43 y/o NOOB, first cycle. I appreciate any advice

[cavorite]

Adex is more powerful than Aromasin.

I'm not the best to give guidance on gyno issues, as I have never run into issues with it. But I'd think about taking 20mg of Nolva per day for a few days, until the tenderness goes away. Seek other's advice on this.

Then I'd think long and hard about pulling the rip cord and aborting the cycle, and starting PCT.

Again, I stand by my earlier statement that you don't need drugs to reach your goals. And look at the problems you're already having. Now you have to add in more drugs to offset the problems the original drugs are creating. Seems silly, right?

If not, drop to 300 mg weekly split into two 150 mg doses, twice per week. And take 0.25 - 0.5 mgs of Adex twice per week.

Seems like you're just one of the unlucky ones who are a high aromatizer.

You're right. I think I'm done with this experiment. I got a skin reaction Adex last time, so I tried Aromasin and it's even worse.

I'll start planning PCT. I'm not even sure I can take AIs now without a reaction.

 

[cavorite]

What do you think about cutting the test back to TRT levels and running something like Anavar? I'd like to salvage something from this cycle considering all the effort that went into it.

The gyno (if that's what it is) can be controlled by raloxifene from everything I've read.

 

[Strikeclinch]

And ya leave them alone unless you need them but if ur getting those kid of
Skin reactions stop everything is mysdvice

 

[cavorite]

Christ. Doctor said it’s bedbugs. I need to get out of this apartment now

I just assumed it was related to taking a new medicine

 

[CJ]

Christ. Doctor said it’s bedbugs. I need to get out of this apartment now

I just assumed it was related to taking a new medicine

 

[Strikeclinch]

Christ. Doctor said it’s bedbugs. I need to get out of this apartment now

I just assumed it was related to taking a new medicine

For fuck sales bro that fuckin sux man bed bugs are a night mare u probly have to throw away all ur clothes to those fuckim things are terrible they don’t fuckin die! Unless u get a exterminator to come fumigate your place which I’m sure isn’t cheap and U will have to rent a hotel for a few days or just stay out of your home sorry to hear that bro that’s a crazy headache ur mattress ur clothes sheets everything garbage now

 

[cavorite]

For fuck sales bro that fuckin sux man bed bugs are a night mare u probly have to throw away all ur clothes to those fuckim things are terrible they don’t fuckin die! Unless u get a exterminator to come fumigate your place which I’m sure isn’t cheap and U will have to rent a hotel for a few days or just stay out of your home sorry to hear that bro that’s a crazy headache ur mattress ur clothes sheets everything garbage now

It's an AirBnB. This is exactly why I don't rent long-term places here. I didn't know that about my clothes though – fuck me

 

[Strikeclinch]

It's an AirBnB. This is exactly why I don't rent long-term places here. I didn't know that about my clothes though – fuck me

Ya I might be wrong but those things are a fuckin bitch to get rid of they’re so strong at surviving

 

[cavorite]

Quick Qs:

Raloxifene got rid of the nipple tenderness pretty quickly. My issue now is low energy, and libido is way down from what it was before. I pretty much just workout and sleep lately.

I think this means estradiol is too high or low? I don't think it could be too low since I stopped AIs, and I don't really want to start them again.

Any thoughts? This is week 5, so I think should be feeling the test by now.

 

[Send0]

Quick Qs:

Raloxifene got rid of the nipple tenderness pretty quickly. My issue now is low energy, and libido is way down from what it was before. I pretty much just workout and sleep lately.

I think this means estradiol is too high or low? I don't think it could be too low since I stopped AIs, and I don't really want to start them again.

Any thoughts? This is week 5, so I think should be feeling the test by now.

High E2 can cause a feeling of lethargy/tiredness. It does this indirectly by increasing thyroxine binding globulin. This has a high binding affinity with both T3 and T4 thyroid hormones, leaving less free thyroid hormone available in serum for use. This could lead to feeling lethargic or tired.

High E2 is relative to each individual. So I can't say if this is your issue. I can only comment that it is possible to feel tired from excessive E2. Other things can create the same feeling, such as cortisol for example.

The only way for you to know for sure is to get an E2 ultrasensitive test done, and evaluate how to adjust yourself from there

 

[CJ]

All you're going to get is guesses. Get bloodwork.

 

[cavorite]

This is what it was last week. I don’t think it would be wildly different now

 

[CJ]

Your estradiol looks fine, and your testosterone is legit.

