Lab Rat Going Out On My Own

ftv10hb

Explorer
Joined
Jan 9, 2026
Messages
100
Reaction score
80
Location
CA
Hello from California! My first exposure to GLP-1 type treatments came through a clinical trial I took part in this summer. It was testing a new combination treatment from Metsera that hasn't been named yet. Over 12 weeks, we got 1 shot per week, and during that stretch I dropped 35 lbs! Then within 2 months, 20 of those pounds came back, though. Even so, it demonstrated how strong these treatments can be, because while I was on the study treatment my appetite and digestion were completely different in an amazing way. I would eat 1 hot dog and feel full for hours, or order 1 fast food burger and not be able to finish it, whereas before I could put away 2 with fries no problem lol. I dropped all that weight without altering my diet or working out (partly because the trial rules say we aren't supposed to change diet or exercise so they can isolate the treatment's effects, and partly because with such low calorie intake I had very little energy). I doubt I ate more than 1000-1200 calories/day, and that was purely because of the treatment, but I was also tired all the time, running out of energy before noon and asleep for the night by 9:00 lol. The trial did pay well, though, and even after regaining much of the weight, I kept some off and liked getting paid to lose weight lol. Overall, the experience left me curious about the whole GLP-1/peptide scene, and I realized I would need to do this again, and do it better, if I wanted to get the body changes I was after. Sadly, that meant paying for treatment myself rather than being paid, and injecting myself rather than having a professional do it, which was a real mental block I had to get past. A good friend of mine had gotten significant results doing it himself lately, though, and after watching him self-inject once, my fears went away. As of 2 weeks ago, I've begun a regimen of retatrutide, ghrp-2, and sermorelin, plus a healthier diet and more gym visits than I had during the medical trial lol. I haven't gotten the drastic weight loss or appetite suppression I saw in the trial, but I've lost about 5 lbs and noticed some muscle growth, and I'm definitely still eating less and staying full longer, and I've had far more energy throughout the day than I did in the trial. I think I want to keep this going for awhile, but when I get into something I really get into it and want to learn as much as I can about it, so that's why I'm here! I have so many questions that come up that I don't want to pester my friend with or fully trust him to have all the answers to lol. I don't know if this is the right forum to start asking those, but I'll be around and searching for info and asking questions and appreciate all the help anyone gives! Thanks!
 
Welcome. I appreciate you flagging the issue of weight coming back. For a large share of us—maybe most—these drugs are something we'll need indefinitely, and our freezers make that pretty clear.

Once you've gotten the hang of how the forum works, hitting Enter lets you split your writing into separate paragraphs, which makes it easier on the eyes:

Hello from California! My first exposure to GLP-1 type treatments came through a clinical trial I took part in this summer. It was testing a new combination treatment from Metsera that hasn't been named yet. Over 12 weeks, we got 1 shot per week, and during that stretch I dropped 35 lbs! Then within 2 months, 20 of those pounds came back, though. Even so, it demonstrated how strong these treatments can be, because while I was on the study treatment my appetite and digestion were completely different in an amazing way. I would eat 1 hot dog and feel full for hours, or order 1 fast food burger and not be able to finish it, whereas before I could put away 2 with fries no problem lol. I dropped all that weight without altering my diet or working out (partly because the trial rules say we aren't supposed to change diet or exercise so they can isolate the treatment's effects, and partly because with such low calorie intake I had very little energy). I doubt I ate more than 1000-1200 calories/day, and that was purely because of the treatment, but I was also tired all the time, running out of energy before noon and asleep for the night by 9:00 lol. The trial did pay well, though, and even after regaining much of the weight, I kept some off and liked getting paid to lose weight lol. Overall, the experience left me curious about the whole GLP-1/peptide scene, and I realized I would need to do this again, and do it better, if I wanted to get the body changes I was after. Sadly, that meant paying for treatment myself rather than being paid, and injecting myself rather than having a professional do it, which was a real mental block I had to get past. A good friend of mine had gotten significant results doing it himself lately, though, and after watching him self-inject once, my fears went away. As of 2 weeks ago, I've begun a regimen of retatrutide, ghrp-2, and sermorelin, plus a healthier diet and more gym visits than I had during the medical trial lol. I haven't gotten the drastic weight loss or appetite suppression I saw in the trial, but I've lost about 5 lbs and noticed some muscle growth, and I'm definitely still eating less and staying full longer, and I've had far more energy throughout the day than I did in the trial. I think I want to keep this going for awhile, but when I get into something I really get into it and want to learn as much as I can about it, so that's why I'm here! I have so many questions that come up that I don't want to pester my friend with or fully trust him to have all the answers to lol. I don't know if this is the right forum to start asking those, but I'll be around and searching for info and asking questions and appreciate all the help anyone gives! Thanks!
 
