My TRT/fat loss log

[TheBigKahuna901]

Hey everyone, just wanted to post my plan for losing weight and see if anyone has any pointers, TIA for any advice!
25M, 6' tall
Starting Weight- 330lbs
Current Weight- 265lbs probably around 30% bodyfat but hoping its closer to 25% lmao
Goal Weight- 205lbs @13% BF
I used to train quite a bit in high school, after graduating kinda fell off until just before COVID hit. Coincidentally that was the same time I got HPPD (induced from psychedelic mushrooms). I started lifting to try and help deal with the anxiety from that, then the gyms all shut down 1 month later. Ended up gaining over 100 pounds while the gyms were closed, I really let myself go dealing with all the mental health issues from HPPD. Went totally sober and have been for 4 years, thankfully I no longer struggle with HPPD much anymore. Started lifting again 3 years ago but only really honed in on fat loss and nutrition about a year and a half ago, and I'm down 60 pounds to date and stronger (and probably leaner) than I've ever been.

I work a fairly active job (I'm on my feet and moving around pretty much all day) and aim for 45 minutes of resistance training and 20 minutes of LISS cardio 5 days a week. Current caloric consumption/macros are ~2,000 cal/day 265g protein, 132g carbs, 59g fat. Estimated TDEE is 3300 calories so I'm on a fairly steep deficit however I obviously have quite a bit of weight to lose. The only supplements I take are a multivitamin, fish oil, and zinc.

I just started TRT 3 weeks ago (100mg/week test-e injecting E3.5D), I know I'm young but I've been tested multiple times over 2 years and my total test was never over 365, free test was 8pg/mL before starting. Had all the classic symptoms, was fatigued all the time, no libido, anxiety, brain fog, etc. Tried everything I could to get it up, ashwagandha, D3 and zinc/magnesium, DHEA, etc. Cut out any toxic skin care products/soaps, threw away all my polyester briefs and only wore cotton boxers, put a reverse osmosis filter in to deal with estrogens in the water lol, nothing helped. All other health markers were within reference range, BP is a little high (usually 130/82) but again... fat as shit. I believe my drug use in my late teens screwed up my endocrine system and I know my obesity screws me too. Not really concerned about fertility long term, not a huge fan of kids.

Currently running a modified bro split taking rest days as needed, was doing PPL with cardio but it was really taking a toll on me so I switched to the bro split hoping to avoid overtraining and spending 2 hours in the gym a day. I shoot for 12-16 sets per muscle group per week, 2 minute rest periods with half of it being on the exercise bike. Then finish it up with 10-15 additional minutes on the bike after the lift.

Did a 4 month maintenance phase from November of last year until February, got a little out of hand and gained about 10 pounds, so I started cutting again and I've seemed to hit a plateau at 260ish pounds (again) for the last month or so, I don't plan on doing anything extreme like clen to blast through the plateau as it could be fluid retention. Considering either waiting it out a few more weeks to see if I woosh, or doubling down and doing PSMF. My clothes seem like they're fitting better but god its hard not to focus on that number lol. I've also considered a refeed but I don't feel diet fatigued, don't really have an issue hitting my 2k calories a day, I'm hungry but no insane cravings or fatigue or anything like that.

I'll see if I can't find some progress pics to put on here, and I plan on updating this thread frequently as kind of a log/asking for advice kind of thing. Apologies if I posted this in the wrong spot, if so let me know, again TIA for any advice/critiques!

 

[TheBigKahuna901]

Little update, finally hit 259.2, still have a long ways to go but haven't weighed this little in almost 5 years. Shooting for 249 in two months, ideally 5 weeks. Managed to get some progress pics, first pic was starting weight 330 lbs, second two are probably high 200's low 3's, third pic is 270 ish, 4th and 5th are 260. Still have a long ways to go but I'm hoping I can hit my goal weight by New Years. Apologies for the eye bleach especially on the first two lmao, idk why I let myself get that bad.

 

[Nidus]

Been in the same spot as you, was pretty fat and now already +27KGs down. Keep going and pushing! Love to see hardworking people taking things in their own hand!

 

[Eddie.]

