and var and start ripping again. Hopefully at the end of that cycle I'll be 15% BF and close to 200 pounds.

My goal is still to get under 10% considering I'm 238 now and 29% that's 20% loss or 48 pounds! :O 190 pounds with no LBM gain... wow, seems so far off considering all i ever eat is protein, veggies, health drinks and boring stuff like that. Maybe I need a g/f who's lifestyle is more like mine so I will not be tempted to break training. I can handle the diet and working out but when you throw my g/f's dissatisfactions into the mix it's tempting to either dump her (after 4 years... great, there goes another g/f) or give up.

[SergeantCarbs]

UPDATE: I had my BF measured today. As stated before my weight is at -7 from start

MY BF is now 29%, down from 33%! 4% reduction :O Holy crap! At 245lbs then and 238 now I would not expect that kind of drop. 1% of 245 is 2.5 pounds so a loss of 4% BF is 10 pounds even! Having only dropped 7lbs I assume I've GAINED LBM! Well, it's pretty obvious I've gained, I feel it and see it. But how much?

Well, tell me if I'm right... the math should be easy. If B= (now) 29% BF at 238 and A= 33% BF at 245 (then):

A= 245-33%BF = 164 LBM
B= 238-29%BF = 170 LBM

Thus B-A = 6 pounds gain in LBM
Thus 245-A = 81 pounds of fat and
235-B = 65 pounds of fat

So, from the math I've lost 16 pounds of fat in 6 weeks.

I actually don't believe this... My g/f tells me it's right but I won't know for sure until we do measurements later. And my pants are not fitting THAT much loser! BUT!! ENCOURAGEMENT!

Congrats my friend, excellent progress!!!

By my calculations I'm showing at 238lbs & 29% bf

238 lbs * 0.29 = 69.02 lbs fat
238 lbs - 69.02 = 168.98 lbs LBM

And I'm guessing ya lost at least 2 inches from your waist

What method did you use to test your body fat %?

I go for the bodpod bf testing the end of this week. Hoping like hell, not to be too disappointed in the results...

[SergeantCarbs]

Did almost everything you've advised. My g/f (almost my ex now - now kidding) is sick of massaging my back. Good news is the pain is 80% gone! With Advil online I'm almost back to my workout as usual!

The mrs got so sick of it (rubbing my stinky feet), she started buying me gift cards for the massage parlor.... lol

I know what you mean re: carbs and water! I stay away from carbs now --- and my g/f has had it with me. I think eating out at nice places was 50% of our relationship and the other 50% was me not requiring her to rub my back Oh well, I'm sure she'll be happier with someone else anyway. Besides, I need to focus on losing weight, gaining muscle and eating right.

Ya the dieting definitely changes relationship eating but thats not to say ya still cant go out to eat. Costing me a fortune (specially w kids) but one of my treats after a good week of dieting is to go to a local steak house on the weekends. A salad, good filet and some mash potatoes is usually my order, I just restrict myself from having any bread, appetizers or booze/soft drinks. Funny the looks I get each week when ordering a glass of skim milk for my drink. Ive found my bests spikes in progress are usually right after a weekend where I've done this.

[ithunk]

cardio first drugs later...

[flatscat]

Bro, I'm not hacking on ya for the anavar use - but I think you could have done as well w/out it. Great progress though - keep it up. I would suggest you get some blood work done as I suspect your E2 is high, keeping you from realizing the value of your testosterone levels, whether natty or supplemented. Come over to the anti-aging, trt board and we will help you out. Remember - high bf and the subsequent conversion of t to e is the root of MANY and MOST evils at any age and especially ours.

flats

[stripling]

So I ended my 1st 8 week cycle 5 days ago. Here's the poop.

Over All Impression: Roids are no miracle. There are sacrifices including money, hard work, physiological changes and a little pain. All in all, I'm impressed. I was hoping for more, but in the end I gained muscle, lost fat and look better. It was not fair to the Var as I hurt my back and got a mild flu.

Negative Impressions: The gonad pain was not fun... but was not too severe either. Coming off cycle I felt pain too... it stopped today. I think testicles hurt shrinking or growing. I didn't like eating the icky chocolate I mixed my Var into -- but I got used to it. It took almost 2 weeks to kick in... and the sweating and body-heat was not real fun at first but subsided pretty quickly... well, not the body heat but I started to like that.

Positive Impressions: Lots. Wish I could stay on the stuff non-stop. I miss the pump. My muscles have really softened up now. Noticeable at 3 days, now at 5 days my muscle tension is almost back to normal. My muscles healed super-quick.... and now they don't. I miss that too. Like I said, I'm not as fat and have more muscle. But I'm still nearly 30% BF.

So ends my very first cycle. I've learned a lot. Here's what I've learned:

1) Using steroids to lose weight is generally not a good idea. If you do, use Var and/or Primo as they are best for cutting. But don't expect to lose weight as you'll end up gaining muscle. ithunk said "cardio first, roids later" is wisdom.
2) Roids make you heal very fast, but in that healing you will grow more muscle and this needs to be a desire of yours, fat or not. Lucky for me I need more muscle.
3) Roids are generally made for young men who are naturally very skinny. Most articles and things written online or in books are written to and for them. Anti-ageing (HGH et al) is really what old guys like me need. Side note: HGH costs a LOT!!!
4) Testicles shrink and grow on and off cycle, respectively. As I'm broke and don't wanna waste money on testing I'm using this as my white-trash way of estimating natural test in my body. If you can afford to hit the doc once every 2 or 3 months and get your levels tested do it! I may do it in the future if I win the lotto or something
5) Effects of my roid started to diminish near the end of my cycle. I do not understand the science behind this, but since my gonads were getting pretty small I think it's time to exodus the roids.

So, what's next for me?

CARDIO

I'm doing 1000 cal/day 5x per week (about 2 hour light workout). While off cycle I know it's catabolic (or whatever... however you spell or say it.. means "muscle eating") to work out hard. So I'm going to lift light now and cardio long (45 minutes at a time for eliptical and so on). I'm going to keep this up until New Year.

After the New Year begins I'm thinking of doing a 10 or 12 week cycle. Mild stack, will look like this, maybe:

week gear dose
1 Avanar 20mg ED
2 Anavar 20mg ED
Primo 50mg EOD
3 Same as week 2
4-8 Anavar 40mg ED
Primo 100mg EOD
9 Avanar 40mg ED
Primo 50mg EOD
10 Avanar 20mg ED
End

Or something like that... advise???

So, there it is. I'm off cycle and wish I'd have purchased some T3 and or clen to test that. Next off-cycle I'll do T3 for sure. Clen I'm iffy on, but like the possibility of anti-catabolic effects (i can't spell that word )

I'll keep this posted wish more photos and stats when I get to it. Thanks for following and thanks for the advise from everyone. I've been given advise to base my cycle on test or primo and add Var... so that's what's gonna hit next time. Any advise?

I'm off to cardio now. cardio is boring as hell. oh well... weight loss 1st

[SergeantCarbs]

How's the post cycle progress been buddy?