My original 6 week update is here: 6 Week Update
Work and life have kept me busy, so this is only now getting written up: my report at 18 weeks of Reta.
What I was after:
Extra support with appetite suppression was the aim, plus shifting some excess fat sitting on my lower stomach and love handles. My diet has deliberately stayed mostly as it was; rather than counting calories I simply keep protein above 130-180g a day at least, and take in enough carbs that Reta doesn't make life miserable.
The love handles were the part of my body that nothing I tried could touch, and I was intent on doing something about them — Reta delivered exactly that. Around 19% body fat became 12%.
Was Reta about genuinely losing weight for a healthier lifestyle? No. Was it a tool that helped me lean out? Yes.
Eating:
Eating has stayed consistent: roughly 130-180 grams of protein a day, low fat, and a deliberate increase in carbs so that training on Reta stayed workable. Put simply, you have to feed Reta, because the glucagon receptor is what we're trying to work with. Protein was my only concern until the lifts began plummeting. A 225lb back squat felt weak when, before reta, I'd been front squatting 345 for 2-3 reps. That was distressing enough that I raised my carbs and forced more food down. Hard at first, easier later. Working through the carb problem is what finally let me eat and run my body efficiently on Reta.
Mixing it up:
Low and slow is my philosophy: as long as results keep coming, a lower dose held over time is the better outcome.
The low and slow approach still stands for me. There wasn't a ton of weight to lose in my case, so staying at the lowest dose that worked — elongated progress, sure — suited me, particularly on the side effect front (reta and I did not get along for a while) and on cost, since large quantities never had to be bought.
Weeks 1 through 6 below:
What I ran into:
Bear in mind that every side effect below is just my own experience — Reta can land differently on other people. Splitting doses is how I reduced what I was feeling, and once I'd got past them I moved to full weekly doses after hearing they work better, though honestly I doubt it matters much. Someone I know gets Tirz prescribed by a doctor and breaks 6mg into (3) 2mg shots a week. So do what makes you feel the best.
Test level came in at 332 while on Reta at the high dose
With HCG in the mix and reta at a low dose, I'm at 717
HCG is a recent addition that only overlaps this period slightly, so there may be an update in future — but the lifts are climbing, energy is back, my mental state is very positive again, and both desire and performance have increased.
The big picture:
The biggest lesson from these 18 weeks is that nearly all the negative side effects either faded or became manageable. The first 6 to 8 weeks were the hardest stretch by far, and more than once I questioned whether carrying on was worth it. Fatigue, skin sensitivity, flu-like symptoms, no motivation, poor recovery, gut trouble, and eventually the hit to libido and testosterone meant there were stretches where Reta and I were not on good terms.
Over time I worked out that much of what I was dealing with came down to under-eating, carbs especially. Increasing carbs and giving up on surviving on protein alone is what turned training performance around, brought my energy back, improved recovery and sleep, and made most of the side effects far less noticeable. My HRV was back at baseline by weeks 12 to 13 and has stayed there.
The gut side effects are now more or less fully normalised. Whatever I ate, stool quality went back to normal, and the digestive upside that first convinced me to hold a lower maintenance dose stayed. To me that is one of the most underrated arguments for staying on Reta at a lower dose.
The one thing that never improved enough by itself was the effect on libido, sexual performance and testosterone. Once my testosterone had dropped into the low 300s and I felt noticeably flat in body and mind, I went to my doctor about it. Adding HCG while reducing my Reta dose has taken my testosterone from 332 to 717. The numbers matter less than this: I feel like a completely different person. Energy is back, motivation is far higher, the lifts are climbing again, recovery feels better, and my mood and mental outlook have improved dramatically.
Some side effects lingered even after the nutrition problems were solved, and HCG seems to have gone straight at them. No libido, less sexual sensitivity, poor performance, feeling emotionally flat, that general sense of being depleted — all of it improved substantially once HCG started. Raising carbs had dealt with a lot of the fatigue and recovery trouble earlier on, but the hormonal piece is what HCG finally fixed. Since HCG arrived at the same time as my Reta dose was coming down, it's hard to divide the credit precisely, though the overall improvement has been significant.
