New to reta, experienced with weight loss

suiteheart

suiteheart

Explorer
Joined
May 28, 2026
Messages
9
Reaction score
11
Location
Columbus
hi there! i'm just starting out with glp1s! 😀

back when my weight loss journey began, i was at a point where i couldn't even walk because of my size. my weight was 416lbs (188kg) and i felt extremely depressed. i managed to drop 150lbs with NO MEDICATIONS!! by keeping a calorie deficit and hitting the gym. i also worked on my mental health through meds and therapy. but as things often go, i put back on roughly 35lbs within a year, and now i'm aiming to get healthy once more.

i've started reta and can already tell how much it changes things. before any medication, my whole day revolved around food and planning my next meal. these days i can actually relax and concentrate on gaining muscle without food thoughts taking over everything. i don't have a specific number in mind for weight—i just want to land in the normal bmi range and be a bit fitter than the bare minimum 🙂

i'm glad to be part of this and pick up more knowledge
 
Glad to have you here! Dropping 150lbs with no meds and/or surgery is a MASSIVE achievement. That's something to feel really proud about. I get that putting those 35lbs back on is frustrating, but you noticed you were heading somewhere you didn't want to end up and you turned things around. That's the important part. Keep your head up and you'll be reaching goals before you know it!
 
Wow, that level of determination is seriously impressive. I went through something pretty close myself, and a lot of the weight I dropped came back on. Reta has been a real help, no question. Stay locked in and keep that drive pointed at your target, and you'll make it. Have you looked into other peptides such as tesamorelin as well?
 
dzl515 said:

Glad to have you here! Dropping 150lbs with no meds and/or surgery is a MASSIVE achievement. That's something to feel really proud about. I get that putting those 35lbs back on is frustrating, but you noticed you were heading somewhere you didn't want to end up and you turned things around. That's the important part. Keep your head up and you'll be reaching goals before you know it!
Click to expand...
thanks a ton! obesity has been part of my whole life, and going from 416lbs down to 265lbs felt like a night-and-day change. at 5'4'' i was still morbidly obese, but i'm eager to find out how much vitality and life return once i'm lighter. your comment means a lot. it's all too simple to start tearing myself down, so hearing an outside perspective is a breath of fresh air.
 
orenkaid said:

Wow, that level of determination is seriously impressive. I went through something pretty close myself, and a lot of the weight I dropped came back on. Reta has been a real help, no question. Stay locked in and keep that drive pointed at your target, and you'll make it. Have you looked into other peptides such as tesamorelin as well?
Click to expand...
thanks a ton!!! lately i've been dealing with pretty low motivation, but i keep pushing forward anyway. other peptides haven't really crossed my mind since i'm not very familiar with them. there seems to be tons of information on here, so maybe i should look into it! what's your current situation—have you gotten back on track?
 
suiteheart said:

orenkaid said:

Wow, that level of determination is seriously impressive. I went through something pretty close myself, and a lot of the weight I dropped came back on. Reta has been a real help, no question. Stay locked in and keep that drive pointed at your target, and you'll make it. Have you looked into other peptides such as tesamorelin as well?
Click to expand...
thanks a ton!!! lately i've been dealing with pretty low motivation, but i keep pushing forward anyway. other peptides haven't really crossed my mind since i'm not very familiar with them. there seems to be tons of information on here, so maybe i should look into it! what's your current situation—have you gotten back on track?
Click to expand...
Yes! Not too long ago I finally returned to the weight I had been at before I put some back on, and when I stepped on the scale this morning it showed another 11lbs gone. The method does work. You just have to stay with it. Another thing I noticed is that roughly a month after starting reta, the effects become more apparent and it gets simpler.

I suggest checking out the weight loss area; plenty of folks there use various peptide stacks that could match what you're aiming for. The one I use is somewhat extreme.
 
suiteheart said:

dzl515 said:

Glad to have you here! Dropping 150lbs with no meds and/or surgery is a MASSIVE achievement. That's something to feel really proud about. I get that putting those 35lbs back on is frustrating, but you noticed you were heading somewhere you didn't want to end up and you turned things around. That's the important part. Keep your head up and you'll be reaching goals before you know it!
Click to expand...
thanks a ton! obesity has been part of my whole life, and going from 416lbs down to 265lbs felt like a night-and-day change. at 5'4'' i was still morbidly obese, but i'm eager to find out how much vitality and life return once i'm lighter. your comment means a lot. it's all too simple to start tearing myself down, so hearing an outside perspective is a breath of fresh air.
Click to expand...
I get it completely! Trust me, I know that place. In some ways, I'm still in it. There was a point when I weighed 476lbs, and across roughly a couple of years I dropped 250lbs with no GLP-1's and no surgery. My approach wasn't smart at all — I pretty much starved myself. Along the way, my metabolism got wrecked and I shed a huge amount of muscle. Then I got hurt not long after hitting my goal, and after surgery I lost every bit of drive and began going back up. Across about 5 years, I regained most of it, and a bit over 6 months ago I was back at 440lbs. Thanks to reta, I've been able to take off around 75lbs, but there's still a LONG road ahead. We'll get there, though. It's all about perspective, right?!
 
