Post Cruise Physique Update

So I am not going to lie, I for sure gained some weight on my cruise as was expected! At one point on the cruise ship I was up over 10 pounds hitting 202 pounds, I am now back down to around 195 pounds which is still 5 pounds over my weight before the Cruise.

I am actually pretty happy with this, as I feel I lost close to 5 pounds of fat leading up to the cruise and so my weight now is more of a refection of what the TRT is really doing as my pre TRT weight was around 185 pounds. Not all of the 10 pounds is muscle, but some for sure is, the rest will be water weight and maybe just a bit of fat but I am feeling stronger and I feel the work I am doing in the gym is now paying off more.

I do want to get down closer to 190 pounds and be a bit leaner, I am fairly happy with my muscle mass now but of course I don't mind gaining a bit more muscle as long as I keep my weight down around that 190 pound range, so being leaner is for sure a priority...

I did try a different camera for this video as I was not 100% happy with the Hovercam X1 video as it seemed to be a bit grainy in the indoor lighting I was using. I should of stuck with the Hovercam X1 for continuity reasons as the Insta360 I used with the 1 inch lens I feel softened the look of the video and blew out the contrast a lot which does not make for a good comparison.

I will probably switch back to the Hovercam X1 for my 1 month post TRT Update Video I plan to shoot tomorrow, so hopefully I can properly represent the changes that have been taking place over the past 4 weeks.

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TRT Two Weeks In

Sorry for the lateness of posting this video, I made it on September the 25th and left on vacation on September the 26th till October the 3rd just yesterday.

I did shoot the video exactly 2 weeks after starting my 100mg per week doctor prescribed TRT program. You can checkout my day one video to see what may or may not have changed in the two weeks being on TRT. Two weeks is not a very long time as more noticeable changes will generally take place around the 1 month in mark so don't expect a lot of change in this video.

When I started I weighed just slightly over 185 pounds and at the time of this video I was closer to 190 pounds so around a 4-5 pound weight difference. Keep in mind I have been dieting in preparation for a cruise I had planned so I wanted to do a bit of damage control knowing I would be eating in excess on the cruise. Even on a calorie restricted diet I still managed to gain almost 4 pounds that I attribute to the Testosterone with potentially some muscle gain but I am sure some water gain as well.

Overall I am feeling better, with more drive and a better outlook on life in general. My sex drive has been improving and brain fog is not as bad. My shoulders are still hurting a bit but I figure it will take a some time for them to return to how they felt before.

A bit of an update as to my weight currently just over 3 weeks into TRT and I am now 200 pounds but much of this weight gain is from the cruise eating as I did not hold back too much... I am sure some is water, some may be muscle and some is for sure fat. I did workout almost every day while on the cruise as I wanted to make sure I am being as anabolic in my activities as possible and I do feel I am getting stronger and there is muscle increase. I do want to get back down closer to 190 pounds and lose some body fat but I am not in a hurry.

I will be making another update video at the 1 month into TRT point which will be this upcoming Monday October the 9th so stay posted for that to see what an additional 2 weeks and a bunch of over eating looks like while being on 100mg of TRT.

 

Finally Starting TRT - 8 Months Post Operation

It's been a real journey in terms of how I feel. There have been ups and downs for sure and I know I am very blessed to have what I have, even if I am not optimal at this moment. There is nothing wrong with trying to feel and be better, to optimise ones health not just for the body but also the mind.

I was fortunate enough to have my appointment with my endocrinologist moved up a couple of weeks and the appointment went well. My doctor was concerned with my low Testosterone and enlightened me that some of the heart drugs I am taking can also affect Testosterone production making it low. This was news to me! I am not sure if this was a big contributor but it is worth mentioning...

As my Testosterone has been fluctuating between 1 and 1.2 nmol/L I have been put on a TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) to get me to a target range of 20 nmol/L which will hopefully allow me to feel a lot better and get my life back.

I am not looking for huge muscle gains from the TRT as a level like this is right about in the middle of what is natural and normal. Rather I just want to feel good and have more motivation and energy so I can do the work it takes to achieve the fitness level I aspire to.

So here we are at the beginning of my TRT! in this video I talk  more about the specifics and also show you what I am looking at these days, could be a lot worse for sure but hoping to make some improvements over time...

 

Going Off TRT - Is it a Good Idea

One question I get asked a lot about TRT is about getting off of TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy), So when someone is asking me if they should stop taking TRT. My usual answer is why did they get on it in the first place. if it was because they had low Testosterone and/or symptoms of low Testosterone, then would coming off be such a good idea? What are the chances that all of a sudden their Testosterone levels would go back to normal healthy ranges when they did not have good overall Testosterone levels before going on TRT?

Of course there are other reasons people go on Testosterone and going off may be a good idea for them for health reasons depending on how long they have been on and how much they may or may not have abusing Testosterone.

In this Video I discuss this topic in some detail and answer the question about if going off TRT is a good idea or not.

 

7 Months Post Operation - Short Term TRT

Here we are just over 7 month post Open Heart Valve replacement back in January of this year. If you have been following my journey then you will know I am doing pretty good overall considering I almost died. My Testosterone levels on the other hand are almost non existent as I have been completely off of TRT since early January. My last bloodwork results came in at 1 nmol/L which is lower than some women.

In my last video I talked about hoping on a quick round of Testosterone to get some of my life back as I was really struggling in many areas but my main concern is how that will affect my upcoming bloodwork right before seeing an endocrinologist. My plan was to get on something fast acting that is in my system in and out quickly so I can come off of it about two weeks before and hopefully not affect my bloodwork too much but it will no matter what.

In this video I talk about all of this and go into more detail about what I am doing and how it has affected me.