INTRO Greetings from Deep South Texas!

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low-dose-host

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INTRO: Howdy everyone, I'm based in the most obese region of this great country, and after coming back from the Military a few years back, I've put on 50 lbs! Broadly speaking, I'm into general bio-hacking and collecting data to observe how shifts in behavior can boost my health markers.

CONCERN: The main thing on my mind is my blood pressure, which when not managed can climb to Stage-1 levels and Hypertensive Crisis. I don't want to carry this into my 30's since I'm too young to be in this poor health. On the other hand, my testosterone is decent, sitting in the 700's, and my fasted blood glucose is borderline. Lipids look fine.

HISTORY: Before I try any peptides, I want to gather a solid dataset about my current physique changes. I've never been a steady lifter, but in my early 20's my cardiovascular health and calisthenics were decent -- much like Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park. I do weekend-warrior 5ks/10ks, plus an 18k and Half Marathon this year.

BASELINE: I've been hitting the gym and using the set Impedance scan (recognizing the discrepancy and accuracy). Dropping weight is key for lowering my blood pressure, but I don't want to risk muscle loss. Also, I have a real respect for discipline over taking GLPs from my community purveyors without a solid foundation.

1. Starting BP average 150 / 100. (with medication)

Goal: 120 / 80. reduced or no medication.

2. Starting Weight: 230 lbs

Goal: 185 lbs

3. Starting LBM: 160 lbs

Goal: 167 lbs

4. Body fat: 33%

Goal: 10-15%

5. Starting 5k time: 35 min

Goal: Sub 30 min

6. Starting Skin: Eczema on face

Goal: Clear

I'm planning a DEXA scan around 210 lbs.

I'll redo blood labs before fasting.

PLAN:

WEEK 1-4.

2300 caloric restriction with approx. 180g of proteins. Fasting on a 18/6 schedule.

Cardio - Nike Run Club 5k (active runner) Weight-Lifting: 3 - 5x week

Salicylic acid: 2x week x 2 weeks or Nizoral: 2x week x 2 weeks.

WEEK 4-8.

Reevaluate calories based on weight. Ketogenic 18/6 schedule if muscle loss is negligible.

Cardio - Nike Run Club 5k (active runner) Weight-Lifting: 3 - 5x week

WEEK 9.

5 Day water fast. This serves both for gut cleansing effects and to test natural rebound HGH increases afterward.

OBSTACLES: Beer, Salt, Fast food.

If any of you have tips on metrics and labs, please share and follow the journey! I know I'm bound to lose some muscle during this early phase since there's no real case for gaining muscle and losing fat naturally. All good.
 
Hello. I’m not entirely certain how you view glp-1s, but in my case they’ve made it much simpler to set a baseline while actually noticing progress. Keto and fasting are things I’ve tried before, yet keeping those up was always brutally hard for me. That’s why I ended up with the usual lose-and-regain pattern. I’ve been training fairly consistently for 6 years, and only during the past 4 months on Tirzepatide have I truly seen the payoff from that effort. Put simply, I wouldn’t think twice about starting tirz or Reta, particularly for bp. I’m down 40 lbs and my bp has gone from around 140/90 to 116/80. On the muscle side, I’ve kept protein high, trained 4-6 days per week, and I have a physically demanding job. Muscle is holding up well and becoming more noticeable. My plan is to remain on some form of glp indefinitely, eventually at a lower dose. I hope it becomes affordable within mainstream medicine. Welcome to the community, whichever path you take to improve your life!
 
I get how fasting or cutting calories hard can lead to weight coming back.

My goal here is to track whatever progress I can make on my own, before any GLP-1, so rebuilding a diet plan plus a workout routine and changing how I eat matter a lot to me. So far I haven't stuck with things as steadily as I plan to once I start a GLP-1.

Retatrutide appeals to me for its effect on BP and for lowering visceral fat. I also thought about adding another peptide for muscle growth - but that's not where we are yet. Given how many folks in my class already get them from resellers, I'm confident there's a market for both - though I'd rather wait and locate a market with solid 3rd party controls when the time is right.

