INTRO 5’5, 170 — years of training but appetite keeps winning. Considering GLP-1s

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shinogi0922

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Hi everyone,

I’ve been reading through a lot of threads on here and figured I’d just post and get some direct input.

I’m 5’5”, about 170 lbs right now, trying to get down to around 150. Since high school, I’ve been working out consistently, both cardio and strength training, so I’m not new to this. Throughout this course, my weight has fluctuated between 140-190. It's been a few years since i graduated, so I feel like I struggle to have a good understanding of what I SHOULD be doing.

One thing that makes things a little different for me is that I have fibular hemimelia with horrible arthritis, so I’ve had to adjust how I train over time to compensate for my weight/anatomy imbalance. I still stay active, but I can’t always just push harder or add more volume as the solution.

The biggest issue for me is honestly appetite. I can stay on track for a while, but it always feels like I’m fighting it. It doesn’t really feel like a knowledge problem at this point, more like I can’t fully get control of it long-term.

I’ve tried a lot already over the years. I’ve tracked calories, tried different diets, used weight loss pills that didn’t really lead to anything sustainable, and at one point I was on Adderall which definitely suppressed my appetite, but that’s not something I want to rely on.

Lately I’ve been looking more into GLP-1 options, especially retatrutide, since it seems like it works on multiple pathways. I haven’t been able to get anything approved through insurance, so I’m just trying to learn as much as I can before making any decisions.

I’m mainly trying to understand how people here actually view it beyond the hype, how it works on a deeper biological level, what realistic expectations look like, and what risks I should actually be paying attention to.

At this point, I'm trying to figure out if this could help me get the appetite side under control to match the effort I’m already putting in.

Appreciate any insight.
 
I've learned through personal experience that trying to out-train your diet is pretty much impossible. And unfortunately diet is more important when it comes to weight/physique. I'm at around 3mg of reta a week right now and loving it. I'm 6'1, male and the most I've weighed was 235. Cut down to 178 without taking anything. I trained really hard but my diet was dialed in. I counted my macros and hit them religiously. Was doing 40% protein, 30% carbs and fats.

On reta, I still train hard and I try to hit 200 grams of protein but I don't have to count anything. Started at 209 this time and just hit 188 on the scale. All the food noise just kind of goes away. I love sweets. Every night before I go to bed I feel like I need to have a little dessert. Usually do sourdough bread with butter jam and milk or a small bowl of cereal. I used to always work that in to my macros. On reta I find myself wanting to want that stuff because I genuinely don't anymore. You feel full quicker and the constant food noise that existed before is just gone.

Now I will say there are some downsides to that. I kind of feel that way about everything I loved doing before. Libido is down and the desire to do things I enjoy isn't as strong any more. Not sure if it's like that for everyone but I've definitely felt that.

If you want to control your appetite, reta and tirz are both awesome options. I will say I lose weight way faster when I'm eating clean and hitting my steps and working out. I try not to titrate up if I'm still feeling the effects of the reta. I know people that push through and still eat a lot and don't exercise and it doesn't work as well for them. With your situation even LISS cardio and body weight exercises work great.
 
I’m at about the same time as you (doing my fourth injection this coming Monday) but I also had the same reasons.

I am a runner and regularly do 50+ miles a week but my diet has just been so horrible - I’ve had the problem since I was a kid. Just no matter what I eat I cannot ever seem to be satisfied.

I’m at 2mg a week and it’s been mostly great. I’ve had issues with my RHR being elevated but supposedly that’s common if you came into this already kind of fit. Also it has taken a lot of the joy out of eating that I got - but I also don’t have to deal with the self loathing after I gorge myself so u guess it’s a fair trade.

Good luck.
 
Here's an update on my journey with Reta:

Since I've started in April I have dropped from 175 to 145. About 30lbs in four months. One thing worth mentioning is that I have also been using 10 mg XR dextroamphetamine around this time to help with a chronic attention deficit disorder. A common side affect of this is temporary appetite suppression.

Throughout this span, I've titrated from .5mgs of reta twice a week to 1.5 mgs twice a week as I adjust to the side affects, which were incredibly intense at the start.

My appetite was practically non existent throughout the day, to a point where I'd have to remind myself to eat because the thought of food no longer served as a need for gratification. With that being said, my track to acute malnutrition from not eating enough was short and quick. Coworkers noticed first. My movements became slow, I looked frail, and almost sickly, with dark circles around my eyes.

My energy levels changed drastically. Despite the obvious weight loss, my body and limbs felt heavier. My heart would pound after moderate activity. This stuck out to me especially because I do regular cardio throughout the week. Needless to say, my workouts are not as good as they were before. Instead of feeling rewarded, I feel incredibly drained after and need longer time to recover.

My heart rate has become significantly elevated and on some days I get painful heart palpitations after consuming caffeine, whether I am resting or not.

The days after I inject, my acne flares up a bit. My skin has been a lot more sensitive overall.

These are just observations that I've noticed. I have not gotten any general bloodwork done yet. Now that I have been more intentional with my dieting and making sure I eat enough to sustain myself, I have been feeling much better for the past month. My workouts have improved, and my brain fog has become less frequent.

Eating a balanced diet is such an integral part of well-being, regardless of what your goals are.
 
shinogi0922 said:


Hi everyone,

I’ve been reading through a lot of threads on here and figured I’d just post and get some direct input.

I’m 5’5”, about 170 lbs right now, trying to get down to around 150. Since high school, I’ve been working out consistently, both cardio and strength training, so I’m not new to this. Throughout this course, my weight has fluctuated between 140-190. It's been a few years since i graduated, so I feel like I struggle to have a good understanding of what I SHOULD be doing.

One thing that makes things a little different for me is that I have fibular hemimelia with horrible arthritis, so I’ve had to adjust how I train over time to compensate for my weight/anatomy imbalance. I still stay active, but I can’t always just push harder or add more volume as the solution.

The biggest issue for me is honestly appetite. I can stay on track for a while, but it always feels like I’m fighting it. It doesn’t really feel like a knowledge problem at this point, more like I can’t fully get control of it long-term.

I’ve tried a lot already over the years. I’ve tracked calories, tried different diets, used weight loss pills that didn’t really lead to anything sustainable, and at one point I was on Adderall which definitely suppressed my appetite, but that’s not something I want to rely on.

Lately I’ve been looking more into GLP-1 options, especially retatrutide, since it seems like it works on multiple pathways. I haven’t been able to get anything approved through insurance, so I’m just trying to learn as much as I can before making any decisions.

I’m mainly trying to understand how people here actually view it beyond the hype, how it works on a deeper biological level, what realistic expectations look like, and what risks I should actually be paying attention to.

At this point, I'm trying to figure out if this could help me get the appetite side under control to match the effort I’m already putting in.

Appreciate any insight.

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Reta's an insanely good option because it significantly lowers appetites and you'll see everyone loses so much weight on it
 
The trick now is keeping the weight off.

Work on that diet. Nutrition is the cornerstone that everything you said you want must be built on. Don't be afraid of tracking, logging and using an AI to analyze your nutrition and for advice on how to improve your diet.
 
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