End of 5th week

[Meloncap78]

6th week test E 500mg starts tomorrow and I still weigh exactly 203 pounds. My diet is 3800-4k 40/40/20 not entirely clean (pizza and poptarts here and there to jam the carbs in lol). I hit my macros every day and my food is all weighed. I had bloodwork done toward the end of my third week and my total test was 1400. Free test was double the high end of range (see my bloodwork post for complete details). So obviously the gear being bunk is out f the question. I feel I should be at least retaining water weight. Not being inpatient just curious where I should be at this point.

[The Deadlifting Dog]

If you want to gain weight then you need to eat more.

[The Deadlifting Dog]

Also your gear is obviously underdosed.

[Meloncap78]

Ok so if it's underdosed this will probably be a very dissappointing first cycle to say the least. What should my test levels have been toward the end of third week? In the 2000's? Also as far as eating more than 4k a day...not gonna happen. I am already uncomfortably stuffed all day with some serious gut bloat going on.

[ghettoboyd]

Also your gear is obviously underdosed.

that's not necessarily true bro, he is 5 weeks in so he should start seeing results soon but we don't know what his diet consists of....everyone thinks they are eating enough but maybe he isn't...op your blood work shows your gear is legit...everyone is different there is no cookie cutter one size fits all plan when cycling, give it more time...you don't turn into the hulk overnight on aas...you should head over to the nutrition forum and post your diet for critique there are some really good people there that will help you and its free...good luck...

[Meloncap78]

that's not necessarily true bro, he is 5 weeks in so he should start seeing results soon but we don't know what his diet consists of....everyone thinks they are eating enough but maybe he isn't...op your blood work shows your gear is legit...everyone is different there is no cookie cutter one size fits all plan when cycling, give it more time...you don't turn into the hulk overnight on aas...you should head over to the nutrition forum and post your diet for critique there are some really good people there that will help you and its free...good luck...

Thanks man. My diet isn't perfect but at the end of the day I am getting 300 grams of protein, 360 grams of carbs and 120 grams of fats. Everything is weighed on a scale. It is not all clean food as I said but at the end of the day I hit my macros. I have definitely noticed a serious uprising in libido....i can't seem to stay away from the naughty websites lol. Skin is oily and I seem to be warm all the time.

[ghettoboyd]

Thanks man. My diet isn't perfect but at the end of the day I am getting 300 grams of protein, 360 grams of carbs and 120 grams of fats. Everything is weighed on a scale. It is not all clean food as I said but at the end of the day I hit my macros. I have definitely noticed a serious uprising in libido....i can't seem to stay away from the naughty websites lol. Skin is oily and I seem to be warm all the time.

all the signs point to your gear as being good...you haven't said anything about your training, are you getting stronger?

[Meloncap78]

As a matter of fact thats a strange one. Shoulders, back, arms and legs appear to be getting stronger with better endurance (only by maybe 5 pounds in all lifts). Chest on the other hand (in particular bench) seems to be getting weaker. I hit a new PR of 225 for 1 on incline the other day but my flat bench is suffering greatly.

[ghettoboyd]

As a matter of fact thats a strange one. Shoulders, back, arms and legs appear to be getting stronger with better endurance (only by maybe 5 pounds in all lifts). Chest on the other hand (in particular bench) seems to be getting weaker. I hit a new PR of 225 for 1 on incline the other day but my flat bench is suffering greatly.

I don't get much of a strength boost from just test...orals on the other hand absolutely...are you saying your flat bench is regressing or just not rising?...

[Meloncap78]

Not rising and bormal lifts feel heavier somehow.

[roidneedles]

Eat more protein dude carbs don't build muscle protein does

[Meloncap78]

Eat more protein dude carbs don't build muscle protein does

300 grams a day.

[Meloncap78]

Coming up on the beginning of week 7 and still haven't moved the scale at all. I am not even taking an AI and I am not retaining any water that I notice. My diet is as tight as it's going to get. Hitting my macros at 40/40/20 getting 4k a day at this point. Should I just be patient?

[Khazima]

If you're not gaining weight on 4k try 4.2-4.5k

[derekkpapa1]

Sounds like bunk gear.
Sucks man sorry

[The Deadlifting Dog]

Coming up on the beginning of week 7 and still haven't moved the scale at all. I am not even taking an AI and I am not retaining any water that I notice. My diet is as tight as it's going to get. Hitting my macros at 40/40/20 getting 4k a day at this point. Should I just be patient?