This week I've already dropped 4 lbs, which I think is water weight, because I've stayed away from alcohol. I just want to watch a pattern emerge.

Thanks for the coms bro!
 
Status update:

LBS: 226 lbs

Skin: Clear. (Nirozal + brief antifungal)

ADDING:

ashwaganda

taladafil 5mg a day for mens health

OBSTACLES: Homework, stress management and sticking to exercise.
 
low-dose-host said:

INTRO: Howdy everyone, I'm based in the most obese region of this great country, and after coming back from the Military a few years back, I've put on 50 lbs! Broadly speaking, I'm into general bio-hacking and collecting data to observe how shifts in behavior can boost my health markers.

CONCERN: The main thing on my mind is my blood pressure, which when not managed can climb to Stage-1 levels and Hypertensive Crisis. I don't want to carry this into my 30's since I'm too young to be in this poor health. On the other hand, my testosterone is decent, sitting in the 700's, and my fasted blood glucose is borderline. Lipids look fine.

HISTORY: Before I try any peptides, I want to gather a solid dataset about my current physique changes. I've never been a steady lifter, but in my early 20's my cardiovascular health and calisthenics were decent -- much like Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park. I do weekend-warrior 5ks/10ks, plus an 18k and Half Marathon this year.

BASELINE: I've been hitting the gym and using the set Impedance scan (recognizing the discrepancy and accuracy). Dropping weight is key for lowering my blood pressure, but I don't want to risk muscle loss. Also, I have a real respect for discipline over taking GLPs from my community purveyors without a solid foundation.

1. Starting BP average 150 / 100. (with medication)

Goal: 120 / 80. reduced or no medication.

2. Starting Weight: 230 lbs

Goal: 185 lbs

3. Starting LBM: 160 lbs

Goal: 167 lbs

4. Body fat: 33%

Goal: 10-15%

5. Starting 5k time: 35 min

Goal: Sub 30 min

6. Starting Skin: Eczema on face

Goal: Clear

I'm planning a DEXA scan around 210 lbs.

I'll redo blood labs before fasting.

PLAN:

WEEK 1-4.

2300 caloric restriction with approx. 180g of proteins. Fasting on a 18/6 schedule.

Cardio - Nike Run Club 5k (active runner) Weight-Lifting: 3 - 5x week

Salicylic acid: 2x week x 2 weeks or Nizoral: 2x week x 2 weeks.

WEEK 4-8.

Reevaluate calories based on weight. Ketogenic 18/6 schedule if muscle loss is negligible.

Cardio - Nike Run Club 5k (active runner) Weight-Lifting: 3 - 5x week

WEEK 9.

5 Day water fast. This serves both for gut cleansing effects and to test natural rebound HGH increases afterward.

OBSTACLES: Beer, Salt, Fast food.

If any of you have tips on metrics and labs, please share and follow the journey! I know I'm bound to lose some muscle during this early phase since there's no real case for gaining muscle and losing fat naturally. All good.
Click to expand...
Glad to have you here. Our starting weights are nearly identical. My starting point was 225 with 25% body fat. I have been on Tirz at 2mg for 4 weeks now, and so far I have dropped only 6 pounds. Like you, I am aiming for 185 lbs. I will be keeping up with your progress.
 
PepGladiator said:

low-dose-host said:

INTRO: Howdy everyone, I'm based in the most obese region of this great country, and after coming back from the Military a few years back, I've put on 50 lbs! Broadly speaking, I'm into general bio-hacking and collecting data to observe how shifts in behavior can boost my health markers.

CONCERN: The main thing on my mind is my blood pressure, which when not managed can climb to Stage-1 levels and Hypertensive Crisis. I don't want to carry this into my 30's since I'm too young to be in this poor health. On the other hand, my testosterone is decent, sitting in the 700's, and my fasted blood glucose is borderline. Lipids look fine.

HISTORY: Before I try any peptides, I want to gather a solid dataset about my current physique changes. I've never been a steady lifter, but in my early 20's my cardiovascular health and calisthenics were decent -- much like Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park. I do weekend-warrior 5ks/10ks, plus an 18k and Half Marathon this year.

