CybrSage's TRT Jouney in Pics

[cybrsage]

I figured I would post some pictures of me before my TRT journey, and at different times - all from a muscle gaining and fat loss perspective. First, I have to say I am SHOCKED at how much better I feel now that I am starting to get things dialed in. I will talk to my doctor about HCG at our next apt, just to alter the testicle shrinkage I am having, but right now I am only taking 150mg of test a week (0.75ml of 200mg/ml once a week). I am hitting the gym four days a week and doing some cardio to start and warm up with, followed by circuit training of the max weight I can successfully move in one set of 12 reps - on multiple different machines. Before I started TRT, I did not work out at all. I did not have enough gumption to do just about anything. I was so apathetic that I knew I did not care about anything and frankly did not care that I did not care. It was a bad time. I also improved my diet considerably, greatly increasing my protein intake and reducing my carbs and fat intake.

A before pic (body fat unknown, but obviously high):

After two months of TRT and working out (my calipers routinely said I was 27% - right or wrong, it is my baseline since I could accurately achieve it using the Jackson/Pollock 3 caliper method):

After four months of TRT and working out (19% body fat - using the same using the Jackson/Pollock 3 caliper method I used above, for a loss of 8% body fat!!!):

I will post more pics in another two months. I just wanted anyone who is taking TRT to both improve the quality of their lives and to improve their physical health to know this stuff is magic, provided you also change your diet to match. My strength has improved greatly, my love handles are vanishing, and my confidence levels are rising quickly. I am happy.

 

[golfer34]

Nice work

 

[cybrsage]

I was just thinking, should this be in a different forum section?

 

[Alpin]

Your leaning out...
Nice work.

 

[Alpin]

Does the b.f. test on males get assessed from the "love handles" by calipers for accurate b.f. measurement?

 

[Captain America]

Good job man! It must be a good feeling.

 

[cybrsage]

I used this link and did the Jackson/Pollock 3 Caliper Method. It does not use the love handle, but rather a little to the side of the naval. The second link shows exactly where to take the measurements, using high quality videos.

Body Fat Calculator
Linear Software - Male Body Fat Caliper Sites

While I am not sure if my measurements are real life accurate, they are accurate from a "compared to each other" standpoint as I take them in the same place with the same method and can repeat my readings four out of four times.

EDIT: If there is a better way to do it, I am open to it.

 

[Exotic Vizonz]

Awesome work, these are the post that make my day!

 

[halfape211]

how long on trt? you're doing great!

 

[cybrsage]

how long on trt? you're doing great!

My journey has bee fraught with peril, heartache and pain...

My first doctor admitted I had low T (153) but said he was not going to do anything about it. I went to him because I had all the symptoms that come from it (apathy, tiredness, sexual dysfunction, etc) but he did not care. I badgered him until he sent me to an endocrinologist. They put me on androgel. It raised my level to 350ish, but I had TERRIBLE side effects. I became very emotional, slightly psychotic, paranoid, easily enraged, filled with anxiety, and suicidal. The paranoia was the worst part, as my wife was trying to tell me things were happening to me, but the paranoia was preventing me from believing her. Finally, I decided to do a scientific test (I am an engineer, so it made sense) and I stopped taking Androgel for two weeks - the symptoms went away. I could see how I was before and it frightened me. To prove it, I started taking it again until I saw symptoms start to return and immediately stopped. I had been taking Androgel for about 8 months.

I told the endo this stuff and she told me it was impossible that Androgel was the cause - even after I told her my test.

I fired both my doctor and the endocrinologist and got a new doctor, who gave me "boner pills" as a stop gap and sent me to his own personal urologist. The urologist told me that testosterone will NOT cause those symptoms in males, but that I could easily be reacting to the DELIVERY METHOD of the testosterone and he put me on Axiron for six months. Axiron made me sweat - turns out so much so that I immediately sweated out all the testosterone and my levels did not change at all from it!.

He then recommended injections and said there are no side effects from it and it is the best method out there. I hated getting shots, but it was my last hope, so I started. I have now been on Test-Cyp for a little over 4 months now and my life is much better.

I am about to shift to semi-weekly injections, and make them subQ instead of IM. I think that will help me a lot, since I cannot seem to get myself to do IM twice a week.

 

[halfape211]

My journey has bee fraught with peril, heartache and pain...

