Start testosterone now? Or after weight loss?

[BAroids]

My plan has been to lose weight and optimize blood pressure and lipids before starting testosterone. This seems like the best approach to minimize side effects and maintain long term health. I'm 6'1" 245 pounds, aiming to get to 215 before starting injections. BP is pretty good now, typically 120/70. LDL was high, 147, earlier this year, but hasn't been tested since then. I'll get that retested soon.

I had a frustrating workout today. I've been doing calorie restriction and am down about 10 pounds in the past 2 months. I've been progressing nicely in workouts until very recently. Of course this may just be a normal plateau, but I keep thinking I'm probably going to lose muscle mass and strength while losing this weight.

I'm considering jumping on test soon instead of waiting to finish the weight loss. Maybe just give it another month or two to work on lipids, see if they're under control, then go for it. This would hopefully help preserve muscle mass and strength even while losing weight. Once i get to my goal weight I would consider increasing dosages and trying to add muscle.

Just looking for opinions on this, wether to stick to the plan and lose the weight first? Or just start testosterone as soon as possible to preserve muscle during weight loss? Any opinions are greatly appreciated.

 

[RockyP]

1. What is your current testosterone level?
2. How old are you?
3. Are you taking a statin for your cholesterol? Do you plan do?
4. Any thoughts about a GLP-1?

This is a very common situation. Ideally, you want to be lean before using any PED's, most coaches say 15% BF or less. Why? The hormones will work much better and you'll get less side effects the less fat you have on you. However, if you are hypogonadal, losing weight / fat will be difficult. So it would be helpful to know your current test levels.

Another very important fact - anabolic steroids don't burn fat. They promote increased lean tissue and reduced fat mass but they really don't have any direct fat burning properties. There is some evidence that tren / anavar might maybe a little, but that's not why they should be deployed.

If you're an older guy, GH can be helpful, but that too is a slow burn. Would be good to get IGF-1 levels with your bloodwork.

Given what you've shared, i would not start any hormones until your cholesterol is controlled. You can try to attack that with lifestyle and diet, and / or statin medication. HRT levels of test should not have an adverse impact on your lipids, but as soon as you go above that level, you might encounter some dyslipidemia. So always best to have that squared away first.

Regarding preservation of muscle when dieting - as long as you have normal test levels, you do not need test or other steroids to prevent muscle loss. Eating adequate protein and strength training will allow you to hold most of your tissue. When you need drugs is when you have built up a base of lean tissue beyond your genetic limit (with drugs) and now you want to just trim the fat off of that mass while keeping the extra lean tissue.

The biggest bang for your buck for fat loss is your diet and a GLP-1 like reta. That's where I would start...

And get some test / E2 / IGF-1 levels, as well as a CBC

 

[deadbeef]

Start now. I was 250 at 5'11" when I started. You might need a little bit of AI until you lose some fat. Within 3 months of starting TRT my LDL dropped from 188 to 100.

Tirzepatide or Retatrutide will make the weight loss much easier.

 

[Tdeck81]

I looked back at your intro and your test levels were similar to mine when I started and we kind of have similar goals. I didn’t want to start running a bunch of different compounds, at least not initially. So I opted to start with test c, 250 mg/week. I can honestly say it gave me the bump I need in my training, helping to fight Father Time.

Only you can really evaluate your needs. Is food a problem? If yes maybe GLP-1 is the way to go. Are you exercising consistently? If no, maybe peds would be counterproductive at this point. You’re off to a good start by asking questions instead of hitting the ground running.

Read through the training and nutrition threads. See what the other guys are doing and use that as a litmus test. If you seem to be keeping pace then start looking to what makes sense for your lifestyle.

 

[BAroids]

1. What is your current testosterone level?
2. How old are you?
3. Are you taking a statin for your cholesterol? Do you plan do?
4. Any thoughts about a GLP-1?

This is a very common situation. Ideally, you want to be lean before using any PED's, most coaches say 15% BF or less. Why? The hormones will work much better and you'll get less side effects the less fat you have on you. However, if you are hypogonadal, losing weight / fat will be difficult. So it would be helpful to know your current test levels.

Another very important fact - anabolic steroids don't burn fat. They promote increased lean tissue and reduced fat mass but they really don't have any direct fat burning properties. There is some evidence that tren / anavar might maybe a little, but that's not why they should be deployed.

