Beginner low cycle for health gains

[lusty]

If someone has low lab range test for a early 30's male I am in the bottom 1/4th of the lab range and have autoimmune condition and mild other low T symptoms mainly from depression/mood, discipline and drive. I was reading about how Psoriasis improved in men who went from free T of sub 400 to 500+ pmol/L I am at 365. I have done all the natrual methods of increasing T from suppliments, to sleep to lifting 5x per week, HIIT, sunlight, red light therpay, icing my balls and more.

My experiment and just to try out because I don't want to go on full blown life time TRT just yet is to take a low dose Test E daily SubQ 10mg per day so 70mg per week to bump my levels up to 450-550 range to then see if my symptoms of low T and my Psoriasis improves.

Question is, how long would I need to run this to see differences but also to not shut down my natrual production so I can cycle off.

Do I need PCT I can get HCG fairly easily but Enclomiphene is a little harder to get.

 

[Elektrobot]

depression/mood, discipline and drive

..........lemme stop you right there. Don't blame a poor lifestyle on anything but yourself.

What's your heigh, weight, bodyfat%, what's your training and food plan like?

Question is, how long would I need to run this to see differences

Depends on how long it will take you to make the lifestyle changes you need to make.

 

[BatmanVAR]

70mg isn't even TRT level, you might end up with lower test than you have now. On 140mg a week my total T is like 750.

 

[lusty]

..........lemme stop you right there. Don't blame a poor lifestyle on anything but yourself.

What's your heigh, weight, bodyfat%, what's your training and food plan like?


Depends on how long it will take you to make the lifestyle changes you need to make.

Lift 5x per week, run 2x per weeek, former fat kid in the past 3 years hover around 15-25%bf currently at 24%
Food is back on a strict carnivore diet with no dairy because I also get psoriatic arthritis and it is the only diet that keeps it at bay so my joints are doing well now.

Sleep at exactly 10pm every night, red light therapy 3-4x per week, get morning sun, 15k steps per day, drink just water no alcohol, sometimes I have the odd coke zero. No coffee, no pre work out, no whey protein just meat. breath work, therapy, meditation to lower stress.

Currently on a high protein, moderate fat 0 carbs getting 200g of protein in per day, feel better than when I was eating other crap like gluten and dairy or vegetables which destroy my gut.

I naturally raised my blood levels from 13.5 nmol/l to 16.3nmol/l doing all the lifestyle, suppliments and more.

It's not poor lifestyle or being lazy for sure, but I noticed the past 4-5 years I am just not myself in terms of worse Psoriasis, lower energy, lower libido, less drive, lower mood despite lots of therapy and other healing I have done everything feels like a big effort. I track myself with my whoop and I get good recovery.

Blood markers are all good or optiomal ranges, great liver ranges, good TSH, T3 and T4.

IGF-1, DHEAS, Testosterone, Free T are all low end of the range in the labs, I am waiting on further LH, FSH and E2 to come from the lab next week.

70mg isn't even TRT level, you might end up with lower test than you have now. On 140mg a week my total T is like 750.

Oh so it doesn't work to just add to my current levels?

Would it be more so once I inject T it will shut my normal production down so I would have to run closer to 20-30mg per day, I don't mind if I can do it subq on an insulin needle is easy enough. If I have to go IM I can learn that from my Nurse friend.

If I go higher then is it more a decison to go long term TRT?

I meet the criteria for a TRT clinic to go private script where I live but it is a little costly hence why I wanted to do a 3 month or so experiment then just use clomid +HCG or something to get natrual production back

 

[osqe]

70mg per week to bump my levels into the 450-550 range, then see if my symptoms of low T and my Psoriasis improve.

I'm gonna be honest. Don't touch Test if this is your goal.
Use hCG and bump your T levels. Do 500IU twice a week for 6 weeks and if you don't feel better by then, T levels aren't the issue.

 

[Superchicken]

Autoimmune diseases are associated with lower levels of testosterone in both men and women. More information if you search that specifically. I’m not a man, but my autoimmune markers improved when adding test.

