Seven pounds in week one is alarming when you’re trying to cut, so it’s worth separating out what actually changed before drawing any conclusions. Two variables shifted at the same time here: TRT started, and creatine restarted. That second one does a lot of work. Creatine pulls water into muscle cells osmotically and drives glycogen supercompensation – three to four pounds of scale weight in the first week is entirely normal on a creatine reload, and it has nothing to do with fat. It’s intracellular fluid and glycogen, not adipose tissue. The TRT piece adds a smaller but real contribution in early weeks. As testosterone aromatises to oestradiol, some transient water retention is common – the mechanism likely involves aldosterone’s secondary effects on sodium and fluid balance. This usually stabilises over weeks four to eight as the system settles. So at week one you’re likely looking at: creatine reload water (3-4 lbs), TRT-related fluid shift (1-2 lbs), and normal day-to-day variation. Not fat gain. What’s worth tracking: the tape, not just the scale. Waist measurement at the same time each morning gives you a cleaner signal on whether body composition is actually shifting. If the scale is still climbing at week eight with no dietary change and the tape is also moving out, that’s the conversation to have with whoever’s managing your TRT. One week in is noise.