Wrapping up:
On balance I'd call the experiment a success — exactly what I set out to do. The love handles are dramatically reduced, the lower stomach is noticeably leaner, and approximately 19% body fat became around 12%. Areas that had resisted everything for years finally responded.
Equally important: my build and strength held up once I learned to fuel myself properly on the medication. There was certainly a stretch where too few carbs hurt my lifts, and fixing that changed a great deal. Performance is trending upward again now, and I feel much more like myself.
Was Reta taken because I actually needed to lose weight? No. It was a tool for a physique goal I'd struggled to reach naturally, and for that purpose it delivered exactly what I hoped. As with anything there were tradeoffs, some of them significant. Still, dose adjustments, better nutrition, and dealing with the hormonal problems that came up along the way got me to a balance that works well.
For now the plan is a low maintenance dose that keeps the benefits while holding side effects down. These 18 weeks have been a long stretch of trial and error, but I finally understand how my body answers to Reta and what it takes to run it successfully. HCG has become part of that equation too, resolving things Reta alone never fully did and letting me keep benefiting from the compound without giving up how I feel day to day.
Work and life have kept me busy, so this is only now getting written up: my report at 18 weeks of Reta.
What I was after:
Extra support with appetite suppression was the aim, plus shifting some excess fat sitting on my lower stomach and love handles. My diet has deliberately stayed mostly as it was; rather than counting calories I simply keep protein above 130-180g a day at least, and take in enough carbs that Reta doesn't make life miserable.
The love handles were the part of my body that nothing I tried could touch, and I was intent on doing something about them — Reta delivered exactly that. Around 19% body fat became 12%.
Was Reta about genuinely losing weight for a healthier lifestyle? No. Was it a tool that helped me lean out? Yes.
Eating:
Eating has stayed consistent: roughly 130-180 grams of protein a day, low fat, and a deliberate increase in carbs so that training on Reta stayed workable. Put simply, you have to feed Reta, because the glucagon receptor is what we're trying to work with. Protein was my only concern until the lifts began plummeting. A 225lb back squat felt weak when, before reta, I'd been front squatting 345 for 2-3 reps. That was distressing enough that I raised my carbs and forced more food down. Hard at first, easier later. Working through the carb problem is what finally let me eat and run my body efficiently on Reta.
Mixing it up:
- Vial of 12mg, reconstituted in 1ML of Hospira bacteriostatic water
- Using a 100 unit (1ML) syringe, 1mg works out to 8 units
Low and slow is my philosophy: as long as results keep coming, a lower dose held over time is the better outcome.
The low and slow approach still stands for me. There wasn't a ton of weight to lose in my case, so staying at the lowest dose that worked — elongated progress, sure — suited me, particularly on the side effect front (reta and I did not get along for a while) and on cost, since large quantities never had to be bought.
Weeks 1 through 6 below:
- 1.0mg (8 units)
- 1.0mg (8 units)
- 1.5mg (12 units)
- 1.0mg (8 units, Sunday) + 0.5mg (4 units, Thursday)
- 1.0mg (8 units, Sunday) + 0.5mg (4 units, Thursday)
- 1.0mg (8 units, Sunday) + 1.0mg (8 units, Thursday)
- 1.0mg (8 units, Sunday) + 1.0mg (8 units, Thursday)
- 1.0mg (8 units, Sunday) + 1.0mg (8 units, Thursday)
- 2.0mg (16 units, Sunday)
- 2.0mg (16 units, Sunday)
- 2.0mg (16 units, Sunday)
- 2.0mg (16 units, Sunday)
- 2.5mg (20 units, Sunday)
- 2.5mg (20 units, Sunday)
- 2.5mg (20 units, Sunday)
- 2.0mg (20 units, Sunday)
- 2.0mg (20 units, Sunday)
- 1.5mg (16 units, Sunday)
What I ran into:
Bear in mind that every side effect below is just my own experience — Reta can land differently on other people. Splitting doses is how I reduced what I was feeling, and once I'd got past them I moved to full weekly doses after hearing they work better, though honestly I doubt it matters much. Someone I know gets Tirz prescribed by a doctor and breaks 6mg into (3) 2mg shots a week. So do what makes you feel the best.