Testosterone Deficiency and Sleep Deprivation as Risk Factors for Psor | CCID

Investigating the associations between low testosterone levels, short sleep duration, and psoriasis risk using data from the US NHANES 2011-2014.

www.dovepress.com

 

[lusty]

I'm gonna be honest. Don't touch Test if this is your goal.
Use hCG and bump your T levels. Do 500IU twice a week for 6 weeks and if you don't feel better by then, T levels aren't the issue.

The only issue I have is that with my current levels and symptoms, I can get legal TRT, if I do HCG and only bump levels a little then I won't be elidgible for TRT unless my levels drop back after cycling off HCG so it is something to weigh up, TRT will be legal HCG will be gray market so travel will be an issue for long term.

Autoimmune diseases are associated with lower levels of testosterone in both men and women. More information if you search that specifically. I’m not a man, but my autoimmune markers improved when adding test.

Testosterone Deficiency and Sleep Deprivation as Risk Factors for Psor | CCID

Investigating the associations between low testosterone levels, short sleep duration, and psoriasis risk using data from the US NHANES 2011-2014.

www.dovepress.com

This is what brought me to TRT, I also came across a few case studies and clinical notes of Psoriasis improving with TRT, moving from hypogondal or low range levels to mid to high range levels.
This is why I am trying to work out if I start on a lower level then up it to a higher normal level TRT dose to see if the skin reacts to anything.

 

[osqe]

HCG will be gray market so travel will be an issue for long term.

I don't know where you live, but in the US, hCG therapy is very easy to get legally. I travel with my T and hCG.
Also, hCG has been shown to increase penile length (the study is for micropeens tho and at much higher doses, I haven't kept up with my measurements, so lower dose average peen anecdotes unavailable lol). That's a decent potential benefit in my book personally.

 

[trtchin]

Lift 5x per week, run 2x per weeek, former fat kid in the past 3 years hover around 15-25%bf currently at 24%
Food is back on a strict carnivore diet with no dairy because I also get psoriatic arthritis and it is the only diet that keeps it at bay so my joints are doing well now.

Sleep at exactly 10pm every night, red light therapy 3-4x per week, get morning sun, 15k steps per day, drink just water no alcohol, sometimes I have the odd coke zero. No coffee, no pre work out, no whey protein just meat. breath work, therapy, meditation to lower stress.

Currently on a high protein, moderate fat 0 carbs getting 200g of protein in per day, feel better than when I was eating other crap like gluten and dairy or vegetables which destroy my gut.

I naturally raised my blood levels from 13.5 nmol/l to 16.3nmol/l doing all the lifestyle, suppliments and more.

It's not poor lifestyle or being lazy for sure, but I noticed the past 4-5 years I am just not myself in terms of worse Psoriasis, lower energy, lower libido, less drive, lower mood despite lots of therapy and other healing I have done everything feels like a big effort. I track myself with my whoop and I get good recovery.

Blood markers are all good or optiomal ranges, great liver ranges, good TSH, T3 and T4.

IGF-1, DHEAS, Testosterone, Free T are all low end of the range in the labs, I am waiting on further LH, FSH and E2 to come from the lab next week.

Oh so it doesn't work to just add to my current levels?

Would it be more so once I inject T it will shut my normal production down so I would have to run closer to 20-30mg per day, I don't mind if I can do it subq on an insulin needle is easy enough. If I have to go IM I can learn that from my Nurse friend.

If I go higher then is it more a decison to go long term TRT?

I meet the criteria for a TRT clinic to go private script where I live but it is a little costly hence why I wanted to do a 3 month or so experiment then just use clomid +HCG or something to get natrual production back

You need to learn a lot more. I understand you are trying to do that but search on the website. Search on reddit trt and actually articles about hormone replacement therapy for men.

I read non stop for 6 months before I decided to take the plunge myself

Once you start taking test your natural production will shut down.

Trt is not a temporary treatment, it is for life.

Your natural levels are irrelevant once you go on trt. The only way to know if your dose is adequate is to have blood tests done.

