46-year-old guy here. Have exercised most of my adult life, but never got the results I was looking for until a couple of years ago. Looking back, I now realize that I did way too much cardio and consumed far too little protein (was a strict vegetarian until 2 1/2 or 3 years ago). By the time I was in my early forties, I felt like shit most of the time--no energy, depressed, always pissed off. I started reading about anti-aging medicine because nothing else was working, and I ultimately decided to do an aggressive cycle of steroids through a very expensive anti-aging clinic. Ended up doing test, deca, hgh, and anavar.
I barely knew what I was doing with my diet and at the gym, but I was absolutely blown away by the results. My entire physique was completely transformed, and I felt better than I had in years. Everybody noticed the dramatic difference in how I looked, and people started treated me in ways that I had not previously experienced. I even started getting hit on in bars for the first time in years.
At the end of the cycle, I had the option of continuing on low dose test indefinitely--but decided not to. I ended up losing a moderate amount of the gains I had made, but I still continued to look and feel much better than I had before. This past summer (about one year after my first cycle), I did a second very expensive cycle through the anti-aging clinic. This time, I stayed on low dose testosterone after the cycle. I now feel completely focused and clear all of the time, and I can not personally relate at all to any of the propaganda that is constantly circulating about steriods causing rage attacks and other unavoidable problems. The whole experience for me has been completely life changing.
I've never really taken the time to measure my before and after progress, but the change in me physically and mentally is enormous. My stats at this point are far from ideal, but they are definitely ideal for me. I am 6'2" 216 20% body fat (just finished a bulking phase). Don't know exactly what my body measurements are, but I do know that I have had a lot of growth throughout my entire body. It has been a very demanding process for me, but the results have far outweighed the efforts. The only downside has been that I have had to buy all new clothes. I have complete respect for people who take the time and discipline to make informed decisions about steroid use--especially when they do it in conjunction with physically challenging their bodies to be all that they can be.
One other thing I forgot to mention about my steroid use: I previously had chronic muscle strains and misalignments along with two herniated discs in my low back. Using steriods (along with precise exercising form and focus) actually healed my chronic injuries. I have a fairly tight budget, and I spent a ton of money to do what other people have done for a lot less...but in my case, I wanted to make sure that I was working with someone who knew exactly what he was doing. I can now understand much of what I read on sites like this one. Before, it felt to me like everyone was talking in code.
If I had listened to my primary care physician or to my best friends, I never would have tried steriods. Now that I have taken the plunge twice, I have to say that it is one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I have absolutely no regrets.