My first doctor admitted I had low T (153) but said he was not going to do anything about it. I went to him because I had all the symptoms that come from it (apathy, tiredness, sexual dysfunction, etc) but he did not care. I badgered him until he sent me to an endocrinologist. They put me on androgel. It raised my level to 350ish, but I had TERRIBLE side effects. I became very emotional, slightly psychotic, paranoid, easily enraged, filled with anxiety, and suicidal. The paranoia was the worst part, as my wife was trying to tell me things were happening to me, but the paranoia was preventing me from believing her. Finally, I decided to do a scientific test (I am an engineer, so it made sense) and I stopped taking Androgel for two weeks - the symptoms went away. I could see how I was before and it frightened me. To prove it, I started taking it again until I saw symptoms start to return and immediately stopped. I had been taking Androgel for about 8 months.

I told the endo this stuff and she told me it was impossible that Androgel was the cause - even after I told her my test.

I fired both my doctor and the endocrinologist and got a new doctor, who gave me "boner pills" as a stop gap and sent me to his own personal urologist. The urologist told me that testosterone will NOT cause those symptoms in males, but that I could easily be reacting to the DELIVERY METHOD of the testosterone and he put me on Axiron for six months. Axiron made me sweat - turns out so much so that I immediately sweated out all the testosterone and my levels did not change at all from it!.

He then recommended injections and said there are no side effects from it and it is the best method out there. I hated getting shots, but it was my last hope, so I started. I have now been on Test-Cyp for a little over 4 months now and my life is much better.

I am about to shift to semi-weekly injections, and make them subQ instead of IM. I think that will help me a lot, since I cannot seem to get myself to do IM twice a week.

I know this easy for anyone to say, but..., unease with injections is a state of mind when you really think about it. People can do some crazy things to themselves if they are in the right state of mind. I admit Sub Q for diabetes is easier than IM for T shots, But IM seems to get easier with time. Anyhow, as long as you get the T in you, your life will continue to improve.

 

[cybrsage]

Yeah, I find the IM shots easier to do as I do more of them - I am just worried about the scarring caused by another 40 years or so of shots.

 

[Alpin]

Yeah, I find the IM shots easier to do as I do more of them - I am just worried about the scarring caused by another 40 years or so of shots.

Yup!
The longer you are on the IM shots you will eventually feel sort of a crunching vibe in the area you pin IM at.
Thats scar tissue.

 

[Spunkey71]

Yeah, I find the IM shots easier to do as I do more of them - I am just worried about the scarring caused by another 40 years or so of shots.

Rotate injection spots, I am currently pinning in my glutes and quads, rotating every injection. I have not worked up the nerve yet but I might start pinning in my delts as well but right now that 1 1/2 inch 25 gauge needle scares me a little.

 

[cybrsage]

I took my first SubQ Test-Cyp injection last night - I am going to do Wed night and Sun mornings. I did 0.4ml (should be doing 0.375 but that is too hard to dose). Only had the initial pinch from the injection via a slin and no other pain. My stomach bothers me a little today, but I routinely have stomach issues so I will have to see if it continues to happen with future injections to know its cause.

I am drawing with a higher gauge needle and then back loading the slin - very easy to do, since I already have all the needles. I will keep the thread updated and then post full bloods in a few weeks.

Question - do you all think I need an AI with such a low and frequent test dose?

 

[methos0123]

probably not. I don't

 

[Spunkey71]

Question - do you all think I need an AI with such a low and frequent test dose?

The only true way to know is to not take the AI and then test bloods in a few weeks and see where your E2 is at, if your E2 is too high then you can slowly work the AI back into your protocol.


Best of Luck!

 

[cybrsage]

probably not. I don't

Thanks!

The only true way to know is to not take the AI and then test bloods in a few weeks and see where your E2 is at, if your E2 is too high then you can slowly work the AI back into your protocol.


Best of Luck!

That is what I figured - and what I am going to do with the next set of bloods in a few weeks...all the while checking to ensure no gyno starts.

 

[cybrsage]

Second sub q shot in the stomach fat was yesterday, no stomach pains at all, everything is so far so good.

 

[cybrsage]

I stopped doing the subq shots - I found myself feeling a lot more run down than usual and more like my old, pre TRT, self. It could be the slower absorption rate - maybe exacerbated by my higher body fat content, it could be psychosomatic, no idea what...but I decided to switch back to IM. I am still going to use the insulin needles, but shoot into my thigh with them. There is no possible way I have a 1/2 inch of fat on my thighs, so I know I am getting into the muscle...and it does not hurt at all. I am going to stay with semi-weekly injections to help smooth everything out. In a week I should know if it was the subq shots or just something else happening at the same time. Remove one variable at a time is a great troubleshooting method.

My next blood test is in another 6 weeks or so, at which point I will hopefully be dialed in. I think I am going to ask the doctor if I can get hcg so counter the ball shrink effect I have had.