Anavar, cutting and water retention

[MisterSandman]

Hello to all
A little background:
- 5'9" , 50yrs old, on TRT past 3 yrs
- been working out 4 years

- ran my first bulking cycle - 600mg/wk test e wk 1-12, 40mg/day dbol wk 1-4, 150mg/eod NPP wk 1-10, 50mg/wk proviron, 1mg/wk anastrozole
- bulking macros 3,800cals/day 40% P 30% C 30% F
- workout routine: days 1-3 legs/push/pull strength, day 4 rest, days 5-7 legs/push/pull hypertrophy. No cardio
- got to 197 lbs and 16%bf

now started my summer cutting
- Anavar 30mg wk1, 40mg wk2, 50mg wk 3, 70mg wk 4-5, 50mg wk 6
- Test cyp 600mg/wk 1-6, then back to TRT at 150mg wk ongoing
- being on anavar that preserves muscle loss cut calories to 1,650 60% P 20% C 20% F and low sodium (about 3,000mg/day)
- I am on wk 4 of my cutting and presently 187lbs and 15% bf

Question I have is that I have been on a strong caloric restriction for 4 weeks, but my weight decrease has stalled at 187 and 15% bf
have added cardio 2 times a week for 1 hr each session

I am assuming I am retaining water. my chest, shoulders and arms look lean and ripped, my abs are visible but no veining showing on them.

Are there any other possible explanations? should I also assume that once I discontinue use of anavar and go back to my TRT maintenance of Test (150mg/wk) and calories (2,500) that my weight will go down due to water loss? Or is there something else I am not taking into account?

thanks for help

 

[muskate]

Are you using an AI with your cycle? The amount of testosterone you are using is going to aromatize heavily into estrogen and cause a lot of water retention. If you aren't using an AI with your cycle, I would get on one ASAP. Aromasin at 10mg EOD is a good dosage. You can order it from ag-guys.com

Not only will an AI prevent side effects like gyno, low estrogen levels will make for a more positive fat burning environment.

Your calories seem extremely low to me. I honestly feel that you are over dieting and killing your metabolism as a result. Send me a pm/email if you want some help with your diet. Remember that eating too little is just as bad as eating too much. I train people for a living and that's the biggest problem people make. Depending on their sickness they either eat too much or eat too little.

Remember that the body is still in survival mode. Eat too much - it'll store the excess calories as fat.
Eat too little - it'll sense a famine and hold onto body fat stores.

 

[SwollenMember_18]

Are you using an AI with your cycle? The amount of testosterone you are using is going to aromatize heavily into estrogen and cause a lot of water retention. If you aren't using an AI with your cycle, I would get on one ASAP. Aromasin at 10mg EOD is a good dosage. You can order it from ag-guys.com

Not only will an AI prevent side effects like gyno, low estrogen levels will make for a more positive fat burning environment.

Your calories seem extremely low to me. I honestly feel that you are over dieting and killing your metabolism as a result. Send me a pm/email if you want some help with your diet. Remember that eating too little is just as bad as eating too much. I train people for a living and that's the biggest problem people make. Depending on their sickness they either eat too much or eat too little.

Remember that the body is still in survival mode. Eat too much - it'll store the excess calories as fat.
Eat too little - it'll sense a famine and hold onto body fat stores.

This ^^^^

You drastically reduced your cals waaayyyyy to fast now your body has nowhere to go.

I would refeed for a couple days, or bring your cals back to maintenance for a week then SLOWLY cut your cals back down. I'm dieting on 2500 cals right now loosing about 1.5 pounds a week no problem. When that slows to less than a pound I'll drop to 2200 then again to 2000 of need be and this way I never have to increase energy expenditure and I'm eating enough to retain muscle throughout the cut.

Re asses your baseline cals and make smaller adjustments after you reverse out of your deficit for a bit. Guarenteed you start melting again.

Water retention is doubtful, I always blame water... Than I train hard as fuck and diet extremely well and the fat goes away and I realize I was just getting fat

 

[MisterSandman]

Yes I am taking .25mg anastrozole EOD and 500 iu a week of hcg

I didn't really feel I exaggerated with caloric restriction as was using anavar to preserve muscle loss and my strength is pretty good and going up daily.
I have a lot of energy but you are both right I am afraid once I drop the var I'll crash

I'll bring up to 2500 and back down again slowly

Thanks for input



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[Jay Scott]

Also, are you sure your var is legit and not just simply dbol?

