Need tips - first cycle for weight loss

[tonycawwwk]

Hey, I am new to this world and would like some input on a cycle I want to start. I am currently 28, 6 foot 4, and 308 lbs. I've been on Sema for about a month. Seeing some slow weight loss (1-2 pounds a week). I am about to up my dose to 20 units (.5mg) tomorrow. I got a script for the sema so I'm just following the protocol they gave me. Now that I've dove into the world of peptides I have been doing a lot of research and want to stack a few of them. If i could start over I would have went with reta but im not going to consider that until this vial of sema is gone. Here is the stack I am considering.

GLOW (GHK-Cu, BPC-157, TB-500) - to try and be proactive as i can about loose skin
Tesamorelin - to help attack visceral fat and produce more natural hgh
MT-2 - to get tan
SEMAX, SELANK, and NAD+ - for improvement in cognitive function
Testosterone Cypionate- for muscle retention and maybe slight increase in fat burn and cognitive function?

Is there anything that you guys would recommended to be added or changed? Is test even worth it at this high body fat and age? I was planning on taking 250mg a week. I imagine adding the test would give some recomp potential but my caloric intake is so low on the sema that idk if it is even worth it. Is there anything else to take to boost daily energy expenditure or just overall fat loss?

 

[Bigdaddyjak]

Forget all of those ideas , stick with Sema or get some reta. Diet and cardio !

 

[TommyJam]

Forget all of those ideas , stick with Sema or get some reta. Diet and cardio !

1-2 lbs per week is not "slow weight loss" it is the ideal amount to be losing. If you are currently losing 1-2 lbs per week, you should continue doing what you are.
When the weight loss starts to slow down make adjustments to the diet.

 

[RuBould]

I wouldn't hop on test just because. You get on test because you need it medically or you're ready to cycle. You should be a lot leaner before you cycle. Are you in the gym? Is your diet dialed in? Regular cardio? Test support supplements? 1-2 lbs per week is great progress. At your weight it could be accelerated a bit more with what was mentioned above. I'd skip the test. If I were doing a GH secretatogue it would be Sermorelin, Ipamorelin, or CJC for the sleep benefits mainly. I'd skip MT2. Weird sides and just walk around a park with your shirt off in shorts. That alone can be very healthy, being in the fresh air with sun on your skin. The other stuff is up to you. They have their benefits but aren't as drastic as people make it out to be. Diet, exercise, sleep and lifestyle changes will run circles around most peptides except the GLPs.

 

[Captain_Furious]

Switch to reta when you're done with semaglutide. Better yet, ditch the semaglutide and switch over to reta. Who cares if you paid for it already? What's more important? Saving a few bucks or getting the best results? Info out there suggests that a large part of what yiu lose in weight is MUSCLE MASS. That is the recipe for a metabolic disaster. Second, forget about test unless you actually need it. You're carrying too much fat to run a cycle. You're gonna aromatise that test at a high rate and make your BF problems worse. Finally, spend a couple bucks and pay for a coach. CHEAPEST AND BEST investment in your personal health and development. He/she will work with you on designing a DIET and WO plan that will get you results. And when your BF level is low enough, they'll design a safe and effective cycle for you if that's what you want. Or... you can spend a shot ton of $ and time throwing darts at the board in thw6 dark. Save that peptide $ and get a coach. Trust me on this one. I spent my first year on this journey thinking it was all about the gear when in reality it's all about the diet. Gear comes in later, not first. I was a big ol' fat body too, but ny coach jas me down to where we are sooooo very close to reversing out and stacking on the muscle weight. I would NOT be here without him as my coach. Shout out to @Meetketchup

 

[Big_Jimmy434]

I will disagree with switching to Reta. If it aint broke, dont fix it. 1-2lbs a week aint broke. Keep doing what you are doing. Lift heavy while you are losing and it will help you to retain as much muscle as possible. At some point your body will adapt and you will stall, everyone does. Thats when it gets mentally difficult. At this point for you, stay the course. You didnt get to 300lbs overnight and you dont get it off over night. Prepare yourself mentally for a 12-18 month marathon, and the last part of the race is uphill. The closer you get to the goal, the harder it gets. Trust the process, be stubborn, be disciplined, and you will make it. Congrats on your decision to be healthy and your progress so far!

 

[Oran Juice Jones]

I will disagree with switching to Reta. If it aint broke, dont fix it. 1-2lbs a week aint broke. Keep doing what you are doing. Lift heavy while you are losing and it will help you to retain as much muscle as possible. At some point your body will adapt and you will stall, everyone does. Thats when it gets mentally difficult. At this point for you, stay the course. You didnt get to 300lbs overnight and you dont get it off over night. Prepare yourself mentally for a 12-18 month marathon, and the last part of the race is uphill. The closer you get to the goal, the harder it gets. Trust the process, be stubborn, be disciplined, and you will make it. Congrats on your decision to be healthy and your progress so far!

