Another mid lifer

[King_Cnut]

Hi guys, been lurking a while, thought I'd introduce myself

40 years old
6′2″
170 lb
10-15% BF – hard to tell due to small amount of loose abdominal skin after 70 lb weight loss over 5 years, but I am very lean other than that

Have been lifting for 5 years now, I'm at low end intermediate strength – because nearly all of it has been in a cut

2 full body workouts per week
Brisk walk a few times per week – yes, I should do more cardio
Alcohol – about 4 standard drinks per week
No smoking/vaping or drugs
Fairly clean eating – nothing really "dirty", or at least not very often
Good 7 hours sleep per night

Goals
Look really good naked, as opposed to just decent now
5-10 lb more LBM
Reduce visceral fat to the point of seeing some abs if it's even possible with my loose skin
Hopefully just one more blast and then done
Reverse beginnings of receding hairline at temples and keep what I have
Keep my prostate small and my boner hard
Not die from CVD – this is now my primary motivation

Health markers (with meds)
BP 115/65
Relatively recent 2023 LDL before meds and while off cycle – 112 (will be ordering a new test soon)
Old LDL when I was a fat mf – 155
C-reactive protein <1 (not HS-CRP)
ECG normal with no signs of LVH, remodelling or increased heart size/thickness

The following blood markers have also all come back in normal range
Thyroid stimulating hormone + free T4
Prostate-specific antigen
HbA1c
B12
Folate
D2+D3
Electrolytes
Iron
Kidney function
Liver function

Current stack
True TRT (℞ gel due to lifelong congenital condition) at just above top of normal range
HCG for balls and neurosteroids
Tirzepatide
Cilnidipine + telmisartan
Nebivolol
Pitavastatin
Ezetimibe
Tadalafil
Dutasteride
Minoxidil

Besides lifelong TRT, all above have been taken for about 1 year now

Future additions to stack
Bempedoic acid
Tesamorelin to kill last bit of visceral fat and rejuvenate skin
Isotretinoin course then ivermectin


Previous blasts

First
Test U extra 250 mg/week on top of TRT

Second
Test U extra 250 mg/week
Oxandrolone 50 mg/day for 8 weeks
Then boldenone U 250 mg/week

These were both quite successful (to me), I reckon after each bulk and cut I managed to put on about 20 lb LBM in total

Upcoming (and hopefully last) cycle
Oxandrolone 50 mg/day for 8 weeks to rapidly regain lost strength and size from a very long cut


Other than sorting my cardio out (2 young kids, busy job) and bulking up my scrawny ass, anything else you guys want to rip into me about and give me a kick in the pants about is welcome

As I said above, my primary focus is now my long term health since covid gave me a mid life health crisis, so I want to stay as fit, healthy and young as possible for as long as I can. Also looking and feeling great is a nice bonus on top

 

[Scob]

I would say drop tesamorelin and do HGH ramp up slowly to 6-10iu
Tesamorelin and secretagogues won’t do much for a 40yo
You seem to be dialed in otherwise

 

[bananafeet]

I would say drop tesamorelin and do HGH ramp up slowly to 6-10iu
Tesamorelin and secretagogues won’t do much for a 40yo
You seem to be dialed in otherwise

6-10iu? Why. You trying to give him acromegaly

 

[Ghoul]

6-10iu? Why. You trying to give him acromegaly

6’ 2” 170lb

He can support 20lbs in new jaw and forehead bone

 

[bananafeet]

6’ 2” 170lb

He can support 20lbs in new jaw and forehead bone

2-3iu nearly made me diabetic. Like The Wu-Tang clan HGH ain't nuttin to fuck wit

 

[adrenalytic]

Reduce visceral fat to the point of seeing some abs if it's even possible with my loose skin

Visceral fat doesn't cover abs, it's beneath them, surrounding your organs like choking vines. I recommend retatrutide to combat this.

Anavar is good for losing belly fat (what you're talking about).

Edit: Welcome to Meso

 

[Scob]

I mean he wants to hop on a cycle right … 2iu won’t do much
Secretagogues will do even less
Acromegaly doesn’t develop overnight afaik

 

[Ghoul]

Great BP man!

To your tests add

Lp(A)
ApoB
Coq10
IGF-1 / Z-score (should be included by default)

 

[explodingHeart]

6’ 2” 170lb

He can support 20lbs in new jaw and forehead bone

You said that higher androgens make muscle tissue more sensitive to IGF and soak it up instead of other tissues, like bone, nose, etc.?

This is purely unscientific garbage, but Chase Irons doing 3g of test and 18iu pharma GH per day for I think a year, his nose never grew and after he quit the drugs, he basically looks like his old self.

Do very high doses of androgens help prevent acromegaly in cases like this?

Same with Dave Polumbo, Dorian Yates, etc. If we go by their noses and ears, they all pretty much shrank back down to baseline.


(Using myself as an example, I have a massive nose/hands/feet even at baseline before touching GH. Even a small amount makes them blow up with water. When I got peeled and dropped the GH, my nose looks like the size it did in highschool)

 

[Elektrobot]

his nose never grew

And his igf was never above 300 something

It's not the amount of GH that matters... it's your IGF-1 that matters

Your Z score

Chase Irons never had an IGF-1 far outside his normal reference range even on high doses of HGH.

That's why his nose never grew

You could be a hyper responder and have acromegaly effects on 4IU

Or you could be Chase Irons and have nothing at 18IU

 

[explodingHeart]

And his igf was never above 300 something

It's not the amount of GH that matters... it's your IGF-1 that matters

Your Z score

Chase Irons never had an IGF-1 far outside his normal reference range even on high doses of HGH.

That's why his nose never grew

You could be a hyper responder and have acromegaly effects on 4IU

Or you could be Chase Irons and have nothing at 18IU

Is IGF-1 measuring what's in the blood that didn't get taken up by the muscles?

He claims he grew a lot from 18iu but only had 300x IGF?

 

[bananafeet]

And his igf was never above 300 something

It's not the amount of GH that matters... it's your IGF-1 that matters

Your Z score

Chase Irons never had an IGF-1 far outside his normal reference range even on high doses of HGH.

That's why his nose never grew

You could be a hyper responder and have acromegaly effects on 4IU

Or you could be Chase Irons and have nothing at 18IU

My igf1 was in the danger zone on 2iu of HGH daily. I religiously took it and had high E2.

3iu made my blood sugar hard to control.

Everyone acts differently. I'd treat HGH with the same respect you treat semaglutide or insulin.