Dieting on trt

MKSuccess500 · Apr 9, 2015

Hello everyone,

I'm 26 years old, 5'8" and 185lb. I'm hypogonadal and have been on 100mg of testosterone cypionate for many years now. Last summer a friend of mine convinced me to try using steroids, which I agreed with after some reading. I bulked up from a lean 170 to a soft 200 by December. I did 12 weeks on and 12 weeks back on my prescription. I then began dieting with another cycle for a photoshoot in January that I am 2 months away from. However in the last few weeks I have started to get some odd lung area pain. Well, in that area, I don't think it's actually my lungs. Maybe anxiety? But I have low blood pressure and am not a very jumpy person. I have no problems breathing either so I don't know if it is lungs or heart or something else. This happened during my bulking cycle as well but I guess I figured it was temporary. Now that it mostly went away and is back with this 2nd cycle I am scared about it because it has gotten worse as the cycle continued. Both my bulk and my cut were 600mg testosterone propionate and 400mg boldenone undecylenate that my friend got for me and he knows the maker. My blood work has been good both on and off cycle.

In the end because the pain has gotten worse I have decided the steroids are not for me and I want to stop them. My problem is I am now 185lb compared to 170lb last summer and at the same body fat which I think is nice for 1 year. I want to do my photoshoot at 175lb shredded and I am on target for that. So my question to y'all is if I finish my last 2 months of dieting on my prescription only what type of difference in results am I looking at compared to if I stayed on?? No extra muscle loss, 1lb extra muscle loss, all muscle loss?? Should I just push through the final 2 months of dieting and then come off? I am torn as I want to look my best but if I'm going to lose all the muscle I gained with my last cycle then I am concerned. I kept it all during my 12 weeks back on my prescription but that could be because I was eating more. I have heard that it's a VERY BAD idea to keep dieting once you come off steroids because you are in a prime position to lose the somewhat new muscle. Is this the case? My friend who got me into steroids says I would have to either stop dieting if I come off, or I will have to diet much slower and therefore not be as lean, or I can diet just as fast but will lose a lot of muscle. Is this true for only 2 months and staying on my prescription?? And would any of this matter next summer a year down the road, or do you think by next year whether I finished the last 2 months on or off gear would be irrelevant?

Please share any experiences dieting on 100mg testosterone replacement and more importantly dieting on 100mg testosterone replacement right after dieting on much higher amounts. This is my first ever photoshoot.

Thank you everyone.

Deleted member 121863 · Apr 9, 2015

what is the photo shoot for? Money? How important is it? If your looking for an answer like "on only 100mg test you will lose X lbs of muscle vs this while on 600mg test" you never gonna get a real or accurate answer. Dieting at any time is fine, your friend that says to stop dieting if you come off is a moron.

Health comes first (to most people). Personally I would keep the test at 200mg/wk and continue with moderate calorie deficit, cardio and you will hold most of your muscle. Drop back to 100mg/wk after photo shoot.

fearfulsymmetry · Apr 9, 2015

Wow someone actually replied after reading that encyclopedia. Kudos.

MKSuccess500 · Apr 9, 2015

hogan86 said:
what is the photo shoot for? Money? How important is it? If your looking for an answer like "on only 100mg test you will lose X lbs of muscle vs this while on 600mg test" you never gonna get a real or accurate answer. Dieting at any time is fine, your friend that says to stop dieting if you come off is a moron.

Health comes first (to most people). Personally I would keep the test at 200mg/wk and continue with moderate calorie deficit, cardio and you will hold most of your muscle. Drop back to 100mg/wk after photo shoot.

Is it very important to me but it is not for money.

I see your point about not getting a specific number for this. I was hoping to get some idea of how significant it would be in the end, like if I finish the last 2 months with or without the cycle will it be very noticeable or just a small drop.

I think my friends point was that if I am in a calorie deficit when I come off then my body will be in a position to lose a lot of muscle quickly, because I have all of this newly gained muscle from steroids in the last 9 months and if I diet without the steroids now I will lose it.

MKSuccess500 · Apr 9, 2015

fearfulsymmetry said:
Wow someone actually replied after reading that encyclopedia. Kudos.

I didn't think 2 paragraphs was a lot, I wanted to give some background. Sparknotes are that I am in the middle of a diet cycle and want to come off steroids and go back to my prescription but I'm asking if doing so in the middle of a diet will make me lose a lot of muscle.

sammy555 · Apr 9, 2015

Your have to diet sloooooow ams keep protein high. There will probably be some muscle l I as depending on genetics. Peptides will help counter this though if you go that route

MKSuccess500 · Apr 9, 2015

sammy555 said:
Your have to diet sloooooow ams keep protein high. There will probably be some muscle l I as depending on genetics. Peptides will help counter this though if you go that route

You're saying that if I come off now instead of waiting too months I will have to cut more slowly? That is one of the things I was worried about and what my friend said. He said I either have to stop cutting or cut very slowly, or if I keep cutting just as fast I will lose too much muscle since I'm going back to trt instead of 1000mg of steroids.