Good luck dude. Just be patient, it's easy to overdo it. Give time to your body to adapt and definitely take diet breaks between periods because you'll end up eating 1200 and still not losing fat.. I reached 310 at my heaviest, natty, and i am 6' as well but i never stopped training like a maniac. I just have a big tolerance and urge in food volume. After 3 diet phases throughout last 2,5 years now i'm 228, i have 6 months on gear and currently in cutting phase again. Another 8-10 pounds and i'll stop for now. Will i be ripped? Not this time, but i hope in next cutting phase i'll get to that 10% or lower.

Set short term goals you can achieve in the next few months, it's good to visualise your self at your top end goal but don't strive for this constantly from day 1 and don't overthink it because this can take some time. Enjoy the process.

 

[TheBigKahuna901]

Been in the same spot as you, was pretty fat and now already +27KGs down. Keep going and pushing! Love to see hardworking people taking things in their own hand!

Congratulations man! Keep up the hard work! I agree, it’s inspiring to see all these other people do it, really helps me keep pushing through so hopefully I can do that for others!

 

[TheBigKahuna901]

Good luck dude. Just be patient, it's easy to overdo it. Give time to your body to adapt and definitely take diet breaks between periods because you'll end up eating 1200 and still not losing fat.. I reached 310 at my heaviest, natty, and i am 6' as well but i never stopped training like a maniac. I just have a big tolerance and urge in food volume. After 3 diet phases throughout last 2,5 years now i'm 228, i have 6 months on gear and currently in cutting phase again. Another 8-10 pounds and i'll stop for now. Will i be ripped? Not this time, but i hope in next cutting phase i'll get to that 10% or lower.

Set short term goals you can achieve in the next few months, it's good to visualise your self at your top end goal but don't strive for this constantly from day 1 and don't overthink it because this can take some time. Enjoy the process.

Thank you! Yeah for sure, took me years to put this wait on so as much as I’d love for it to fall off overnight I know that’s not gonna happen lol. I plan on taking a break once I get to 240ish, run maintenance for a month or two and then try and cut to 220. I’ve gotten myself to that 1,200 calorie per day point before, it sucks.

That’s impressive 310 to 228!! Way to go! If you don’t mind me asking, any issues with excessive skin? That’s my main concern, but I know I’ll look and feel better than my before pic so that’s all that matters.

Yeah definitely the short term goals help a ton! I’ve been doing 10lb goal increments and it’s way more manageable than just hitting 210 or “having abs”. Good luck on your continued journey!

 

[Eddie.]

Thank you! Yeah for sure, took me years to put this wait on so as much as I’d love for it to fall off overnight I know that’s not gonna happen lol. I plan on taking a break once I get to 240ish, run maintenance for a month or two and then try and cut to 220. I’ve gotten myself to that 1,200 calorie per day point before, it sucks.

That’s impressive 310 to 228!! Way to go! If you don’t mind me asking, any issues with excessive skin? That’s my main concern, but I know I’ll look and feel better than my before pic so that’s all that matters.

Yeah definitely the short term goals help a ton! I’ve been doing 10lb goal increments and it’s way more manageable than just hitting 210 or “having abs”. Good luck on your continued journey!

Thank you too! What helped me with diet is Mike Israetel's approach. I can't stand to whatever else he says and preach but as far as diet structures, tips and how to's it helped tremendously.

One or two months maintenance it's little. Basically the best is to stay at maintenance as long as you were in deficit. So for example, 4 months deficit? 4 months maintenance. Every time you push to lose weight aim for no more than 10% of your bw with a pace of 1% every week. This is not the only way ofc, just one that i know it works for sure.

As far as skin, yes..i have and it's a lot. It didn't happened overnight, i was yoyoing in bodyweight since i was 16 years old. I was competitive shot putter and discus thrower in high school, i had to eat a lot as a kid. I weighed 225 at 15 yo, bench pressing and squatting 265. It was fun but since then i struggle with weight management, there were times i was losing 60 pounds and after 5 months gaining back 75.

Worst stretch marks period was when i joined the army (mandatory in my country) i gained 80 pounds in 9 months, i was purple in my arms, all my belly, chest, traps, thighs..it was a mess. Now i have veins in quads, calfs, arms and start getting on my lats even, i'm getting lean and jacked BUT in my abs and low chest there's a mass of ugly sponge that ruins my whole physique. It is what it is..some say to be proud since it's like battle scars, for me it's just some stupid thing i did to myself and everytime i look at it, it will remind me to not get to this unhealthy habit of eating like a pig again.

