12mg Reta - Moving at a Snail's Pace

[lessthanhalf]

Draculawless said:

Starting with the basics - my stats

Male, 44 years old: decent looking, though not exactly striking

Weight right now: 278

Weight when I began in Feb 2026: 295

Working out: I lift weights 3x weekly when my schedule allows. On my lunch break I try to walk about 2.5 miles at the quickest pace I can manage. That typically takes me somewhere between 35 and 40 minutes.

Food intake: I track everything with cronometer. Sitting at 1950 calories daily at the moment.

The situation:

I suspect I'm one of those people who responds slowly. Right now I'm taking 12mg of reta plus .75 of cag each week. For roughly a month my weight has been stuck near 280. I'm still able to eat, just less than before, but hunger is still there. Whenever I try cutting to 1500 calories, the HUNGER hits hard.

So what's the deal? Should I push the reta past the 12mg trial ceiling, or bump up the cag? Give it more time? Anyone else hit a wall right at the top of their dose?

Losing 18 lbs over 3 months, when you factor in the 5-10 lbs of water weight that comes off first, isn't much of a result. A genuine stall at this point would be very unlikely; fluid shifts are the more probable explanation. Still, the pace of loss across 3 months while running above-standard doses and combinations of GLP's is poor, and it points toward you being a weaker responder, considering you're on 12mg reta alongside 0.75 of cagri. Real plateaus tend to show up around the 1 year mark. Should the rate simply be slow - say 18-5lbs over 3 months, or 4 lbs per month - and then resume dropping at some stage, that could be acceptable, just sluggish.

I'm fairly confident you mentioned side effects were minimal. Height isn't given, so judging how overweight you are is difficult; as a rule, the heavier someone is, the quicker they shed weight. My assumption is you weren't diabetic before starting, since diabetes tends to blunt weight loss considerably.

It's worth sourcing a different reta batch, purely to rule out a bad one.

My suspicion lands on the calorie figure being slightly inaccurate - people are generally quite poor at estimating calories, and only weighing every single thing you eat gets it right. That said, if the drugs were doing their job, appetite should be suppressed enough to create a deficit with no extra effort. Significant metabolic adaptation at 3 months seems too soon to me.

Should protein be below 1.5g/kg body weight, raise it, and think about going even higher. Per calorie, protein satisfies hunger better than anything else, plus you get a bonus 20% extra calories from the energy wasted in metabolising the protein.

As for options - bumping cagri is likely simplest since you're already taking it, or else more reta. It hinges on what happened when you added cagri; if nothing seemed to change, you may be similarly unresponsive to it. I can definitely tell I have taken 0.25mg of it. On this forum I've seen very few people running high reta doses, and clearly it is not been studied medically yet, so it is harder to say for reta how risky high doses are. The other question is whether the obesity is severe enough to justify whatever the unknown extra risks are of high dose/combo therapy. My view: severe obesity BMI 40+ is so damaging to health that any possible risks from experimental combinations or higher doses are almost certainly going to be lower than the risks of the obesity, though this reasoning weakens as the obesity becomes less severe.

Adding some tirz at a modest dose, like 5mg/w, may actually be worth a try. Of all the GLP's it hits GIP receptors hardest, and its biased agonism on glp-1 might amplify effects there too. Given how little reta seems to be doing for you, that could make more sense than pushing the reta dose up.

Semaglutide could also be an option, but only after tirz has failed - at least semaglutide has actually been studied at much higher doses of 7.2mg and 16mg.

What is really needed are studies on what to do if glp therapy does not work or is only marginally effective, there will get done eventually but have not been done yet.

My thinking might be a bit biased towards that combination as it works for me tirz15mg/reta5mg/cagri0.5mg per week, but i lost most of the weight before starting any of them and am using it to try to keep off 55% of my body weight, and definitely respond more to these drugs than you seem to.

Perhaps you're simply unlucky and fall into the 5-10% of people who respond poorly to GLP's. Even so, another 2 -3 months, plus higher doses/combos, would be needed before drawing that conclusion.