If you're an older guy, GH can be helpful, but that too is a slow burn. Would be good to get IGF-1 levels with your bloodwork.

Given what you've shared, i would not start any hormones until your cholesterol is controlled. You can try to attack that with lifestyle and diet, and / or statin medication. HRT levels of test should not have an adverse impact on your lipids, but as soon as you go above that level, you might encounter some dyslipidemia. So always best to have that squared away first.

Regarding preservation of muscle when dieting - as long as you have normal test levels, you do not need test or other steroids to prevent muscle loss. Eating adequate protein and strength training will allow you to hold most of your tissue. When you need drugs is when you have built up a base of lean tissue beyond your genetic limit (with drugs) and now you want to just trim the fat off of that mass while keeping the extra lean tissue.

The biggest bang for your buck for fat loss is your diet and a GLP-1 like reta. That's where I would start...

And get some test / E2 / IGF-1 levels, as well as a CBC

Total test about 670 in recent test. Free however was only 9 on a 7-21 reference range. I'm 41. Not taking a statin and would like to avoid it. I'm not opposed to a glp1, but not certain i need it.

I've recently started weighing food and tracking calories. Staying around calories most days and getting in 200-220 grams protein. This has not been very challenging. No hunger issues. I don't feel hungry. I'm not sure if a glp1 would provide much benefit. Maybe if i need to lower calories further. Any thoughts on that calorie range or if i should lower it?

I do not have e2 or igf-1 levels yet, but did have a recent CBC if there are any numbers from that you are interested in.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[RockyP]

Total test about 670 in recent test. Free however was only 9 on a 7-21 reference range. I'm 41. Not taking a statin and would like to avoid it. I'm not opposed to a glp1, but not certain i need it.

I've recently started weighing food and tracking calories. Staying around calories most days and getting in 200-220 grams protein. This has not been very challenging. No hunger issues. I don't feel hungry. I'm not sure if a glp1 would provide much benefit. Maybe if i need to lower calories further. Any thoughts on that calorie range or if i should lower it?

I do not have e2 or igf-1 levels yet, but did have a recent CBC if there are any numbers from that you are interested in.

Thanks for the advice.

on the CBC I’d be most interested in hemoglobin hematocrit and platelets.

Do you snore / have concerns for sleep apnea?

You can calculate your TDEE based on your activity level using online calculator. Protein seems adequate. I’d not go with more than a 750 cal deficit per day (based on activity adjusted TDEE).

In the spirit if keeping the compounds minimal you can skip the GLP-1 but you might find it interesting reading about retatrutide. Lots of folks don’t get excessive appetite suppression at low dosages but it really accelerates fat loss and has massive metabolic benefits (lipids, hepatic fat stores, blood sugars etc).

Also, you may not need a statin, but there’s tons of info on this board about them, specifically Pitavastatin which is very very well tolerated. But if you don’t plan to run more than HRT your lipids may well improve with just your weight loss. Counterpoint to that is that there is no such thing as an LDL that’s too low when trying to prevent heart disease.

 

[BAroids]

I looked back at your intro and your test levels were similar to mine when I started and we kind of have similar goals. I didn’t want to start running a bunch of different compounds, at least not initially. So I opted to start with test c, 250 mg/week. I can honestly say it gave me the bump I need in my training, helping to fight Father Time.

Only you can really evaluate your needs. Is food a problem? If yes maybe GLP-1 is the way to go. Are you exercising consistently? If no, maybe peds would be counterproductive at this point. You’re off to a good start by asking questions instead of hitting the ground running.

Read through the training and nutrition threads. See what the other guys are doing and use that as a litmus test. If you seem to be keeping pace then start looking to what makes sense for your lifestyle.

Thanks for that perspective. I do not think food is a problem. I'm currently consuming about 2300 calories per day and getting in 200-220 grams protein. This has not been a strughle at all. Tracking intake and weighing food has been very helpful and I realized I was aready eating pretty well. Basically the only changes necessary to get in that calorie range amd maintain protein were significantly less dairy and more careful portion control for carbs.

Do you think that's a good calorie range? A glp1 certainly might help to push to a lower amount of calories.

I am exercising consistently. Cardio 5 days a week, taegeting every day and getting closer. Full body weight training 3 days per week.

