INTRO Greetings from southwestern Pennsylvania

[amylou0114]

Hi everyone, complete beginner here from Southwest PA. I’m a 56y/o female going through menopause, and I’m only now working out how to take better care of my health and wellbeing. I wish I’d discovered all this years ago! Oral meds got me down 26lbs over 6 months, but then the scale refused to budge, so I’m changing tack with Reta and finding out how peptides can fit alongside my HRT and how they might help my husband.

Thanks for having this forum — after a bit of lurking it looks like everyone here is lovely! I can’t wait to soak up as much as I can!

 

[Heavytruck]

Welcome. Plenty of kind folk post here, though there also appear to be a few with short fuses — moderators in particular, who have had to handle members who Ignore the rules and make keeping this place organised harder than it needs to be. I’ve been working through every rule I can locate, because there is so much useful information on this forum, it works like a cheat sheet and I don’t wanna have the privilege taken away. lol. All the best on your journey.

 

[amylou0114]

Heavytruck said:

Welcome. Plenty of kind folk post here, though there also appear to be a few with short fuses — moderators in particular, who have had to handle members who Ignore the rules and make keeping this place organised harder than it needs to be. I’ve been working through every rule I can locate, because there is so much useful information on this forum, it works like a cheat sheet and I don’t wanna have the privilege taken away. lol. All the best on your journey.

Thanks being able to feel better at last is exciting. Reta started today for me, and GLOW, LipoC/NAD+ and CJC1295 have been running for around 3 weeks now. Yesterday I added a 20day round of Cartalax. A car accident 19 years back plus a history of falling off horses are both making themselves felt, on top of everything menopause brings. Already I can tell I’m less stiff overall and my skin tone has evened out too. Sleep is better as well, and I no longer wake up drenched in sweat during the night. It feels like I lost years by not knowing about any of this sooner. Because of all the fear that got pushed around about HRT, I also began that much later in life than I should have.

 

[Heavytruck]

Yea I began with Reta, and ghk-cu should arrive Monday. My thinking is to go with the glow stack, only using individual injections. Still researching it though. Mind you, I’ve heard glow and Klow are great

 

[amylou0114]

Heavytruck said:

Yea I began with Reta, and ghk-cu should arrive Monday. My thinking is to go with the glow stack, only using individual injections. Still researching it though. Mind you, I’ve heard glow and Klow are great

Yes, going with the individual injections — or "stacking" them yourself into one syringe — is the right approach, since then each peptide can reach its full potential rather than being capped by whatever the blend gives you. Blends are handy but cost more, and you end up short of the maximum benefit from each one. That is my plan once I have used up my current supply.

 

[Terminix8]

Oh hello neighbour, another yinzer right here. Welcome aboard. I have not tried most of those personally, but a buddy of mine swears by NAD+ and KLOW. Cartalax was on the list of things I want to explore, since years of athletic injuries have left my joints aching endlessly. Keen to hear how it goes for you once your protocol is done.

 

[amylou0114]

Terminix8 said:

Oh hello neighbour, another yinzer right here. Welcome aboard. I have not tried most of those personally, but a buddy of mine swears by NAD+ and KLOW. Cartalax was on the list of things I want to explore, since years of athletic injuries have left my joints aching endlessly. Keen to hear how it goes for you once your protocol is done.

Up to this point, what I've seen is reduced hair shedding, better hair condition, and a more uniform tone to my skin. My energy levels have improved, I feel better overall, and my sleep has gotten better too. Since I sleep on my side, I used to wake with hip pain and pain running down 1 calf whenever I lay on that side. That no longer happens.

 

[SpicyQuinn]

amylou0114 said:

Heavytruck said:

Welcome. Plenty of kind folk post here, though there also appear to be a few with short fuses — moderators in particular, who have had to handle members who Ignore the rules and make keeping this place organised harder than it needs to be. I’ve been working through every rule I can locate, because there is so much useful information on this forum, it works like a cheat sheet and I don’t wanna have the privilege taken away. lol. All the best on your journey.

Thanks being able to feel better at last is exciting. Reta started today for me, and GLOW, LipoC/NAD+ and CJC1295 have been running for around 3 weeks now. Yesterday I added a 20day round of Cartalax. A car accident 19 years back plus a history of falling off horses are both making themselves felt, on top of everything menopause brings. Already I can tell I’m less stiff overall and my skin tone has evened out too. Sleep is better as well, and I no longer wake up drenched in sweat during the night. It feels like I lost years by not knowing about any of this sooner. Because of all the fear that got pushed around about HRT, I also began that much later in life than I should have.

