The Tempered Man

My path to TRT Sorry for length, but wanted to tell the story accurately Until my early 30s, I was an athlete - sports, triathlons, multi-day adventure racing, any thing to push harder.  Tons of running, biking, lifting.  Part of who I was.  Then I let life get in the way - career, growing family, many other things that I prioritized over my health.  Common story with men I think.  At first, it was a subtle drift and then after a decade+ that subtleness became pretty obvious - body comp, energy, libido, mood, all the things. Aug 2024 - labs done as part of annual Free T 42 Total T 231 I’ll focus on hormones here, but other markers were off too which I’ll cover in another post. Crazy thing about these levels is that it didn’t really send off alarm bells for the Dr or me.  The other markers seemed to dominate the conversation. So, life kept moving but somewhere in the back of my head I knew I needed to get my health back in line.  My youngest, son, was 3 at that time.  Man, I need to be here for my wife, my children.  Not just HERE, but I need to be present, I need to be energetic, I need to be active,  I need to be the stable rock that anchors our lives.  I’m failing at aspects of this right now, not because I don’t want it but because my systems are whacked. Feb 2025 Finally decided enough is enough.  Made a decision.  Started working out again, and changed up my nutrition.  Workouts were rough in the beginning ngl.  3-4x week, 30-45 mins per session.  Started walking daily, just move more.  Eating healthy, whole foods.  Didn’t focus a ton on macros in the beginning.  Just made a commitment to do the little, boring and consistent things everyday.  Started to feel better, started to drop some weight.  Hadn’t discovered fitness X yet. Apr 2025 Stumbled across @bowtiedHRT account by luck honestly.  Never really heard about HRT before.  Started following, reading, learning.  Continued to workout, get steps, eat right - was consistent week in and week out.  Started planning nutrition - here were my macros at time 134g fat, 148g carb, 265g protein, 3060 kcal (I weighed 188lbs, pretty funny in retrospect) Aug 2025 Still consistent on all fronts, performance increasing but still not recomping like I expected, still issues with energy, mood, libido, all the things.  Definitely feel better, but not even close to how I thought I would feel after getting things turned around.  Decided to pursue TRT.  Reached out to @bowtiedHRT for help.  Plenty of good consultants out there, but I gravitated towards him for a few reasons.  Closer to my age, measured approach and seemed genuinely like a good dude who cared. Aug 2025 - labs for pre TRT Free T 70 Total T 365 Improvement, but still felt like I was missing something.  Two things from initial consult: 1.) immediately fixed macros - 60g fat, 185g protein, 300g carbs, 2700 kcal, timing was of emphasis too; and 8/26/2025 began TRT+ 150mg/ week test c (pin 2x), 750IU HCG/ week (pin 3x) and 1.8IU GH/ daily.  Immediately, the macro changes helped with energy, workout performance, mood, all the things.  TRT was a roller coaster for the first 4-5 weeks.  Days where I felt amazing, days where I was like WTH.  But, as I mentioned above, @bowtiedHRT was there every step of the way - listening, guiding and reassuring.  Everything finally smoothed out and I was rocking by week 6! Oct 2025 - labs Free T 321 Total T 1065 Feeling amazing - mood and energy great all around, recomp starting to take shape, workout performance through roof, better version - husband, father, friend - taking shape.  Macros 60g fat, 195g protein, 435g carbs, 3050 kcal Mar 2026 - labs Free T 176 Total T 702 The feeling of 1000+ T with 300+ free T is AMAZING.  Before the labs, thought maybe I was overtraining, nutrition was off, or something.  But, it was just a come down to reality kind of thing on the T side, which is common I understand.  Consult in Apr 2026 to review labs and goals.  Decided to increase to 175mg/ week test c (pin 3x) and leave everything else the same for now.  Adding in some mobility and functional stuff into training program - need to feel like an athlete again.  Macros currently 60g fat, 200g protein, 525g carbs, 3390 kcal.  Still doing the little, boring and consistent things everyday. Labs scheduled again for Jul 2026 Overall, very happy and my experience/ the results have been life changing honestly..  There are levers we can pull for better health, and thus life: nutrition, training, sleep, stress, and hormones.  They all work together.  And I’m not sure I would have discovered this without the help - directly and indirectly  - from the folks here in fitness X.  I salute you 🫡 @a7las1984 @AlphaFierceDad

@schober222 Dang man, just dm me next time 🤷‍♂️

If you think free weights are legit bad for you or dangerous for you, you’re missing out on a lot of physical and mental benefits Machines have their place but let’s be real…they’re easier than free weights Free weights hurt more and are more uncomfortable People don’t like that which is why this world is so fucking soft these days Step outside your fucking comfort zone once in awhile And more importantly... DBAP

@tywoosley23 🤷‍♂️😂sometimes just feeling that flow man 😂

@bowtiedtempered There was a treadmill guy today doing the air box shuffle!