- NEW: Sex Drive / Libido / Testosterone
Test level came in at 332 while on Reta at the high dose
With HCG in the mix and reta at a low dose, I'm at 717
HCG is a recent addition that only overlaps this period slightly, so there may be an update in future — but the lifts are climbing, energy is back, my mental state is very positive again, and both desire and performance have increased.
- Skin Sensitivity, Flu-Like Symptoms, and Feeling Cold
- Gut Sensitivity to Sugar and More Carbs
- Mood, Sleep, and Recovery
The big picture:
The biggest lesson from these 18 weeks is that nearly all the negative side effects either faded or became manageable. The first 6 to 8 weeks were the hardest stretch by far, and more than once I questioned whether carrying on was worth it. Fatigue, skin sensitivity, flu-like symptoms, no motivation, poor recovery, gut trouble, and eventually the hit to libido and testosterone meant there were stretches where Reta and I were not on good terms.
Over time I worked out that much of what I was dealing with came down to under-eating, carbs especially. Increasing carbs and giving up on surviving on protein alone is what turned training performance around, brought my energy back, improved recovery and sleep, and made most of the side effects far less noticeable. My HRV was back at baseline by weeks 12 to 13 and has stayed there.
The gut side effects are now more or less fully normalised. Whatever I ate, stool quality went back to normal, and the digestive upside that first convinced me to hold a lower maintenance dose stayed. To me that is one of the most underrated arguments for staying on Reta at a lower dose.
The one thing that never improved enough by itself was the effect on libido, sexual performance and testosterone. Once my testosterone had dropped into the low 300s and I felt noticeably flat in body and mind, I went to my doctor about it. Adding HCG while reducing my Reta dose has taken my testosterone from 332 to 717. The numbers matter less than this: I feel like a completely different person. Energy is back, motivation is far higher, the lifts are climbing again, recovery feels better, and my mood and mental outlook have improved dramatically.
Some side effects lingered even after the nutrition problems were solved, and HCG seems to have gone straight at them. No libido, less sexual sensitivity, poor performance, feeling emotionally flat, that general sense of being depleted — all of it improved substantially once HCG started. Raising carbs had dealt with a lot of the fatigue and recovery trouble earlier on, but the hormonal piece is what HCG finally fixed. Since HCG arrived at the same time as my Reta dose was coming down, it's hard to divide the credit precisely, though the overall improvement has been significant.
Wrapping up:
On balance I'd call the experiment a success — exactly what I set out to do. The love handles are dramatically reduced, the lower stomach is noticeably leaner, and approximately 19% body fat became around 12%. Areas that had resisted everything for years finally responded.
Equally important: my build and strength held up once I learned to fuel myself properly on the medication. There was certainly a stretch where too few carbs hurt my lifts, and fixing that changed a great deal. Performance is trending upward again now, and I feel much more like myself.
Was Reta taken because I actually needed to lose weight? No. It was a tool for a physique goal I'd struggled to reach naturally, and for that purpose it delivered exactly what I hoped. As with anything there were tradeoffs, some of them significant. Still, dose adjustments, better nutrition, and dealing with the hormonal problems that came up along the way got me to a balance that works well.
For now the plan is a low maintenance dose that keeps the benefits while holding side effects down. These 18 weeks have been a long stretch of trial and error, but I finally understand how my body answers to Reta and what it takes to run it successfully. HCG has become part of that equation too, resolving things Reta alone never fully did and letting me keep benefiting from the compound without giving up how I feel day to day.