New Member Intro: 41-Year-Old Dad from North Texas

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shiggy817

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Hi everyone — I'm a 41 year old dad who knows next to nothing about peptides. Back at the start of Covid I dropped roughly 40 lbs the old fashioned way and felt pretty good about where I'd landed. I get bloodwork done regularly, and about 18 months ago I began testosterone because my levels came back low and I wanted to see if energy and mood would improve (I suppose I'm microdosing at .2 ml, twice a week — that's simply what my doctor told me to do, it's been working well, and I like the schedule). Roughly 3 months into testosterone, a follow-up blood draw showed elevated estrogen, so I also started taking half of a 1mg tab of Anastrozole, again twice per week.

I don't believe the testosterone is the cause, but my weight has been creeping back up and I'm now about 30 lbs heavier than the low point I'd reached. I do work out 3 to 4 times per week and my body composition is quite different from what it was before that first round of weight loss, yet I'm feeling fat and sluggish again.

In any case, I'm looking forward to digging into a wide range of peptides, not only the GLP-1s. Recovery is on my list too (my elbow has been bothering me for the last 6 months), along with inflammation and skincare.

If you've read this far and have any tips, or specific posts you think belong at the top of my reading list, let me know — or just say hello.

Thanks!
 
You're heading in the right direction.

Make sure to stay active here and your red NSD will go away.

Other forums and sections should be accessible to you now too.

Searching is a great tool to lean on.

Welcome aboard, and best of luck!
 
I'm not a physician, but it's quite possible that elevated estrogen is behind your weight gain, AI or not. When estrogen runs high, the body tends to hold onto fat, especially in the belly, hips, and thighs. Do you happen to know what your dose works out to at .2ml 2x per week? Certain individuals respond strongly to TRT and might reach full replacement levels on just 75-100mg weekly, while others could require as much as 250mg weekly.

Keep getting your blood work done, and watch the forums for discussions on Retatrutide, Tirzepatide, Tesamorelin, CJC-1295 + IPA, and similar compounds. Best of luck with everything, and stay on top of those labs so your estrogen remains within normal ranges. Personally, I find the side effects of high estrogen far worse than those of low T.
 
shiggy817 said:

Hi everyone — I'm a 41 year old dad who knows next to nothing about peptides. Back at the start of Covid I dropped roughly 40 lbs the old fashioned way and felt pretty good about where I'd landed. I get bloodwork done regularly, and about 18 months ago I began testosterone because my levels came back low and I wanted to see if energy and mood would improve (I suppose I'm microdosing at .2 ml, twice a week — that's simply what my doctor told me to do, it's been working well, and I like the schedule). Roughly 3 months into testosterone, a follow-up blood draw showed elevated estrogen, so I also started taking half of a 1mg tab of Anastrozole, again twice per week.

I don't believe the testosterone is the cause, but my weight has been creeping back up and I'm now about 30 lbs heavier than the low point I'd reached. I do work out 3 to 4 times per week and my body composition is quite different from what it was before that first round of weight loss, yet I'm feeling fat and sluggish again.

In any case, I'm looking forward to digging into a wide range of peptides, not only the GLP-1s. Recovery is on my list too (my elbow has been bothering me for the last 6 months), along with inflammation and skincare.

If you've read this far and have any tips, or specific posts you think belong at the top of my reading list, let me know — or just say hello.

Thanks!
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Greetings from one Texan to another!

TRT is part of my routine too, and I spent some time on anastrozole.

For your testosterone shots, do you go IM or Sub Q?
 
Derst said:

Greetings from one Texan to another!

TRT is part of my routine too, and I spent some time on anastrozole.

For your testosterone shots, do you go IM or Sub Q?
Click to expand...
Hi!

I go with IM for the injections.

Since the vial is 200mg/ml, I'm injecting just 40mg each time. It appears to be doing the job quite well, though. Before TRT my testosterone was around 220ish, and with my current regimen it's been roughly 730, and I feel much more energetic and less irritable.
 
shiggy817 said:

Hi!

I go with IM for the injections.

Since the vial is 200mg/ml, I'm injecting just 40mg each time. It appears to be doing the job quite well, though. Before TRT my testosterone was around 220ish, and with my current regimen it's been roughly 730, and I feel much more energetic and less irritable.
Click to expand...
That's great to hear, man! If you're feeling better, then it's doing its job.
 
notausernamebuddy said:

I'm not a physician, but it's quite possible that elevated estrogen is behind your weight gain, AI or not. When estrogen runs high, the body tends to hold onto fat, especially in the belly, hips, and thighs. Do you happen to know what your dose works out to at .2ml 2x per week? Certain individuals respond strongly to TRT and might reach full replacement levels on just 75-100mg weekly, while others could require as much as 250mg weekly.

Keep getting your blood work done, and watch the forums for discussions on Retatrutide, Tirzepatide, Tesamorelin, CJC-1295 + IPA, and similar compounds. Best of luck with everything, and stay on top of those labs so your estrogen remains within normal ranges. Personally, I find the side effects of high estrogen far worse than those of low T.
Click to expand...
At 80mg per week, my levels went from the low to mid 200’s up to roughly the mid 700’s. On my most recent labs, estradiol came in at 16.0 pg/mL, which sits toward the lower end of the reference range.

I appreciate the reading recommendations — that’s where I’ll begin.
 
The biggest piece of advice I can give is to let yourself absorb the information naturally. Spend time digging through this forum. Spend time digging through the Telegram channels of vendors from this site that have strong reviews and solid testing. It takes time, but going through that process left me knowing a lot more and feeling confident in how I do things, rather than just direct-messaging random people on Reddit to ask where to get sources.
 
Hey, welcome aboard! Have you thought about getting a DEXA scan? Given the hormone adjustments you've made lately and the body composition changes you're noticing, getting real numbers on your muscle, bone, and fat percentages plus your basal metabolic rate could be worthwhile. A mobile lab passed through our area not long ago running a promo - buy the DEXA scan and the 15-20 minute calorimetry test came at no cost.
 
LetsGoWolves said:

Hey, welcome aboard! Have you thought about getting a DEXA scan? Given the hormone adjustments you've made lately and the body composition changes you're noticing, getting real numbers on your muscle, bone, and fat percentages plus your basal metabolic rate could be worthwhile. A mobile lab passed through our area not long ago running a promo - buy the DEXA scan and the 15-20 minute calorimetry test came at no cost.
Click to expand...
This is something I haven't researched yet, but it sounds like a solid option. I'll try to dig up some details on it. Appreciate it!
 
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