If you haven't gained any weight after six weeks then you should eat more food.

[derekkpapa1]

Get some blood work done

[< <Samson> >]

Not reading the rest - running under 300mg a week right now & my total test is a little under 2k.

[Meloncap78]

I had bloods done in my 3rd week. Total test was 1400 up from 334. Gear is definitely not fake. Still seems like I should have at least put a pound on by now eating at 4k I mean cmon, whose maintenance is 4k lol.

[< <Samson> >]

You got a tape worm or somethin'?

Sounds odd

I'd blow up like a GoodYear blimp at 4k cal a day

[lucabratzi]

When you got ur test done how many days after ur last shot was it?

Usually you should get blood drawn 24hrs after shot.

If your running 500mg and it was within 24hrs in ur 3rd week you should have around double the levels ur at now. I would guess ur test is half dosed.

Get another blood drawn now and see where it's at. Should be anywhere from 3500-5000

[Buster Brown]

Is your gear UGL grade ? If it is that is a common problem that most of us have experienced at one time or another. If your bloods come back on the low side then make a note of that gear if you are going to use it again. Do not keep upping your calories.... It will just turn to flub if your body isn't utilizing it. I weigh 205 and 4k a day is tough to get down if it's quality food.

[Bio-Active]

Your level should be double that

[Meloncap78]

Bloods were drawn beginning of 3rd week 3 days after last pin. My question is, Am I going to gain nothing exceptional on my first cycle now? I feel like this is a terrible way to have a first cycle now I am very negative about the whole thing. I was having a very hard time gaining the past 8 months no matter how much food I shoved down my throat and how much I tried to progress in the gym, I just wasn't changing at all. When I had bloods done a few months back and my total test came back at 334 I figured that could be part of the issue. I suppose I do too much figuring.

[Bio-Active]

Bloods were drawn beginning of 3rd week 3 days after last pin. My question is, Am I going to gain nothing exceptional on my first cycle now? I feel like this is a terrible way to have a first cycle now I am very negative about the whole thing. I was having a very hard time gaining the past 8 months no matter how much food I shoved down my throat and how much I tried to progress in the gym, I just wasn't changing at all. When I had bloods done a few months back and my total test came back at 334 I figured that could be part of the issue. I suppose I do too much figuring.

You will still make much better gains then when your total test level was 334 your 4 times that now.

[Meloncap78]

Lets hope. Right now I seem to be getting the same gains I have gotten in the past 8-10 months which is absolute zero. I have weighed 203 pounds since Last February. On my last bulk I ate at 4000 cals and gained 10 pounds in 3 months of water weight which all came off in a week when I dropped down to 3200. I am on my 44th day of test e and am still holding fast at 203 in the morning. IDK wtf I was thinking honestly. I figured my body doesn't want to grow well Ill show it with some AAS. Obviously I am lacking severely at something. First thing is diet which I do pay close attention to. I do weigh everything I eat and log it all with MFP. I am hitting 4k and I am always within a couple percent of my macros. I get at LEAST 350 grams of protein a day and 365 grams carbs. I have a nice ribeye every night and some chicken for lunch. The rest of my protein is in my shakes along with oats and whole milk. 3 shakes a day. Sweet potatoes and white rice for the rest of my carbs. Others have said the shakes are my problem and my answer to that is at the end of the day protein is ******* protein and macros hit are macros hit. The thing that has me baffled is why I am not even putting on water weight like my last bulk at 4k. It's been a tad over 6 weeks and not much has changed. Got a bad feeling 12 weeks is gonna roll around and I'll still be sitting at 203. BP is high and horrible night sweats all for what???