 

[Draculawless]

lessthanhalf said:

Draculawless said:

Starting with the basics - my stats

Male, 44 years old: decent looking, though not exactly striking

Weight right now: 278

Weight when I began in Feb 2026: 295

Working out: I lift weights 3x weekly when my schedule allows. On my lunch break I try to walk about 2.5 miles at the quickest pace I can manage. That typically takes me somewhere between 35 and 40 minutes.

Food intake: I track everything with cronometer. Sitting at 1950 calories daily at the moment.

The situation:

I suspect I'm one of those people who responds slowly. Right now I'm taking 12mg of reta plus .75 of cag each week. For roughly a month my weight has been stuck near 280. I'm still able to eat, just less than before, but hunger is still there. Whenever I try cutting to 1500 calories, the HUNGER hits hard.

So what's the deal? Should I push the reta past the 12mg trial ceiling, or bump up the cag? Give it more time? Anyone else hit a wall right at the top of their dose?

Losing 18 lbs over 3 months, when you factor in the 5-10 lbs of water weight that comes off first, isn't much of a result. A genuine stall at this point would be very unlikely; fluid shifts are the more probable explanation. Still, the pace of loss across 3 months while running above-standard doses and combinations of GLP's is poor, and it points toward you being a weaker responder, considering you're on 12mg reta alongside 0.75 of cagri. Real plateaus tend to show up around the 1 year mark. Should the rate simply be slow - say 18-5lbs over 3 months, or 4 lbs per month - and then resume dropping at some stage, that could be acceptable, just sluggish.

I'm fairly confident you mentioned side effects were minimal. Height isn't given, so judging how overweight you are is difficult; as a rule, the heavier someone is, the quicker they shed weight. My assumption is you weren't diabetic before starting, since diabetes tends to blunt weight loss considerably.

It's worth sourcing a different reta batch, purely to rule out a bad one.

My suspicion lands on the calorie figure being slightly inaccurate - people are generally quite poor at estimating calories, and only weighing every single thing you eat gets it right. That said, if the drugs were doing their job, appetite should be suppressed enough to create a deficit with no extra effort. Significant metabolic adaptation at 3 months seems too soon to me.

Should protein be below 1.5g/kg body weight, raise it, and think about going even higher. Per calorie, protein satisfies hunger better than anything else, plus you get a bonus 20% extra calories from the energy wasted in metabolising the protein.

As for options - bumping cagri is likely simplest since you're already taking it, or else more reta. It hinges on what happened when you added cagri; if nothing seemed to change, you may be similarly unresponsive to it. I can definitely tell I have taken 0.25mg of it. On this forum I've seen very few people running high reta doses, and clearly it is not been studied medically yet, so it is harder to say for reta how risky high doses are. The other question is whether the obesity is severe enough to justify whatever the unknown extra risks are of high dose/combo therapy. My view: severe obesity BMI 40+ is so damaging to health that any possible risks from experimental combinations or higher doses are almost certainly going to be lower than the risks of the obesity, though this reasoning weakens as the obesity becomes less severe.

Adding some tirz at a modest dose, like 5mg/w, may actually be worth a try. Of all the GLP's it hits GIP receptors hardest, and its biased agonism on glp-1 might amplify effects there too. Given how little reta seems to be doing for you, that could make more sense than pushing the reta dose up.

Semaglutide could also be an option, but only after tirz has failed - at least semaglutide has actually been studied at much higher doses of 7.2mg and 16mg.

What is really needed are studies on what to do if glp therapy does not work or is only marginally effective, there will get done eventually but have not been done yet.

My thinking might be a bit biased towards that combination as it works for me tirz15mg/reta5mg/cagri0.5mg per week, but i lost most of the weight before starting any of them and am using it to try to keep off 55% of my body weight, and definitely respond more to these drugs than you seem to.

Perhaps you're simply unlucky and fall into the 5-10% of people who respond poorly to GLP's. Even so, another 2 -3 months, plus higher doses/combos, would be needed before drawing that conclusion.

After going through everything people wrote here, I'm leaning toward simply making the jump to tirz. No matter what I try, dropping weight has felt like an agonizing grind with barely anything to show for it. Maybe this is just how it is for me.

One more thing: my height is 5'11"

 

[Standish]

Your actual food intake is almost certainly higher than your estimate. In nearly every case, that is the root cause.

