Awesome, brother! Where are you seeing the veins? I’ve also seen way more of those in the abdominal region and chest.
Man, is it the Reeses diet?! How often are you lifting? Let’s get your shit together, brother.
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Oh it’s like 99% my lack of lifting and diet, I just don’t understand why I was doing the same before and had a hint of abs and now… not so much, not that I’m fat or anything. Only thing that changed was TRT and I gained it all quick once I started. I’ve wondered if the super low e2 I had before starting was keeping me thinner looking or something? I’m not sure… I’ve read a lot about high shbg = high insulin sensitivity so that can help people with not gaining weight when eating crap and mine was super high. It’s still not low but not 150+ any more.
Anyways. Bottom line, I need to eat better and work out and I’m sure I’d look better than I did pre TRT
More E2 does equal more water retention. Certain people argue about it, but it absolutely does. How much os individual. You probably just weren’t retaining enough water before - the effect BBers induce artificailly pre-contest.
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Yeah, and that water can definitely pool most around the abdominal area. I could clearly see the E2 playing a role. Do you think you’re eating any more than before @ncsugrad2002?
Thanks! For me, it’s mainly been arms and chest. Considering how much weight I’ve put in over the past three months (~10 lbs), it’s crazy how lean I’ve been able to stay with my lower abs still being visible. I’ve always been able to maintain some semblance of abs while bulking, but not to this extent! I’m also just past the 3 month mark, so curious to see where I’m at when I’ve been on for a longer time frame. I just did labs and things look good, with a doctor check-in next week. Love to get your thoughts if you have a minute.
Probably… I used to get so full every time I would eat much at all… I was super full/bloated feeling all the time. TRT seemed to help get my stomach moving somehow, if you know what I mean.
I eat out a lot (I know, I know) and I’m still getting the same things I used to get, but I can eat it all now without being miserable where used to I’d eat 1/2 or 3/4 of it and be miserably full, which I’m sure the difference is adding up over time. I’ve been hungrier than I remember being in a long time.
The weirdest part about the initial weight gain was how sore I was. I felt like I had been killing it in the gym or something, my whole body had that post workout sore muscle feeling, I’ve always thought I was kind of getting back to my normal baseline muscle wise… so I think I gained some muscle in there too, but I’m pretty sure there was a good bit of water and probably some fat mixed in as well.
Lots of maybe’s to say yeah, I’m sure I’m eating more in the end.
Damn dude, you look way better than pre-TRT! I’d say all 10 lbs was actually muscle, and you may have lost fat too, honestly. Arms and chest are clearly looking far more developed. Absolutely crazy recomp for such a short time frame – you should be fired up.
Your numbers look excellent to me, man, which is probably why your body has changed so drastically. It’s wild how SHBG hasn’t budged with E, total, and free all going up so much.
2.4% free:total is a great ratio. The best I’ve ever gotten is 2.2%, and I was most recently at 1.8%. I’d love to get up closer to 3, which I think would be ideal. But yeah man, your numbers look better to me than my own, and I’ve been at this 18 months!
I trust @enackers’ advice on your thyroid; he knows way more about it than I do. Are you still doing injections? Current protocol?
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That makes sense. I suspected as much. An increased appetite and weight gain seem to be inevitable for a lot of guys starting TRT. I haven’t had that experience (I’m 10 lbs. lighter now, actually), but I also don’t think I’ve gained considerable muscle mass.
I bet you have gained muscle in there – don’t be discouraged. I bet even if you fixed 1/2 (diet or training), you’d be thrilled with the results. Your body seems to really want to add weight.
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@ncsugrad2002
I wish you lived close by because I know I could get you lean as fuck in no time plus I bet we’d be good friends. One of the main things I’ve learned on my journey is that when you eat seems to be most important. I can’t do diets or really even eat clean. The only thing that works for me is adjusting when I eat. Slowly cutting out breakfast by decreasing portions over time until you don’t need breakfast and then slowly pushing lunch until later (each week push it back 30 mins) until the point that lunch and dinner are within a 4 hour time span and cutting out snacks will have you losing 20 lbs in a matter of 6 weeks all while still eating what you want.
I will literally pay for your gym membership. Just let me know what gym. You are missing out on so much by not working out. Yes looking good is a great feeling but the mental benefits are unbelievable. Dude no more excuses! Get in the gym!