BASELINE: I've been hitting the gym and using the set Impedance scan (recognizing the discrepancy and accuracy). Dropping weight is key for lowering my blood pressure, but I don't want to risk muscle loss. Also, I have a real respect for discipline over taking GLPs from my community purveyors without a solid foundation.

1. Starting BP average 150 / 100. (with medication)

Goal: 120 / 80. reduced or no medication.

2. Starting Weight: 230 lbs

Goal: 185 lbs

3. Starting LBM: 160 lbs

Goal: 167 lbs

4. Body fat: 33%

Goal: 10-15%

5. Starting 5k time: 35 min

Goal: Sub 30 min

6. Starting Skin: Eczema on face

Goal: Clear

I'm planning a DEXA scan around 210 lbs.

I'll redo blood labs before fasting.

PLAN:

WEEK 1-4.

2300 caloric restriction with approx. 180g of proteins. Fasting on a 18/6 schedule.

Cardio - Nike Run Club 5k (active runner) Weight-Lifting: 3 - 5x week

Salicylic acid: 2x week x 2 weeks or Nizoral: 2x week x 2 weeks.

WEEK 4-8.

Reevaluate calories based on weight. Ketogenic 18/6 schedule if muscle loss is negligible.

Cardio - Nike Run Club 5k (active runner) Weight-Lifting: 3 - 5x week

WEEK 9.

5 Day water fast. This serves both for gut cleansing effects and to test natural rebound HGH increases afterward.

OBSTACLES: Beer, Salt, Fast food.

If any of you have tips on metrics and labs, please share and follow the journey! I know I'm bound to lose some muscle during this early phase since there's no real case for gaining muscle and losing fat naturally. All good.
Click to expand...
Glad to have you here. Our starting weights are nearly identical. My starting point was 225 with 25% body fat. I have been on Tirz at 2mg for 4 weeks now, and so far I have dropped only 6 pounds. Like you, I am aiming for 185 lbs. I will be keeping up with your progress.
Click to expand...
Hi, diet and exercise have brought me down to 225 lbs. My InBody impedance scan (with a margin of error of about 10%) indicates 5 lbs of fat lost, yet over the last 2 weeks my scale weight has barely budged. Water retention is showing up.

People are noticing that I've slimmed down, and I do look healthier. My side profile is clearly leaner — likely because I've been staying away from alcohol.

My BP has been somewhat erratic; I recently developed a throat infection.

After taking an antifungal medication and using nizoral every 2 weeks, my skin has cleared.

I also began Cialis 5mg because HTN had left me with poor vascularity in my genitals. Morning erections are robust once more, which is a solid indicator of men's health.

Next week I intend to follow a strict HTN diet, cutting sodium and raising potassium to suitable levels.

Scans from the past few months reveal roughly 14 lbs of water retention, so I'll try to bring that number down before starting Tirz or Reta.

I expect this to be a major shift
 
On the topic of blood pressure worries:

In my own case, I had hypertension that sat at a baseline of 150-160, and I wanted it brought down to a more sensible target of 135-140. While I was dropping weight, I kept an eye on both my BP and, just as importantly, my baseline HR, since certain compounds can gradually push that number upward. Any cardio I did, I aimed to keep in the 140 BPM zone.

After 6 months of reta plus staying consistent, there was a clear drop in bp (I stayed on my medication the whole time), though I check in regularly so my doctor and I can talk about whether and when a lower dose of BP medication might be needed.

Since I have dealt with morbid obesity in the past along with visceral fat and fatty liver, I was glad to be able to show that after 2 years of lifestyle changes and 1 year of steady reta use (56lb lost), liver scans came back with no detectable fatty liver and only minimal liver scarring.

To be honest, staying consistent and keeping an eye on how prescription drugs interact is essential, and it really helps to have a doctor you can speak frankly with about the compounds you use.

For me, I switched doctors so that I would never hesitate to talk about my own monitored use of test, reta and hgh. The right doctor would honestly rather have full openness so they can interpret test results accurately with all the context, instead of reacting with negativity and judgment.
 
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