People frequently lowball or fail to log everything they eat, even with those tracking apps on their phones.

Switching from Reta over to Tirz, or stacking Tirz on top, could be worth considering.

Lifting weights and going for walks certainly have value, but as far as burning calories goes, neither ranks especially high. Running or cycling might be worth trying.

 

[MeanSteve]

Based on the Reta research that exists, you've probably gone past the point where it does much good. Around 8-9mpg was where the efficacy topped out. What you're hitting now is probably some other obstacle that Reta isn't able to address. If it were me, I'd check other options rather than increasing the dose.

 

[woundcarping]

Standish said:

Your actual food intake is almost certainly higher than your estimate. In nearly every case, that is the root cause.

People frequently lowball or fail to log everything they eat, even with those tracking apps on their phones.

Switching from Reta over to Tirz, or stacking Tirz on top, could be worth considering.

Lifting weights and going for walks certainly have value, but as far as burning calories goes, neither ranks especially high. Running or cycling might be worth trying.

For burning the highest number of calories, incline walking might be the method that feels the easiest.

MeanSteve said:

Based on the Reta research that exists, you've probably gone past the point where it does much good. Around 8-9mpg was where the efficacy topped out. What you're hitting now is probably some other obstacle that Reta isn't able to address. If it were me, I'd check other options rather than increasing the dose.

8-9mg was not the point where efficacy topped out.

 

[MeanSteve]

woundcarping said:

Standish said:

Your actual food intake is almost certainly higher than your estimate. In nearly every case, that is the root cause.

People frequently lowball or fail to log everything they eat, even with those tracking apps on their phones.

Switching from Reta over to Tirz, or stacking Tirz on top, could be worth considering.

Lifting weights and going for walks certainly have value, but as far as burning calories goes, neither ranks especially high. Running or cycling might be worth trying.

For burning the highest number of calories, incline walking might be the method that feels the easiest.

MeanSteve said:

Based on the Reta research that exists, you've probably gone past the point where it does much good. Around 8-9mpg was where the efficacy topped out. What you're hitting now is probably some other obstacle that Reta isn't able to address. If it were me, I'd check other options rather than increasing the dose.

8-9mg was not the point where efficacy topped out.

Yep, that's exactly what happened.

Since the whole point of these drugs is getting the MOST benefit from the LEAST amount of medication, the most effective dose turned out to be 8-9mg. Past 9mg, you hit what people call "diminishing returns". In engine tuning for ignition timing, we apply this same model. It's known as MBT. You arrive at a point where the power gain (here, the weight loss) starts dropping off steeply with every extra degree of timing (a higher dose).

 

[Draculawless]

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

 

[BasharTeg]

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

 

[Draculawless]

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

Whenever I attempt to share it on this platform, my submission ends up getting flagged and I'm blocked from posting. Still, it's BFF.

 

[breefree31]

Draculawless said:

Starting with the basics - my stats

Male, 44 years old: decent looking, though not exactly striking

Weight right now: 278

Weight when I began in Feb 2026: 295

Working out: I lift weights 3x weekly when my schedule allows. On my lunch break I try to walk about 2.5 miles at the quickest pace I can manage. That typically takes me somewhere between 35 and 40 minutes.

Food intake: I track everything with cronometer. Sitting at 1950 calories daily at the moment.

The situation:

I suspect I'm one of those people who responds slowly. Right now I'm taking 12mg of reta plus .75 of cag each week. For roughly a month my weight has been stuck near 280. I'm still able to eat, just less than before, but hunger is still there. Whenever I try cutting to 1500 calories, the HUNGER hits hard.

So what's the deal? Should I push the reta past the 12mg trial ceiling, or bump up the cag? Give it more time? Anyone else hit a wall right at the top of their dose?

Has a lab workup been completed on your end? Including a comprehensive thyroid and hormone panel?

I'm curious about the numbers for your Total Testosterone, Free Tesosterone, SHBG and E2.

On top of that, it would help to see where your IGF-1 and insulin resistance markers stand.

Inflammation markers such as CRP and ESR matter here too.

Thyroid values are another piece worth checking; TSH, Free t4, Free t3 and reverse T3.

Starting reta at 12mg is a hefty dose, so if you're still not seeing results, my guess is something else is happening beneath the surface.

