First Cycle advice

[WarFinger]

I'm currently on TRT 185mg/week. TotalT 1147 e2 84pg/dl.
Tried an AI long time ago but all I got was migraines and hypertension. It might have tanked me in retrospect. E2 sides non existent. Rest of bloods are golden.
A few weeks ago I added primo 1:1 to bring down my E2 a little. Complete bloods drawn yesterday so waiting on those, plus lipids.
If I'm not having any problems with this enhanced TRT I'm wondering if I want to run a mild cycle, would I be better off increasing the test or adding in Var for a four to six weeks at 25mg/day.

I'm not opposed to increasing test and primo, my thought is that it might be trickery to dial in a good ratio with those two (ie Test : Primo 400:300 or 400:600,) than to just add in Var at a low dose. Goal is just increased overall strength with some mass gain. 6'2" 185 ( it's taken me a long time to get from 150- was always a long distance runner physique)

 

[Baphomet36]

Increase food. Add 200calories a week progressively. In 2 months you’ll be up 1600 calories a day. If you get stronger and you’re in a surplus you’ll grow. Why not just increase test as far as drugs go? Up it to 300-400mg a week. At 6’2 185 it’s not the drugs that are missing though.

 

[WarFinger]

Adding edit to keep to the rules.

Looking to keep on 185mg week test and primo, adding in 20mg/day var for 6 weeks once I confirm my E2 from primo. Thought on this, or am I better off just increasing the test and primo

 

[WarFinger]

Increase food. Add 200calories a week progressively. In 2 months you’ll be up 1600 calories a day. If you get stronger and you’re in a surplus you’ll grow. Why not just increase test as far as drugs go? Up it to 300-400mg a week. At 6’2 185 it’s not the drugs that are missing though.

I've been on a surplus for over a year. I eat plenty and then add a 1200 calorie shake 3-4 times a week. I've all the symptoms of hyperthyroidism but I've been tested and results show ma as border hypothyroid. The doc was amazed. If I miss two meals in two days I lose a few pounds. I seen to have the metabolism of a hummingbird on meth.

 

[Baphomet36]

I've been on a surplus for over a year. I eat plenty and then add a 1200 calorie shake 3-4 times a week. I've all the symptoms of hyperthyroidism but I've been tested and results show ma as border hypothyroid. The doc was amazed. If I miss two meals in two days I lose a few pounds. I seen to have the metabolism of a hummingbird on meth.

What have eaten down to the grams and ounces for the last 3 days? Write out each meal.

 

[WarFinger]

Weekday Morning - 2 cups fried potatoes, 3 eggs, three breakfast sausage, three slices of bacon.. Juice (orange or kale smoothie). Sometimes add French toast if I'm hungry.

Lunch - two cups veg, two cups rice, three cups meat (mostly beef). Salad, cake.
Snacks each day - nuts,fruit, two Cokes, two or more muscle milk drinks. Yoghurts.

Dinner - usually either a large burrito, tacos, probably 400-600 calories depending on what catering makes at work. Work feeds me weekdays so it's easy to track.

3-4 nights a week one serious Mass shake 1200 calories.

Weekends - oatmeal for breakfast with french toast or pancakes if the kiddos are already up. Lunch - depends what my wife makes. Usually veg, rice, meat. Dinner - Indian, Chinese, or pizza.

 

[pesty4077]

Weekday Morning - 2 cups fried potatoes, 3 eggs, three breakfast sausage, three slices of bacon.. Juice (orange or kale smoothie). Sometimes add French toast if I'm hungry.

Lunch - two cups veg, two cups rice, three cups meat (mostly beef). Salad, cake.
Snacks each day - nuts,fruit, two Cokes, two or more muscle milk drinks. Yoghurts.

Dinner - usually either a large burrito, tacos, probably 400-600 calories depending on what catering makes at work. Work feeds me weekdays so it's easy to track.

3-4 nights a week one serious Mass shake 1200 calories.

Weekends - oatmeal for breakfast with french toast or pancakes if the kiddos are already up. Lunch - depends what my wife makes. Usually veg, rice, meat. Dinner - Indian, Chinese, or pizza.

And there lies your problem.

 

[WarFinger]

Cryptic. I've added this up in a calorie counter and I'm over 2500 weekdays without the extra shakes.
You think I'm still low? What would you target as a daily calorie intake?

