First Cycle - Need Help on Staying Safe

[Lee A]

Hey everyone!

I've been lifting for about 3 years. In that time i've mostly re comped by trying to stay in a deficit ( not always working) and riding the "newb" gain train. Unfortunately I cannot find anywhere here to get a DEXA scan like I'd really like right now, but if my %BF caliper estimate is correct, i'm around 20% BF @ 215lbs. It's my goal to enter into a show this year in July. I could probably hit 10-13%BF by showtime doing everything naturally, but coming from an obese background, I have a VERY hard time losing fat. I'm looking for some advice on whether to do a low does long DNP cycle (3-4 weeks) or just Stick to something like Albuterol and continue with my current deficit. I've read and researched the risks of both and almost pulled the trigger on Albuterol last night but I figured I would try to get some input from you guys.

 

[Andyboro]

Hey everyone!

I've been lifting for about 3 years. In that time i've mostly re comped by trying to stay in a deficit ( not always working) and riding the "newb" gain train. Unfortunately I cannot find anywhere here to get a DEXA scan like I'd really like right now, but if my %BF caliper estimate is correct, i'm around 20% BF @ 215lbs. It's my goal to enter into a show this year in July. I could probably hit 10-13%BF by showtime doing everything naturally, but coming from an obese background, I have a VERY hard time losing fat. I'm looking for some advice on whether to do a low does long DNP cycle (3-4 weeks) or just Stick to something like Albuterol and continue with my current deficit. I've read and researched the risks of both and almost pulled the trigger on Albuterol last night but I figured I would try to get some input from you guys.

From a fellow (ex) fatty, firstly id say that your 20% from calipers probably isnt accurate - they're great to track progress but dont rely on them to give you an accurate measurement.

regarding what do to.. that differs depending on where you want to go. Personally, i jumped on a low dose testosterone cycle, really cleaned up my diet and maintained a deficit through diet and cardio until abs were almost there before considering anything else.

are you still losing fat naturally?

 

[Lee A]

From a fellow (ex) fatty, firstly id say that your 20% from calipers probably isnt accurate - they're great to track progress but dont rely on them to give you an accurate measurement.

regarding what do to.. that differs depending on where you want to go. Personally, i jumped on a low dose testosterone cycle, really cleaned up my diet and maintained a deficit through diet and cardio until abs were almost there before considering anything else.

are you still losing fat naturally?

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I'm fairly certain i'm in the 20-25% range. My buddy competes at 155-160 @ 5-6% and he swears up and dow nthat i'm going to be bigger than him by 10-15lbs @ 5-6%. I know thats a wildly inaccurate way to judge BF but it's the best I can do without DEXA

So, my immediate goals are to compete in a Bodybuilding show this year. I'm not expecting to win, I just have it as a personal goal. In the long run I really just want to get gain size, probably dabble with some powerlifting. I'm not ready to go all in with the gear cycles.

I've actually considered taking test this year at some point but that's about as far as I have planned in terms of any sort of gear cycle.

AS for the last question, it's hard for me to tell. For some reason, my body loves to stick around 205-215lbs. I bulked for a solid 8 months last year to 250lbs. I started dieting last August and was hitting an average of 1.5-2lbs lost a week. Everything went really smooth until 220. At 220, it's like pulling teeth to lose anything anymore. I've gotten down to 208, had a refeed meal because I was dying in the gym, and gained back 5lbs *from a 700 surplus*. Once I did that, it's been hard to maintain a deficit. I'm probably really overthinking it but it's gotten to the point where i'm considering DNP/albuterol

 

[Big_poppa_Bren]

You can mess up with many compounds, like taking too much test, too much clen etc. You will survive. There's no coming back when you fuck up with something like DNP.

You really need to look into a high protein diet. Theres no shortcuts with body fat. If your serious about competing get serious about dieting.

 

[Andyboro]

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I'm fairly certain i'm in the 20-25% range. My buddy competes at 155-160 @ 5-6% and he swears up and dow nthat i'm going to be bigger than him by 10-15lbs @ 5-6%. I know thats a wildly inaccurate way to judge BF but it's the best I can do without DEXA

So, my immediate goals are to compete in a Bodybuilding show this year. I'm not expecting to win, I just have it as a personal goal. In the long run I really just want to get gain size, probably dabble with some powerlifting. I'm not ready to go all in with the gear cycles.

I've actually considered taking test this year at some point but that's about as far as I have planned in terms of any sort of gear cycle.

AS for the last question, it's hard for me to tell. For some reason, my body loves to stick around 205-215lbs. I bulked for a solid 8 months last year to 250lbs. I started dieting last August and was hitting an average of 1.5-2lbs lost a week. Everything went really smooth until 220. At 220, it's like pulling teeth to lose anything anymore. I've gotten down to 208, had a refeed meal because I was dying in the gym, and gained back 5lbs *from a 700 surplus*. Once I did that, it's been hard to maintain a deficit. I'm probably really overthinking it but it's gotten to the point where i'm considering DNP/albuterol

In that case, its really as simple as you are eating like a man who weighs 220(ish) lbs dude.. sorry if that sounds a little condescending but i'd bet my left nut that its true.

any sort of fat burning drug will only do so much if the pounds aren't shifting themselves first so i'd really focus on that.

Its something that i struggled with myself for years and funnily enough my 'default' weight was 225! It came down to portion size in the end.. or my lack of ability to control them more to the point so I shifted to a Intermittent fasting protocol as the small feeding window suits bigger portions and dropped a further 20lbs.

maybe something to think about yourself too?