 

[woundcarping]

Draculawless said:

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

Whenever I attempt to share it on this platform, my submission ends up getting flagged and I'm blocked from posting. Still, it's BFF.

Bff isn't perfect, though serious problems from him are uncommon. Last night I broke open another R60 from him.

Have you begun counting calories more closely? During the past month or so, my own weight loss has been somewhat odd, but I mostly put that down to complacency.

 

[Draculawless]

woundcarping said:

Draculawless said:

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

Whenever I attempt to share it on this platform, my submission ends up getting flagged and I'm blocked from posting. Still, it's BFF.

Bff isn't perfect, though serious problems from him are uncommon. Last night I broke open another R60 from him.

Have you begun counting calories more closely? During the past month or so, my own weight loss has been somewhat odd, but I mostly put that down to complacency.

Tracking has been all over the place for me, honestly. I went ahead and placed an order for some triz since I figure I could use stronger appetite suppression. Guess I'll find out whether it helps. Fingers crossed.

 

[woundcarping]

Draculawless said:

woundcarping said:

Draculawless said:

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

Whenever I attempt to share it on this platform, my submission ends up getting flagged and I'm blocked from posting. Still, it's BFF.

Bff isn't perfect, though serious problems from him are uncommon. Last night I broke open another R60 from him.

Have you begun counting calories more closely? During the past month or so, my own weight loss has been somewhat odd, but I mostly put that down to complacency.

Tracking has been all over the place for me, honestly. I went ahead and placed an order for some triz since I figure I could use stronger appetite suppression. Guess I'll find out whether it helps. Fingers crossed.

I've got some from that source too, but I haven't used any yet... I'd assume it's the usual top-notch quality.

 

[b_rad80]

My BFF reta is doing its job, and they appear to have a solid history. Before injecting, though, I did get mine tested. Over 3 months I've dropped 30 lb, eating 1800 calories daily, now at 282, age 46. I track calories very carefully, and if I can't measure something I likely overestimate it to stay on the safe side. Outside of work I'm not very active, but at work I'm on my feet all day managing a restaurant, so I stay quite active. There are so many variables, and everyone responds so differently that it's hard to single out one factor. When it comes to the medicine, I belong to the less-is-more camp.

 

[Draculawless]

breefree31 said:

Draculawless said:

Starting with the basics - my stats

Male, 44 years old: decent looking, though not exactly striking

Weight right now: 278

Weight when I began in Feb 2026: 295

Working out: I lift weights 3x weekly when my schedule allows. On my lunch break I try to walk about 2.5 miles at the quickest pace I can manage. That typically takes me somewhere between 35 and 40 minutes.

Food intake: I track everything with cronometer. Sitting at 1950 calories daily at the moment.

The situation:

I suspect I'm one of those people who responds slowly. Right now I'm taking 12mg of reta plus .75 of cag each week. For roughly a month my weight has been stuck near 280. I'm still able to eat, just less than before, but hunger is still there. Whenever I try cutting to 1500 calories, the HUNGER hits hard.

So what's the deal? Should I push the reta past the 12mg trial ceiling, or bump up the cag? Give it more time? Anyone else hit a wall right at the top of their dose?

Has a lab workup been completed on your end? Including a comprehensive thyroid and hormone panel?

I'm curious about the numbers for your Total Testosterone, Free Tesosterone, SHBG and E2.

On top of that, it would help to see where your IGF-1 and insulin resistance markers stand.

Inflammation markers such as CRP and ESR matter here too.

Thyroid values are another piece worth checking; TSH, Free t4, Free t3 and reverse T3.

Starting reta at 12mg is a hefty dose, so if you're still not seeing results, my guess is something else is happening beneath the surface.

It wasn't as thorough as the approach you laid out, but I got my labs checked about a month ago and the results were the best I've ever had (my triglycerides looked incredible, which has never happened before in my adult life). So my doctor figures nothing else should be a problem. Perhaps something is, but honestly I'm just happy to be where I am.

And 12mg wasn't where I began. I titrated up gradually, and truthfully I barely notice any of the side effects others describe. Yet 2.4 of sema had me feeling like I was being dragged straight to hell, so who really knows?

