I have been lurking on these forums for a couple of years and am finally jumping in with my first post.
I have been lifting seriously for just over three years and have been working with a very qualified trainer online for the past 18 months.
In that time, I have seen my weight drop from 205 to a low of 172 and then to my current of 180. Body fat has gone from 22% to about 9%.
After going through a 3 month cut that produced the above results, I began a bulking program. I cut back on cardio and really pushed the weight and increased my calories (I eat about 98% clean). Unfortunately, I simply did not add any size or bulk. (I have posted an “after” picture above)
I decided to have my T levels checked and got the following results:
337 total and 6.52 free
This is down from a total level of 500 a year ago. I am 47 (almost 48).
My doc will (I think) agree to get me going on T replacement and I would like some views on how to best design a program. I have read through many of the threads here and know that I need to both boost T and control E. Are there other areas I need to consider?
This is a compunding pharmacy that fills orders for Docs who are known to prescribe testosterone. Some Docs freak out when you ask them for it. Some will RX the gels, and not do the injections.
Now … can you share that diet plan with me that got you those results !
You can also try other compunding pharmacies. Just do a google for testoterone and phamrancy.
I ended up having to pay out of pocket for what I wanted/needed.
I found a local guy that has similar credentials as Dr Crisler, and about the same price.
I ended up using renewman as well. As far as the insurance I do know that they will not file for you. You will have to do that on your own. My insurance plan will not pay a dime and yes, it is expensive.
It would be great if you could post your diet for the cut. Those are amazing results.
Thanks for the advice on the TRT. I will talk with my PCP this week and see where it goes. My wife is a doctor as well, but we keep careful boundaries in terms of her writing RXs for me.
Ahh, the cut…seems there is a lot of interest. I can post it here or do a new thread. Or maybe both. Suggestions?
Anyway, I am working with a top level trainer who structured my workout plan. Lots of HIIT and mostly full body compounds. A fair amount of complex routines as well which are pretty demanding.
The diet was simple, but not easy:
I eliminated all carbs except for green veggies and berries. I ate 6 times a day using a model of:
Meal 1: 6 oz protein and some sort of veggie
Meal 2: Metabolic Drive shake and 1 cup berries
Meal 3: 6 oz protein and green salad
Meal 4: same as Meal 2
Meal 5: same a Meal 3
Meal 6: MD shake and celery with cashew butter
I drank a least a gallon of water a day and used HOT-ROX Extreme daily. I also used Carlson’s lemon fish oil at 1 TBSP twice a day. I did not cheat at all, ever.
I am trying to bulk and this is where I discovered the low T levels. I have continued to eat really clean and have added back limited carbs – Surge pre and post workout, plus some oatmeal and sweet potatoes. The workouts have gotten really punishing – heavy weights and lots of reps and sets. Net result was only an added 5 pounds (no fat luckily) and it seemed something was holding back the muscle growth. This appears to be the very crappy T levels.
Dr Crisler is dirt cheap and you only have to see him once. Ongoing treatment will cost about $30 a month without insurance. My insurance covers my treatment through him without a problem.
He submits my scripts to my local pharmacy and I just send his bills into my insurance company for coverage. After your second set of labs you only have to have a virtual office visit with him every 6 months. The VOV is only $60.
[quote]thr61 wrote:
The renewman offering looks good. I do not know about Dr. Crisler.
For me, it is important to have the treatment covered by my health insurance. I assume it is expensive and ongoing.
Does anyone have experience with getting coverage for TRT?[/quote]
With renewman, you pay upfront, they send you the receipts which you copy and send to insurance. The only prob is if you have no upfront cash. If that’s the case, then you’re stuck with endos/uros, you poor prick (and I mean that in a sympathtic way, bro).
[quote]brentf13 wrote:
Dr Crisler is dirt cheap and you only have to see him once. Ongoing treatment will cost about $30 a month without insurance. My insurance covers my treatment through him without a problem.
He submits my scripts to my local pharmacy and I just send his bills into my insurance company for coverage. After your second set of labs you only have to have a virtual office visit with him every 6 months. The VOV is only $60. [/quote]
He lives in Massachusetts, and Crisler is in Lansing, MI. If he can afford the airfare, he can afford the upfront for renewman, who’ll give him a local doc.
I spoke with my GP who told me my levels were “low normal” and that he wanted to send me to a urologist. I told him that I would like to explore other options and then told him about an endocrinologist I located locally.
I was able to reach this endo on the phone to screen him for treatment approach. He treats a significant number of men for TRT and is completely on board with T replacement, clsely monitoring E and using E suppression as needed, and using specific medication to avoid testicular atrophy. He has written a book on hormone replacement essentially answered all my questions in the ways I had hoped.
My GP was fine with me seeing him, although he told me not to expect much. His feeling was that decreasing T levels was just something that happened as one gets older and to accept it. I politely disagreed and plan to see this new doc at the end of next month (first available appointment).
I feel more comfortable seeing this guy than with renewman who I did speak with. They clearly get it, but I don’t think my insurance will cover any of their costs and they quoted me something $200-300 a month out of pocket.
I’m getting hit with $200 office visits. One visit for the initial consult and then again at six weeks. After that, every six months. Initial labs were $250 so I’m expecting to pay that again when I retest. Guess that will set me back $450 and then I’ll get hit with another $600 for two months of the scripts. My insurance will pay none of this.
Think I’m getting screwed???
