My Reta 3 month Journey ( with Dexa scan results)

[Peptidedudez]

Reta use began November 2025.

1mg for week 1

2mg during weeks 2 through 4

4mg during weeks 5 through 8

5mg from week 8 to week 12

Starting stats: 269lbs on the scale, 73lbs fat, 188lbs lean mass, 27.2% body fat

Current stats: 231lbs, 54lbs fat, 168lbs lean mass, 23.7% body fat

I live in the gym and do weight training 5x weekly on a consistent basis. The scale going down a lot makes me happy, but what doesn't sit right is that fat accounted for 50% of the loss while muscle made up the other 50%. Fat mass dropped by 18lbs, muscle dropped by 19lbs.

The idea that retatrutide carries some kind of muscle sparing benefit does not hold up. I'll be honest: my protein intake slipped compared to what it was before reta because my appetite got hit. Still, I can't picture how much more muscle would have been gone if I weren't lifting.

Dexa scan results are attached

 

[zpped]

You went way overboard with reta in a short time, barely ate, dropped 40lbs within 2 months, and thought your muscle would stick around?

 

[Peptidedudez]

zpped said:

You went way overboard with reta in a short time, barely ate, dropped 40lbs within 2 months, and thought your muscle would stick around?

That's a reasonable point. My dose went up whenever appetite suppression wasn't really there — by the close of week 4 and week 8 I could barely feel it, so that's what drove the increases.

As for the muscle side of things, what I'm getting at is that among the 3 GLP-1s, Reta doesn't come with some guarantee that you'll hold onto your muscle. Losing 50% still strikes me as a huge amount, particularly for a person lifting weights 5 times a week.

 

[Sid the SeaGull]

I see your point, and I value your take. I suppose that since you had 40 pounds less on your frame, even though you're training intensely at the gym for specific muscle groups during a small fraction of each week, the remaining time in the week you aren't hauling that 40 pounds around, so muscle mass gets lost because extra muscle isn't needed to move that 40 pounds.

 

[woundcarping]

If the DEXA numbers hold up:

Across 71 days, 38lb came off — that's 14% of body weight in 10 weeks, or 3.8lb weekly (1.4%). Put another way, 10 weeks spent at a 1200 calorie daily deficit with protein on the low side.

Maybe titrating Reta by feel instead of by data wasn't ideal — particularly when those feelings meant knowingly shortchanging protein.

My own 78 days have brought a 28lb drop (10%). Food noise hits me harder than plain appetite suppression, so that's what I watch. Lifting began this month, exercise last month. HMB is in the mix, plus TRT started, both to protect lean mass.

I'd planned to hold off roughly 6 more weeks before DEXA #2, but your post has me thinking about checking earlier — while tweaks are still easy, I'd rather see how reality lines up with what I've been doing.

 

[yrrdead]

Peptidedudez said:

zpped said:

You went way overboard with reta in a short time, barely ate, dropped 40lbs within 2 months, and thought your muscle would stick around?

That's a reasonable point. My dose went up whenever appetite suppression wasn't really there — by the close of week 4 and week 8 I could barely feel it, so that's what drove the increases.

As for the muscle side of things, what I'm getting at is that among the 3 GLP-1s, Reta doesn't come with some guarantee that you'll hold onto your muscle. Losing 50% still strikes me as a huge amount, particularly for a person lifting weights 5 times a week.

To add to what Zipped said: you were dropping more than 3lbs each week. Even so, you kept ramping the dose up aggressively, which cut your calorie intake by a lot. Unless you were stacking other exogenous hormones, I don't see a reason you'd expect to hold onto muscle mass.

Around here you'll probably run into a few different schools of thought, but if you had stuck to trial titration schedules rather than doing whatever it is you did, the outcome would likely have been better. Alternatively, you could set titration based on real weight loss rather than on "feelings". Either one works.

I do agree it isn't magic, and I'm not sure why you thought it would be. Magic doesn't exist, sorry.

 

[ambot88]

yrrdead said:

Peptidedudez said:

zpped said:

You went way overboard with reta in a short time, barely ate, dropped 40lbs within 2 months, and thought your muscle would stick around?

