Calories, protein and a reta start — advice?

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delboy19

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hi everyone

starting reta shortly. currently 190cm and sitting at 112/114kg, aiming to drop to somewhere around 80/85 before bulking back up

plan is to begin at 0.5mg weekly and take it from there

right now the weights happen 3 times a week, with another session likely getting added, and my step count will go up

food is at 2500kcls, 200gr protein, 40/50gr fat and the remainder carbs

once i get on the reta, do i try to keep intake the same, or will the appetite suppression make that unrealistic?
 
You likely won't manage to eat as much as before. Just prioritize protein—protein shakes can help—and hit the weights hard.
 
Since keeping muscle clearly matters to you, that means the weight needs to come off at a fairly slow pace. A pound up to a pound and a half weekly is likely the ceiling (roughly 1/2-3/4 a kilo). Go beyond that and muscle loss becomes a real problem. So assuming 2500 is maintenance, yeah, I'd likely begin at that level and monitor closely. Because you're on a low dose, some reduction may be necessary, but I wouldn't slash calories hard and kick off Reta simultaneously. Simply getting protein in won't protect you. It beats not doing it, but it's still far inferior to managing your deficit.
 
That tracks, appreciate it!

I'm aiming to drop 1.5/2 pounds each week if I can, though I'd be fine with a slower pace too.

was curious how tough that would be at 2.5kcl daily
 
took 1mg on friday and honestly there's zero appetite suppression lol

did notice some slight stomach rumbling plus mild nausea on sunday
 
My target sits at 1800 - 2000, roughly matching my bmr while simply lying around. Add gym sessions, yoga, and walks, and I'm burning 500 to 1000 on most days. A pound per week is what I want gone, and a 500 calorie daily deficit multiplied by 7 days gets me exactly there. Sticking with it isn't difficult, and Reta makes it quite achievable, yet an urge to eat more shows up often and is very resistible. After you start tracking, you realize just how much you used to eat.
 
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