# Iowabull log



## Iowabull (Nov 22, 2018)

I wanted to keep a log here to track everything and get advice when I need it. 

I'm 40 years old, and have had double knee replacements. Overall I have had 23 surgeries to date including right shoulder, left shoulder, right side sports hernia, left side sports hernia, left elbow, left heel, and 17 surgeries total on both knees. 
6'5 & 284 lbs. 26% body fat 
Test level: 284
Free test: 49
3600 calories a day 
Body weight protien
200 carbs 
100 fat
I am running Test E (600 mg) and Deca (400 mg) as well as Amiridex .25 mg x's 3 a week
Lift 5 days a week split into Heavy upper body/dynamic lower body/dynamic upper body/heavy lower body/5th day is kind of whatever I'm feeling that day. 
Cardio 6 days a week (40-50 minutes of elliptical and recumbent)
I also have a part time job approximately 30 hours a week unloading a truck which seems to be decent cardio. 
Next week I will also be starting some yoga classes in order to get some flexibility back from surgeries and age. Lol 
I have ran one cycle of 500 mg Test E in the past with no bad sides for 12 weeks. 
For this blast I will run for 20 weeks then fall back to my cruise of 300 mg of Test E a week. My first pin was Monday. 2nd pin today. 
My goal is to lean up and gain muscle mass. I have been very strict on my diet and workouts for a long time with very little results. As you can imagine from my test levels I have very little energy most of the time. 

I have attached a photo of me at 276 for reference.


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## Jin (Nov 22, 2018)

Awesome! You have the potential to look insane brother. 

Subscribed.


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## Iowabull (Nov 22, 2018)

Thanks Jin. I've been spinning my wheels for a long time. I'm ready to start making some serious gains.


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## Robdjents (Nov 22, 2018)

I’m following along here let’s see what you can do!!!!!


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## Gibsonator (Nov 22, 2018)

Good luck on your journey man, you should do very well with that cycle, let's goooooo :32 (9):


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## Seeker (Nov 22, 2018)

good luck on your journey man. Here to help when needed. Your macro breakdown does not add up to 3600 calories. It's at 2836.  3600 would be a good place for you to be if you're looking to drop bf. 2800 is low for your size


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## Iowabull (Nov 22, 2018)

Seeker said:


> good luck on your journey man. Here to help when needed. Your macro breakdown does not add up to 3600 calories. It's at 2836.  3600 would be a good place for you to be if you're looking to drop bf. 2800 is low for your size


What would you recommend my macro breakdown be?


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## Gibsonator (Nov 22, 2018)

Iowabull said:


> What would you recommend my macro breakdown be?



think we have gone over your diet/cardio and such not too long ago... not sure how you aren't losing weight eating 3600 especially 2900 cals @ 285lbs??? The low t could have some to do with it but ur doing a fukk ton of cardio as well... Are those numbers guestimates or are you truly tracking your daily calories/macros? Doesn't add up man


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## Iowabull (Nov 22, 2018)

Yes. I track everything very closely. I just switched to 3600 this week when I started pinning. I was at 3000 before that.  Still with no weight loss. It's been very frustrating for sure.


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## Iowabull (Nov 22, 2018)

I'm typically over on protien and fat and right on to slightly over on carbs. Here is yesterday's for example


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## Gibsonator (Nov 22, 2018)

maybe try switching the types of food you are eating, sources of protein, carbs, fats. Size and frequency of meals. For me, smaller more frequent meals works better, especially when in a surplus


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## Iowabull (Nov 22, 2018)

Gibsonator said:


> maybe try switching the types of food you are eating, sources of protein, carbs, fats. Size and frequency of meals. For me, smaller more frequent meals works better, especially when in a surplus


Thanks I'll try that. Right now I am getting it primarily in 4-5 meals. I can try and do smaller more frequent meals.


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## NbleSavage (Nov 22, 2018)

Great plan, Mate. Looking good so far.


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## Jin (Nov 22, 2018)

Iowabull said:


> Thanks I'll try that. Right now I am getting it primarily in 4-5 meals. I can try and do smaller more frequent meals.



Change stuff if you feel like it will help you mentally. It won’t hurt. But all you need is for your hormones to get out of the dumps and things will come together. 

Nothing wrong with staying the course. You’ve got about 6 weeks before things get noticeably nutzo.