That's a reasonable point. My dose went up whenever appetite suppression wasn't really there — by the close of week 4 and week 8 I could barely feel it, so that's what drove the increases.

As for the muscle side of things, what I'm getting at is that among the 3 GLP-1s, Reta doesn't come with some guarantee that you'll hold onto your muscle. Losing 50% still strikes me as a huge amount, particularly for a person lifting weights 5 times a week.

To add to what Zipped said: you were dropping more than 3lbs each week. Even so, you kept ramping the dose up aggressively, which cut your calorie intake by a lot. Unless you were stacking other exogenous hormones, I don't see a reason you'd expect to hold onto muscle mass.

Around here you'll probably run into a few different schools of thought, but if you had stuck to trial titration schedules rather than doing whatever it is you did, the outcome would likely have been better. Alternatively, you could set titration based on real weight loss rather than on "feelings". Either one works.

I do agree it isn't magic, and I'm not sure why you thought it would be. Magic doesn't exist, sorry.

Click to expand...

Honestly such a letdown — I want an injection that gets me lean and muscular at the same time. I've never gotten a dexa scan, so I have no numbers to compare, but I'm scared to find out how much lean tissue I've shed. The weight came off quickly and I barely spent time at the gym, so I figure it's pretty rough. Even so, I'd take skinny fat over plain fat fat any day.

 

[GeraltRedhammer]

Tempo spadku wagi wynosi u mnie mniej więcej 0,5 kg na tydzień, natomiast równolegle rośnie siła oraz masa mięśniowa. Klucz leży w tym, aby deficyt kaloryczny nie był zbyt agresywny i dostarczać odpowiednią ilość białka. Od 3 miesięcy przyjmuję 3 mg retatrutydu, robiąc przerwę 5/6 dni między dawkami.

 

[Minkster]

I've been using it for a bit more than 4 months, currently at 3.5mg, and I've only dropped 18lbs. I train with weights 4 days a week and aim for at least 100g of protein daily, and I really hope I'm not shedding much muscle. I'm a female in my 50s and still have roughly 15lbs left to lose. But the idea that Reta protects muscle is misinformation that's been spread all over Reddit.

 

[woundcarping]

ambot88 said:

yrrdead said:

Peptidedudez said:

zpped said:

You went way overboard with reta in a short time, barely ate, dropped 40lbs within 2 months, and thought your muscle would stick around?

That's a reasonable point. My dose went up whenever appetite suppression wasn't really there — by the close of week 4 and week 8 I could barely feel it, so that's what drove the increases.

As for the muscle side of things, what I'm getting at is that among the 3 GLP-1s, Reta doesn't come with some guarantee that you'll hold onto your muscle. Losing 50% still strikes me as a huge amount, particularly for a person lifting weights 5 times a week.

To add to what Zipped said: you were dropping more than 3lbs each week. Even so, you kept ramping the dose up aggressively, which cut your calorie intake by a lot. Unless you were stacking other exogenous hormones, I don't see a reason you'd expect to hold onto muscle mass.

Around here you'll probably run into a few different schools of thought, but if you had stuck to trial titration schedules rather than doing whatever it is you did, the outcome would likely have been better. Alternatively, you could set titration based on real weight loss rather than on "feelings". Either one works.

I do agree it isn't magic, and I'm not sure why you thought it would be. Magic doesn't exist, sorry.

Click to expand...

Honestly such a letdown — I want an injection that gets me lean and muscular at the same time. I've never gotten a dexa scan, so I have no numbers to compare, but I'm scared to find out how much lean tissue I've shed. The weight came off quickly and I barely spent time at the gym, so I figure it's pretty rough. Even so, I'd take skinny fat over plain fat fat any day.

Oil and water don't blend well together, so it's better to inject them separately

 

[zpped]

Peptidedudez said:

zpped said:

You went way overboard with reta in a short time, barely ate, dropped 40lbs within 2 months, and thought your muscle would stick around?

That's a reasonable point. My dose went up whenever appetite suppression wasn't really there — by the close of week 4 and week 8 I could barely feel it, so that's what drove the increases.

