Keeping Muscle While Using Reta

[Llanitox]

PepDino said:

Stayinalive said:

Is anyone else dealing with strong urges to eat sweets when taking RETA? A few months back I did a cycle, and ever since I came off it, I have not been able to shake cravings for junk food. I began again roughly 3 weeks ago at 1mg, and today I increased to 1.5mg. Even so, I consumed an entire bag of gummy snacks, around 40 pieces, plus a sleeve of cookies, roughly 16. This sort of impulse never used to happen to me — occasionally, sure, but not every day.

While taking Reta, I occasionally find myself wanting sugary foods. Lately it's been sour Skittles and some banana raisin cookies I made at home (sweets aren't usually a big part of my diet). I probably could have finished half the bag, but I caught myself, put everything away, and had no trouble avoiding other snacks for the rest of the evening. In the past, that scenario would turn into a 2-4 hour mental fight that I'd lose 20-50% of the time, ending with me heading to the kitchen at 1am and going to sleep feeling let down by myself.

Funny, since sour patch kids were exactly what I kept wanting haha

 

[Smiter]

Florus2026 said:

My mornings typically kick off with a solid serving—20+g or more—of hydrolyzed creatine peptide sourced from grass-fed sources. While this isn't a complete protein and has limited BCAA content, it still supplies protein, pairs nicely with the GHK-CU I also take, and lets me begin the day without triggering an insulin spike. For the remaining meals, I make protein from actual food the priority—everything from beans and lentils through to eggs and white meats.

Cardio isn't really part of my routine (sauna sessions aside), but I do lift weights to preserve and grow muscle.

As for cravings, they're far easier to handle while on Reta, and whenever I do cave in, I cut myself off much sooner than I would have in the past.

Wishing you the best!

When you say peptides, do you mean collagen rather than creatine?

 

[Hawk_recon]

Llanitox said:

PepDino said:

Stayinalive said:

Is anyone else dealing with strong urges to eat sweets when taking RETA? A few months back I did a cycle, and ever since I came off it, I have not been able to shake cravings for junk food. I began again roughly 3 weeks ago at 1mg, and today I increased to 1.5mg. Even so, I consumed an entire bag of gummy snacks, around 40 pieces, plus a sleeve of cookies, roughly 16. This sort of impulse never used to happen to me — occasionally, sure, but not every day.

While taking Reta, I occasionally find myself wanting sugary foods. Lately it's been sour Skittles and some banana raisin cookies I made at home (sweets aren't usually a big part of my diet). I probably could have finished half the bag, but I caught myself, put everything away, and had no trouble avoiding other snacks for the rest of the evening. In the past, that scenario would turn into a 2-4 hour mental fight that I'd lose 20-50% of the time, ending with me heading to the kitchen at 1am and going to sleep feeling let down by myself.

Funny, since sour patch kids were exactly what I kept wanting haha

I have zero self-control when it comes to Sour Patch Kids!

 

[Florus2026]

Smiter said:

Florus2026 said:

My mornings typically kick off with a solid serving—20+g or more—of hydrolyzed creatine peptide sourced from grass-fed sources. While this isn't a complete protein and has limited BCAA content, it still supplies protein, pairs nicely with the GHK-CU I also take, and lets me begin the day without triggering an insulin spike. For the remaining meals, I make protein from actual food the priority—everything from beans and lentils through to eggs and white meats.

Cardio isn't really part of my routine (sauna sessions aside), but I do lift weights to preserve and grow muscle.

As for cravings, they're far easier to handle while on Reta, and whenever I do cave in, I cut myself off much sooner than I would have in the past.

Wishing you the best!

When you say peptides, do you mean collagen rather than creatine?

You're correct — hydrolyzed collagen was what I had in mind, and I appreciate you catching that. Unfortunately, editing the post is no longer possible.

(As a side note, I also use either 15-20g of Creatine Monohydrate or 6-10g of Creatine HCL.)

 

[Sid the SeaGull]

Smiter said:

Florus2026 said:

My mornings typically kick off with a solid serving—20+g or more—of hydrolyzed creatine peptide sourced from grass-fed sources. While this isn't a complete protein and has limited BCAA content, it still supplies protein, pairs nicely with the GHK-CU I also take, and lets me begin the day without triggering an insulin spike. For the remaining meals, I make protein from actual food the priority—everything from beans and lentils through to eggs and white meats.

Cardio isn't really part of my routine (sauna sessions aside), but I do lift weights to preserve and grow muscle.

As for cravings, they're far easier to handle while on Reta, and whenever I do cave in, I cut myself off much sooner than I would have in the past.