 

[lusty]

You need to learn a lot more. I understand you are trying to do that but search on the website. Search on reddit trt and actually articles about hormone replacement therapy for men.

I read non stop for 6 months before I decided to take the plunge myself

Once you start taking test your natural production will shut down.

Trt is not a temporary treatment, it is for life.

Your natural levels are irrelevant once you go on trt. The only way to know if your dose is adequate is to have blood tests done.

Thanks, I have been reading heaps it is also how I found out that I can actually get pescribed legal TRT for life if I go private in Australia which is usually quite hard but I listened to a few TRT podcasts and yes the guys own a clinic but they said their criteria especially for men in under 35 would fit exactly my labs despite my GP no wanting to perscribe because it is in the lab range.

I guess it just comes down to cost the legal route is very expensive, but maybe once I am used to it all and have done a year legit I can look to other suppliers on here to keep costs down whilst being guided by my doctors.

 

[Elektrobot]

It's not poor lifestyle or being lazy

Says is not poor lifestyle or being lazy

Also says is fat and eating carnivore





You can't be fat and have proper lifestyle habits at the same time dude. Being fat is a literal sign for you that you are doing it wrong. Don't expect to be fat and feel good at the same time.

Learn about nutrition instead of following bs fad influencer carnivore bs. Absolute nonsense

What does your lipid panel look like? Share it here.

 

[BatmanVAR]

Says is not poor lifestyle or being lazy

Also says is fat and eating carnivore


View attachment 381166


You can't be fat and have proper lifestyle habits at the same time dude. Being fat is a literal sign for you that you are doing it wrong. Don't expect to be fat and feel good at the same time.

Learn about nutrition instead of following bs fad influencer carnivore bs. Absolute nonsense

What does your lipid panel look like? Share it here.

"I'm taking control of my health!"

:::::dips slices of bacon in cheese then deep frys them in tallow::::

It absolutely amazes me that in 2026 people don't realize how unhealthy carnivore is. Sure you'll lose some weight but only it's hard to eat a calorie surplus of just meat, but it's going to destroy your health long term.

 

[adrenalytic]

former fat kid in the past 3 years hover around 15-25%bf currently at 24%

I have news for you. You're still fat.

Oh so it doesn't work to just add to my current levels?

You need to do a LOT more research on the basics of exogenous testosterone. You're asking spoonfeed-me questions. Some are taking the bait but you'll learn much more by just doing some reading on your own. Start with the articles in the Steroid Profiles section of Meso.

 

[Slowww]

You have some serious fundamental issues with how you are approaching this. Wanting to take trt for a minimal duration so it doesn’t shut you down will do absolutely nothing for you. There is a reason trt is long term, and any anabolics used long enough to see positive effects arw going to shut you down. Using testosterone to stay hypogonadal is extremely abnormal and frankly you might want to just consider talking to a doctor about using normal trt and hCG to preserve fertility if that is what you’re worried about. What you are thinking about is plainly not possible. If you want slightly more test, like others said, hCG is readily prescribed for this. I personally know some people who have this prescription. Also losing weight, not being so fat and adopting a better lifestyle will help you significantly.

 

[Magenzus]

Why overcomplicate yourself if down the line it all ends with TRT? Just hop on it now and educate yourself way more on the subject because that is your biggest issue right now; that and the carnivore diet.

 

[lusty]

Says is not poor lifestyle or being lazy

Also says is fat and eating carnivore


View attachment 381166


You can't be fat and have proper lifestyle habits at the same time dude. Being fat is a literal sign for you that you are doing it wrong. Don't expect to be fat and feel good at the same time.

Learn about nutrition instead of following bs fad influencer carnivore bs. Absolute nonsense

What does your lipid panel look like? Share it here.

I was obese as a kid, I'm doing strict meat salt and water, no dairy, no pork, no processed meats as it keeps my psoriasis arthritis at bay natrually.

I train 5x per week and run 2x 5km per week, I do all the sleep hacks, red lights and candles after sun set, dark room, eye shades, ear plugs, I ice my balls two times per day, I use red light therapy, I get morning sun, I meditate, have done therapy and healed a lot of childhood trauma stuff.