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## Seeker (Nov 22, 2018)

Iowabull said:


> What would you recommend my macro breakdown be?



bump your fat to 142 grams.  If you're gonna keep your protein at 284  you'll now have 2414 cals. use the remainder in carbs


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## Iowabull (Nov 22, 2018)

In 2003 I was right under 390 pounds. I became obsessed with weight loss and got down to 225 lbs but settled in at about 240. To do this I was getting between 600-1500 calories a day with the same workout frequency and 90 minutes of cardio 7 days a week. I didn't monitor anything but calories. As you might imagine I was soft and week. I literally never made a gain in the gym. I decided a year ago to start eating more and gaining strength, watching my macros. To not worry about the scale. My strength has increased which has been great but I have gained unwanted weight as well.


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## Seeker (Nov 22, 2018)

now you that macro breakdown was a suggestion. you can lower your fat breakdown and have a higher carb intake.  You should always start with setting your protein intake, 2nd fat, 3rd carbs.  Managing your fat and carbs will depend on your choice of foods


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## Iowabull (Nov 22, 2018)

Seeker said:


> now you that macro breakdown was a suggestion. you can lower your fat breakdown and have a higher carb intake.  You should always start with setting your protein intake, 2nd fat, 3rd carbs.  Managing your fat and carbs will depend on your choice of foods


Yeah. I do a lot of eggs and red meat for my protien. I can change some of the eggs to the egg whites only. That will lower some fat.


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## Straight30weight (Nov 22, 2018)

Awesome man! Gonna be watching for sure.


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## PillarofBalance (Nov 22, 2018)

Can you let me know where you got the 3600 from? You are a big guy yes, but you got a good amount of fat on you. Don't feed the fat. Have you used a tdee calculator?

Forget about meal timing or frequency. That has nothing to do with fat loss in your case. Eat as often or not as you find convenient and can stick to consistently. Eating 6 times per day isn't realistic due to work or family life then planning to eat 6 meals is just setting yourself up to fail.


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## Seeker (Nov 22, 2018)

PillarofBalance said:


> Can you let me know where you got the 3600 from? You are a big guy yes, but you got a good amount of fat on you. Don't feed the fat. Have you used a tdee calculator?
> 
> Forget about meal timing or frequency. That has nothing to do with fat loss in your case. Eat as often or not as you find convenient and can stick to consistently. Eating 6 times per day isn't realistic due to work or family life then planning to eat 6 meals is just setting yourself up to fail.



https://www.ugbodybuilding.com/threads/28319-Cycle-Diet-expectations

I had suggested he eat 3700-3900


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## Straight30weight (Nov 22, 2018)

PillarofBalance said:


> Can you let me know where you got the 3600 from? You are a big guy yes, but you got a good amount of fat on you. Don't feed the fat. Have you used a tdee calculator?
> 
> Forget about meal timing or frequency. That has nothing to do with fat loss in your case. Eat as often or not as you find convenient and can stick to consistently. Eating 6 times per day isn't realistic due to work or family life then planning to eat 6 meals is just setting yourself up to fail.


Pillar what do you think his calories should be?


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## Viduus (Nov 23, 2018)

Straight30weight said:


> Pillar what do you think his calories should be?




Start with TDEE then track the average weight loss over two weeks. Raise or lower the calories until you’re dropping apx. 2lbs per week. THEN we know where his calories should be. Anything else is a wild guess with a lot of factors.


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## jennerrator (Nov 23, 2018)

Great post! Just keep kicking ass!!!


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## automatondan (Nov 23, 2018)

Iowabull said:


> I'm typically over on protien and fat and right on to slightly over on carbs. Here is yesterday's for example



My vote (based on stalling/not making progress), I would suggest lowering your fats to like 75 grams, and increasing your carbs by like 150 grams.


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## Jin (Nov 23, 2018)

automatondan said:


> My vote (based on stalling/not making progress), I would suggest lowering your fats to like 75 grams, and increasing your carbs by like 150 grams.



Agree. You don’t need 350g if protein. Those calories are better spent on carbs. Keep fats lower than 100.


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## jennerrator (Nov 23, 2018)

Hmmmmmmmm...sugar and sodium!!!!


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## Seeker (Nov 23, 2018)

his protein goal isn't 350 it's his BW. Iowabull, not sure how you're tracking your cals and macros  because you're all over the place with them. even the totals on that graph aren't adding up correctly.  and 75 grams of fat is too low. fat shouldn't be lower than 0.3 grams per lb bw. But anyway, you need to get a better control of your daily cals and macros.


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## Iowabull (Nov 23, 2018)

Thanks for all the replies. Looks like I have some work to do on my Macros.


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## Iowabull (Nov 26, 2018)

Did my 3rd pin overall this morning. Start of the 2nd week. No changes as would be expected this early on. I have worked on cleaning up my macros quite a bit.