I cannot change the time of the photoshoot though, it's in 7-8 more weeks.

I don't want to take peptides because I want to come off of everything besides my prescription. I need to be lean enough for the photoshoot, that is the most important thing, but not if I'm going to lose twice as much muscle on my prescription compared to if I kept going with the remainder of my cycle.

Would anything of this even matter 6+ months from now or would I be in the same position at that point regardless?

Deleted member 121863 · Apr 9, 2015

MKSuccess500 said:
I think my friends point was that if I am in a calorie deficit when I come off then my body will be in a position to lose a lot of muscle quickly, because I have all of this newly gained muscle from steroids in the last 9 months and if I diet without the steroids now I will lose it.

Guess what, you have already been taking steroids for years! The difference between TRT and "steroids", is mostly the dose. Yes TRT is only test, steroids throws in a lot more possible compounds, but the base for 95% of people on cycle is gonna be a solid dose of test. If you just keep your test dose at 200mg, putting your total test blood levels at the top of the range, maybe slightly above, you will maintain at least 90% of your gains IMO, even while cutting, IF you keep protein high, and calorie deficit is not overly drastic.

Don`t make yourself mental thinking your losing muscle when a lot of it is really fat and glycogen stores, making muscles look flat. Give yourself a re-feed good carb day once a week, or every 5 days. This will help maintain muscle and sanity. You should have a good pump, muscles looking a bit fuller the next day too.

MKSuccess500 · Apr 10, 2015

hogan86 said:
Guess what, you have already been taking steroids for years! The difference between TRT and "steroids", is mostly the dose. Yes TRT is only test, steroids throws in a lot more possible compounds, but the base for 95% of people on cycle is gonna be a solid dose of test. If you just keep your test dose at 200mg, putting your total test blood levels at the top of the range, maybe slightly above, you will maintain at least 90% of your gains IMO, even while cutting, IF you keep protein high, and calorie deficit is not overly drastic.

Don`t make yourself mental thinking your losing muscle when a lot of it is really fat and glycogen stores, making muscles look flat. Give yourself a re-feed good carb day once a week, or every 5 days. This will help maintain muscle and sanity. You should have a good pump, muscles looking a bit fuller the next day too.

Right, but you know what I mean

Thank you. So I must ask, if you think I can retain 90+% of my gains on just 200mg of testosterone, and then after the cut I can drop it back down to 100mg, then what is the point even of dieting on 1000mg? I certainly have not gained muscle while dieting so you're saying that in your opinion the difference between dieting on 200mg and 1000mg is only the difference between something like 90% muscle retention and 95% muscle retention?? If so I'd say why even bother using 5x the dose!

Deleted member 121863 · Apr 10, 2015

MKSuccess500 said:
Right, but you know what I mean

Thank you. So I must ask, if you think I can retain 90+% of my gains on just 200mg of testosterone, and then after the cut I can drop it back down to 100mg, then what is the point even of dieting on 1000mg? I certainly have not gained muscle while dieting so you're saying that in your opinion the difference between dieting on 200mg and 1000mg is only the difference between something like 90% muscle retention and 95% muscle retention?? If so I'd say why even bother using 5x the dose!

Some people claim to gain muscle while dieting using higher doses to, I call BS. Yes many people over use gear in an effort to make up for bad (not 90% perfect) diet. I ask myself all the time, why are people using such crazy doses. You don`t sound very experienced with gear, 1000mg total juice would be top end for bulking (for you) IMO. I really don`t see the point in the EQ (bold) either for cutting. It usually increases your appetite too. Why use that long ester and test prop?

sammy555 · Apr 10, 2015

MKSuccess500 said:
You're saying that if I come off now instead of waiting too months I will have to cut more slowly? That is one of the things I was worried about and what my friend said. He said I either have to stop cutting or cut very slowly, or if I keep cutting just as fast I will lose too much muscle since I'm going back to trt instead of 1000mg of steroids.

I cannot change the time of the photoshoot though, it's in 7-8 more weeks.

I don't want to take peptides because I want to come off of everything besides my prescription. I need to be lean enough for the photoshoot, that is the most important thing, but not if I'm going to lose twice as much muscle on my prescription compared to if I kept going with the remainder of my cycle.

Would anything of this even matter 6+ months from now or would I be in the same position at that point regardless?

Yes. Look at it this way. If your on a gram of tren you can pretty much cut calories in half and up cardio, add a little t3 and not lose muscle so long as you get 300 plus protein (Im not suggesting you do this of course) 500 test you gotta go a little slower but can still be quite brave. 100 test you diet like a natural guy,1-2 lb a week max weight loss, no more than 30 minuites cardio at once etc. Cutting slow on a lower dose still a good idea and use your heavy doses to grow and stay lean while doing so or even recomp.

sammy555 · Apr 10, 2015

hogan86 said:
Some people claim to gain muscle while dieting using higher doses to, I call BS. Yes many people over use gear in an effort to make up for bad (not 90% perfect) diet. I ask myself all the time, why are people using such crazy doses. You don`t sound very experienced with gear, 1000mg total juice would be top end for bulking (for you) IMO. I really don`t see the point in the EQ (bold) either for cutting. It usually increases your appetite too. Why use that long ester and test prop?