Wishing you the best!

When you say peptides, do you mean collagen rather than creatine?

Probably peptides derived from bovine sources, excellent for cartilage

 

[lastresort]

Lots of greek yogurt.

 

[RoadRash]

Four months into Reta, I've hit my target weight with a 45 lb loss. By prioritizing resistance training and adequate protein, I've managed to keep the majority of my muscle. Reta works well for this provided I'm fueling correctly, training consistently, and getting sufficient recovery.

 

[Stayinalive]

Sid the SeaGull said:

Smiter said:

Florus2026 said:

My mornings typically kick off with a solid serving—20+g or more—of hydrolyzed creatine peptide sourced from grass-fed sources. While this isn't a complete protein and has limited BCAA content, it still supplies protein, pairs nicely with the GHK-CU I also take, and lets me begin the day without triggering an insulin spike. For the remaining meals, I make protein from actual food the priority—everything from beans and lentils through to eggs and white meats.

Cardio isn't really part of my routine (sauna sessions aside), but I do lift weights to preserve and grow muscle.

As for cravings, they're far easier to handle while on Reta, and whenever I do cave in, I cut myself off much sooner than I would have in the past.

Wishing you the best!

When you say peptides, do you mean collagen rather than creatine?

Probably peptides derived from bovine sources, excellent for cartilage

If you're on them, could you share the brand you use? I've been shopping around, but I keep stalling on a purchase since so many brands seem to be little more than plain gelatin with no flavor, and sorting through all of them wears me out.

 

[tendency]

woundcarping said:


I’ve lost single digit percentage lean mass vs total mass over the last thirty something pounds as indicated by sequential DEXA scans.

When I prioritized protein, I lost even less lean mass than when I didn’t.

Theoretically “anti-catabolic/lean sparing in varying degrees” supplements I use

TRT

Reta

HMB-FA

Creatine

Glycine

Taurine

That plus protein and lifting, for me, would practically stagnate losing actual contractile fiber.

When you first start losing weight the various forms of water weight (glycogen, inflammation, etc) that come off quickly in the first weeks are lean mass on a DEXA, but for the purposes of preserving muscle, it’s not important.

Click to expand...

Really, your whole list can be tossed out — the short version is just TRT

As long as you're on T and doing resistance training, holding onto muscle — or even adding some — during GLP use is pretty straightforward. That's the bottom line.

I'm guessing the original poster isn't interested in anabolics and wants options that are natural.

 

[woundcarping]

tendency said:


you can basically delete everything on your list and TL;DR it by simply highlighting TRT

It's quite easy to maintain muscle mass - and even grow a bit - while on GLPs if you take T and lift - full stop.

im assuming original poster does not want to take anabolics and is looking for natural suggestions.

Click to expand...

My total test sits in the 700s, so nothing extreme.

Without a doubt, TRT is the strongest component in my stack, yet given the price relative to the results, pulling anything out doesn't serve me. Apart from HMB-FA, each item brings multiple benefits beyond just preserving lean tissue.

Holding onto muscle isn't some huge achievement, but in reality, avoiding lean mass loss during weight loss is basically unworkable. Period.

 

[Sid the SeaGull]

Stayinalive said:

Sid the SeaGull said:

Smiter said:

Florus2026 said:

My mornings typically kick off with a solid serving—20+g or more—of hydrolyzed creatine peptide sourced from grass-fed sources. While this isn't a complete protein and has limited BCAA content, it still supplies protein, pairs nicely with the GHK-CU I also take, and lets me begin the day without triggering an insulin spike. For the remaining meals, I make protein from actual food the priority—everything from beans and lentils through to eggs and white meats.

Cardio isn't really part of my routine (sauna sessions aside), but I do lift weights to preserve and grow muscle.

As for cravings, they're far easier to handle while on Reta, and whenever I do cave in, I cut myself off much sooner than I would have in the past.

Wishing you the best!

When you say peptides, do you mean collagen rather than creatine?

Probably peptides derived from bovine sources, excellent for cartilage

If you're on them, could you share the brand you use? I've been shopping around, but I keep stalling on a purchase since so many brands seem to be little more than plain gelatin with no flavor, and sorting through all of them wears me out.

Hydrolyzed Bovine Collagen Powder | Unflavoured | Vital Proteins



Our VITAL PROTEINS Collagen Peptide powder comes from a premium bovine source, contains just 1 ingredient, has no flavour, and is simple to digest.

www.vitalproteins.com.au

They offer several varieties, and plenty of other brands exist too.

Unflavoured is my preference—I stir it into soup along with protein powder.