A heads-up regarding liver markers: my most recent bloodwork showed a slight worsening after roughly 8 weeks on Reta. I had thought those markers would get better, but I've since come across a few sources saying Reta may cause a short-term bump in them, and that hard workouts such as leg day can do the same. Worth keeping in mind before you look at your results.monkymate said:
Glad things are working out for you. According to the trials, 4mg is the lowest dose that isn't classified as a starter dose. That's the level I'm on, and I plan to remain there unless I hit a 6-week plateau. (meaning no change in average weight and nothing notable on my Wyze scale) Things moved quickly at first, but now it's down to 2-3lbs per week. If someone truly couldn't care less, they probably wouldn't click your name, scroll through your old posts, and note how often you comment — yet you do exactly that, and you come across as though you believe you know what's right for every clueless newcomer.BNLFL said:
Far as I can tell, tapering down to 3 or 2mg for a stretch isn't a big deal. Honestly, what you choose to do is your business, but this is just a pointer from somebody who's been at this longer than you have. Since the start of January, I've been dropping an average of 2.2lbs per week.monkymate said:
If slowing down were possible, I would. Given how I’m currently approaching it, though, I’m sticking to what I ought to be doing. My concern is what this could do to my gallbladder, and whether I might develop gallbladder disease. Still, when I weigh that against my diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, fatty liver, and obesity, I think that if gallbladder disease happens and I end up losing my gallbladder, I’ll be OK.
I haven't been around here long, and you're drawing a lot of conclusions from 1 or 2 posts. My doctor and the weight loss team at the VA are overseeing what I'm doing. They run a program for weight loss called MOVE. There are thresholds that flag excessive weight loss, and I weigh myself every day on a 4g lte telehealth monitor, so they receive my daily weights. I log every meal, all my activity, and my blood sugar. According to them, I'm doing great. They can see my exercise, food, and blood sugar. Next week I go in for labs to check my liver AST and ALT, which were elevated, and an ultrasound showed fatty liver plus a few small stones in my gallbladder going back 10 years. They're monitoring that. My sleep apnea has improved to the machine's lowest pressure setting of 4. My fasting morning blood sugar used to average as high as 140 and is now around 85. The one thing I haven't told them is that I'm taking Reta rather than the Zepbound they gave me 4 weeks ago. I spent over 2 years looking into all of this before finally taking the leap. I don't consider myself uninformed. Having come from Nuclear Navy and Submarines, I'd say I know a thing or two about researching a subject.
So as I said, I'll continue doing what I'm doing and follow my doctors' instructions. Best of luck on your journey.
That said, all cholesterol markers got better by about 15-20%, so overall the bloods are trending the right way.