There’s always that one guy shadow boxing at the gym

@a7las1984 that's not a bad thing my friend

I definitely look like a Californian by the way haha. I never thought there was a California look but I look at New Yorkers and I don't fit in here 🤣😂

@a7las1984 I may or may not have already had those in past, could make a reappearance

@bowtiedtempered Skies out, thighs out 💪 Silkies or Ranger panties are your next evolution 😂

bought my 5.5" from Amazon because I wasn't sure I was gonna like this new length these shorts though - about 1/2 to 1/3 of price of my normal brand, these fit great, and lots of different color selections, probably my new go to honestly, bought 5 more pair already if you want to give them a go, use my affiliate code: skyoutthighout thanks for the motto @a7las1984 😂😂

@ForgeWithJeremy great work Jeremy, finish strong 💪

Woke up at 190.4 this morning, 97% to target. My goal of 190lbs locked in. With the DEXA scan next Friday, I’ll come in between 187 and 189 based on hydration. My entire cut was slow and methodical by design and next week’s data will prove it. Time to close the deal. 🔒

@bowtiedtempered I stay out of the way of people who don’t listen to music while working out. I just assume the voices in their heads are more than enough. 😂

It’s leg day tomorrow! What’s your go to workout music?

@yestocreatine @FowardAssist I'm not alone

@bowtiedtempered @FowardAssist My man

@a7las1984 praying for good results Friday my brother

@bowtiedtempered Thank you! It has been a hard fight and I know it would be really hard on him to come this far and not be able to get treatment

Please pray for my Dad 🙏 As I have shared previously, my Dad is undergoing chemotherapy for Leukemia. He is extremely blessed and they have found a perfect match stem cell donor. However, he has some hardening of his liver that could prevent him from being eligible for the transplant. On Friday he will undergo a liver biopsy that will determine if he can receive the transplant or if he will be moved to palliative care.

@FowardAssist Suspect right? 😂

@bowtiedtempered 👀 your one of those people! lol

time to sell some cows $$$$$🫰

better be owning assets ya'll

@fitcapdefi @FREPouch that's the way I roll, but with this

You dont have to throw one in if you always have one in @FREPouch

@brentlajeunesse @labs_vanguard yes sir, quarterly for me too🫡

It’s that time again. Quarterly blood work booked! If you’re not keeping track, you should. @labs_vanguard BRENT10 saves you 10% Stay dialed in...

@trinity2pointO @MaisonDuCoq @bowtiedgerman well deserved, thank you for what you do

@bowtiedtempered @MaisonDuCoq @bowtiedgerman Appreciate the recognition my friend

We like to support local, and that includes the innovators here on X 🫡 Here’s our current, and highly recommended.  BUT please let me know who/ what I’m missing.  Know there are lots of great people here providing great products/ services @MaisonDuCoq @bowtiedgerman - love these underwear, threw out all my olds and these are my staple now, material is amazing - not silk but butter, no stretching out like other boxer briefs, the pocket well that’s pretty genius, and good colors @trinity2pointO - fantastic and diverse product line, innovative pipeline, high degree of trust on quality, amazing customer service, supports great causes also, my wife uses too Spartan Fuel - use as intra workout, love the taste, hits quick, and like the overall ingredient pack, can’t remember what account started this though (help me out here)?  When he launched I bought to support and have been ordering ever since. @labs_vanguard - makes getting routine labs pretty painless and easy, if I had to go into dr office I definitely wouldn’t be getting labs every 4 months, simple process and customizable, gives back to the community, wife uses them too @BowTiedHRT - concierge HRT, high touch, personalized protocol, knowledge is deep deep, genuinely cares about your success

@user_mm_ welp, gotta give these orders to my wife now, 🫡

@bowtiedtempered Could skew both ways. Accuracy is what we are after

I recommend weighing your food BEFORE you cook, and logging it as UNCOOKED in your app This goes for chicken, potatoes, veggies…you name it! Different cooking techniques, times, temperatures, etc. can affect the cooked weight and skew your measurements -- Cooking multiple servings? Weigh uncooked total to get total calories, divide that by # of meals to get per meal macros, and then use scale again once cooked to make sure portions are even