 

[BigTomJ]

Glad to see you took control of your life and are getting shit in order.
That's an impressive amount of fat loss.

Keep on grinding, I'll be following

 

[lukiss96]

Same as @BigTomJ said, keep that up. It's so easy to give up. But what's easy in life usually is worthless. Work hard, play hard and you will win. Taking control of your life and making it slowly better always pays off in the end.

 

[phenominal34]

Kudos to you @TheBigKahuna901

Keep on working hard. I’ll be checking in on this log to motivate and help in any way. Slow and steady and keep your eye on the prize. Stay as active as you can. Great work and progress so far !!!

 

[TheBigKahuna901]

Thank you too! What helped me with diet is Mike Israetel's approach. I can't stand to whatever else he says and preach but as far as diet structures, tips and how to's it helped tremendously.

One or two months maintenance it's little. Basically the best is to stay at maintenance as long as you were in deficit. So for example, 4 months deficit? 4 months maintenance. Every time you push to lose weight aim for no more than 10% of your bw with a pace of 1% every week. This is not the only way ofc, just one that i know it works for sure.

As far as skin, yes..i have and it's a lot. It didn't happened overnight, i was yoyoing in bodyweight since i was 16 years old. I was competitive shot putter and discus thrower in high school, i had to eat a lot as a kid. I weighed 225 at 15 yo, bench pressing and squatting 265. It was fun but since then i struggle with weight management, there were times i was losing 60 pounds and after 5 months gaining back 75.

Worst stretch marks period was when i joined the army (mandatory in my country) i gained 80 pounds in 9 months, i was purple in my arms, all my belly, chest, traps, thighs..it was a mess. Now i have veins in quads, calfs, arms and start getting on my lats even, i'm getting lean and jacked BUT in my abs and low chest there's a mass of ugly sponge that ruins my whole physique. It is what it is..some say to be proud since it's like battle scars, for me it's just some stupid thing i did to myself and everytime i look at it, it will remind me to not get to this unhealthy habit of eating like a pig again.

Okay for sure I'll take a look into Israetel's weight loss video's thank you! I like a lot of his other takes on lifting and nutrition but I just started watching him so haven't gotten a chance to see all his stuff. I'll definitely have to plan on extending my maintenance phases, that sound's a lot more conducive to mental health and keeping loose skin to a minimum.

Ahhh yeah I unfortunately have struggled with the same yoyoing in weight for a while, was a 280lb junior in high school and cut down to 215 to join the army which I ended up backing out of. I was able to keep the weight off for the most part until I got HPPD, the anxiety from that combined with quitting drugs ballooned me up to about 330 pounds in like a year. Hopefully this will be the last yoyo for the both of us then!

That's really impressive though, I'm hoping one day I'll be that vascular! I'm just starting to get some decent arm veins and loving it haha. I understand you're line of thinking on the loose skin, I look at my gut now and feel the same way. Like you said though, it is what it is, does serve as a good reminder every time that extra piece of pizza or slice of cake sounds good lol.

Good luck on your continued journey and thank you for the inspiration, hopefully that 10% body fat goal is just around the corner for you!!

 

[TheBigKahuna901]

Glad to see you took control of your life and are getting shit in order.
That's an impressive amount of fat loss.

Keep on grinding, I'll be following

Same as @BigTomJ said, keep that up. It's so easy to give up. But what's easy in life usually is worthless. Work hard, play hard and you will win. Taking control of your life and making it slowly better always pays off in the end.

Kudos to you @TheBigKahuna901

Keep on working hard. I’ll be checking in on this log to motivate and help in any way. Slow and steady and keep your eye on the prize. Stay as active as you can. Great work and progress so far !!!

Thank you all for the encouragement! Really helps you crush a workout when you read stuff like that beforehand, I'll try and make sure to keep updating this thread weekly, hoping my temporary 250 goal is only a few weeks/month out at this point!

 

[TheBigKahuna901]

Quick little update, took a slight break from the cutting this weekend, upped my calories to around 2500 and didn’t focus a whole lot on macros. Did manage to squeeze in a few good workouts though, and finally started pinning my TRT again.