 

[RockyP]

Thanks for that perspective. I do not think food is a problem. I'm currently consuming about 2300 calories per day and getting in 200-220 grams protein. This has not been a strughle at all. Tracking intake and weighing food has been very helpful and I realized I was aready eating pretty well. Basically the only changes necessary to get in that calorie range amd maintain protein were significantly less dairy and more careful portion control for carbs.

Do you think that's a good calorie range? A glp1 certainly might help to push to a lower amount of calories.

I am exercising consistently. Cardio 5 days a week, taegeting every day and getting closer. Full body weight training 3 days per week.

2300 is a bit on the low end for your size and activity level. It will work for sure but idk for how long. You want to eat as much as you can for as long as you can while still losing 1-2 lbs per week. At some point you’ll need to either drop food more or increase activity. So best to start as high as possible.

 

[Tdeck81]

Thanks for that perspective. I do not think food is a problem. I'm currently consuming about 2300 calories per day and getting in 200-220 grams protein. This has not been a strughle at all. Tracking intake and weighing food has been very helpful and I realized I was aready eating pretty well. Basically the only changes necessary to get in that calorie range amd maintain protein were significantly less dairy and more careful portion control for carbs.

Do you think that's a good calorie range? A glp1 certainly might help to push to a lower amount of calories.

I am exercising consistently. Cardio 5 days a week, taegeting every day and getting closer. Full body weight training 3 days per week.

I get you want to ask and learn but I can’t give you the answers. Everyone is different to some extent. Read through the old threads, training and nutrition, and learn as much as possible. If what you are currently doing is working then there shouldn’t be a huge rush. Remember this is a marathon not a sprint.

If I could look at a couple paragraphs and get someone setup with a program, I’d be a millionaire. Enjoy the process. read, ask questions when stumped.

 

[BAroids]

on the CBC I’d be most interested in hemoglobin hematocrit and platelets.

Do you snore / have concerns for sleep apnea?

You can calculate your TDEE based on your activity level using online calculator. Protein seems adequate. I’d not go with more than a 750 cal deficit per day (based on activity adjusted TDEE).

In the spirit if keeping the compounds minimal you can skip the GLP-1 but you might find it interesting reading about retatrutide. Lots of folks don’t get excessive appetite suppression at low dosages but it really accelerates fat loss and has massive metabolic benefits (lipids, hepatic fat stores, blood sugars etc).

Also, you may not need a statin, but there’s tons of info on this board about them, specifically Pitavastatin which is very very well tolerated. But if you don’t plan to run more than HRT your lipids may well improve with just your weight loss. Counterpoint to that is that there is no such thing as an LDL that’s too low when trying to prevent heart disease.

Hemoglobin 15.5 g/dl. Hematocrit 47.4. Platelets 186. This was 2 months ago.

Last girlfriend did not report snoring. I do occasionally wake up with dry mouth. So i suspect i may beca mouth breather at night, at least sometimes. My nasal passages are prone to congestion and I have recently been focusing on nasal breathing throughout the day to help correct that.

I've heard a lot about retatrutide. I'm interested. I'm not opposed to a glp1, justnot certain it's worth it. If it could accelerate fat loss though maybe. Do the others like tirzeparide also help with fat stores, lipids, etc? Or is retatrutide special in that way?

I'm not opposed to a statin at some point. I'd like to get it under control naturally first, then get on trt dosages and figure out what level i can cruise at with no/minimal side effects, hopefully without a statin or an AI. Then when I explore going to supraphysiological levels I can toss them in as needed.

 

[BigDadd7]

... I've been doing calorie restriction and am down about 10 pounds in the past 2 months. I've been progressing nicely in workouts until very recently. Of course this may just be a normal plateau....

I'm going to jump in right here. I know you said food is not a problem, but a ten pound loss in two months is very minimal. It should have been double that at your weight. I strongly suggest you read up more on tirz and reta.

 

[RockyP]

Hemoglobin 15.5 g/dl. Hematocrit 47.4. Platelets 186. This was 2 months ago.

Last girlfriend did not report snoring. I do occasionally wake up with dry mouth. So i suspect i may beca mouth breather at night, at least sometimes. My nasal passages are prone to congestion and I have recently been focusing on nasal breathing throughout the day to help correct that.

I've heard a lot about retatrutide. I'm interested. I'm not opposed to a glp1, justnot certain it's worth it. If it could accelerate fat loss though maybe. Do the others like tirzeparide also help with fat stores, lipids, etc? Or is retatrutide special in that way?