I just checked out Metsera. Looks like MET-097i performed well for them. From what I gather, they're aiming for a monthly glp-1 shot. My guess is that it could show up on the grey market at some point. Honestly, I'd probably miss my weekly injections. For me, shot day is something I get excited about each week.
 
Wow, stacking with that would be awesome, haha. Kind of like beginning with a small monthly foundation.

And naturally, "thank you for your service" for joining a clinical trial and sticking to whatever rules/schedule they handed you. I once attempted to enroll in one for a different thing, but the amount of driving from where I live was way too much.
 
Dos-Dox said:

Dropping 5 lbs, building muscle, (plus reducing inflammation) over 2 weeks is fantastic! Glad to have you here on the forum.
Appreciate it! Yeah, the drop in inflammation plus the other perks that showed up are a nice bonus too. I'd been dealing with knee joint pain that kept coming back, but while I was on treatment and the pounds dropped, it happened less often, and at this point it's basically disappeared.
 
swimmer said:

I just checked out Metsera. Looks like MET-097i performed well for them. From what I gather, they're aiming for a monthly glp-1 shot. My guess is that it could show up on the grey market at some point. Honestly, I'd probably miss my weekly injections. For me, shot day is something I get excited about each week.
After pulling up the consent paperwork from the start of the trial, I saw that MET-097 was included as a component of the combo they administered, paired with MET-233. Since I enrolled back in May, the exact role of each compound has slipped my memory, though a long-acting formulation seems very plausible to me—following our last dose, my appetite took at least 2 weeks to come back fully.
 
ftv10hb said:

swimmer said:

I just checked out Metsera. Looks like MET-097i performed well for them. From what I gather, they're aiming for a monthly glp-1 shot. My guess is that it could show up on the grey market at some point. Honestly, I'd probably miss my weekly injections. For me, shot day is something I get excited about each week.
After pulling up the consent paperwork from the start of the trial, I saw that MET-097 was included as a component of the combo they administered, paired with MET-233. Since I enrolled back in May, the exact role of each compound has slipped my memory, though a long-acting formulation seems very plausible to me—following our last dose, my appetite took at least 2 weeks to come back fully.

Only 2 weeks? That's crazy — for me, hunger typically kicks in a few days ahead of the next injection.

Every single time I stop taking a GLP, the weight comes bouncing back. I keep telling myself I'll dodge it or at least hold it down, but it never pans out. At this point I've accepted that I'll need to stay on something permanently, otherwise the pounds pile right back on once I quit.
 
Glad you're here, and it's great that you took part in a clinical trial.

One thing to keep in mind: among the GLP1s, Reta gives the least appetite suppression, while Sema gives the most, and Tirz sits in between.

I also picked up that if you don't make lifestyle adjustments (diet and exercise), your chances of rebound weight gain after quitting the meds go up quite a bit. Those who manage to keep the weight off once they stop are generally the people who altered their lifestyle.

Reading your post, it seems like you're already on a solid path with this. Spend plenty of time researching on this forum and you'll have no trouble locating the peptides you need at fair prices.

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes
 
Hyde7278 said:

Glad you're here, and it's great that you took part in a clinical trial.

One thing to keep in mind: among the GLP1s, Reta gives the least appetite suppression, while Sema gives the most, and Tirz sits in between.

I also picked up that if you don't make lifestyle adjustments (diet and exercise), your chances of rebound weight gain after quitting the meds go up quite a bit. Those who manage to keep the weight off once they stop are generally the people who altered their lifestyle.

Reading your post, it seems like you're already on a solid path with this. Spend plenty of time researching on this forum and you'll have no trouble locating the peptides you need at fair prices.

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes
Appreciate it! That info on Reta was new to me. It explains why my appetite isn't as suppressed now compared to when I was in the trial.
 
swimmer said:

I just checked out Metsera. Looks like MET-097i performed well for them. From what I gather, they're aiming for a monthly glp-1 shot. My guess is that it could show up on the grey market at some point. Honestly, I'd probably miss my weekly injections. For me, shot day is something I get excited about each week.
I have to admit, with a bit of embarrassment, that I now get excited for every single one of my injections. For someone who once had a crippling fear of needles, the irony is off the charts.
 
Back
Top