Trying to parse all the data on HGH, TRT and secretagogues

[Turbo-Farmer]

Thanks for the reply. Just to be concrete, I'm 6 feet tall, started at 265, currently 225, my original GW was 220 but I am thinking I will shoot for 210 and recomp from there. I do plan to be on a GLP for maintenance long term.

Given the overlapping effects and risk profiles, my sense was the same as what you say above - test will probably achieve the goals as well as or better than HGH, and with better long term safety data. I had never really considered TRT before the last year or so but have been in the contemplation phase for a while and I think I would be fine with going on it long term if the effects are as advertised.

Many male geared Tele health clinics offer both enclophimine and testosterone treatments. I get my enclo from one. I was diagnosed with secondary hypogonadism, which was due to obesity and high insulin levels. Enclomiphene is working for me. I’m in the 500’s, not as high as T injections, but I am hopeful that my levels will improve as I get closer to my goal weight.

6’9” sw 300 cw 251 gw 235

 

[woundcarping]

...6’9”...

Holy smokes.

 

[Gt3294a]

Don't have access to a DEXA scale right now but I'm around 26-27% I think.

Personally, I would wait to you drop more before HGH or the like. Test can really help maintain muscle while losing weight. The additional cut from HGH won’t be too much. Much more noticeable after shedding more first. Also, with higher bfp, insulin sensitivity is more an issue, too. But I only got 2 cents and there it is.

 

[BlueDog55]

Just to add .02 Everyone should think about this... There is no normal number for your Test everyone is different, think about it like this. If when you were 20-25yrs old your test was 1800-2000 and then in your 40's your test is 6-700 no Doctor would call you low but the way you feel would be low. Another guy in his 20's had 6-700 and in his 40's he has 250-300 he is apx the same deficit as the first guy. Don't get caught up on the lab test numbers go with how you feel.

 

[Padre01]

As the title says, I have been reading up quite a bit on the different options. A little background - I am a male, early 40's, done having kids. Approaching my goal weight with tirz and thinking about different options for recomp / maintenance and general health going forward. I lift heavy 3-4 times per week, play basketball and jog for cardio, doing reasonably well with my fitness and health goals. Have a history of high cholesterol but currently well controlled on a low dose statin. I have an appointment in a few weeks with a new PCP and will be requesting some labs etc.

Last set of labs was in October and looked like this:

Test - 229
Free Test - 5.3
FSH - 4.1
LH - 3.4
IGF-1 178 (Z score not provided, but from what I can tell this puts me very close to mean for my age)

My former doc (who is not shy about the benefits of TRT and says he is on it himself) told me I could obviously consider treatment, but did not want to rush into it given my age and relative lack of symptoms, and thought my levels might bounce back a bit with weight loss etc. This was all right before I started tirz. I do sometimes feel like I am getting more brain fog / difficulty focusing, but libido, sleep, etc. are all fine as of now.

Goal-wise, I am not looking to add a ton of muscle. Would like to lean out, focus on recovery / prevent orthopedic and joint problems, and not do anything terribly risky in terms of longevity or cancer.

So my questions are - assuming my test is still below 300 in the next round of labs:

1. If you were going to start just one treatment (TRT, HGH or GHRH/secretagogue) first, which would it be and why?
2. For someone with my goals (more focused on gradual recomp / recovery / getting lean than adding bulk) is the risk of HGH worth running it over something like CJC/IPA? I do not plan to get on gear at any point, the options listed above are pretty much the menu for me in one combo or another. I also wonder if just starting test on its own will do as much or more for me, given I am already active and don't have major complaints.
3. For someone concerned about the risks of long-term / higher dose HGH, is there benefit to running low dose / short cycles just for recomp / fat loss? Something like 1-2 iu for 4-6 weeks once or twice a year?

Would appreciate any other comments on how to think through the TRT/HGH/GHRH axis of options generally as well.

First and foremost get your testosterone straight. You are low.
Once you have TRT down, build off it. You are going to feel like a new person.