Wierudns516#
New Member
I’ve been browsing this forum for about six months, and I finally decided to join and introduce myself. I am 55 and I’ve always worked out and tried to stay pretty healthy. I’ll be honest though—I partied a lot in my early 20's. I still went to the gym, but partying and having fun took priority over diet and health.
Around 27, I got serious again and have been consistent with lifting and living healthy for about 28 years now. I’ve always been fairly thin and I’ve struggled more with putting on muscle than staying lean. I’m 6’1” and currently about 195 pounds. The heaviest I’ve ever been is 205, and the lightest as an adult was around 175 - 180 in 40s and early 50s. I accepted a long time ago that I’m not someone who’s ever going to pack on a ton of weight—I just don’t eat enough, and forcing down food has never come naturally to me. Looking back, I know that’s an area I should’ve focused on more.
Genetically, I am my father's son. He is 80, 6 foot and weighs about 170, and he still looks great, works and walks daily. I’ve always aimed to at least have the build of a swimmer and always wished I could look more like a gymnast.
When I hit my early 50s, I had never touched PEDs, but I’d tried just about every supplement you could legally. That was the line for me—if it was legal, I’d try it. If it wasn’t, I stayed away. It wasn’t even about legality, really—it was just the line I set for myself.
I started noticing low testosterone symptoms a few years back and got tested around two and a half years ago. My total T was in the 400s, which wasn’t terrible, but my free T was very low at 9. I spent about a year and a half trying to fix it naturally. I could sometimes get my free T into the teens, but my total T kept dropping into the 300s.
I’ve always loved being in the gym. Honestly, it’s harder for me to stay out of the gym than to go. I’ve lifted six or seven days a week for years and usually have to force myself to take a rest day. Looking back, I’m sure I’ve run myself into the ground at times, especially at my age, and that probably didn’t help my free testosterone levels. But working out has always been my stress relief and the time of day I feel the best. It’s just part of my routine and who I am.
About nine months ago, I finally started TRT. I felt better almost immediately—stronger in the gym and more energized—and it was honestly exciting. That led me to start exploring more options. On forums like this one, I learned about GH and started taking 2–3 iU a day about three months ago. I also bumped my testosterone to 300 mg a week for a 20-week run. Between that and GH, I felt amazing.
Then my doctor told me to donate blood because my hematocrit was 51, so I listened and gave a power red donation. That was three months ago, and it wrecked me—my ferritin tanked down to single digits and my energy crashed. I backed down to my normal TRT dose, stopped GH, and started supplementing iron to get my levels back up.
Around the same time, I also ended up with an ulcer, and my doctor thinks I was slowly losing blood from that too. I’m on medication for it now, but trying to get my iron levels back up has been a lot harder than I expected. Honestly, these last two or three months have been the worst I’ve ever felt physically. I’ve been able to make it to work and get to the gym, but that’s about all I’ve had the energy for.
My plan is to get everything back in range and then maybe go up to 250 mg - 500 mg of testosterone a week and get back on GH. I am currently stocking up with a few vendors so I don’t get stuck if there are more shortages or price jumps.
I appreciate all the info I’ve picked up so far and I’m looking forward to learning more and contributing.
Around 27, I got serious again and have been consistent with lifting and living healthy for about 28 years now. I’ve always been fairly thin and I’ve struggled more with putting on muscle than staying lean. I’m 6’1” and currently about 195 pounds. The heaviest I’ve ever been is 205, and the lightest as an adult was around 175 - 180 in 40s and early 50s. I accepted a long time ago that I’m not someone who’s ever going to pack on a ton of weight—I just don’t eat enough, and forcing down food has never come naturally to me. Looking back, I know that’s an area I should’ve focused on more.
Genetically, I am my father's son. He is 80, 6 foot and weighs about 170, and he still looks great, works and walks daily. I’ve always aimed to at least have the build of a swimmer and always wished I could look more like a gymnast.
When I hit my early 50s, I had never touched PEDs, but I’d tried just about every supplement you could legally. That was the line for me—if it was legal, I’d try it. If it wasn’t, I stayed away. It wasn’t even about legality, really—it was just the line I set for myself.
I started noticing low testosterone symptoms a few years back and got tested around two and a half years ago. My total T was in the 400s, which wasn’t terrible, but my free T was very low at 9. I spent about a year and a half trying to fix it naturally. I could sometimes get my free T into the teens, but my total T kept dropping into the 300s.
I’ve always loved being in the gym. Honestly, it’s harder for me to stay out of the gym than to go. I’ve lifted six or seven days a week for years and usually have to force myself to take a rest day. Looking back, I’m sure I’ve run myself into the ground at times, especially at my age, and that probably didn’t help my free testosterone levels. But working out has always been my stress relief and the time of day I feel the best. It’s just part of my routine and who I am.
About nine months ago, I finally started TRT. I felt better almost immediately—stronger in the gym and more energized—and it was honestly exciting. That led me to start exploring more options. On forums like this one, I learned about GH and started taking 2–3 iU a day about three months ago. I also bumped my testosterone to 300 mg a week for a 20-week run. Between that and GH, I felt amazing.
Then my doctor told me to donate blood because my hematocrit was 51, so I listened and gave a power red donation. That was three months ago, and it wrecked me—my ferritin tanked down to single digits and my energy crashed. I backed down to my normal TRT dose, stopped GH, and started supplementing iron to get my levels back up.
Around the same time, I also ended up with an ulcer, and my doctor thinks I was slowly losing blood from that too. I’m on medication for it now, but trying to get my iron levels back up has been a lot harder than I expected. Honestly, these last two or three months have been the worst I’ve ever felt physically. I’ve been able to make it to work and get to the gym, but that’s about all I’ve had the energy for.
My plan is to get everything back in range and then maybe go up to 250 mg - 500 mg of testosterone a week and get back on GH. I am currently stocking up with a few vendors so I don’t get stuck if there are more shortages or price jumps.
I appreciate all the info I’ve picked up so far and I’m looking forward to learning more and contributing.