 

[Baphomet36]

Pesty is right. Your diet or lack there of is the problem. You’re not some hard gainer with a crazy metabolism your diet sucks

 

[WarFinger]

Do you have dietary suggestions at all. I thought/misunderstood that as long as I was in surplus with my protein carb fat roughly 50/30/20, with micros covered through supplements I was good. Seemingly I was way off. I'm just tired of working out so much and being in what seems like a plateau.

Pointers are very welcome, hence the fact I'm posting.

 

[juggy38]

Eating that food your 50% protein?

 

[Baphomet36]

Eating that food your 50% protein?

I thought the samething. There’s no way. He’s not even really tracking or weighing anything. It’s way too random.

9x out 10 hard gainers aren’t eating near as much as they think and hard losers are eating way too much.

 

[juggy38]

A surplus diet would look something in the ballpark of like, 1.5lbs chicken, 1/2lb ground beef, 6-7 cups of rice, two whole avocados, and veggies and some fruit.

See? That’s a lot of fucking food. And if you are a hard gainer, that won’t be enough

 

[WarFinger]

I thought the samething. There’s no way. He’s not even really tracking or weighing anything. It’s way too random.

9x out 10 hard gainers aren’t eating near as much as they think and hard losers are eating way too much.

Wrong order, apologies. Carb, fat, protein. 50,30,20.
I went through at the start of the year and got a general food plan that represented that ratio. As it's caring at work I do my best - a slotted spoonful as roughly a cup. Since then I've added snacks etc as I'm always hungry.

Weekends i do my best to keep close as I can. That's when I always take a shake at night to make sure I'm getting enough protein. I also consume a ton of cashews and pistachios at work.

 

[WarFinger]

Wrong order, apologies. Carb, fat, protein. 50,30,20.
I went through at the start of the year and got a general food plan that represented that ratio. As it's caring at work I do my best - a slotted spoonful as roughly a cup. Since then I've added snacks etc as I'm always hungry.

Weekends i do my best to keep close as I can. That's when I always take a shake at night to make sure I'm getting enough protein. I also consume a ton of cashews and pistachios at work.

Catering at work.. Long day at work

 

[hevi-head]

So the ratio you’re trying to get is
50/30/20 carb, fat, protein?

 

[WarFinger]

So the ratio you’re trying to get is
50/30/20 carb, fat, protein?

If that's a balanced enough ratio for gaining, then yes. If you've an alternative you'd recommend I'd love to hear it.

 

[Baphomet36]

Protein 1.5g x bw 277 (complete protein not trace protein from nuts, oatmeal, etc.)
Carbs 3x bw 555
Fats .3x bw 55
That’ll put you around 3,823 calories.
If you start putting on too much fat pull back carbs or fats.
If you’re still not gaining up the carbs.
As you gain weight adjust the macros/calories.
It’s pretty simple just start somewhere and adjust as needed, but you have to be consistent.
It’s not optimal but if you need to make you a big ass bowl of meat and rice and snack on it throughout the day just make sure you finish it before you go to bed.
Until you can be consistent and get your diet on point there’s no use in wasting drugs.
Don’t worry about what the kids or wife eats.

 

[WarFinger]

Protein 1.5g x bw 277 (complete protein not trace protein from nuts, oatmeal, etc.)
Carbs 3x bw 555
Fats .3x bw 55
That’ll put you around 3,823 calories.
If you start putting on too much fat pull back carbs or fats.
If you’re still not gaining up the carbs.
As you gain weight adjust the macros/calories.
It’s pretty simple just start somewhere and adjust as needed, but you have to be consistent.
It’s not optimal but if you need to make you a big ass bowl of meat and rice and snack on it throughout the day just make sure you finish it before you go to bed.
Until you can be consistent and get your diet on point there’s no use in wasting drugs.
Don’t worry about what the kids or wife eats.

Thank you. I've plugged this into my dieting app and I'll keep aiming for that each day. I'm only 823 calories short but obviously not aligned to your recommendation.

Thanks again. I'll update in a few weeks on weight gain.

 

[Performance Based]

You’ve got some height, filling you out sincerely shouldn’t be too hard.

I’m freakishly active and have a hard time getting 500+ grams of carbs in per day.

Rough ball parks, not counting every individual gram. I went from a lean 185 at 5”11 to 210ish (still lean) eating by feel. Massive vermicelli noodle bowls at Vietnamese restaurants, sushi binges and once a week pizza + dumpling destruction.

If you aren’t competing enjoy the process of gaining some weight. A bit contrarian I know but hell, counting calories and being active when you’re first trying to fill out? Massive burn out and just redundancy.