Thyroid Hormones for Fat Loss in Women

Q: “I’m a 40 year old woman who has always been extremely active, starting with competitive swimming as a child. I always eat according to what comes naturally, never counting calories or depriving myself, eating especially big after training as I then really have a lot of appetite. I’ve never had any problem with bodyfat so long as I trained hard. I’m still training hard, but now have fat trouble. I’ve tried T4 with wrong dosing, just dabbing with my fingertip from bulk powder. I had not known how powerful the material was. It was horrendous on my heartrate but I lost fat (and muscle.) Since then I’ve tried T3 with careful measurement of the dose, at 100 mcg/day. But it didn’t help me lose fat and pounding heart interfered with my training. Some fat loss supplements on the other hand have helped me, so surely thyroid hormone ought to? And what is the difference between T3 and T4?”

A: You’re very fortunate to have been able to remain lean while eating as you liked all this time, relying only on training. This comes with being genetically gifted rather than being the norm.

It’s likely that at age 40, this now will not be entirely the case and to get back to being lean it will be necessary to avoid increases in calories while seeking to lose fat.

Some fat loss supplements are somewhat effective in reducing appetite, as well as raising metabolic rate, or in some cases, even improving metabolic processes. Where caloric intake remains the same, the effect of nutritional supplements on fat loss is usually less than that of properly dosed thyroid hormone. However, where the supplement product has significant appetite suppressant properties, and in the individual case the person actually eats less, this can make a big difference to fat loss.

What likely happened for you with T3 was that food intake went up to match increased rate of calorie burning, so you had no fat loss.

With T4, the dose was likely so extreme that you had fat loss anyway.

It can’t be stressed enough how potent thyroid hormones are. They absolutely must not be overdosed. Powders should be never be used unless a person has the means to dose extremely small amounts with 100% certainty.

I recommend not exceeding 50 mcg/day with T3, divided preferably into at least 3 doses but certainly at least 2 doses. With T4, I recommend not exceeding 200 mcg/day.

T4 is longer-acting than T3 and therefore is more convenient to use. It requires conversion in the body to T3, which for some individuals can be a limiting factor. For them, T3 can be preferable. It seems that is not an issue for you, so you could use T4.

But next time, keep the dose limited to the above, and make sure not to allow caloric intake to increase along with your increased metabolic rate.

Stanozolol - powerful anabolic steroid

Stanozolol, most commonly known as Winstrol or Winny is a powerful anabolic steroid that can be found in both oral and injectable forms; the injectable form being commonly known as Winstrol Depot. While there are other steroids that can be found in both injectable and oral forms Stanozolol is one of the few that works equally well in either form; further, the injectable Winstrol Depot can be taken orally just as the standard oral tablet form. By its ease and convenience of administration, coupled with more hype surrounding the steroid than any other form Stanozolol remains one of the most popular steroids of all time.

All medications, steroidal and non-steroidal alike carry with them possible negative and adverse side-effects, in that Stanozolol makes no exception. It is important to note, such side-effects are by no means guaranteed and when speaking of anabolic steroids such effects are often largely avoidable through responsible use. Many anabolic steroids can have a negative effect on one’s cholesterol and often this problem is avoidable by proper diet and even through aromatase inhibitor use as cholesterol issues are often estrogenic related. However, Stanozolol has a very pronounced negative effect on cholesterol and for this reason use must necessarily be kept brief and in responsible levels.

Stanozolol can also increase liver enzymes quite heavily, especially when taken in tablet form, as oral Stanozolol is a 17-aa steroid. However, most will find their liver values return to normal after use is discontinued and the liver will not be harmed. Even still, responsible use must be implored but understand, even massive doses of Stanozolol are not as damaging to the liver as every day alcohol consumption.

While Stanozolol is a strong anabolic with a low androgenic nature it is far from the most powerful anabolic available but far from the weakest as well. Without question the attributes of this anabolic steroid are best seen during a cutting cycle as Stanozolol will provide a harder more vascular look to an already lean physique. However, the benefits do not end with hardening; Stanozolol by its nature is well-suited for increasing strength, even when dieting which can normally be very difficult; no, one will not gain massive strength when dieting but it can go up a little; especially in the early stages. By its strength attributes Stanozolol remains a favorite for many athletes in a host of various performance sports.

While an excellent steroid to use when dieting Stanozolol will not do a lot for you when trying to bulk up in-terms of actual growth. It can have a place in a bulking cycle for secondary purposes but most will stick with powerful steroids with strong androgenic qualities for this purpose. Nevertheless, whenever the steroid is used it is important to note it will suppress natural testosterone production to a degree and most men will necessarily supplement with some form of exogenous testosterone. While it will suppress natural production it will not do so to the extent of many other steroids but still enough to warrant caution and remedy.