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## Iowabull (Dec 2, 2018)

I'm 2 weeks in. Feeling very bloated and full all of the time. Diet is still very clean but I'm honestly struggling to get my calories. I need to do better.  Weighed in at 299 today which sucked. Lol.  No strength gains but libido is improved.


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## Jin (Dec 2, 2018)

We spoke on PM. He’s gained 15lbs in 2 weeks but adex was only .25 3x/wk. we’re bumping that to .5 3x/wk and my guess is that still won’t be enough. 

Blood work in 3-4 weeks will confirm.


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## Metalhead1 (Dec 2, 2018)

Jin said:


> We spoke on PM. He’s gained 15lbs in 2 weeks but adex was only .25 3x/wk. we’re bumping that to .5 3x/wk and my guess is that still won’t be enough.
> 
> Blood work in 3-4 weeks will confirm.



Good call Jin.


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## Iowabull (Dec 4, 2018)

Starting my 3rd week of pinning. The bloated feeling is getting much better. I will weigh in mid week and see where I'm at.


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## Gibsonator (Dec 4, 2018)

Iowabull said:


> Starting my 3rd week of pinning. The bloated feeling is getting much better. I will weigh in mid week and see where I'm at.



your body is going to go through a lot of changes, losing fat, building muscle, etc. Don't get caught up on the scale as much as the mirror.


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## Iowabull (Dec 4, 2018)

Gibsonator said:


> your body is going to go through a lot of changes, losing fat, building muscle, etc. Don't get caught up on the scale as much as the mirror.


For sure man. I'm really hoping to lean thru my midsection the most. My macros are much cleaner from advice from board bros on here so I'm on the right track.


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## Gibsonator (Dec 4, 2018)

the midsection will go last, especially lower midsection... be patient and consistent


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## Iowabull (Dec 4, 2018)

Good to know. Thanks man. Patience is definetly the hardest part. I have decided to go from 40-50 minutes of steady state cardio 6 days a week to 20 minutes of HITT rower cardio 4-5 days a week to change up my cardio routine.


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## Jin (Dec 4, 2018)

Trust the process. 

You are not a unique snowflake: the advice you’ve been given will work for you as it has worked for me and others. 

You're going to be a ****ing beast.


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## Iowabull (Dec 7, 2018)

Finishing up my 3rd week of pinning.  The bloat I was experiencing is gone.  Libido  and energy are noticeably improved. This week as been the best week  I've had at the gym for some time. Nipples are starting to get sensitive. Currently on.5 Amiridex 3xs a week.


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## Iowabull (Dec 12, 2018)

Midway thru my 4th week of pinning. Energy and libido are very high. I can really feel my chest and arms getting much more solid and my lifts are up across the board. Hopefully soon I will begin to lean up some


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## Straight30weight (Dec 12, 2018)

Any changes in diet?


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## Iowabull (Dec 12, 2018)

I've been steady on my 3600 calories. And getting my macros honed in better with a little higher carbs and lower fat.


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## Iowabull (Dec 14, 2018)

Finishing up my 4th week of pinning. I have noticed how good my joints feel (especially my elbows and shoulders) is this from the Deca already ? Strength, energy, and libido are all improving. I have started to get acne around my head (I keep my hair short,  almost shaved on the sides) and around my mouth. I have tried some different cleansers but nothing has cleared it up yet. Are there any secret remedies out there? Will this eventually clear up or will it be an issue for the entire cycle ?


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## PillarofBalance (Dec 14, 2018)

Iowabull said:


> Finishing up my 4th week of pinning. I have noticed how good my joints feel (especially my elbows and shoulders) is this from the Deca already ? Strength, energy, and libido are all improving. I have started to get acne around my head (I keep my hair short,  almost shaved on the sides) and around my mouth. I have tried some different cleansers but nothing has cleared it up yet. Are there any secret remedies out there? Will this eventually clear up or will it be an issue for the entire cycle ?



That could be the deca but 4 weeks would normally be a bit early. Could just be placebo. Doesn't matter, just enjoy being pain free for probably the first time in who knows how long lol

Acne for many can be a sign e2 is elevated. But yeah having jacked up test is gonna make you a bit greasy. Don't use super harsh soaps and scrub the **** out of your face. Use something gentle and gently wash. Use hot water to help loosen oil and dirt and rinse away without needing a heavy soap.  Don't rush it the cleaning process. 

Maybe let your hair grow a bit for the winter.


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## Jin (Dec 14, 2018)

When is bloodwork?


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## Iowabull (Dec 15, 2018)

Jin said:


> When is bloodwork?


