EMW14, you can do higher test, but you'll want to run an AI along with it, preferably exemestane (also called Aromasin). That will keep you from getting the terrible acne and bad sides resulting from the aromatase conversion. Also, Cialis is far superior to viagra. You can use a minimal dose of 5mg/day, and it will work great without terrible sides, especially no blue-tinted vision (I always hated that from viagra).
As for diet, you and I are in the same boat. I also have a hard time eating a lot. I don't think you have to go all out to add 1,000 calories, but instead just adding up to 250-500 should be more doable. I'm trying to do the same thing. After having my gallbladder out, it has been difficult getting the calories in. I've reviewed my meals and timing, so I just look for a spot in-between where I can add a simple boost to calories like a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese for example. Your meal #1 looks like you could probably add something there. Once you do it for a while, your body will adjust, and you'll be able to add another boost in somewhere in addition to a meal or another in-between spot. If you're trying to add mass, you shouldn't be afraid of a little bit of fat gain, but if you start small then increase from there, fat gain should be minimal.
Big Z, I've tried Cialis, and the only thing it gives me is wicked heartburn! It does nothing for me that it's supposed to do at all at any dose. I've tried it at 5 mg daily to see if I'll adjust and get over the heartburn and never did, it just got worse. Tried it at 20 mg as needed and got nothing from it at all except the wicked heartburn. I've actually tried all the "-fil" drugs, and the only one that works for me consistently is Viagra. I used to get bad heartburn from it the following day, but I don't as much anymore, it seems to be a tolerance thing. And I don't have any other side effects from it that I'm aware of.
As for increasing calories a little at a time, that is a great idea and I can surely manage to do that. I've completed the "day shift" and "day off" sections in my spreadshert, and I am consuming about 3,000 calories a day currently. Yesterday was 3500, but the last meal of the day wasn't typical. I played hockey last night, so I grilled a steak and ate a cup of rice at around 1 am after I got home. O, and had a big slice of blueberry-raspberry pie with 2 scoops of ice cream...... we have a very productive raspberry patch... lol! I didn't include the pie in the spreadsheet, so really, it was more like 4,000 calories... :laugh:
Today, I start a run of 3 night shifts, so I'll track my food intake and will have the spreadsheet completed with a pretty good idea of what and how much I'm eating. And where I can add.
3J'S input (which is what prompted me to make the spreadsheet in the first place) suggests I am eating too much fat and not enough carbs, so I'm making some adjustments there. I'll try to get some extra food in me here and there, as you suggest, and work up to it.
As for higher test with an ai: when my trt was being managed by a clinic in Vegas I was experimenting with an ai, Anastrozole. At that time, I was up to 180 mg a week test, estrogen all over the place as part of the experiment. It was as low as 7 at one point. Didn't seem to matter if estrodiol was high or low as far as dick function went. Too much test = anon functional dick. That dude was giving me some sort of antibiotic for acne, which only helped somewhat. I dunno, I seem to be very sensitive to the side effects, apparently much more so than most. I'd love to run 250 or 300 mg a weel, but it just doesn't agree with me!
