Starting in November, I finally got serious about taking off the fat that has hidden my musculature for many years. I’m down 55 pounds and 14% body fat if you can trust those Tanita scales…leaner than I’ve been in a decade at least. My goal is to lose another 20-25 pounds and end up around 260-265.
Anyway, I’ve been on TRT for about a year now. First with the androgel, which didn’t work at all, then with 200mg test cypionate injections ever other week…since about May of 2009.
My question is really to seek confirmation of what I believe may be happening in regards to my test levels.
“Would my testosterone levels be expected to start climbing as I lose body fat?”
The way I understand it from a layman readers perspective, is that SHBG traps testosterone in fat cells; and that as you lose the fat, more free testosterone is available. What I have noticed is A LOT more morning wood and “accidental erections” popping up out of the blue like I was 17 again or something. Whatever the cause, I can’t say I’m unhappy about it…I feel better and younger than I have in a very long time; but the weight loss alone could contribute a lot to that.
Just wondering what some of the more knowlegable members here might have to teach me on this.
[quote]KSman wrote:
SHBG is in the blood, not fat cells and SHBG does not release T, it is tightly bound. With fat loss, T–>E aromatization in fat cells reduced.
You need to inject more often as once every two weeks creates more E and SHBG. What you are doing is sort of the worst.
No Arimidex/anastrozole?
No hCG?
No lab numbers?
Androgel did not work… what are your thyroid numbers and what is your iodine intake?[/quote]
I haven’t gotten any labs done since starting the injections KSMan. I know we’ve been over the thyroid and other labs before and they were normal at that time. My family physician, who’s been ‘handling’ my TRT, is not real cooperative with advanced TRT management…refuses to write a scrip for arimidex, would not even test for E2 until I nagged him about it. He wanted me to see how I’d do on once a month injections and I told him I’d rather keep it at two weeks for reasons you’ve covered several times. I’ve done internet and yellow page searches looking for a local specialist, but I have had no luck with that. A friend of mine from work was just diagnosed and will start TRT with a different doctor in town; so we agreed to compare notes in our treatment and if his guy is doing a more thorough job, I intend to jump ship.
What I do know, is my doctor seems real intent on making sure I get no higher than middle of the road T levels…and after the ineffectiveness of the Androgel, I REALLY noticed a difference with the injections in the way I felt overall, so I’ve just continued his original protocol for fear the lab results would come back higher than he wants and he’d cut me back further.
I know it’s a shitty situation, but it sounds like my story is common yet, and that those of you with access to real anti-aging clinics are the lucky exceptions.