I have never read more truer words. I’m at the uphill part of the marathon as we speak. I honestly just have to stick to the process, take the pictures, and let my coach navigate right now. I will drive myself crazy otherwise lol. Only thing that keeps me sane is co-workers and neighbors making comments on how much I’ve changed over a short period. That definitely ain’t what it feels like from the inside lol.


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[Meetketchup]

Will keep this short and simple. DO NOT cycle. Diet and train hard.

 

[Big_Jimmy434]

Only thing that keeps me sane is co-workers and neighbors making comments

Amen. Unfortunately for me, I've never had this luxury. No one ever made comments and it screws with your head terribly. I switched jobs in the middle of a big loss so my old coworkers never saw me lose completely and my new coworkers never saw me fat so no one commented. It was terrible. Words are encouraging. I always make it a point to tell someone they're looking great when I notice because I know its good mental fuel and when it doesnt get said, its mental torture.

Stay the course. Also know there will me moments when you feel like giving up. "Screw it, nothing is working, I cant do this anymore." Just ride out that wave. It will pass, but nomatter what, just keep going.

Rest assured, the next mental wave of "I cant do this" is right around the corner. They don’t get easier. I have to remind myself, this is where it gets tough. This is where everyone quits. Don't quit now. Dont focus on how far you have left, focus on how far that you've already come.

I have struggled with an eating disorder and in my prime, I topped the scale at 6' 350lbs. Went through a 150lb weight loss without drugs. No Sema, no reta, no testosterone. Nothing. As much as I love and respect everyone, unless you've gone through that kinda transformation, you have no clue of the struggle. Stay strong brother, as you make you ascention to the top of Everest, nevermind the bodies. They didnt make it, but you can. The view is spectacular.

 

[Captain_Furious]

I have a different view. You have to do this for YOU. If you look to outside affirmation, if that's what drives you to work hard, it will be a mind fuck and you may indeed quit when the outside praise isn't there. LOVE the journey. Embrace and LOVE the pain of the climb. It's not the VIEW that we remember fondly, it's the struggle... the grind of the climb... and that we persevered against all odds when our subconscious mind was telling us to quit. And when you get to the top of that first mountain you'll realize that there are other mountains to climb and conquer in life. This is just one of many. So embrace it fully and do this for you and no one else. Start reading and listening to books about mindset because that's what this is all about. YOU must master your own mind and command it to follow your orders. You don't let your subconscious derail you when things get hard, because that is when your subconscious starts telling you to quit. But you don't quit because you've mastered your mind and you now LOVE the process. It is a long and lonely journey that only you can embark upon. We each must run our own race, all by ourselves. Every day you don't quit is another brick in the foundation of discipline. And discipline is what carries you through when motivation waxes and wants. Trust me... I love seeing the progress. But what I am MOST proud of is the iron will and bullet proof mindset that I've built through daily grinding and consistency, and over time, it has translated into other aspects of my life that go beyond just health and fitness. This is an AMAZING journey you're on. And just remember that nothing worthwhile comes easy. Anything worth achieving requires hard work, grinding, and discipline. If it was easy, everyone would do it, and then it really wouldn't be much of an achievement.

 

[MrWhisper]

I would stick to the diet, training, and the Sema or even Reta. This will be a marathon so buckle up and stay the course. When you add so many things at once you have no idea what’s doing what. If you are to add an additional peptide do it one at a time to see how you are responding to it. Just like cycling. One compound at a time to learn what the benefits and sides are for you in particular. Good luck!

 

[Sector.]

Agree with a lot of what jimmy said

I was 6’3 330lbs of pure fat at my heaviest. One day something just clicked, and I made some changes, and then fell in love with the process and the rest is history.

The weight loss in the beggining is the fastest, but the first few months are arguably the hardest and where most people fail. Why? Because you need to completely break old habits, develop a new routine, and have the new routine become your new habit. The habit part is what makes it the most difficult but if you stick with it, you start to build momentum, with momentum comes more motivation, and at that point it’s just now part of your daily routine, it doesn’t feel like some extra or special thing you’re trying to incorporate for your goal.

Diet is the most inportant part of this. You can do all the cardio in the world but if you’re shoveling down lbs of fried chicken and ice cream or whatever your vice of choice is everyday or every night, then you’re going to spin your wheeels a lot and eventually stall out when bf% gets lower and the actual fat loss component gets harder. Diet needs to be locked in. The sooner you change your habits and form new ones the better the likelihood of not only succeeding in losing fat but also keeping it off.