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Yeah he looks amazing and the bastard has great chest genetics. He’s going to be slaying the puss.
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My man! You nailed it. If you want to be an optimized human, you’d better get dat ass in the gym.
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Dexter-style! 
@bkb333
Dude you look so fucking good… Jesus Christ…
This is definitely true for some people. My best friend is 250 and should be 170. The only diets that ever work for him are time-restricted. He can’t graze.
For me and others, it really doesn’t matter. I eat all throughout the day, starting when I wake up to when I go to bed. I just eat small meals, high in protein so they’re satiating. If I fast, on the other hand, I’m tempted to binge (probably the grelin stuff).
That would be awesome, I suck at making friends to be honest and I have even fewer with real jobs and lives outside of working on their cars. Are you moving out of New Orleans? We’re still going to get back down there whenever covid chills out or there’s a vaccine or wtf ever it takes to make my wife believe she’s not going to kill an unborn child that hasn’t been conceived yet by traveling somewhere. A couple of us have talked about doing a guys trip down there, if that ends up happening I’ll let you know.
I’m good at the no breakfast part… I think that’s why I’m not fat already. I used to prefer sleep over breakfast in the mornings when I was a kid so I just learned to sleep through it. The problem is I’m super hungry by lunch. A few days ago I had a ton of work to do and just worked through lunch and I was fine until 2-3 (though I ate a bunch of fried food and a milkshake then, oops) but I get what you’re saying. If I could do that and eat a reasonable meal later than “normal” and not eat something stupid for dinner (or ice cream at like midnight) I think I’d lean out quick. The reality is I’m staying 170’ish while eating McDonalds and ice cream all the time, so that’s better than most in this country
Man I appreciate it, it’s not the money, but you feeling that strongly about it makes me want to do it more. I’ll get in there when they re-open. It’s hard to explain, but I felt so good when I was playing golf a weekend or two ago… it was hot as fuck, I would have died pre-TRT but I was ready to go, it felt good
They are still closed here… we’re one of the only states left with gyms closed. I found one on my way home from work that I’m going to start going to once they reopen. The problem for a while has been I commute 1:15 each way, and it used to be every day… so by the time I leave not much after 6am and get home at 6:30 or 7 there’s no way in hell I’m realistically going back out to go to the gym, so one that’s right off the highway halfway home is the only way I think I’d actually go. I’m going to start back as soon as they open back up.
The good news… you guys might remember me looking for a new job a few months back. Well, 2 things happened. 1. The asshole boss that was the reason I couldn’t work from home most of the time is being let go at the end of the year, so he’s out of the picture and already been replaced with a super nice guy that only cares if shit gets done, and I picked up another plant close to where I live (I sell manufacturing services) so that gives me another reason to not be in the far away offices every day and 2. One of the jobs I was looking at months ago called me a few days ago and the dude is driving 7 HOURS each way to interview me next weekend, so I’m pretty sure he’s for real. Someone I used to do a lot of business with works at this company in the same job for a different territory and referred me and I’ve been bugging the guy for like 6 months so I think I’m about to have to pick between my current job which is looking a lot better, or the new job. Just depends on the details of what they offer I guess.
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I agree with the breakfast comment. I only eat when im hungry. It works. Ive leaned up so much in just 4 weeks after this COVID debacle. I lost muscle and now im back at my original state. 1 month… not eating 3 times or 5 times a day, just twice. Mid evening and late night. works man.
I feel like the body burns what you ate at night during the next morning and daytime. Then you just store backup and feed the body for the next 24 hours.
I like my coffee to and I bet that shitty Suboxone (opiate) im on is helping with curbing my crave for food.
PRONOTO Mother fugger. damnit
Thanks so much, man. I’ve gotten a ton of help on the diet piece by following a few YouTubers – Greg Doucette, Remington James, Will Tennyson, and Jesse James West. They offer so many hacks that getting lean is honestly easy.
Man, things are really looking up! That is huge. I highly recommend investing in home gym equipment if you can get your hands on some. It’s been a lifesaver for me with a busy life. I often lift while ‘on the clock’ (from home). Sometimes I even take phone meetings during workouts and just mute my line when I need to.
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