As for the muscle side of things, what I'm getting at is that among the 3 GLP-1s, Reta doesn't come with some guarantee that you'll hold onto your muscle. Losing 50% still strikes me as a huge amount, particularly for a person lifting weights 5 times a week.

Dexa-reported lean mass isn't equivalent to actual muscle tissue. There's a good chance another 10lbs of that drop was water, which the scan counts as lmm.

That said, easing off the pace will likely give you stronger outcomes.

 

[BinaryPinecone]

ambot88 said:

yrrdead said:

Peptidedudez said:

zpped said:

You went way overboard with reta in a short time, barely ate, dropped 40lbs within 2 months, and thought your muscle would stick around?

That's a reasonable point. My dose went up whenever appetite suppression wasn't really there — by the close of week 4 and week 8 I could barely feel it, so that's what drove the increases.

As for the muscle side of things, what I'm getting at is that among the 3 GLP-1s, Reta doesn't come with some guarantee that you'll hold onto your muscle. Losing 50% still strikes me as a huge amount, particularly for a person lifting weights 5 times a week.

To add to what Zipped said: you were dropping more than 3lbs each week. Even so, you kept ramping the dose up aggressively, which cut your calorie intake by a lot. Unless you were stacking other exogenous hormones, I don't see a reason you'd expect to hold onto muscle mass.

Around here you'll probably run into a few different schools of thought, but if you had stuck to trial titration schedules rather than doing whatever it is you did, the outcome would likely have been better. Alternatively, you could set titration based on real weight loss rather than on "feelings". Either one works.

I do agree it isn't magic, and I'm not sure why you thought it would be. Magic doesn't exist, sorry.

Click to expand...

Honestly such a letdown — I want an injection that gets me lean and muscular at the same time. I've never gotten a dexa scan, so I have no numbers to compare, but I'm scared to find out how much lean tissue I've shed. The weight came off quickly and I barely spent time at the gym, so I figure it's pretty rough. Even so, I'd take skinny fat over plain fat fat any day.

The name for it is testosterone enanthate.

 

[Muffyflowers]

Peptidedudez said:

Reta use began November 2025.

1mg for week 1

2mg during weeks 2 through 4

4mg during weeks 5 through 8

5mg from week 8 to week 12

Starting stats: 269lbs on the scale, 73lbs fat, 188lbs lean mass, 27.2% body fat

Current stats: 231lbs, 54lbs fat, 168lbs lean mass, 23.7% body fat

I live in the gym and do weight training 5x weekly on a consistent basis. The scale going down a lot makes me happy, but what doesn't sit right is that fat accounted for 50% of the loss while muscle made up the other 50%. Fat mass dropped by 18lbs, muscle dropped by 19lbs.

The idea that retatrutide carries some kind of muscle sparing benefit does not hold up. I'll be honest: my protein intake slipped compared to what it was before reta because my appetite got hit. Still, I can't picture how much more muscle would have been gone if I weren't lifting.

Dexa scan results are attached

Lean mass measurements include water and glycogen stored in muscle. So based on your diet and how inflamed you are, the results might actually be more favorable than they appear. Keep up the good work.

 

[BinaryPinecone]

Peptidedudez said:

Reta use began November 2025.

1mg for week 1

2mg during weeks 2 through 4

4mg during weeks 5 through 8

5mg from week 8 to week 12

Starting stats: 269lbs on the scale, 73lbs fat, 188lbs lean mass, 27.2% body fat

Current stats: 231lbs, 54lbs fat, 168lbs lean mass, 23.7% body fat

I live in the gym and do weight training 5x weekly on a consistent basis. The scale going down a lot makes me happy, but what doesn't sit right is that fat accounted for 50% of the loss while muscle made up the other 50%. Fat mass dropped by 18lbs, muscle dropped by 19lbs.

The idea that retatrutide carries some kind of muscle sparing benefit does not hold up. I'll be honest: my protein intake slipped compared to what it was before reta because my appetite got hit. Still, I can't picture how much more muscle would have been gone if I weren't lifting.

Dexa scan results are attached

Are there any before and after photos you could share? Has your lifting strength gone down at all?

 

[Peptidedudez]

BinaryPinecone said:

Peptidedudez said:

Reta use began November 2025.