I'm not opposed to a statin at some point. I'd like to get it under control naturally first, then get on trt dosages and figure out what level i can cruise at with no/minimal side effects, hopefully without a statin or an AI. Then when I explore going to supraphysiological levels I can toss them in as needed.

Baseline HCT of 47 is on the high side. That’s what mine was when I had severe untreated sleep apnea before using PEDs / HRT. I’d strongly suggest a home sleep study and getting a CPAP as needed. If you have sleep apnea left untreated 1) you won’t get the benefits from HRT and 2) you’ll get the side effects (hct will rise even more from this high starting point).

All the GLP-1’s work. That’s irrefutable. The data on Reta is better. IIRC there’s about 5% more weight loss than Tirz after 48 weeks. Reta does seem to have unique benefits on hepatic fat stores beyond just the impact of increased weight loss. And since you don’t need appetite suppression, sema and Tirz might be less applicable (as low dose Reta can leave appetite largely untouched but the others smash it)

 

[Tdeck81]

How long have you been working out? You mentioned lifting on and off for 20 years. Early on in my journey the scale wasn’t too kind but visually I was making progress. Gaining back muscle can offset the weight loss to a degree. But again only you know how hard you train.

Have you pulled any body measurements to help track your progress? Might be a practical way of helping you track progress. I also read your cardio is only approx. 25 minutes 4-5x’s a week. Maybe try to break the 30 minute mark to really burn some stored fat. Remember weight loss excercise can be less intense longer in duration. You sound like you have a rough plan that isn’t over the top. All I’m saying is maximize your training and nutrition before throwing compounds into the mix.

 

[BAroids]

I'm going to jump in right here. I know you said food is not a problem, but a ten pound loss in two months is very minimal. It should have been double that at your weight. I strongly suggest you read up more on tirz and reta.

I should've been more detailed on this. I was 255 in late July. During August and early September I was not counting calories, just eating healthier generally. This got me to about 250. I only got serious and started counting calories about 2-3 weeks ago. Now I'm at 245. Not sure if that alters your opinion or not.

That said I'm not opposed to reta or tirz. I've been learning about them and think they may be a good addition. I don't think I need the appetite control, but the other benefits could be very useful.

 

[TRTSCOUT]

Hey, glad you are asking...the discussions here are usually productive...my thoughts are you can do either....

I chose to do TRT and GLP to lose weight and support new exercise regime...wanting to avoid the muscle loss while loosing significant weight...many attacked me for wanting to recomp...but I am doing nicely and glad i chose my own path - educated with input from many fine folks here...for your consideration, my story:

March 2025
59 yr old male
260 lbs, 5'11"
Pre GLP and TRT blood work. Cardiologist stress echocardiogram cleared me for vigorous exercise.
T levels Total 338 with only 2 Free T
Began body weight exercises and cardio 2-3x/week
Started grey market RETA, titrated up alittle fast (go slow, be patient...let it work).
Started TRT 175 mg/week

AUG - Established home gym with rack, squad machine, ab extension chair, high and low cables, barbells, dumbells, bench. Hitting gym consistently 3X per week with occasional +1-2 days cause I am loving it....negotiating some 59 yr old shoulder and elbow pain successfully

OCT 2025
217 lbs
22.7% BF (DEXA)
Did Blood work in May and July, new bloods scheduled for next week
Hemacrit numbers on the edge high
Lipids ok, Triglycerides much improved, HDL slightly low, LDL improved over baseline

Things I did to avoid....
1) the everything under the sun PED rabbit hole...i started messing around with TESA, IPA, HGH, BPC157, TB500, and a bunch more....I think it was a distraction and prevented me from knowing how the GLP and TRT were doing alone...Stopped all that, and water weight retained broke a stall in April and August...
2) I tried the GLP every 2 days, every 3 days ...but decided go back to 1/week shot...I think it works better and aligns with the studies...see what works for you

Things I did to consider
1) have a system that is automatic, mine is to get up put on exercise clothes and sneakers, take preworkout needles and pills...(Fish oil, TRT
2)build your over the counter supplement stack and take them by habit
3)Tough out the GLP side effects...never took Tirz but RETA gave me very annoying adehonia (Sensitive skin in my case)...glad I stuck with it...subsided
3)Used HGH for 3 months ( i know many say use it for life) I think it helped me build a great set of recomp muscles and helped my damaged shoulder and elbow work through weight lifting and keep going....very little to no post workout muscle pain and significant muscle development.
i may go back to HGH but my fasting glucose was trending over 100 too many mornings and didn't want to take another RX

Good luck!