Could you share any updates about how the Cartalax is performing? I'm considering giving it a try.

 

[AngieHolmes]

amylou0114 said:


I lost 26lbs on oral meds in 6 months but then couldn’t get the scale to move so

Click to expand...

Hello and welcome!

There's a disagreement on this forum that maybe you can help settle. One camp holds that dropping pounds comes down to self-discipline alone: quit the awful diets and simply move more.

The other camp has built solid eating and training plans -- many different versions, in fact -- and the number on the scale still refused to budge.

So I'd like to hear your take: how do you explain being able to shed weight while on meds, yet not without them? Do you see it as your own failing -- something caused by laziness and gluttony?

For the record, I belong to the second camp, so none of this is meant as blame toward you. What would you tell people who insist that only a tiny number of people truly cannot lose weight if they'd just try, and that nearly every other overweight person simply isn't putting in the effort? Women past menopause are a strong example, and so are women postpartum, that developmental shifts in our bodies can alter how well we manage our weight. In my opinion, neither is a fringe group.

 

[amylou0114]

SpicyQuinn said:

amylou0114 said:

Heavytruck said:

Welcome. Plenty of kind folk post here, though there also appear to be a few with short fuses — moderators in particular, who have had to handle members who Ignore the rules and make keeping this place organised harder than it needs to be. I’ve been working through every rule I can locate, because there is so much useful information on this forum, it works like a cheat sheet and I don’t wanna have the privilege taken away. lol. All the best on your journey.

Thanks being able to feel better at last is exciting. Reta started today for me, and GLOW, LipoC/NAD+ and CJC1295 have been running for around 3 weeks now. Yesterday I added a 20day round of Cartalax. A car accident 19 years back plus a history of falling off horses are both making themselves felt, on top of everything menopause brings. Already I can tell I’m less stiff overall and my skin tone has evened out too. Sleep is better as well, and I no longer wake up drenched in sweat during the night. It feels like I lost years by not knowing about any of this sooner. Because of all the fear that got pushed around about HRT, I also began that much later in life than I should have.

Could you share any updates about how the Cartalax is performing? I'm considering giving it a try.

My knee pain seems to have gone away.. and at this point I suspect it could be from the BPC/TB in the GLOW, since I only just wrapped up the cartalax round and the effects are supposed to take 4-6 weeks, maybe even longer, to truly kick in. Still, I have a friend who believes it will let her put off her knee replacement for a longer time. Her husband commented on a recent vacation that she hadn't been complaining about it, even with all the walking they did. For me, more time is needed before I can settle on my own view. My husband went through a round alongside me, and he has more issues, particularly his back, so we'll see how he does.

 

[amylou0114]

AngieHolmes said:

amylou0114 said:


I lost 26lbs on oral meds in 6 months but then couldn’t get the scale to move so

Click to expand...

Hello and welcome!

There's a disagreement on this forum that maybe you can help settle. One camp holds that dropping pounds comes down to self-discipline alone: quit the awful diets and simply move more.

The other camp has built solid eating and training plans -- many different versions, in fact -- and the number on the scale still refused to budge.

So I'd like to hear your take: how do you explain being able to shed weight while on meds, yet not without them? Do you see it as your own failing -- something caused by laziness and gluttony?

For the record, I belong to the second camp, so none of this is meant as blame toward you. What would you tell people who insist that only a tiny number of people truly cannot lose weight if they'd just try, and that nearly every other overweight person simply isn't putting in the effort? Women past menopause are a strong example, and so are women postpartum, that developmental shifts in our bodies can alter how well we manage our weight. In my opinion, neither is a fringe group.

My guess is that multiple factors are at play rather than any single one. Hormonal imbalance is well known to disrupt metabolism in a big way. I just got my blood work back, and the estrogen level my current HRT is giving me isn't where I want it, so I'm probably going to need to switch to a different approach. Right now I'm looking into that, and I'm leaning toward a hormone clinic rather than staying with my doctor.

Once your hormones are in balance, I believe diet and lifestyle changes will work better for you. Naltrexone and metformin were among the oral meds I was on. Metformin helps with insulin sensitivity.. though Reta does the same thing and in my opinion does it far better. I hadn't gotten blood work done, but since my weight sat mostly around my midsection, I figured I was likely becoming somewhat insulin resistant. The blood work I had done recently came back excellent.. in fact every lab was great apart from my estrogen.