[Khazima]

Lets hope. Right now I seem to be getting the same gains I have gotten in the past 8-10 months which is absolute zero. I have weighed 203 pounds since Last February. On my last bulk I ate at 4000 cals and gained 10 pounds in 3 months of water weight which all came off in a week when I dropped down to 3200. I am on my 44th day of test e and am still holding fast at 203 in the morning. IDK wtf I was thinking honestly. I figured my body doesn't want to grow well Ill show it with some AAS. Obviously I am lacking severely at something. First thing is diet which I do pay close attention to. I do weigh everything I eat and log it all with MFP. I am hitting 4k and I am always within a couple percent of my macros. I get at LEAST 350 grams of protein a day and 365 grams carbs. I have a nice ribeye every night and some chicken for lunch. The rest of my protein is in my shakes along with oats and whole milk. 3 shakes a day. Sweet potatoes and white rice for the rest of my carbs. Others have said the shakes are my problem and my answer to that is at the end of the day protein is ******* protein and macros hit are macros hit. The thing that has me baffled is why I am not even putting on water weight like my last bulk at 4k. It's been a tad over 6 weeks and not much has changed. Got a bad feeling 12 weeks is gonna roll around and I'll still be sitting at 203. BP is high and horrible night sweats all for what???

If your weight isn't going up, you're not eating enough.

What does your training split look like?

How much do you sleep?

Do you have an active job?

Stop stressing, high cortisol is counterproductive to your goals.

[Meloncap78]

Hey Khaz. My job is pretty active. I average about 9-10 miles a day on my feet on workdays. Still though....a 4000 calorie maintenance?? I am stuffed all day as it is. Monday chest, tues back, wed legs, thurs shoulders, fri arms. I average 7-9 hours of sleep every night. I am probably the king of cortisol lol. Even when there is nothing to stress over I am anxious about something. My BP has been about 150/79 on cycle which I am told is pretty decent. Taking hawthorne and low dose aspirin. I had bloods done in 3rd week and probably wont be able to get them done again until PCT. The only other option for me if it is in fact calories would be a mass gainer on top of my existing diet.

[Khazima]

Hey Khaz. My job is pretty active. I average about 9-10 miles a day on my feet on workdays. Still though....a 4000 calorie maintenance?? I am stuffed all day as it is. Monday chest, tues back, wed legs, thurs shoulders, fri arms. I average 7-9 hours of sleep every night. I am probably the king of cortisol lol. Even when there is nothing to stress over I am anxious about something. My BP has been about 150/79 on cycle which I am told is pretty decent. Taking hawthorne and low dose aspirin. I had bloods done in 3rd week and probably wont be able to get them done again until PCT. The only other option for me if it is in fact calories would be a mass gainer on top of my existing diet.

With an active job at your weight i wouldn't be surprised if you need to eat that much to make up for the activity. Think about it, cycling at a moderate pace (heart rate 160-170bpm) 20 mins will burn roughly 200 calories (for me).

Last couple days i've worked 8 or so hours which is way out of my routine, and i was reverse dieting, at 2500, last couple days i've eaten 3000+ and lost weight when i would've been (lean) bulking on 2800.

Try not to stress so much, i know it's hard and it's a long term change, you can't just suddenly change a major component of your personality but try to catch yourself stressing over nothing and just think is there anything you can do about it, don't stress over things you can't control. If you can do anything about, either do it or make the decision to do it later and stop stressing!

If the easiest way to fit extra calories in for now is weight gainer shakes do it, that was the thing that helped me get from not gaining any weight to fat where it became easy to eat enough calories. Instead of buying the expensive waste of money pre mixed shakes buy maltodextrin and normal protein, just make a protein shake and mix some maltodextrin in there, will save you a tonne of cash.

Also, if your current split isn't working for you switch it up, i really like push pull legs or legs push pull but many here believe in one a week. Up to you.

Good luck!

[Chicagotarsier]

you need 2800 calories just to be maintenance for your work. Add that to 1800 for your normal body needs daily that is 4600. 5k minimal.

Hardest thing for me was to get my calories in (over 6500 needed to keep my body weight on cycle) I need to drop about 40 Kg of weight but beside the point. The more active you are with elevated testosterone levels the harder it is to eat due to nitrogen balance stacking with your muscle inflammation making room in your body minimal. You get full way faster due to feeling.

[Meloncap78]

If this is the case then shouldnt I be losing weight eating at 4k?

[Khazima]

If this is the case then shouldnt I be losing weight eating at 4k?

It's just a rough estimate, you need to eat more.

[Meloncap78]

Well I guess I am going to add a 1200 calorie mass gainer shake somewhere in my day and see what happens. I just can't eat 5k in whole foods.