After next week...does that sound about right?


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## Gibsonator (Dec 15, 2018)

Iowabull said:


> After next week...does that sound about right?



no, Jin demands bloodwork NOW!!! get goin, chop chop now


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## Jin (Dec 15, 2018)

Iowabull said:


> After next week...does that sound about right?



Yes. 

If your e2 is elevated then dropping it down may clear up the acne as POB mentioned.


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## Iowabull (Dec 15, 2018)

Ok. I'll go ahead and get the test ordered now.


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## Iowabull (Dec 15, 2018)

This is the correct one?


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## Iowabull (Dec 18, 2018)

Start on my 5th week of pinning. Bloat has returned but not as severe as last time. Blood test is ordered. I will have it done next Monday. Strength, energy, and libido are all improving.


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## Iowabull (Dec 24, 2018)

Got blood work this morning before I start my 6th week of pinning. Weighing in at 301 lbs. Up 15 lbs total since the start of the cycle. Waist is 1" smaller thou. I am still having issues with acne around my nose and mouth. Hopefully the blood work will provide some answers there. Strength, libido, and energy continue to improve every week. I will get a pic later this week for comparison.


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## Straight30weight (Dec 24, 2018)

Wow bro, gettin big!


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## Iowabull (Dec 26, 2018)

Here is my bloodwork results. What are everyone's thoughts?


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## Jin (Dec 26, 2018)

Looks good. Donate blood.


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## Iowabull (Dec 31, 2018)

Starting week 7 of pinning. I tweaked my shoulder a little last week so I may cut back on the weights and work slow controlled reps this week until it feels better. I still need to get a new pic to post for comparison from pre cycle.


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## Iowabull (Jan 7, 2019)

8 weeks starts today. I have a little bit if itchy nipples. Started taking Nolva on Saturday so hopefully it goes away quick. Other than that everything is great. Weighed in at 305 Sunday.


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## Jin (Jan 7, 2019)

Let’s see a pic.


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## Iowabull (Jan 7, 2019)

Here's one today at 305 and the old one around 280.  I'm kind of in that stage where I look better in a shirt and fatter out of one. Lol. I'm not quite leaning out like I'd hoped yet


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## Iowabull (Jan 9, 2019)

So after looking at this pictures it really hit home that I am not happy with where my body is at this point in my cycle. I love my strength gains, my energy, and my libido but my body is not where I want it at all. What advice would some of you have for me. I am hitting my 3600 pretty consistantly. Getting body weight protien, 100 grams of fat and the rest on carbs. When I miss I honestly miss on the low side of 3600. I have a cheat meal maybe every 10 days or so but they aren't crazy. I lift 5 days a week with a high level of intensity. I do 40-50 minutes of moderate level cardio including eliptical and recumbent bike 5-6 days a week as well. My diet isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination but I feel like I am clean for the most part. Thanks in advance for the feedback. This forum has been amazing to be a part of.


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## Iowabull (Jan 9, 2019)

My workout buddy thinks I am putting too much stress on my body with the cardio i do and am causing my body to store fat. What are your thoughts on that ?


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## Straight30weight (Jan 9, 2019)

Cardio isn’t it. At 3600 cals you should be dropping weight. One idea would be to lay out your diet, morsel for morsel here and these guys can dissect it. If you’re on those drugs, lifting that much and doing that much cardio, I’d guess your diet needs tweaking. Post it up and be dead honest about it. These guys can help you.


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## Iowabull (Jan 9, 2019)

Here are screenshots from yesterday. I dont vary much from day to day other than switching in and out kinds of meat. I notice my sodium is high. What are some other thoughts? What can I do with this layout to better my results? Thanks in advance.


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## Straight30weight (Jan 9, 2019)

Huh. Macros wise looks fine. I would think you’d be losing weight. You and I are eating (macro wise) just about the same. I weigh 50lbs less though. Hopefully one of the smart guys will be along shortly and help steer you. Are you really bloated?


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## Iowabull (Jan 9, 2019)

I feel bloated off and on for a day or 2 then it goes away.


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## Jin (Jan 9, 2019)

I see nothing wrong so I don’t have any answers.


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## Iowabull (Jan 14, 2019)

Start of week 9 today. Strength gains were very noticable last week. I hope to continue on that trend this week. Hopefully this is the week I begin to lean out. Lol


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## Iowabull (Jan 29, 2019)

Pinned the 1st pin of week 11 yesterday. Shoulder has slowed me. I finally went to the Dr. And I have a microfracture on my collar bone. Hopefully it heals quickly so I can get back to heavy lifting.


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