So right now I’m going through some major shit, I went to the doctor's office for blood work and the results didn’t come back good at all. It turns out as of right now I am diabetic. My fasting glucose was 346, and my A1C was 10.4, very dangerous levels.
Nobody wants to admit when they have a problem, and I knew I did. I was so thirsty it was beyond ridiculous, and my vision started getting blurry. Let me tell you guys, diabetes is some serious shit. So now I know you're all wondering how I may have gotten here.
I’m not candy coating anything here, it was steroid induced diabetes. This has stemmed from long term anabolic use with no breaks, I would just keep switching compounds. Now, here is the kicker guys, I NEVER USED HIGH DOSAGES! That is, most cycles were under a 1,000mg/week total, but it was constant.
What happens is over time your body becomes more and more insulin resistant from steroid use. Have you ever met a guy who claimed that he was using steroids and all of a sudden it seemed like he was getting smaller on them? I have, and this is the exact reason why, it's insulin sensitivity. Many like to think its “saturated muscle cell receptors” but this has never been scientifically proven.
However, insulin resistance has, and I’m living proof. I was around 230 lbs at 5’9″ and fairly lean, then it seemed like putting on size became very difficult. Hell, even holding size got hard! I’m now down to 210 lbs, but still very lean. If I can't be as large then God damnit I’m going to be shredded! So now I’m on 2 different types of insulin along with Metformin and a few other pills.
This will be very short term! I’m not settling for this diagnosis. I will adapt and overcome! I’m using alpha lipoic acid, cinnamon, and chromium picolinate. These supplements help stabilize blood sugar and can aid in reversing diabetes. Also, for you natural guys out there, these are a few good supplements to use as well. Anything you can do to help stabilize blood sugar (especially during diets and fasting states) will yield better results. Think of your blood as 93 octane gas instead of 87, it burns slower and you go further on the same gallon of gas (or same amount of cals, hence a more shredded physique). So yes, I will reverse this!
I try to look for a positive in everything, and I have found my positive in this experience. First off, don't think steroids aren’t dangerous when misused. I thought that was all media bullshit and hog wash, boy was I wrong! Steroids are safe if cycled on/off properly, and used no more than 2 cycles a year in moderate amounts run under 1000mg/week total.
Prolonged steroid usage and higher doses are not safe! Read that sentence again please. You need to limit your cycles to 8-12 weeks max, then stay off! YOU WILL NEED TO USE STEROIDS AGAIN TO SURPASS WHAT YOU WERE IN RESULTS. Now read that sentence again too. So by that I mean you will not miraculously go beyond what steroids did for you just because you tried hard and prayed for new muscle.
So you're not going to use steroids just one time, it's going to be again and again. My advice, don't touch them in the first place. I’m not saying not to touch them because I believe they are really that dangerous, because if used wisely they aren’t. I’m telling you not to touch them because they are nothing more than a system of diminishing returns and a $$$ dump.
Now, if you're an older guy with naturally low testosterone then I’m not against replacement doses of test. I am on test all of the time, and will be for the rest of my days. But for everyone else who is contemplating using them right now, don't do it. Stay natural, and bust your ass. I’ve used steroids for the past 14 years. It's just not worth it. And the thing is, I’ve been in jack shit lately and here is how I look. Doesn’t look like a diabetic does it? You never know what lies beneath now do you?
I am tired and irritable after a meal and when I take a piss it has a sweet smell are those insuline resistance symptoms?
It smells like sugar I should have said
Could be, go get your blood glucose tested. I was having the same issue with eating, I turned into an asshole after eating a large meal
If your on for 12 weeks how long should I stay off?
If you are on cycle for 12/wks then you need to stay off at least 12/wks, NOT COUNTING PCT
Man I’m glad Victor Pride linked your site. Great stuff! Sorry to hear about your condition, but love the attitude! I’ve been mulling trt (doing it myself, cheaper) ever since dangerandplay and boldanddetermined brought low T to my attention. I went and got my levels checked a little over a year ago, 375 total with 6.8 free, ouch (especially the free!).
But with all this great info you’re giving, I’d like to see how the cycle lifestyle works first. I noticed you told older guys about doing 5oomg/wk because their recovery/pct will be more problematic; however, I also noticed you comment that cycling for older guys with low T is a useless endeavor. I would prefer not to be set in TRT straight away if I can improve my life with cycles, first.
I’m 36 btw, I have been training on and off since HS, with a solid 13 months continuous training at the moment. I went from 170’s to low 190’s in this time, prolly 15% bf (on a chubby day). Also, I wonder if i’ve improved my T levels after 15 months of weights (starting strength style, heavy compounds). I’m going to check it first regardless of my decision to get on vitamin T via cycles or TRT.
Last thing, my goals are lean and strong. I want big lifting numbers first, size second. As far as physique preferences, I would be very pleased at the 200lb mark (5’9 height btw) with 10% bf max. The golden era 70’s era physiques were best (Mike Metzer).
I’m going to give you an answer that is going to surprise you. If it were me, I’d run a cycle of 500mg/wk of test with no PCT, then go get my levels tested 6-8 wks after the cycle so I qualified for a script and could live a better quality of life until I died. You’re 36 yrs old, you’re already on the downward spiral in terms of hormones and effectiveness of fat loss (or at least close to it) Fuck all that, if you felt how I feel being on test all the time you’d understand. Life is so much better on test!! As long as your smart about it and have a good doc, yea it’s worth it
I’m forty .,250 pounds. I used to be in shape and looking to get ripped not bulky . What do you think.
ummmm….I dont know, start dieting and doing cardio?
What 500mg of test should we use