1mg for week 1

2mg during weeks 2 through 4

4mg during weeks 5 through 8

5mg from week 8 to week 12

Starting stats: 269lbs on the scale, 73lbs fat, 188lbs lean mass, 27.2% body fat

Current stats: 231lbs, 54lbs fat, 168lbs lean mass, 23.7% body fat

I live in the gym and do weight training 5x weekly on a consistent basis. The scale going down a lot makes me happy, but what doesn't sit right is that fat accounted for 50% of the loss while muscle made up the other 50%. Fat mass dropped by 18lbs, muscle dropped by 19lbs.

The idea that retatrutide carries some kind of muscle sparing benefit does not hold up. I'll be honest: my protein intake slipped compared to what it was before reta because my appetite got hit. Still, I can't picture how much more muscle would have been gone if I weren't lifting.

Dexa scan results are attached

Are there any before and after photos you could share? Has your lifting strength gone down at all?

Strength definitely took a hit for me. My bench went from a single at 405lbs down to a single at 325lbs.

 

[lusty]

Water retention can swing a lot on a Dexa scan — the scan is highly sensitive to hydration status, glycogen stores, how much is sitting in your gut, and inflammation. Since Reta tends to reduce inflammation, that alone can cause a big drop in retained water.

That's exactly why you shouldn't rely on a single scan. You need additional reference points: whether your lifts held steady or fell off, and tape measurements showing which areas shrank the most.

On top of that, getting protein right matters most. Even while on Reta I keep my intake at 200g daily — typically high protein, low carb, with a moderate amount of fat. And I still push hard in the gym.

Also worth doing: get your testosterone levels tested. I had mine checked prior to starting Reta and it came back low. I've since done extensive investigating — I'm subclinical, but I'm now pursuing treatment because it has hurt my capacity to gain and keep muscle. Hopefully I'll qualify for the proper treatment, since the other problems it's causing also meet the criteria, even though my numbers aren't extremely low.

 

[Peptidedudez]

lusty said:

Water retention can swing a lot on a Dexa scan — the scan is highly sensitive to hydration status, glycogen stores, how much is sitting in your gut, and inflammation. Since Reta tends to reduce inflammation, that alone can cause a big drop in retained water.

That's exactly why you shouldn't rely on a single scan. You need additional reference points: whether your lifts held steady or fell off, and tape measurements showing which areas shrank the most.

On top of that, getting protein right matters most. Even while on Reta I keep my intake at 200g daily — typically high protein, low carb, with a moderate amount of fat. And I still push hard in the gym.

Also worth doing: get your testosterone levels tested. I had mine checked prior to starting Reta and it came back low. I've since done extensive investigating — I'm subclinical, but I'm now pursuing treatment because it has hurt my capacity to gain and keep muscle. Hopefully I'll qualify for the proper treatment, since the other problems it's causing also meet the criteria, even though my numbers aren't extremely low.

On Reta, how on earth do you manage to take in 200gm of protein? Wow

 

[lusty]

Peptidedudez said:

lusty said:

Water retention can swing a lot on a Dexa scan — the scan is highly sensitive to hydration status, glycogen stores, how much is sitting in your gut, and inflammation. Since Reta tends to reduce inflammation, that alone can cause a big drop in retained water.

That's exactly why you shouldn't rely on a single scan. You need additional reference points: whether your lifts held steady or fell off, and tape measurements showing which areas shrank the most.

On top of that, getting protein right matters most. Even while on Reta I keep my intake at 200g daily — typically high protein, low carb, with a moderate amount of fat. And I still push hard in the gym.

Also worth doing: get your testosterone levels tested. I had mine checked prior to starting Reta and it came back low. I've since done extensive investigating — I'm subclinical, but I'm now pursuing treatment because it has hurt my capacity to gain and keep muscle. Hopefully I'll qualify for the proper treatment, since the other problems it's causing also meet the criteria, even though my numbers aren't extremely low.

On Reta, how on earth do you manage to take in 200gm of protein? Wow

I follow a carnivore way of eating, mainly slow-cooked beef shin — 1kg of meat gives me over 200g of protein while only adding up to 2000 calories.