The other big component is cardio. You’ll need to do a lot of this. Start off with walking, maybe add some incline and/or gradually increase the pace. As the weight comes off and your joints are less stressed, could even consider some light jogging and more intense methods to help build up the endurance. The stair master is another fantastic option (arguably the best cardio in my opinion—it’s torturous). At 300lbs it might be especially difficult but even if you start with 5 Minutes of it, and build It up over time it’ll work wonders for you. The stairmaster is the best for cardio, it’s just very hard

Another important consideration: it’s going to take a long time to undo the damage you’re done to your body. It’s a time and consistency game now. You need to show up 5-6 days a week for a solid year or two to really undo the damage you’ve done. This isn’t going to be some 8-12 week stunt where you’re back where you were at the end of it and can go back to doing whatever with the diet and not working out

As for the compounds you listed you don’t really need most of those.
-just stick with the sema for now since it’s prescribed and you’re already using it. Down the road you could always consider tirzepatide or Reta if or when progress slows
- probably don’t need to run a cycle of test unless your actual test levels are in the trash can. If your test is genuinely low, just stick to trt doses, it’s not like you’ll have a lot of muscle you need to preserve. If your test levels are normal, you don’t need it
-the rest of the peptides you listed are just unnnesesary

 

[WED]

Hey, I am new to this world and would like some input on a cycle I want to start. I am currently 28, 6 foot 4, and 308 lbs. I've been on Sema for about a month. Seeing some slow weight loss (1-2 pounds a week). I am about to up my dose to 20 units (.5mg) tomorrow. I got a script for the sema so I'm just following the protocol they gave me. Now that I've dove into the world of peptides I have been doing a lot of research and want to stack a few of them. If i could start over I would have went with reta but im not going to consider that until this vial of sema is gone. Here is the stack I am considering.

GLOW (GHK-Cu, BPC-157, TB-500) - to try and be proactive as i can about loose skin
Tesamorelin - to help attack visceral fat and produce more natural hgh
MT-2 - to get tan
SEMAX, SELANK, and NAD+ - for improvement in cognitive function
Testosterone Cypionate- for muscle retention and maybe slight increase in fat burn and cognitive function?

Is there anything that you guys would recommended to be added or changed? Is test even worth it at this high body fat and age? I was planning on taking 250mg a week. I imagine adding the test would give some recomp potential but my caloric intake is so low on the sema that idk if it is even worth it. Is there anything else to take to boost daily energy expenditure or just overall fat loss?

I'm going to disagree with most here, but with a caveat. You can use test to help fuel your weight loss journey. Is that a cycle or a therapeutic dosage? Call it what you want, but supplementing your body with testosterone can help weight loss. There are studies on this.

Testosterone and weight loss: the evidence - PMC

The purpose of this article is to examine the contemporary data linking testosterone therapy in overweight and obese men with testosterone deficiency to increased lean body mass, decreased fat mass, improvement in overall body composition and ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

In Some Men, Taking Testosterone While Dieting May Help Lose Fat, Not Muscle

In obese middle-aged men, losing weight while dieting normally depletes both fat and muscle. But adding testosterone treatment may help them lose only fat and retain their muscle, new research suggests. The study results will be presented in a poster Saturday, April 2, at ENDO 2016, the annual...

www.endocrine.org

Get bloods and see what your test levels are. If they are low, you'll probably benefit from a TRT or slight more. Pair that with diet and workout and they'll fuel each other together. Test/Peptides aren't going to do it alone, need that diet and exercise and you'll have a good 3 legged stool

Crush it.

 

[Oran Juice Jones]

Amen. Unfortunately for me, I've never had this luxury. No one ever made comments and it screws with your head terribly. I switched jobs in the middle of a big loss so my old coworkers never saw me lose completely and my new coworkers never saw me fat so no one commented. It was terrible. Words are encouraging. I always make it a point to tell someone they're looking great when I notice because I know its good mental fuel and when it doesnt get said, its mental torture.

Stay the course. Also know there will me moments when you feel like giving up. "Screw it, nothing is working, I cant do this anymore." Just ride out that wave. It will pass, but nomatter what, just keep going.

Rest assured, the next mental wave of "I cant do this" is right around the corner. They don’t get easier. I have to remind myself, this is where it gets tough. This is where everyone quits. Don't quit now. Dont focus on how far you have left, focus on how far that you've already come.

