Old dude trying to get educated

[Jemifus]

Hi all,

I’m >50, on reta (previously tirz). Recent dexa scan shows alarmingly low lean mass and blood tests show test and free test at bottom of normal range and frankly I’ve just been feeling like an old dude.

Trying to get educated about TRT and considering whether to optimize. Probably not going to doses above TRT but this is where the experts are so here I am.

Been lurking a couple months and decided it was time to say “hi”.

So, hi!

 

[sionnach]

Hi and welcome!

Being over 50, you will likely benefit. Some people can't handle the pinning, but if you're already on reta you'll be fine.

My advice: if you already know you want to stay at replacement levels long term, take it slow and easy, and let your body normalize everything else to whatever your initial dose will be. Don't jump headfirst into tweaking doses and esters and injection days, etc, like a lot of new TRT and peptide users are prone to do. It's a complicated process, and will take several weeks, maybe even months.

What questions do you have?

 

[readalot]

Welcome to MESO!

 

[Jemifus]

My advice: if you already know you want to stay at replacement levels long term, take it slow and easy, and let your body normalize everything else to whatever your initial dose will be. Don't jump headfirst into tweaking doses and esters and injection days, etc, like a lot of new TRT and peptide users are prone to do. It's a complicated process, and will take several weeks, maybe even months.

What questions do you have?

Thank you for your welcome and your response.

What I’d love is to find a comprehensive guide or book that discusses doses, what to look for in bloods, AI and when to consider, HCG pros and cons, and other potential pitfalls or things I don’t know enough to ask. If you’ve got one to recommend I’d love to hear it.

If I do it I’ll probably go through a telehealth to start and consider going to UGL after a year if I can’t get a script from a PCP. With things I put into my body, I want to be as educated as possible regardless because there is no doctor that’s going to spend as much time looking at my specific situation as I will.

 

[readalot]

Thanks for your help Brother. Scammer deleted.

 

[Jemifus]

Thanks for your help Brother. Scammer deleted.

That dude was relentless! Thanks for fighting the good fight!

 

[readalot]

That dude was relentless! Thanks for fighting the good fight!

He is fucking deleted.

 

[Tdeck81]

Welcome and thanks for the help tonight. The community appreciates the help

 

[readalot]

Welcome and thanks for the help tonight. The community appreciates the help

Hell yeah!!

 

[Jemifus]

Welcome and thanks for the help tonight. The community appreciates the help

Scammers are f-ing scum.

 

[mogulator]

Welcome to Meso dude!

 

[Mastedon]

Welcome, in my 50s too but feeling great on TRT and a little extra now and again haha!

 

[sionnach]

So after a couple more days of research, what did you decide, @Jemifus ?

 

[Jemifus]

I planning to move forward. That being said, I’m hoping to start an 8 week course of an oral med with a bevy of potential side effects and don’t want to start them at the same time and not be able to pinpoint the cause of side effects. I’d also like to get my body fat % down to the low 20s, which I understand will help prevent excessive aromatization, so delaying gives me time to do that (on reta as previously mentioned).

So I’ll keep reading here but put it off until around Nov. I understand some of the online clinics do Black Friday sales so the timing might work out very nicely.

 

[Tdeck81]

I planning to move forward. That being said, I’m hoping to start an 8 week course of an oral med with a bevy of potential side effects and don’t want to start them at the same time and not be able to pinpoint the cause of side effects. I’d also like to get my body fat % down to the low 20s, which I understand will help prevent excessive aromatization, so delaying gives me time to do that (on reta as previously mentioned).

So I’ll keep reading here but put it off until around Nov. I understand some of the online clinics do Black Friday sales so the timing might work out very nicely.

Sounds like a plan, first thing is first. Get the weight under control and overall health squared away. Once your routine is stable, if you want to add something new give it a run. Health improvements are incremental, and anything gained quickly has the potential to be lost just as fast. Good luck with it and keep us posted

 

[sionnach]

I planning to move forward. That being said, I’m hoping to start an 8 week course of an oral med with a bevy of potential side effects and don’t want to start them at the same time and not be able to pinpoint the cause of side effects.

Smart. One thing at a time.

body fat

You'll be below 20% in no time. Make sure you're hitting your protein minimum though. Hit us up if you need tips.

 

[Jemifus]

Smart. One thing at a time.

You'll be below 20% in no time. Make sure you're hitting your protein minimum though. Hit us up if you need tips.

Thank you. Dexa had me over 35% five weeks ago. The number was a lot worse than I anticipated and meant that my lbm really sucks. I immediately got more regular with lifting… and went down the TRT rabbit hole.

I look leaner since that scan. Will retest in mid September but I think low 20s by November is achievable.

Protein is the only macro I track.

 

[sionnach]

Thank you. Dexa had me over 35% five weeks ago. The number was a lot worse than I anticipated and meant that my lbm really sucks. I immediately got more regular with lifting… and went down the TRT rabbit hole.

I look leaner since that scan. Will retest in mid September but I think low 20s by November is achievable.

Most people I've talked to that did the scan were taken aback by their BF result. Do you think it was your visceral % that skewed the number?

Protein is the only macro I track

 

[Jemifus]

Most people I've talked to that did the scan were taken aback by their BF result. Do you think it was your visceral % that skewed the number?

It was a real wake up call that’s for sure.

I do carry nearly all my excess weight in my midsection. According to the report I have 3.88 lbs of visceral fat which doesn’t sound like much at all but according to them is in the 14th percentile (in the bad way). But that’s not enough to skew the overall % by much.

I think the real issue is that I have much less muscle mass than I thought. I have had some unresolved joint issues that gave me an excuse to quit lifting for a long time, plus a lot of my weight was from drinking too much which doesn’t partition into muscle. So as that fat was piling on, my lbm started to resemble that of an old man.

For this go around I’m not doing 5x5 or anything like that, at least not with the problem joints. I’m sticking with 3x12 upper/lower and going up slowly and so far my joints seem to like it. I’m also finding I need an extra recovery day here and there strictly to let the joints rest.

I’ve also got the diet dialed in now, with the first the tirz and now the reta just killing my desire to drink.

Overall I think I’ve got a plan… just need to be careful to remind myself not to overdo it on the weights

 

[sionnach]

It's OK to go slow. Recovery days are extra important at 50+. That will improve as you get used to the TRT.

Congrats on success with the drinking (and good luck with the future). Quitting was the best thing I ever did for my health, and surprisingly difficult. Stay strong. Alcohol is poison.