My current protocol is 0.5mg injected every 3 days. I’m deliberately keeping the dose on the low side, though I may increase it after an icecream slip-up the other night.

 

[BinaryPinecone]

Peptidedudez said:

BinaryPinecone said:

Peptidedudez said:

Reta use began November 2025.

1mg for week 1

2mg during weeks 2 through 4

4mg during weeks 5 through 8

5mg from week 8 to week 12

Starting stats: 269lbs on the scale, 73lbs fat, 188lbs lean mass, 27.2% body fat

Current stats: 231lbs, 54lbs fat, 168lbs lean mass, 23.7% body fat

I live in the gym and do weight training 5x weekly on a consistent basis. The scale going down a lot makes me happy, but what doesn't sit right is that fat accounted for 50% of the loss while muscle made up the other 50%. Fat mass dropped by 18lbs, muscle dropped by 19lbs.

The idea that retatrutide carries some kind of muscle sparing benefit does not hold up. I'll be honest: my protein intake slipped compared to what it was before reta because my appetite got hit. Still, I can't picture how much more muscle would have been gone if I weren't lifting.

Dexa scan results are attached

Are there any before and after photos you could share? Has your lifting strength gone down at all?

Strength definitely took a hit for me. My bench went from a single at 405lbs down to a single at 325lbs.

That's rough. How do you intend to proceed from here? I'd guess a good chunk of that lean mass will return fairly fast once you reach your target body fat percentage and move into maintenance, though it still stings.

lusty said:

Peptidedudez said:

lusty said:

Water retention can swing a lot on a Dexa scan — the scan is highly sensitive to hydration status, glycogen stores, how much is sitting in your gut, and inflammation. Since Reta tends to reduce inflammation, that alone can cause a big drop in retained water.

That's exactly why you shouldn't rely on a single scan. You need additional reference points: whether your lifts held steady or fell off, and tape measurements showing which areas shrank the most.

On top of that, getting protein right matters most. Even while on Reta I keep my intake at 200g daily — typically high protein, low carb, with a moderate amount of fat. And I still push hard in the gym.

Also worth doing: get your testosterone levels tested. I had mine checked prior to starting Reta and it came back low. I've since done extensive investigating — I'm subclinical, but I'm now pursuing treatment because it has hurt my capacity to gain and keep muscle. Hopefully I'll qualify for the proper treatment, since the other problems it's causing also meet the criteria, even though my numbers aren't extremely low.

On Reta, how on earth do you manage to take in 200gm of protein? Wow

I follow a carnivore way of eating, mainly slow-cooked beef shin — 1kg of meat gives me over 200g of protein while only adding up to 2000 calories.

My current protocol is 0.5mg injected every 3 days. I’m deliberately keeping the dose on the low side, though I may increase it after an icecream slip-up the other night.

the ninja creami solves that problem

 

[chemstud]

lusty said:

Water retention can swing a lot on a Dexa scan — the scan is highly sensitive to hydration status, glycogen stores, how much is sitting in your gut, and inflammation. Since Reta tends to reduce inflammation, that alone can cause a big drop in retained water.

That's exactly why you shouldn't rely on a single scan. You need additional reference points: whether your lifts held steady or fell off, and tape measurements showing which areas shrank the most.

On top of that, getting protein right matters most. Even while on Reta I keep my intake at 200g daily — typically high protein, low carb, with a moderate amount of fat. And I still push hard in the gym.

Also worth doing: get your testosterone levels tested. I had mine checked prior to starting Reta and it came back low. I've since done extensive investigating — I'm subclinical, but I'm now pursuing treatment because it has hurt my capacity to gain and keep muscle. Hopefully I'll qualify for the proper treatment, since the other problems it's causing also meet the criteria, even though my numbers aren't extremely low.

This method appeals to me. Are there any recommendations about timing for a DEXA scan? I have never had one done. For 4 weeks I have taken a low dose of Reta (1mg/wk). Appetite and alcohol suppression became noticeable. The alcohol suppression genuinely caught me off guard. I will pour a drink and it takes me ages to get through it, and I have no desire for a second one. So my drinking has clearly been reduced.