That is a massive drop in weight. Admirable commitment. For separate reasons I fully understand how tough that road is. My case is autoimmune, managed with high-dose prednisone. One meal a day is all I can manage — picture a salad minus any fat or dressing, only grilled chicken, roughly 400 calories — yet my size still climbs, and I am completely nonfunctional, drained of all energy. A zombie. Following that routine, the most I ever achieved was going from 255 down to 220Lbs, then inevitably swelling straight back up the moment I added slightly more food for energy. With Retatrutide alongside Tesamorelin, I have shed 70 pounds and now sit at a solid, fairly strong 190!! I honestly cannot believe it. Back when I competed athletically, I weighed 193 as a bicycle racer with heavy legs.

These compounds are amazing. I am aware that certain folks add a little Tirz to blunt hunger further while running Reta. My choice was to skip that and instead run Tesamorelin cycles aimed at visceral fat loss. It performed brilliantly, AND I could genuinely sense the combination at work. Apparently visceral fat cells carry dense nerve supply. Whatever the cause, it produced a tingle and I relished knowing it was active.

One certainty I have: my autoimmune-driven inflammation rebounds extremely quickly. So I dose Reta 2 times per week to stop the inflammatory cycle from revving up during the final days of a 7-day schedule. Most likely, I will need Reta indefinitely.
 
First of all, huge respect — dropping 150 pounds without any medication takes a level of commitment and self-control that very few people will ever grasp, both mentally and physically. The fact you pulled that off with no meds speaks volumes about your resilience and grit.

And seriously, don't be too hard on yourself about putting some weight back on. That's just life, and what counts is that you noticed it and chose to get back after your health rather than throwing in the towel. That attitude by itself is exactly why you're going to make it for the long haul.

The part you mentioned about food living rent-free in your head is something tons of people deal with but hardly anyone says out loud. A lot of folks assume it's purely a matter of "willpower," when the truth is it can hijack your entire mind. Finally being able to exhale and put your energy into lifting, fitness, and actually living your life instead of being fixated on food — that's massive.

You've already shown you're capable of hard things. Now you've got one more tool working on your side rather than battling your own body every waking second. Keep stacking those good habits, keep hitting the gym, and keep looking after your mental health, because that piece matters every bit as much as the pounds coming off.

I'm proud of you for starting over and for being so open about all of this. You've already gotten further than most people ever manage. Peace and love ❤️💪
 
I dropped roughly 50-65lbs using the same approach you took, but more than 25 lbs has come back. Even though I'm repeating what worked previously, the scale won't budge, which is why I found my way here. Since beginning reta, I've only shed 2 pounds in 1 month, yet that beats 0 after 2 months of eating between -800 and -1000 calories. Wishing you well on the journey
 
thanks everyone, seriously. i was hoping to share a few photos from my journey. june 2024 is when the first two were taken, back when i was around 380lbs. 416lbs was my peak, but i wouldn't let anyone photograph me. after those first two pics i felt so sh*tty, and that feeling is what really made me commit. the next two are from may/june 2025. 150lbs gone in a single year!!! 265lbs was the lowest i got, and back then i had plenty of energy to work out and reach my targets. this morning the scale said 299lbs 😐😐 these days i'm doing strength training 2x per week, hoping to rebuild my energy and walk whenever i can. thank you all for the support!
 
cujet said:

That is a massive drop in weight. Admirable commitment. For separate reasons I fully understand how tough that road is. My case is autoimmune, managed with high-dose prednisone. One meal a day is all I can manage — picture a salad minus any fat or dressing, only grilled chicken, roughly 400 calories — yet my size still climbs, and I am completely nonfunctional, drained of all energy. A zombie. Following that routine, the most I ever achieved was going from 255 down to 220Lbs, then inevitably swelling straight back up the moment I added slightly more food for energy. With Retatrutide alongside Tesamorelin, I have shed 70 pounds and now sit at a solid, fairly strong 190!! I honestly cannot believe it. Back when I competed athletically, I weighed 193 as a bicycle racer with heavy legs.