 

[woundcarping]

Draculawless said:

breefree31 said:

Draculawless said:

Starting with the basics - my stats

Male, 44 years old: decent looking, though not exactly striking

Weight right now: 278

Weight when I began in Feb 2026: 295

Working out: I lift weights 3x weekly when my schedule allows. On my lunch break I try to walk about 2.5 miles at the quickest pace I can manage. That typically takes me somewhere between 35 and 40 minutes.

Food intake: I track everything with cronometer. Sitting at 1950 calories daily at the moment.

The situation:

I suspect I'm one of those people who responds slowly. Right now I'm taking 12mg of reta plus .75 of cag each week. For roughly a month my weight has been stuck near 280. I'm still able to eat, just less than before, but hunger is still there. Whenever I try cutting to 1500 calories, the HUNGER hits hard.

So what's the deal? Should I push the reta past the 12mg trial ceiling, or bump up the cag? Give it more time? Anyone else hit a wall right at the top of their dose?

Has a lab workup been completed on your end? Including a comprehensive thyroid and hormone panel?

I'm curious about the numbers for your Total Testosterone, Free Tesosterone, SHBG and E2.

On top of that, it would help to see where your IGF-1 and insulin resistance markers stand.

Inflammation markers such as CRP and ESR matter here too.

Thyroid values are another piece worth checking; TSH, Free t4, Free t3 and reverse T3.

Starting reta at 12mg is a hefty dose, so if you're still not seeing results, my guess is something else is happening beneath the surface.

It wasn't as thorough as the approach you laid out, but I got my labs checked about a month ago and the results were the best I've ever had (my triglycerides looked incredible, which has never happened before in my adult life). So my doctor figures nothing else should be a problem. Perhaps something is, but honestly I'm just happy to be where I am.

And 12mg wasn't where I began. I titrated up gradually, and truthfully I barely notice any of the side effects others describe. Yet 2.4 of sema had me feeling like I was being dragged straight to hell, so who really knows?

Going past 12mg on its own is an option, or you could add it on top of whatever else you're taking.

 

[BNLFL]

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

There's also the red banner beneath your name that reads "No Source Discussion."

Draculawless said:

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

Whenever I attempt to share it on this platform, my submission ends up getting flagged and I'm blocked from posting. Still, it's BFF.

As mentioned earlier regarding being flagged. I've got 10 kits from BFF, every one with solid tests and volume.

 

[BasharTeg]

BNLFL said:

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

There's also the red banner beneath your name that reads "No Source Discussion."

Draculawless said:

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

Whenever I attempt to share it on this platform, my submission ends up getting flagged and I'm blocked from posting. Still, it's BFF.

As mentioned earlier regarding being flagged. I've got 10 kits from BFF, every one with solid tests and volume.

Alright, that's reasonable.

BNLFL said:

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

There's also the red banner beneath your name that reads "No Source Discussion."

Draculawless said:

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

BasharTeg said:

Draculawless said:

Could it be that my batch was simply no good? As I mentioned, it comes from a source that's heavily favored around here yet I'm not allowed to name, so there's no telling. Their testing results look great, though I never had my own vial analyzed.

When I was on sema earlier, it hit me like a punch to the stomach. It didn't actually take much weight off, but I'd only used it for 2 months before making the switch to reta, and it seemed like it might have worked lol?

My doctor runs a thyroid check at every appointment and clears me each time. Testosterone levels have been tested and look fine. Comprehensive blood work came back completely clean. So what's the reason? Possibly this... Lexapro. I've said before that I've now stopped taking it after several years, but this is a recent break, maybe around a couple weeks. Using ssri's back in my teens caused me to put on roughly 70 pounds, and once I stopped, it fell right off. Could that be what's going on?

Also, I'm considering trying the triz path through that same source, mainly because ordering would be simpler. If I go that route, what dose should I begin with?

What's stopping you from naming it in this space?

After all, you've got China suppliers openly advertising themselves right here, plus reviews of vendors and threads about them.

This is GLP1Chat, not Reddit, after all

That being said, batches vary between suppliers—and can even differ within a single supplier. You'll see underfilled ones, overfilled ones, and so on. There have even been cases where a vial labeled R20 turned out to be R10, and others where testing showed no peptides at all. So that's another thing to keep in mind.