As both injectable and oral forms will produce the same results, administration in-terms of frequency will follow suit and be identical regardless of the form at hand. As injections can be very painful with this steroid due to the Depot version being suspended in water many choose to simply drink it or take oral tabs; regardless of the form every day administration will prove to be optimal. However, every other day administration will yield positive results as the half-life extends to 24 hours but most will find every day administration to be the most efficient.

To get the most bang for your buck most men will find 50mg of Stanozolol to be just about perfect with 100mg being about as high as you’d ever want to go. 100mg per day is very common in competitive bodybuilding circles but generally only the last 7-10 days before the competition as that high of a dose for long periods can be very side-effect ridden. In most cases, 50mg per day for approximately 6-8 weeks will prove to be fantastic.

For our female athletes, 5mg-10mg is perfect and most are highly cautioned against going above this dose and staying within the 6-8 weeks of total use. Failure to abide will result in nasty virilization effects; even though it is only slightly androgenic it’s still androgenic in nature. When used responsibly most women will find Stanozolol to be very well-tolerated.

Masteron (Drostanolone Propionate)

Masteron (dromostanolone propionate, also known as drostanolone propionate) after a long period of time as a rare drug is now enjoying greater popularity, and deservedly so. Where one does not wish to use a large amount of injectable testosterone and wishes to use either no trenbolone or only a modest amount of that drug, Masteron is often an ideal choice for inclusion in a steroid stack, or in some cases for use as the sole injectable for a steroid cycle.

Masteron Side Effects

Masteron undergoes no aromatization (conversion to estrogen), no conversion to DHT or potentiation by the 5-AR enzyme, and as an unalkylated steroid it poses no liver issues. In these regards and also in overall side effects, Masteron is best compared with Primobolan Depot. In terms of positive effects in an anabolic steroid cycle, Masteron is at least as effective as Primobolan per milligram for mass gain and for fat loss, and appears better for hardening.

Masteron as an Anti-Estrogen

Dromostanolone has some reputation for anti-estrogenic activity, but in actuality this effect is fairly subtle. If due to use of aromatizing steroids a steroid cycle would produce substantially excessive levels of estrogen, adding Masteron to the cycle will not fix that. Instead, an anti-aromatase such as letrozole or anastrozole should be used. However, where only a moderate amount of aromatizing steroid is being used, Masteron can in many instances be sufficient as the sole anti-estrogenic agent.

How Masteron Compares to Other Steroids

Many have called Masteron a “weak” steroid, but this definitely is not the case. What often has been weak has been the doses! Doses of this drug have historically been low because of rarity, price, and low concentration of the preparations (100 mg/mL.) However, both availability and price have improved markedly in recent years. When included as part of a steroid stack, Masteron’s contribution per milligram is at least as great as that of testosterone, boldenone (Equipoise), nandrolone (Deca), or methenolone (Primobolan.) But of course, if only 100 or 200 mg is added per week, there will be no large change seen from such a small addition.

Masteron Stacks

Masteron can be used as the sole injectable. A Masteron/Dianabol stack is more effective however, as is a Masteron/Anadrol stack. Testosterone also combines well with Masteron. Another use of Masteron which has become more common lately is combination with trenbolone. Unlike combination with Dianabol or Anadrol, there is only an additive effect, not a synergistic effect. However, including Masteron allows a lower trenbolone dosage while achieving very similar or equal physique benefit with less potential for trenbolone-specific side effects of night-sweats, increased tendency to aggression, and/or insomnia.

Masteron also is useful in combination with testosterone for self-prescribed hormone-replacement therapy (HRT.) For example, 100 mg/week each of Masteron and testosterone can be superior for physique benefits to 200 mg/week testosterone alone, while being milder in side effects due to lower resulting levels of estradiol (estrogen) and DHT.

Problem with Masteron-Only Cycles

I don’t recommend using Masteron alone for a steroid cycle or HRT because estradiol levels typically fall too low when this is done. Inclusion of for example at least 100 mg/week testosterone, at least 10 mg/day Dianabol, or at least 700 IU/week total HCG will maintain normal estradiol levels during a Masteron-only cycle, should one wish to do this.

Masteron Recommendations

As a propionate ester, Masteron has a half-life of probably two days and therefore is preferably injected at least every other day, and more preferably daily. An enanthate ester version having a half-life of probably 5 days has become available. This version of Masteron may be injected as infrequently as twice per week.

The traditional (propionate) form of Masteron is also advantageous for brief cycles or for use at the end of a longer cycle, giving quick transition from high, anabolically-effective blood levels to levels sufficiently low to allow recovery of natural testosterone production.

Very simply, Masteron does very well what it’s supposed to do, and has as mild a side-effect profile as is possible for an anabolic steroid. I have never known anyone to be disappointed with this steroid, provided sufficient dosing was used.