 

[MisterSandman]

It's possible but my source is pretty reliable so I'm thinking it's good


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[stevesmi]

It's possible but my source is pretty reliable so I'm thinking it's good


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I agree with everyone above.. just do under maintenance, don't crush your cals so low where you are struggling to stand up.. i'm being facetious but we see this a lot, you can cut down and still be healthy

also anavar is heavily faked. you can check out an approved source which has real anavar at our sister site>> http://www.evolutionary.org/forums/source-talk/my-favorite-sources-part-ii-37624.html

 

[muskate]

Yes I am taking .25mg anastrozole EOD and 500 iu a week of hcg

I didn't really feel I exaggerated with caloric restriction as was using anavar to preserve muscle loss and my strength is pretty good and going up daily.
I have a lot of energy but you are both right I am afraid once I drop the var I'll crash

I'll bring up to 2500 and back down again slowly

Thanks for input



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Can you PM me or post up your diet? I'll give you my 2 cents.

 

[MasonicBodybuilder]

You may need to bump your AI dose. .5mg EOD is a good dose for a lot of guys I know. Maybe get bloods and see where E2 is. That is the only thing that makes sense to me other than fake anavar. Keep pushing hard with the diet and training brother.

 

[MisterSandman]

Can you PM me or post up your diet? I'll give you my 2 cents.

My food changes every day (my wife is a excellent cook) but on average 50% P 30% C and 20% F (was around 1,750 Cals now I brought up to 2,200)


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[Lev Butlerov]

Most probably, your estrogen is a bit high, so I would bump the dosage to 0.5 mgs EOD, and would refeed - eating too little is not good either. Contact @muskate, as he is a true nutrition expert - I am sure that he will give you some really good advice in these matters. Also, for cutting I would strongly recommend Cardarine GW - it is really effective when it comes to fat burning, and the cardio enhancement will allow you to workout more with higher intensity, which will definitely help with with fat loss.

 

[big dog 21]

Try carbing up for a few days.

 

[Nelson Montana]

Three things, real quick.

Using an AAS to "prevent catabolism" while dieting is kind of bullshit broscience. You're not in a severe catabolic state from eating a little less and training a iittle more.

Two: A lot of what passes as "var" is a blend of left over powders. IOW, 5 mgs of winstrol and 2 mgs of D-bol could pass for 10 or even 20 mgs of var. Yeah, it's "real" juice, but not authentic anavar.

And three: If you;re stalled at a weight, you need to eat less. Period. Anavar isn't going to make you lose weight.

 

[MisterSandman]

Three things, real quick.

Using an AAS to "prevent catabolism" while dieting is kind of bullshit broscience. You're not in a severe catabolic state from eating a little less and training a iittle more.

I would have thought that from 2700 to 1600 calories was a lot less but not seeing the results I imagine you're right

Two: A lot of what passes as "var" is a blend of left over powders. IOW, 5 mgs of winstrol and 2 mgs of D-bol could pass for 10 or even 20 mgs of var. Yeah, it's "real" juice, but not authentic anavar.

Anything is possible and I'll take that into account although I'm pretty sure of my source

And three: If you;re stalled at a weight, you need to eat less. Period. Anavar isn't going to make you lose weight.

I understand anavar is not going to make me lose weight and I wasn't using it with that purpose but to limit catabolism. At my age losing even a pound of lean mass is problematic as putting it back on is more and more difficult. Eating less than 1600 calories ... I'm starving as it is... You suggest I knock down to 1,400?

So now I read contrasting viewpoints from who states I've lowered my calories too much and slowed down my metabolism to who stated I need to eat even less if I'm not losing weight . I'm really confused...

Right now I've increased my caloric intake to 2,300 50%p 30%c 20%f low sodium
My weight is stable at 185 and bf 14%

I'm still on 600mg/wk test cyp, 500iu/wk hcg, 1mg/wk anastrozole and 70mg/day "anavar" (supposedly...)

I'm also on a EC stack, and am training with weights 4 times a week and cardio 2 times a week each session about 1-1/2 hrs

Next Saturday have a spartan race so I'm going to keep things as they are for this week removing strength training to keep my energy up for the race

Then I'll try the following week to add back strength and reduce my calories to 1,800 and see how it goes

As usual any suggestion is welcome
Thanks all for your inputs

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