I have struggled with an eating disorder and in my prime, I topped the scale at 6' 350lbs. Went through a 150lb weight loss without drugs. No Sema, no reta, no testosterone. Nothing. As much as I love and respect everyone, unless you've gone through that kinda transformation, you have no clue of the struggle. Stay strong brother, as you make you ascention to the top of Everest, nevermind the bodies. They didnt make it, but you can. The view is spectacular.

Definitely. I was 365lbs at the beginning of last year. I’m sitting at 238ish right now. 35” waist and feeling great. There is no quit in me at all, my coach knows whatever he puts forth I get it done with no fail. My point was just that the mind will definitely fuck with you if you don’t temper those thoughts and emotions.


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[Astro95]

Switch to reta when you're done with semaglutide. Better yet, ditch the semaglutide and switch over to reta. Who cares if you paid for it already? What's more important? Saving a few bucks or getting the best results? Info out there suggests that a large part of what yiu lose in weight is MUSCLE MASS. That is the recipe for a metabolic disaster. Second, forget about test unless you actually need it. You're carrying too much fat to run a cycle. You're gonna aromatise that test at a high rate and make your BF problems worse. Finally, spend a couple bucks and pay for a coach. CHEAPEST AND BEST investment in your personal health and development. He/she will work with you on designing a DIET and WO plan that will get you results. And when your BF level is low enough, they'll design a safe and effective cycle for you if that's what you want. Or... you can spend a shot ton of $ and time throwing darts at the board in thw6 dark. Save that peptide $ and get a coach. Trust me on this one. I spent my first year on this journey thinking it was all about the gear when in reality it's all about the diet. Gear comes in later, not first. I was a big ol' fat body too, but ny coach jas me down to where we are sooooo very close to reversing out and stacking on the muscle weight. I would NOT be here without him as my coach. Shout out to @Meetketchup

Research suggests muscle loss, because all these people doing GLPS don’t eat. Like at all. People are idiots, you then give them drugs and it’s a disaster waiting to happen. You know the amount of people who get on GLPS who think the fat is just going to go away by means of taking the drug? They’re simply appetite suppressants, Reta does have some fat mobilization via glucagon, BUT the biggest challenge of fat people and why they’re overweight to begin with is because they’re in a caloric surplus. In simple men words (and this ain’t for you, but for everyone on OPs boat including him) they just eat too damn much. GLPs force them to eat less and reach a deficit, that’s all weight loss comes down to. If they’re the slightest educated in this process they would maintain sustainable diets with proper macronutrients in order to simply lose fat, BUT instead they starve themselves into deflated sacks of lose skin and no muscle. Once people actually understand what GLPs do and are pro active in order to use these drugs simply for what they are a tool, then there wouldn’t be all this muscle wasting in the research.

 

[Astro95]

What you need to add is some patience a proper diet and exercise.

 

[celrin321]

Those peptides are going to be worthless bro. Consider reta instead of semaglutide.

At 300lbs I would speed up the weight loss from 1-2lbs a week to 3-4. It shouldn't be hard and will be more rewarding (and rip the bandaid faster).

Once you get lean you can start throwing the drugs in, that's when the fun really starts

 

[Conmike41]

Adding my $0.02 here

1. If the Sema is prescribed, covered by insurance, and working … keep it in . Down the road you ca always switch to Tirz or Reta, unless your doc ca switch you over to Tirzepatide/mounjaro/Zepbound for medical purposes like diabetes, weight loss (rarely covered) ot sleep apnea etc

2. 1-2 lbs a week is great, that’s 50-100 lbs in a year if you ca keep it up

3. Regarding the test, I would get tested to see if you actually need TRT. If you’re on the low end, then by all means hop on TRT. I would avoid doses over 200 mg a week, because at a high body fat, your estradiol is gonna shoot up and will be difficult to control, likely resulting in you needing an AI

4. If you do start TRT, I’d recommend doing injections at a minimum 2-3 days a week, preferably daily to help minimize E2 conversion

5. At that weight, you might want to be tested for sleep apnea

6. You’re gonna need a mix of cardio and weight training. Most people on GLP lose a significant amount of muscle mass because they’re not eating enough protein and they’re not strength training

7. Forget the peptides for now

8. With the money you’re saving on peptides, hire a coach to help you dial in training and diet.. this investment will save you time and mistakes we all make when doing it on your own

5 years ago I was 280, fat AF, while on TRT. It’s not a magic bullet. I got fat while on TRT, being sedentary and eating like shit . I started exercising again, lifting, and watching what I ate and got down to like 240. I the introduced GLP’s, calorie / macro counting etc and at my lowest got down to 204.