 

[Flaming Dragon]

Here's a link re: DNP. Please read and take all the safety precautions to protect yourself!
How to not fuck up DNP | MESO-Rx Forum

Look for Docd187123 he ran a cycle of DNP and can tell you the do's and don't.

As for anyone recommend you use Test as a weight lose, please do not take that route until you've exhausted all options (dieting, adding cardio/increase cardio time, dropping calories, cutting out carbs, etc).

Good luck brother!

 

[Lee A]

You can mess up with many compounds, like taking too much test, too much clen etc. You will survive. There's no coming back when you fuck up with something like DNP.

You really need to look into a high protein diet. Theres no shortcuts with body fat. If your serious about competing get serious about dieting.

I've done a Keto diet before with decent loss result, ended around 190 sometime a year and half ago but lost a LOT of strength, like 30-40%.

 

[Lee A]

In that case, its really as simple as you are eating like a man who weighs 220(ish) lbs dude.. sorry if that sounds a little condescending but i'd bet my left nut that its true.

any sort of fat burning drug will only do so much if the pounds aren't shifting themselves first so i'd really focus on that.

Its something that i struggled with myself for years and funnily enough my 'default' weight was 225! It came down to portion size in the end.. or my lack of ability to control them more to the point so I shifted to a Intermittent fasting protocol as the small feeding window suits bigger portions and dropped a further 20lbs.

maybe something to think about yourself too?

I mean, you're half right! I'm do okay with dieting and I stick to it. I weight my food, etc. However, someithing psychology happens to me when i'm hitting my calories/macros everyday for 3 weeks and nothing changes, so I lower the calories, same thing, lower a bit more, maybe a pound after 7 weeks. Then I think i'm eating too little, so I iraise my calories and try to start over. Gain about 5lbs and dont lose anything else with little change in body composition. I know the psychological aspect of dieting is the hardest part but I really havent seen any substantial results in about 8 weeks of tiinkering with my diet.

 

[Lee A]

*Bump, looking for more opinions >_<

 

[Andyboro]

I mean, you're half right! I'm do okay with dieting and I stick to it. I weight my food, etc. However, someithing psychology happens to me when i'm hitting my calories/macros everyday for 3 weeks and nothing changes, so I lower the calories, same thing, lower a bit more, maybe a pound after 7 weeks. Then I think i'm eating too little, so I iraise my calories and try to start over. Gain about 5lbs and dont lose anything else with little change in body composition. I know the psychological aspect of dieting is the hardest part but I really havent seen any substantial results in about 8 weeks of tiinkering with my diet.

I think that says it all man, you're getting down to a sufficient deficit after some tinkering and then, for want of a better phrase 'wigging out' and bumping your cals back up.

what worries you about eating less?

 

[Lee A]

I think that says it all man, you're getting down to a sufficient deficit after some tinkering and then, for want of a better phrase 'wigging out' and bumping your cals back up.

what worries you about eating less?

I get what you're saying. It's not that I fear eating less, it's that I think it might be too little. For example, my lean friend eats about 2500 calories when dieting without any gear. I'm bigger than he is and i'm eating 2000 calories to lose fat. I'm not losing at 2000 so I'll drop drop to 1800. After another 2-3 weeks, nothing, so i drop to 1600. 1600 is ridiculously low for 5'10" 211lbs I would assume, so I bump back up to 2300, thinking i'm eating way too little and my Leptin has crashed. That's pretty much exactly how my last 2 months have gone. So I don't really know if i need to take anything or not. It's my first time trying to actually get to ~10%BF so i know there's going to be some trial and error but I've always had trouble getting be low ~205lbs for whatever reason. The only time I broke 200lbs was on Keto and I felt flat and weak and small.

I've pretty much decided on taking Albuterol regardless but definitely any diet advice would be great still. I appreciate the time you've put into my posts!

 

[Andyboro]

I get what you're saying. It's not that I fear eating less, it's that I think it might be too little. For example, my lean friend eats about 2500 calories when dieting without any gear. I'm bigger than he is and i'm eating 2000 calories to lose fat. I'm not losing at 2000 so I'll drop drop to 1800. After another 2-3 weeks, nothing, so i drop to 1600. 1600 is ridiculously low for 5'10" 211lbs I would assume, so I bump back up to 2300, thinking i'm eating way too little and my Leptin has crashed. That's pretty much exactly how my last 2 months have gone. So I don't really know if i need to take anything or not. It's my first time trying to actually get to ~10%BF so i know there's going to be some trial and error but I've always had trouble getting be low ~205lbs for whatever reason. The only time I broke 200lbs was on Keto and I felt flat and weak and small.

I've pretty much decided on taking Albuterol regardless but definitely any diet advice would be great still. I appreciate the time you've put into my posts!

calorific requirement is based on more than just weight though, for example I can happily grow on circa 3000 cals at the moment while a guy i work with who is 30lbs lighter than me struggles on 4000 purely due to activity levels and metabolism. If your not losing though then its a bit of a no-brainer on where to go next.

Personally, id drop to wherever it was that you were losing fat before, ignore the leptin lark.. ultimately, if you're in a deficit and maintaining it then you will lose fat regardless.

Ride that for a few weeks/until it slows then add in your thermogenics for that extra little kick either with or without another drop of 200cals or so.

 

[RodgerThat]

So currently if you are 205 and probably 25% BF you have 155 pounds of LBM depending on how active you are will depend on how many calories are needed for a cut but to put it into proportion I'm 2 inches shorter with 10lb more LBM and I cut on 2200 being a very active guy. You aren't eating too little your will power is just falling a bit short for yourself. It doesn't matter if you weigh 205 and your friend is 180 eating more because fat doesn't burn any calories. What is your estimate of your TDEE? What is your training protocols? What's your macros? How old are you?