Tbh I think I've gained more of my muscle during cutting phases than when bulking. I use insulin around workout and it seems to work much better in a cutting phase and quite a lot of tren. I don't look like I've gained muscle but a week after cut when I fill back out I seem t to go back to original weight but be bigger and leaner.

MKSuccess500 · Apr 11, 2015

sammy555 said:
Yes. Look at it this way. If your on a gram of tren you can pretty much cut calories in half and up cardio, add a little t3 and not lose muscle so long as you get 300 plus protein (Im not suggesting you do this of course) 500 test you gotta go a little slower but can still be quite brave. 100 test you diet like a natural guy,1-2 lb a week max weight loss, no more than 30 minuites cardio at once etc. Cutting slow on a lower dose still a good idea and use your heavy doses to grow and stay lean while doing so or even recomp.

Well I have 7-8 weeks and have 11.5-12 pounds left to lose. So I was only looking to lose 1-2lb per week anyway and that is the current rate I have been losing at these past couple of months for the photoshoot. But since it's the same rate, with much less dose, I'd still be concerned about muscle loss relative to what I've had so far (which has been almost none). I don't have experience cutting on just trt post cycle though (I've dieted on trt before of course but it had been after just bulking on trt, not bulking and cutting on a cycle so I feel like I may be in a more vulnerable position to lose muscle) so that concerns me of course. Just trying to not make any regrettable decisions either way.

MKSuccess500 · Apr 11, 2015

sammy555 said:
Tbh I think I've gained more of my muscle during cutting phases than when bulking. I use insulin around workout and it seems to work much better in a cutting phase and quite a lot of tren. I don't look like I've gained muscle but a week after cut when I fill back out I seem t to go back to original weight but be bigger and leaner.

Nice work. It is hard to get such opinions on this site because I feel like most members are like you and take a lot of things for most of the year. So I'm not sure if there is really a concrete answer to my questions.

I am feeling that feeling more often now though for sure. I wish I knew what was causing the pain. Steroids don't typically cause pain do they? It's a strange sensation. Like as if I did a lot of work, but yet when I do a lot of work like cardio I can do it just fine. I wonder why.

bobcat12 · Apr 12, 2015

hogan86 said:
Guess what, you have already been taking steroids for years! The difference between TRT and "steroids", is mostly the dose. Yes TRT is only test, steroids throws in a lot more possible compounds, but the base for 95% of people on cycle is gonna be a solid dose of test. If you just keep your test dose at 200mg, putting your total test blood levels at the top of the range, maybe slightly above, you will maintain at least 90% of your gains IMO, even while cutting, IF you keep protein high, and calorie deficit is not overly drastic.

Don`t make yourself mental thinking your losing muscle when a lot of it is really fat and glycogen stores, making muscles look flat. Give yourself a re-feed good carb day once a week, or every 5 days. This will help maintain muscle and sanity. You should have a good pump, muscles looking a bit fuller the next day too.

This is best said. A lot of what people experience after coming off cycle is glycogen depletion and water loss. Which will result in some weight and strength loss. This is to be expected. Granted, muscle IS 80% intracellular water. However, as long as you keep your calories and protein high you will actually lose very little tissue. And yes, some people do use peptides to "bridge" and maintain fullness and strength while off cycle.

MKSuccess500 · Apr 12, 2015

bobcat12 said:
This is best said. A lot of what people experience after coming off cycle is glycogen depletion and water loss. Which will result in some weight and strength loss. This is to be expected. Granted, muscle IS 80% intracellular water. However, as long as you keep your calories and protein high you will actually lose very little tissue. And yes, some people do use peptides to "bridge" and maintain fullness and strength while off cycle.

This is true. Unfortunately since it is coming from intramuscular stores it seems, feels and looks just like actual tissue loss even if it isn't. While the fact of knowing it isn't mostly tissue is a little helpful mentally, you can never be sure and seeing a similar amount of shrinkage I'm sure will be hard to handle because it will seem like real muscle loss. Especially for the sake of peaking for a photoshoot.

Also kind of hard to keep calories too high while dieting lol I would still need to lose another 10-12lb in these next 8 weeks.

nothuman · Apr 12, 2015

I'm about to diet on just TRT. I enjoy it actually. Losing lots of water weight coming off a blast and lowering carbs makes you look awesome at first.

bignickp · Apr 12, 2015

Nothuman said it best, losing water makes you look awesome. A month before your shoot you should have planned to drop test and eq anyways. Just be sure to carb load the right way on the day of.

Also, you really over emphasis that this is a photo shoot, makes me think your lieing and its something else LOL