Currently around 216, wearing 32 inch jeans, visible abs , probably at around 12-14 % BF



Best of luck to you man!

 

[TyTheTatDad]

Get rid of Sema and swap to Reta as stated by others. I'd check all your blood levels and make sure your Test and ratios are at least optimized for TRT level and check thyroid also. There's a good chance desiccated thyroid could help you as well. Also I found injectable L-carnitine/B12/MIC worked great. Other than that its the basics of lifting 3-4 days a week and Id mainly focus walking or low elliptical only as your cardio. Make sure you hit 10k-20k daily if you can as you build up. A little GH never hurts if you can afford it. I was 6'3" 304 and just doing what i mentioned I dropped 50lbs in 3 months before doing some tweaks to continue dropping. Be sure you are hitting protein and other macros and keep fats down. I ran 225 protein, 65 fat and varied my carbs from 150-350 depending if it was a lift day and the intensity. Diet eating clean and the work are the biggest movers. Get your BF down before looking to add other serious compounds. If you don't have the basics mastered you are just wasting time and money.

 

[Boosted393]

My experience Sema is shit, works for fat loss, but also hurts muscle tissue and tendons. Study's are showing the glp 1 and 2 are not the best for what we want, aka lose some weight and keep muscle doesn't work that way most of the time. Reta is your best bet man I take 4mg a week on top of 250 Sus to just maintain. Down 56lbs of course I lost some muscle but nothing crazy at all compared to what I see ppl doing with Triz, Sema.


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[tylorlong]

man that is a massive stack for someone just getting started! honestly at 308 lbs i would be really careful with the test cyp right now. when you carry that much extra weight your body is basically a factory for converting testosterone into estrogen and at 250mg you are almost guaranteed to deal with major bloat, high blood pressure, and probably some spicy nipples lol. i’d honestly hold off on the test until you drop another 40 or 50 lbs with the sema because you’ll get way more bang for your buck once your insulin sensitivity is better.

the glow stack and tesa are solid for the skin and belly fat but just a heads up that mt2 can sometimes make the nausea from semaglutide way worse so maybe start that one slow. also don't sleep on the nad+ it can definitely help with the energy crash you get when your calories are super low. if i were you i’d just focus on the fat loss for now and keep the test in the drawer as a reward for when you’re leaner—you don't want to be fighting estrogen sides while you're already trying to manage the sema side effects! keep at it though 1-2 lbs a week is perfect progress.

 

[Bigjape34]

I love how now we label a cycle for fat loss. Fat loss comes from diet cardio and training and you shouldn’t even be thinking of a cycle until you dial those in and get much leaner. And personally I’d toss the tesamarelin and grab some GH stock with the seme or Reta and dial everything else in

 

[ciaka_express]

My situation was similar last year bud.
I used to be super athletic, even played pro sports in Europe for whole.
Married, kids, retired, got real job (engineer now).
Blew up to 280sh.

Tested for low t. Sure as hell it was. 200s.
Started trt on Cyp.
Changed my entire diet, made a caloric deficit.
Started walking daily, 5 miles, 5 to 6 times a week.
Made sure my heart rate was below 130 to help melt fat. Put on my favorite podcasts.
Over 3 months, went from 280sh to 215.
Started working out. Just basics to get form right, hit all muscle groups
Dropped to 205 in 3 weeks.
It was all nutrition/diet, exercise and dedication.

Now I'm at a point for getting some gear to restart.

KEY ADVICE
-Don't look at the finish line now (at where u love to be). TOO FAR
-Pick a goal to look at you can achieve in a week (couple pounds, 3, 5).
-weight yourself daily, am after bathroom, all clothes off. Record.
-don't skip exercise, think- every skip prolongs finishing
-lots if water, daily. I bought a gallon flask. Make sure empty by night time.
- no food 3 hours before bed. Mine was no food after 3pm (ate between 9a-3p) but this may not work for everyone.
-cheat once a week, I picked saturday. No 5000cal day, cheat smart, couple of whey good bars at 70cal each, 15g protein each.
-get good whey protein, low calorie (not mass gain!).
-important: when eat, always eat protein first, with some carbs if before exercising
-important: reduce meal sizes

It took me about 4 months to drop 60lb, then another 3 weeks at gym to drop 10 more.
I only looked to goal of shedding 1lb a day. One. Sometimes it did not happen, you wont lose fat linearly. It's an up/down process, but make sure your weekly trend is down.

Get a goal for why you want to lose weight. If you can print what your goal looks like, print it and out on a wall so you can see it daily.

Good luck. I will hold you to your commitment. Lose 3-5lb a week. That will win you the race.
Good luck.