These compounds are amazing. I am aware that certain folks add a little Tirz to blunt hunger further while running Reta. My choice was to skip that and instead run Tesamorelin cycles aimed at visceral fat loss. It performed brilliantly, AND I could genuinely sense the combination at work. Apparently visceral fat cells carry dense nerve supply. Whatever the cause, it produced a tingle and I relished knowing it was active.

One certainty I have: my autoimmune-driven inflammation rebounds extremely quickly. So I dose Reta 2 times per week to stop the inflammatory cycle from revving up during the final days of a 7-day schedule. Most likely, I will need Reta indefinitely.
Click to expand...
awesome work on your progress, that is incredible! i’m looking forward to when my weight begins with a 1 lol. i still need to look into Tesamorelin more, so i’ll have to do that. i’m with you that for me, the food noise likely won’t ever disappear on its own. on top of that, i have a chronic illness that brings a lot of symptoms, inflammation included, so i’m hoping i’ll see results like yours!
 
suiteheart said:

cujet said:

That is a massive drop in weight. Admirable commitment. For separate reasons I fully understand how tough that road is. My case is autoimmune, managed with high-dose prednisone. One meal a day is all I can manage — picture a salad minus any fat or dressing, only grilled chicken, roughly 400 calories — yet my size still climbs, and I am completely nonfunctional, drained of all energy. A zombie. Following that routine, the most I ever achieved was going from 255 down to 220Lbs, then inevitably swelling straight back up the moment I added slightly more food for energy. With Retatrutide alongside Tesamorelin, I have shed 70 pounds and now sit at a solid, fairly strong 190!! I honestly cannot believe it. Back when I competed athletically, I weighed 193 as a bicycle racer with heavy legs.

These compounds are amazing. I am aware that certain folks add a little Tirz to blunt hunger further while running Reta. My choice was to skip that and instead run Tesamorelin cycles aimed at visceral fat loss. It performed brilliantly, AND I could genuinely sense the combination at work. Apparently visceral fat cells carry dense nerve supply. Whatever the cause, it produced a tingle and I relished knowing it was active.

One certainty I have: my autoimmune-driven inflammation rebounds extremely quickly. So I dose Reta 2 times per week to stop the inflammatory cycle from revving up during the final days of a 7-day schedule. Most likely, I will need Reta indefinitely.
Click to expand...
awesome work on your progress, that is incredible! i’m looking forward to when my weight begins with a 1 lol. i still need to look into Tesamorelin more, so i’ll have to do that. i’m with you that for me, the food noise likely won’t ever disappear on its own. on top of that, i have a chronic illness that brings a lot of symptoms, inflammation included, so i’m hoping i’ll see results like yours!
Click to expand...
It's going to work!! Keep in mind that Reta works in a dose dependent way. Sure, some folks claim Reta does nothing for them. I'm not buying it. According to the actual studies, 100% of people taking more than tiny doses dropped weight. From my peak, I've shed roughly 26% of my weight. AND having a '1' at the front of the number really is glorious. Wonderful.
 
I'm pretty fresh to this space myself, and I just have to say — wow, what you've achieved is massive. Honestly, I can't picture the kind of inner toughness it takes to get this far already. For years I kept fighting and getting nowhere, until this past March when I finally got on tirzepatide via a telehealth service. That was the very first moment I understood what people who are naturally thin must experience all the time. Being healthy doesn't have to mean suffering for us anymore. Reading what you've shared really motivates me, and I'm sending you all the best!
 
suiteheart said:

hi there! i'm just starting out with glp1s! 😀

back when my weight loss journey began, i was at a point where i couldn't even walk because of my size. my weight was 416lbs (188kg) and i felt extremely depressed. i managed to drop 150lbs with NO MEDICATIONS!! by keeping a calorie deficit and hitting the gym. i also worked on my mental health through meds and therapy. but as things often go, i put back on roughly 35lbs within a year, and now i'm aiming to get healthy once more.

i've started reta and can already tell how much it changes things. before any medication, my whole day revolved around food and planning my next meal. these days i can actually relax and concentrate on gaining muscle without food thoughts taking over everything. i don't have a specific number in mind for weight—i just want to land in the normal bmi range and be a bit fitter than the bare minimum 🙂

i'm glad to be part of this and pick up more knowledge
Click to expand...
Glad to have you here! Keep pushing forward and explore all the amazing peps available!
 
Back
Top