 

[Tdeck81]

wanting to avoid the muscle loss while loosing significant weight...many attacked me for wanting to recomp...but I am doing nicely and glad i chose my own path - educated with input from many fine folks here

Exactly this. You know you better than anyone else. People here will sincerely try to offer advise and help but ultimately you have to do the leg work. BTW excellent job with your journey it’s inspiring

 

[BAroids]

How long have you been working out? You mentioned lifting on and off for 20 years. Early on in my journey the scale wasn’t too kind but visually I was making progress. Gaining back muscle can offset the weight loss to a degree. But again only you know how hard you train.

Have you pulled any body measurements to help track your progress? Might be a practical way of helping you track progress. I also read your cardio is only approx. 25 minutes 4-5x’s a week. Maybe try to break the 30 minute mark to really burn some stored fat. Remember weight loss excercise can be less intense longer in duration. You sound like you have a rough plan that isn’t over the top. All I’m saying is maximize your training and nutrition before throwing compounds into the mix.

I've been lifting consistently for the last 15 months approximately. I have not done any body measurements. I honestly just find them to be a pain in the ass. I looked into calipers for body fat percentage, but those sounded irritating too. Maybe I'll reconsider some sort of measurement. I would say visually I look slightly better.

 

[BAroids]

Hey, glad you are asking...the discussions here are usually productive...my thoughts are you can do either....

I chose to do TRT and GLP to lose weight and support new exercise regime...wanting to avoid the muscle loss while loosing significant weight...many attacked me for wanting to recomp...but I am doing nicely and glad i chose my own path - educated with input from many fine folks here...for your consideration, my story:

March 2025
59 yr old male
260 lbs, 5'11"
Pre GLP and TRT blood work. Cardiologist stress echocardiogram cleared me for vigorous exercise.
T levels Total 338 with only 2 Free T
Began body weight exercises and cardio 2-3x/week
Started grey market RETA, titrated up alittle fast (go slow, be patient...let it work).
Started TRT 175 mg/week

AUG - Established home gym with rack, squad machine, ab extension chair, high and low cables, barbells, dumbells, bench. Hitting gym consistently 3X per week with occasional +1-2 days cause I am loving it....negotiating some 59 yr old shoulder and elbow pain successfully

OCT 2025
217 lbs
22.7% BF (DEXA)
Did Blood work in May and July, new bloods scheduled for next week
Hemacrit numbers on the edge high
Lipids ok, Triglycerides much improved, HDL slightly low, LDL improved over baseline

Things I did to avoid....
1) the everything under the sun PED rabbit hole...i started messing around with TESA, IPA, HGH, BPC157, TB500, and a bunch more....I think it was a distraction and prevented me from knowing how the GLP and TRT were doing alone...Stopped all that, and water weight retained broke a stall in April and August...
2) I tried the GLP every 2 days, every 3 days ...but decided go back to 1/week shot...I think it works better and aligns with the studies...see what works for you

Things I did to consider
1) have a system that is automatic, mine is to get up put on exercise clothes and sneakers, take preworkout needles and pills...(Fish oil, TRT
2)build your over the counter supplement stack and take them by habit
3)Tough out the GLP side effects...never took Tirz but RETA gave me very annoying adehonia (Sensitive skin in my case)...glad I stuck with it...subsided
3)Used HGH for 3 months ( i know many say use it for life) I think it helped me build a great set of recomp muscles and helped my damaged shoulder and elbow work through weight lifting and keep going....very little to no post workout muscle pain and significant muscle development.
i may go back to HGH but my fasting glucose was trending over 100 too many mornings and didn't want to take another RX

Good luck!

Thanks for the insights man! Congratulations on your transformation! I really appreciate your thoughts. I'm definitely thinking about HGH at some point. Still considering if I want to go that route or not.

 

[Mindinmybizz]

I started test before I hit my goal body fat%. It helped increase my training load and faster recovery post workout. Use moderate doses until you drop bf levels to keep e2 in check