Might be worth picking up a kit or two from a minimum of two other suppliers and seeing how the effects stack up.

Whenever I attempt to share it on this platform, my submission ends up getting flagged and I'm blocked from posting. Still, it's BFF.

As mentioned earlier regarding being flagged. I've got 10 kits from BFF, every one with solid tests and volume.

...and wouldn't you know it, right there in the same message warning against source talk, we've got source talk

Not trying to be harsh, just got a chuckle out of it

 

[lessthanhalf]

My starting BMI was 41, and that matters here, because I doubt that high dose combinations are automatically safe unless someone's obesity is severe enough that the health dangers clearly outweigh the treatment risks.

As I understand it, calories in still count, but these drugs work by lowering appetite, so that eating according to your body's own signals puts you in a deficit and you lose weight. Willpower-driven calorie restriction may deliver results for a while, yet over the long haul I don't believe it holds up. What the drugs are meant to do is suppress appetite enough to produce weight loss. About the only food or diet approach with long term potential is cutting out certain categories of food rather than cutting quantities, for example favoring lower calorie density items and staying away from higher calorie density items plus highly rewarding or addictive foods and high glycaemic index carbs.

From what you describe, it sounds like you are relatively insensitive to reta's weight loss effect, and possibly to cagri too, since you are still losing, only quite slowly. My suggestion would be to add tirz rather than switch. I doubt that moving to standard max dose tirz would beat 12mg of reta, not impossible, but not very likely. Adding a few mg of tirz and titrating up to 5 or even 10mg alongside reta could be worth a try, though. Mostly it comes down to using them at higher doses, since they aren't that different, but tirz has the strongest GIP receptor action, which may be useful. If tirz turned out to work better than you expected, you could then raise it and lower reta.

I went the opposite direction: tirz was far better than ozempic for me, with few side effects, and I didn't want to jeopardize that, but I was still quite hungry at 15mg, so I added a little reta at 5mg/w, which helped.

Another route would be eloralintide in place of cagri, since it is both more effective and produces fewer side effects than cagri. Cost would be the main obstacle: if you are fairly insensitive to it and need higher doses, 9mg/w would not come cheap. I think it runs about 2-300 usd /100mg, or that much for roughly 10 weeks.

 

[Hawk_recon]

lessthanhalf said:

My starting BMI was 41, and that matters here, because I doubt that high dose combinations are automatically safe unless someone's obesity is severe enough that the health dangers clearly outweigh the treatment risks.

As I understand it, calories in still count, but these drugs work by lowering appetite, so that eating according to your body's own signals puts you in a deficit and you lose weight. Willpower-driven calorie restriction may deliver results for a while, yet over the long haul I don't believe it holds up. What the drugs are meant to do is suppress appetite enough to produce weight loss. About the only food or diet approach with long term potential is cutting out certain categories of food rather than cutting quantities, for example favoring lower calorie density items and staying away from higher calorie density items plus highly rewarding or addictive foods and high glycaemic index carbs.

From what you describe, it sounds like you are relatively insensitive to reta's weight loss effect, and possibly to cagri too, since you are still losing, only quite slowly. My suggestion would be to add tirz rather than switch. I doubt that moving to standard max dose tirz would beat 12mg of reta, not impossible, but not very likely. Adding a few mg of tirz and titrating up to 5 or even 10mg alongside reta could be worth a try, though. Mostly it comes down to using them at higher doses, since they aren't that different, but tirz has the strongest GIP receptor action, which may be useful. If tirz turned out to work better than you expected, you could then raise it and lower reta.

I went the opposite direction: tirz was far better than ozempic for me, with few side effects, and I didn't want to jeopardize that, but I was still quite hungry at 15mg, so I added a little reta at 5mg/w, which helped.

Another route would be eloralintide in place of cagri, since it is both more effective and produces fewer side effects than cagri. Cost would be the main obstacle: if you are fairly insensitive to it and need higher doses, 9mg/w would not come cheap. I think it runs about 2-300 usd /100mg, or that much for roughly 10 weeks.

Your framing of what these drugs are meant to do really lands. It makes the mechanism click in a way I hadn't come across before. Solid insights!