Took about a week break when I got a small lump in my arm (was concerned it was an infection and didn’t want to keep pinning if the gear was dirty). Anyways I think it’s probably a subq leak, lump is still there but slowly getting smaller. Got some new gear in from a more vetted source so I’ll be pinning that from here on out. A few quick questions I had for whoever happens to see this:

I’ve seen some people mention they don’t react well to Test E or to MCT oil. I happen to have Test E in MCT of course lol. Just curious what side effects I could expect if I’m one of those people who doesn’t react well to test e/mct? Would the increased time for these lumps to go away be expected? Or itching at pin locations?

Thinking about trying test cyp in gso but don’t really wanna drop another couple hundred in gear yet lol.

Second one is what pinning frequency do you guys like best? Currently I’m on 50mg E3.5d, been considering doing 3 times a week but I’m concerned about scar tissue developing overtime. I’d like to up my dose a little but don’t want to get high e2 sides not pinning frequently enough.

Got a few new progress pics, these are from my arm day on Sunday. Shooting for 257 by the end of this week, I’ll let you know if I hit it!

 

[Exhortae]

If you are dialed in just buy test undecanoate and pin every week

I would avoid test e, too many issues with it lately

 

[TheBigKahuna901]

If you are dialed in just buy test undecanoate and pin every week

I would avoid test e, too many issues with it lately

Gotcha thanks for the advice! The once a week pin and stable levels sounds really tempting. I'm still dialing in, but once I'm there I saw another thread of a guy switching from Test C to Test U I'll try and follow his protocol. Thankfully my newest batch seems nice and smooth, little to no PIP so far. Gonna get bloods in a month or so and see where I'm at, hopefully then I'll be dialed in enough to make the switch.

 

[Alexthemutant]

Keep up the good work dude @TheBigKahuna901.test is test bro i dont think is the ester the problem did you try to change brand?maybe that is the problem

 

[TheBigKahuna901]

Keep up the good work dude @TheBigKahuna901.test is test bro i dont think is the ester the problem did you try to change brand?maybe that is the problem

Thanks man I appreciate it! Yeah that's true test is test, I did change brands recently. I've heard the Test E raws have been of poor quality lately which was my primary concern, thankfully I'm reacting much better to the newest batch. Idk if my technique has improved so I'm getting less PIP or if the quality is just that much better, but either way I'm happy about it!

 

[TheBigKahuna901]

Quick update, hit my goal of 257 and then some! Weighed in at 256.6 this morning, finally feeling really dialed in with everything and it seems to really be coming together. Averaging around 1800-2000 cals a day, usually 240g protein. Making sure to get about 20 minutes of cardio either fasted or post workout. Hoping to continue my 2lb a week loss and eventually take a break around 240-245 lbs for a couple months, hopefully recomp otherwise just maintain. Thanks everyone for all the advice so far! I'll try and continue updating every now and then with hopefully some better looking progress pics lol.

 

[TheBigKahuna901]

Update: Weighed in at 254.3 today, was down to 253 yesterday but unfortunately I caved and had some pizza and cider for dinner lol. Thankfully didn’t binge like crazy, I was just so smoked from this past week that I needed something to kinda reward myself.

Slashed the calories down, I’m averaging 1700-1800 a day, 60-75g carbs 50g fat 240 protein. Hitting 4 miles on the exercise bike every workout (Biking for 1 minute of my 2 minute rest periods) and then 7-8 miles on cardio only days (averaging 25-30 minutes).

Workouts this week have been really hit or miss, either I feel like a god and they’re fantastic, or I’m just so beat that I’m barely making it through them.

Considering slashing some more calories from fat and add them to carbs but I’m concerned about other hormone levels if I cut fats too low (eg pregnenolone, DHEA, etc). Anyone have experience with an extremely low fat diet? Like 35g or less a day?

Still running 100mg/wk of test E (E3.5d) and this really has helped with the motivation and weight loss, honestly it’s been my saving grace, energy and discipline is way more on point. Originally tested (natty) at 365 ng/dL with free T at about 5 ng/dL. Gonna get bloods in the next couple weeks and see where I’m at now, hoping for mid700’s, I’ll keep you guys updated!

 

[ace0187420]

You look great man, nice job!!