My weight struggles to budge, I hold most of my weight in my hips, thighs and butt, my belly is not that fat from my last scan that put me at 25%bf my belly was 18%.

I also have old blood tests when I was in my early 20s showing low T but my doc said it was normal I had my E2 checked it was normal but after reading more I got further tests done for LH/FSH results come tomorrow as the deeper hormone testing wasn't released from the lab yet.

When I get these then I will see if I do HCG/clomid or assess TRT with a private clinic.

Not sure what else I am doing wrong.

My cholesterol in Aussie units was

Total 6.4
Hdl 1.86
Trigs 0.52
Ldl 3.89

Yes little higher than the 50% population cut off median.

Thank you for the further research chatgpt is dumb and gave me the idea of a small dose I used grok and it told me about the shut down pathway and how it can take 12 months to recover to a possibly lower baseline.

Due to my symptoms though I am leaning towards TRT because I am unsure what other stuff I need to do in my lifestyle to tackle this, I even slowed down way more with my business in the past 6 months working shorter days, taking weekends off, took the holiday period off and spent time in nature and did a lot of deep relaxation work and exploring.

For the weight stuff I'm now taking Reta twice per week at 0.5mg seeing it got the scales moving again as I was out of options with constant hunger even though I felt satisfied I wanted to eat more steak on carnivore but that has gone now and I can think and stress less about food.

Lastly I do not care about fertility I am looking at getting a vasectomy in the future.

 

[BatmanVAR]

Not sure what else I am doing wrong.

My brother in Christ, several people have already told you what you're doing wrong. You're eating one of the most unhealthiest diets in existence. You're getting 0 carbs which are essential for brain and overall health. You're getting 0 vitamin C so you're probably going to get scurvy. You're getting 0 fiber so your digestive system is a mess. You're eating a ton of salt which isn't good for you. You're wearing a ton of fat which is why your lipids are high.

Look, lots of people have fallen for this fad diet over the years despite the slight variation in names and details - Atkins, Keto, Carnivore, etc. so it's no reflection on you. But FFS eat a properly balanced diet and leave the carnivore cult already. This isn't rocket surgery my.man.

 

[Elektrobot]

My weight struggles to budge

Because your food plan sucks

It is impossible to adhere to a well designed food plan and not lose weight

strict meat salt and water, no dairy, no pork, no processed meats

Where did you get this idea from?

as it keeps my psoriasis arthritis at bay natrually.

You do realize that losing bodyfat also keeps PsA symptoms at bay naturally.... right?

Metabolic syndrome and psoriatic arthritis: the role of weight loss as a disease-modifying therapy - PMC

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory joint and entheseal disease associated with significant personal and public health burden. PsA has a prevalence of up to 1%, affecting ~20% of people suffering with psoriasis. PsA is frequently ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Learn nutrition

Create a proper food plan and adhere to it

Because you say you are doing all this-

Lift 5x per week,

run 2x per weeek

15k steps per day,

currently at 24%

strict meat salt and water

yet the result is this=

My weight struggles to budge

....... dude

Not sure what else I am doing wrong.

Everything

You somehow don't understand even the most basic principles of nutrition or weight loss.... and are here asking if you should compensate for your poor food and lifestyle choices by abusing testosterone

No- you shouldn't. Because abusing testosterone doesn't do what you think it does.

Go learn dude.

And fix your cholesterol ASAP

 

[youwhat?]

Dude says he tried everything to raise his test like “ice his balls” and doesn’t eat crap like “vegetables”. Idk id write this one off lol. If you want to do test, just do it. We’re not your doctor. But, test will not fix your dumb diet or discipline issues either.

 

[carlosdacat]

I went back and forth for a year before I finally said fuck it and hopped on. Started on test C once weekly with low AI, moved to test E every 3 days no AI, now I’m daily shallow IM with Test P no AI and I feel the best. 125mg a week gets me in the 900-1000 range with 270 free T. My bloodwork looks better than before I started. 31 years old, 230lbs 10% body fat 6’4”. If you want my lab work pm me.