New member introduction

[Vito6666]

5'9 275

39 years old

Goal weight 210 to 220

Currently down 85lbs since September 2024

Natural fat kid, I was 5 feet 230 lbs at 12 years old.
I have gotten in shape naturally twice before in my adult life.

First at 17 I got very lean at 5'9 170, stayed here for a few years then stopped trying. By 23 I was up to 280.

I Locked in around early 2009, built some muscle and took diet and training very seriously.
By early 2011, I was pretty lean floating around between 200 and 210.
I stayed here for several years but around 30 I lost focus.

By 31 I wasn't working out anymore and I settled in, bouncing around between 230 and 250.
AT 35 I changed careers. I went from managing a busy restaurant to working in an office. I went form averaging 15k steps a day to about 4k. This was detrimental to my physicality.
I was eating whatever I wanted and gaining at an astronomical rate. By early 2023 I was up to 330lbs.

The first change I made was getting back into the gym. I didn't, at this point, deficit calories even though I knew I should have. I told myself to at the very least prioritize protein and keep working the split with separate cardio sessions. As you can imagine with this output my appetite increased. I felt leaner and I went down in clothing sizes but the scale was going up. I did this for too long and by August 2024 I was 360lbs.

I locked in a calorie deficit early September 2024 and by mid November I was down 30 lbs. I didn't immediately stop counting calories but eventually came up to maintenance. I didn't gain any weight back but I didn't lose any either.

Early April 2025, I locked back in and by July I was down 30 more lbs.

Then I did health panels and checked testosterone. I was at 270 test with 60 free test shbg 21 estradiol 46. Trt clinic went with the standard 200 test cyp per week split between 2 injections. After 10 weeks I was at 877 total 278 free. He advised me to stay here. I told him I was worried about running out because sometimes the compounding pharmacy would take longer than usual. He said he'll up my dose on the prescription to get me an extra vial but to actually stay the 200. Nice guy, he hooked me up but of course I didn't listen and upped my dose to 280 per week.

When I began trt, even at that modest dose, my appetite went crazy. I gained 10 lbs in 2 months. So by the end of August I was back up to 310.

Time to lock back in. I started Reta at 1 mg per week for 2 weeks then went up to 2mg where I stayed until November 1st. Then I went up to 3mg and that's where I'm currently at. In total I've lost 35 lbs this go. I'm currently 275 and still in a deficit.

Long way to go but I'm dialed right now. Thanks for tuning in!

Currently at
300 test cyp EOD
Armdex as needed
3mg Reta

 

[Elektrobot]

5'9 275

39 years old

Goal weight 210 to 220

Currently down 85lbs since September 2024

Natural fat kid, I was 5 feet 230 lbs at 12 years old.
I have gotten in shape naturally twice before in my adult life.

First at 17 I got very lean at 5'9 170, stayed here for a few years then stopped trying. By 23 I was up to 280.

I Locked in around early 2009, built some muscle and took diet and training very seriously.
By early 2011, I was pretty lean floating around between 200 and 210.
I stayed here for several years but around 30 I lost focus.

By 31 I wasn't working out anymore and I settled in, bouncing around between 230 and 250.
AT 35 I changed careers. I went from managing a busy restaurant to working in an office. I went form averaging 15k steps a day to about 4k. This was detrimental to my physicality.
I was eating whatever I wanted and gaining at an astronomical rate. By early 2023 I was up to 330lbs.

The first change I made was getting back into the gym. I didn't, at this point, deficit calories even though I knew I should have. I told myself to at the very least prioritize protein and keep working the split with separate cardio sessions. As you can imagine with this output my appetite increased. I felt leaner and I went down in clothing sizes but the scale was going up. I did this for too long and by August 2024 I was 360lbs.

I locked in a calorie deficit early September 2024 and by mid November I was down 30 lbs. I didn't immediately stop counting calories but eventually came up to maintenance. I didn't gain any weight back but I didn't lose any either.

Early April 2025, I locked back in and by July I was down 30 more lbs.

Then I did health panels and checked testosterone. I was at 270 test with 60 free test shbg 21 estradiol 46. Trt clinic went with the standard 200 test cyp per week split between 2 injections. After 10 weeks I was at 877 total 278 free. He advised me to stay here. I told him I was worried about running out because sometimes the compounding pharmacy would take longer than usual. He said he'll up my dose on the prescription to get me an extra vial but to actually stay the 200. Nice guy, he hooked me up but of course I didn't listen and upped my dose to 280 per week.

When I began trt, even at that modest dose, my appetite went crazy. I gained 10 lbs in 2 months. So by the end of August I was back up to 310.

Time to lock back in. I started Reta at 1 mg per week for 2 weeks then went up to 2mg where I stayed until November 1st. Then I went up to 3mg and that's where I'm currently at. In total I've lost 35 lbs this go. I'm currently 275 and still in a deficit.

Long way to go but I'm dialed right now. Thanks for tuning in!

Currently at
300 test cyp EOD
Armdex as needed
3mg Reta

You are all over the place dude. It is highly unlikely that you need to be running 280mg of test a week

Make a plan to lose the weight and stick to it. You're up and down and up and down. Get out of that cycle

Just focus on losing the weight. Start at step 1

If you haven't already, calculate your macros, decide on a deficit, and live there. Get a food scale, weigh everything, and track it in an app

Don't change that program until you are 160 pounds

Do daily cardio

Get a coach

Stick to a program

 

[Vito6666]

Thanks for taking the time to read and respond, I appreciate it.

Let me address your points in order:

Fair criticism. I can see how it comes across as being all over the place. Part of why I posted was to give an honest account of both my successes and failures. Being transparent like that keeps me accountable in a weird way.

My dose is stable and monitored. I’ve been running 280 mg/week without issues, and it’s actually been working well for me. I recently bumped it to 300 mg and switched to EOD injections. I’ll attach my most recent labs so you can see where things stand.

I’m down 85 lbs over the last 12 months.
My deficit and macros are calculated and actively followed. My TDEE tends to run lower than most calculators predict. I’ve been in a measurable deficit since 8/27/25 and down 35 lbs since then. I use a food scale and log everything.

160 lbs is not realistic for me. I’ve built a modest but real amount of muscle over the years. Based on my lean mass, my coach has my projected 20% body fat weight around 225 lbs.

I do 30 minutes of fasted cardio every morning and lift 4 days per week.

Yes, I have a coach. I hired him in August, and I’ve been following the program consistently.

The plan is in place and I’m sticking to it. With my current setup and the adjustments planned to break stalls, I’m on track to hit roughly 20% body fat by late April.