 

[AngieHolmes]

amylou0114 said:

AngieHolmes said:

amylou0114 said:


I lost 26lbs on oral meds in 6 months but then couldn’t get the scale to move so

Click to expand...

Hello and welcome!

There's a disagreement on this forum that maybe you can help settle. One camp holds that dropping pounds comes down to self-discipline alone: quit the awful diets and simply move more.

The other camp has built solid eating and training plans -- many different versions, in fact -- and the number on the scale still refused to budge.

So I'd like to hear your take: how do you explain being able to shed weight while on meds, yet not without them? Do you see it as your own failing -- something caused by laziness and gluttony?

For the record, I belong to the second camp, so none of this is meant as blame toward you. What would you tell people who insist that only a tiny number of people truly cannot lose weight if they'd just try, and that nearly every other overweight person simply isn't putting in the effort? Women past menopause are a strong example, and so are women postpartum, that developmental shifts in our bodies can alter how well we manage our weight. In my opinion, neither is a fringe group.

My guess is that multiple factors are at play rather than any single one. Hormonal imbalance is well known to disrupt metabolism in a big way. I just got my blood work back, and the estrogen level my current HRT is giving me isn't where I want it, so I'm probably going to need to switch to a different approach. Right now I'm looking into that, and I'm leaning toward a hormone clinic rather than staying with my doctor.

Once your hormones are in balance, I believe diet and lifestyle changes will work better for you. Naltrexone and metformin were among the oral meds I was on. Metformin helps with insulin sensitivity.. though Reta does the same thing and in my opinion does it far better. I hadn't gotten blood work done, but since my weight sat mostly around my midsection, I figured I was likely becoming somewhat insulin resistant. The blood work I had done recently came back excellent.. in fact every lab was great apart from my estrogen.

It's great to see how proactive you are! I hope your HRT gets dialed in smoothly, and nice work on having your other labs exactly where you want them.

 

[amylou0114]

AngieHolmes said:

amylou0114 said:

AngieHolmes said:

amylou0114 said:


I lost 26lbs on oral meds in 6 months but then couldn’t get the scale to move so

Click to expand...

Hello and welcome!

There's a disagreement on this forum that maybe you can help settle. One camp holds that dropping pounds comes down to self-discipline alone: quit the awful diets and simply move more.

The other camp has built solid eating and training plans -- many different versions, in fact -- and the number on the scale still refused to budge.

So I'd like to hear your take: how do you explain being able to shed weight while on meds, yet not without them? Do you see it as your own failing -- something caused by laziness and gluttony?

For the record, I belong to the second camp, so none of this is meant as blame toward you. What would you tell people who insist that only a tiny number of people truly cannot lose weight if they'd just try, and that nearly every other overweight person simply isn't putting in the effort? Women past menopause are a strong example, and so are women postpartum, that developmental shifts in our bodies can alter how well we manage our weight. In my opinion, neither is a fringe group.

My guess is that multiple factors are at play rather than any single one. Hormonal imbalance is well known to disrupt metabolism in a big way. I just got my blood work back, and the estrogen level my current HRT is giving me isn't where I want it, so I'm probably going to need to switch to a different approach. Right now I'm looking into that, and I'm leaning toward a hormone clinic rather than staying with my doctor.

Once your hormones are in balance, I believe diet and lifestyle changes will work better for you. Naltrexone and metformin were among the oral meds I was on. Metformin helps with insulin sensitivity.. though Reta does the same thing and in my opinion does it far better. I hadn't gotten blood work done, but since my weight sat mostly around my midsection, I figured I was likely becoming somewhat insulin resistant. The blood work I had done recently came back excellent.. in fact every lab was great apart from my estrogen.

It's great to see how proactive you are! I hope your HRT gets dialed in smoothly, and nice work on having your other labs exactly where you want them.

Thank you.. Looking back, I really should have gotten started on this many years ago. At 56, I figure I ought to have begun about 15 years back.

As for whether I blame myself for any of it… no, I don't. That said, there's a guy I work with who is taking Reta and keeps saying it isn't doing anything for him, yet practically every day he mentions stopping at BK for 2 whoppers and so on. These medications can help, but you've still got to pay attention and can't just sit back and let the meds handle everything. He appears to be dealing with some psychological stuff and self loathing that feeds into his over eating. My own lifestyle is pretty healthy overall. I'm not someone who puts in hours at the gym, but I do eat well and stay active between my job, the horses, and my kid at home.