 

[Send0]

I would not consider that E2 very high, just going on numbers only. My initial thought is that your lethargy is not related to estrogen... but more bio markers would tell you for sure.

What is your diet like in terms of calories, and macro nutrient break down, per day? I'm especially interested in the macro distribution as it relates to total caloric intake.

 

[cavorite]

I would not consider that E2 very high, just going on numbers only. My initial thought is that your lethargy is not related to estrogen... but more bio markers would tell you for sure.

What is your diet like in terms of calories, and macro nutrient break down, per day? I'm especially interested in the macro distribution as it relates to total caloric intake.

Yeah I need to start watching macros more closely. I usually eat low carb, and someone mentioned that might be the problem. So I added a ton of oatmeal and rice in the last week.

Protein is extremely high. Fats are probably low – I'm still trying to eat healthy while running a moderate caloric surplus.

I'll start tracking actual numbers.

 

[cavorite]

My first cycle is in the books. The 16 weeks flew by pretty quickly, and the results were better than I expected. It's actually more dramatic than you can tell from my shitty laptop photos.

This cycle was just 500mg/week Test E. I tried Anavar briefly but it made me lethargic and irritable.

I was worried about gyno initially, but I took raloxifene for two weeks and the nipple sensitivity went away and never came back. I rarely used an AI.

The only negative is that my lipids are off now. Not sure if that's from Test or Anavar, so I'm glad I didn't stack additional things on to this cycle.

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone on here for the advice.

 

[CJ]

The only negative is that my lipids are off now. Not sure if that's from Test or Anavar, so I'm glad I didn't stack additional things on to this cycle.

Anavar commonly wrecks lipid panels, so it's more than likely the culprit.

It should get better, watch your diet, get in your Omega 3s, either through quality supplements or oily fish like wild caught salmon.

 

[Swoleguru]

I went full-on zero carbs and into a steep caloric deficit to get it over with quickly. My trainer actually came up with that idea.

Do you recommend carb cycling during cycle, or just for cutting at the end?

I basically want to add 10-15 lbs of muscle this cycle and then get body fat very low at the end. Does that sounds

I just left the US to live in Thailand. I have a lot of time on my hands now, so I want to focus on fitness and making improvements to my lifestyle.

6'1" 170, decent body fat, been training for years. Just kind of skinny. Total noob to steroids except for what I've read online.

I'm keeping it simple and starting on 500 test/week (250 x 3.5 days). I have Arimidex and HCG standing by in case I need them (although I'm not sure how I will know I need them – please advise if you can).

I'm starting week 3 today. I've noticed increased mental calmness and libido so far. No issues so far apart from a little drowsiness recently.

So, off to a food start. I'll keep you posted. Thank you for having me here.

At 6’1 170lbs running 500 test, I don’t see you gaining much fat. You’re already naturally lean, the test is going to increase your metabolism, as long as you eat

That's a good point. I've been going to the gym most days for decades and don't have a ton to show for it. Last year I used a trainer and nutritionist 2x/week to address that very thing – and added about 20/lbs muscle and 15/lbs fat. I went keto to lost the fat, and lost most of the muscle along with it. I'm trying to avoid that happening again.

My goal is to be ripped, not big. I'm generally low carb (though not during this cycle). Normally I would just go full keto at the end, but I still don't understand where I went wrong earlier.

6’1 , 170lbs you’re naturally lean. The test is going to increase your metabolism. As long as you eat clean, figure out your macros, you should come off this looking good without needing a drastic diet.

 

[cavorite]

What would be the logical progression (with minimal sides) for cycle 2?

I have lots of room to grow, so I’m thinking low test and Deca. (main concern is recovering natural test function after Deca). Low test and Primo is also intriguing but probably not as dramatic.

I question the risk/reward with most other compounds.

 

[cavorite]

Just want to post a progress update since I'm pretty thrilled with the results. I wouldn't have imagined it possible 7 months ago. The photos are June, October, and January. I think the biggest factor was ditching the low carb diet, which also gave me energy to workout for longer periods (about 2 hours/day now). I also get a lot of help from reading the training logs here.

First cycle was 500 Test. I'm 4 weeks into a new cycle with 500 Test and 200 NPP. I'm assuming some of the fullness is water retention from nandrolone, but hopefully I don't lose it all after the cycle.