[zempey]

A couple things I would like to know to give you some advice. How tall are you at 203lbs? When I was low 200's at 6'6", I couldn't gain weight to save my life. I ate a lot, counted everything, just like you are doing, but nothing would happen accept I was leaning out more and more.

Second, you made no mention of fats in your diet. Fats are very important, you need a fair amount of healthy fats when trying to gain lean mass. I think that was one of my problems, I was eating very little fat. You can add a bunch of calories by eating things like nuts, avacados, olive oil, etc...

How is your water intake? You need to drink a ton of water, it will help keep you balanced. You are definitely off somewhere, you just need to figure out what is off by trying new things. I would advise against the weight gainer, that stuff is crap. Hitting macros isn't necessarily enough if the balance isn't right all around. Try adding in the healthy fats before you go to the weight gainer.

[Meloncap78]

A couple things I would like to know to give you some advice. How tall are you at 203lbs? When I was low 200's at 6'6", I couldn't gain weight to save my life. I ate a lot, counted everything, just like you are doing, but nothing would happen accept I was leaning out more and more. Second, you made no mention of fats in your diet. Fats are very important, you need a fair amount of healthy fats when trying to gain lean mass. I think that was one of my problems, I was eating very little fat. You can add a bunch of calories by eating things like nuts, avacados, olive oil, etc... How is your water intake? You need to drink a ton of water, it will help keep you balanced. You are definitely off somewhere, you just need to figure out what is off by trying new things. I would advise against the weight gainer, that stuff is crap. Hitting macros isn't necessarily enough if the balance isn't right all around. Try adding in the healthy fats before you go to the weight gainer.

I am 6'2 203 18%bf. I use olive oil in all of my shakes and I eat bananas and avocados. All my other fats come from whole milk, steaks and whatever else I eat that has fat. Right now my fats are at 120 grams a day or slightly higher. I am assuming that if I cannot pinpoint my issue this gear will be wasted and my first cycle ever is going to be a big disappointment.

[Haydenz]

I wanna see your diet not your macro breakdown , you should go up weight every week if it's all done right.

[Meloncap78]

I wanna see your diet not your macro breakdown , you should go up weight every week if it's all done right.

Ask and you shall receive. The meats I use vary from day to day but my diet is consistent with everything else.

[zempey]

I would try and drop some of the processed stuff, switch the quick 1 min oatmeal for the whole oat, it cooks in the microwave in under 4 min. Eat more real chicken, not from a can or wendy's, the breads can go and add in some sweet potatoes or regular potatoes. You have no veggies in there, as much as you might not like them, you need them. Only thing I can tell you is, try and get more of you calories from real unprocessed foods instead of shakes, and packages. You are getting a large portion of your protein from milk and shakes, that just wont cut it if you are trying to grow. A whey shake after the gym and a casein shake before bed, the rest should come from meat. Just my $.02, hope you figure it out.

[Meloncap78]

I would try and drop some of the processed stuff, switch the quick 1 min oatmeal for the whole oat, it cooks in the microwave in under 4 min. Eat more real chicken, not from a can or wendy's, the breads can go and add in some sweet potatoes or regular potatoes. You have no veggies in there, as much as you might not like them, you need them. Only thing I can tell you is, try and get more of you calories from real unprocessed foods instead of shakes, and packages. You are getting a large portion of your protein from milk and shakes, that just wont cut it if you are trying to grow. A whey shake after the gym and a casein shake before bed, the rest should come from meat. Just my $.02, hope you figure it out.

So even though I am getting the calories and hitting macros I may simply just not grow compared to eating the same amount of macros and calories with whole foods? This is a bit tough as I go to work at 4 pm and don't get out till 1:30am. I get one half hour lunch and the rest is on my feet picking up heavy **** all night and loading it onto pallets. We cannot eat while working. That leaves me the option of trying to get alot of my calories from whole foods before work which leaves me a 4 hour window. I don't wake up till noon lol. Either that or cram a really high calorie whole food dinner at lunch.

[zempey]

You have to maximize the times you can eat with really high quality foods, and times you can't, then get the shakes in. It can be really tough to get in the food you need while working, it sucks, but you have to really plan things out and take advantage of every opportunity to get in a quality balance. Just reaching the calorie count isn't enough, empty calories wont make you grow, not efficiently anyway.