Fabulous_Jackal said:
Radprometheus said:
Bluesunf said:
jjir2026 said:
Fabulous_Jackal said:
I've been using Ret for 1 month, and it turns out my dose was likely 1/2 of what I believed. I was aiming for 2mg per week, but I suspect I was actually taking 1mg. The weight has been coming off consistently at around 4-5lbs weekly, and the hunger 'noise' people mention is completely absent. No negative effects so far. This stuff has been excellent. I tried GLOW for roughly 2 weeks until I ran out; it appeared to help with recovery (tendinitis - I applied it right around the affected areas), but without going grey it's too costly for me to use much, so that's where I'm at. If weightloss is your main goal, I'd begin with Reta. If loose skin and similar concerns are on your mind, GLOW or GHK-cu would be worth adding alongside Reta; I know several friends who insist it reduces loose skin and assists with tightening, though they only began after significant losses and regret not running them concurrently. Be sure to keep protein at a healthy level and clean up your diet, since eating enough on Reta is tough when you're training and trying to preserve healthy muscle mass - I'm sure others here are far more knowledgeable and experienced, but that's my 2cents from a newbie
With that kind of result from such a low dose, I'd stick with it for as long as you can! There's no reason to hurry.
Yep, second round of tirz for me, and this time I'm sticking with the smallest dose that works — really wish someone had told me that sooner.
Fabulous_Jackal said:
Radprometheus said:
Fabulous_Jackal said:
I've been using Ret for 1 month, and it turns out my dose was likely 1/2 of what I believed. I was aiming for 2mg per week, but I suspect I was actually taking 1mg. The weight has been coming off consistently at around 4-5lbs weekly, and the hunger 'noise' people mention is completely absent. No negative effects so far. This stuff has been excellent. I tried GLOW for roughly 2 weeks until I ran out; it appeared to help with recovery (tendinitis - I applied it right around the affected areas), but without going grey it's too costly for me to use much, so that's where I'm at. If weightloss is your main goal, I'd begin with Reta. If loose skin and similar concerns are on your mind, GLOW or GHK-cu would be worth adding alongside Reta; I know several friends who insist it reduces loose skin and assists with tightening, though they only began after significant losses and regret not running them concurrently. Be sure to keep protein at a healthy level and clean up your diet, since eating enough on Reta is tough when you're training and trying to preserve healthy muscle mass - I'm sure others here are far more knowledgeable and experienced, but that's my 2cents from a newbie
Appreciate the helpful perspective! My plan is to use up the tirz vial I'm currently on, then switch over to ret and incorporate KLOW — or possibly just keep it to BCP-157 / TB500, since my main need is injury recovery. I wrecked my knee (ACL/MCL/Meniscus) and underwent surgery in late 2025. That injury, the operation, and the lengthy rehab process (still not finished) caused significant weight gain and depression, because before getting hurt I was a runner who was in the gym 3-5 times per week.
I get where you're coming from — for decades I kept promising myself I'd drop the weight and start hitting the gym again, but I could never summon the discipline or motivation to stay consistent. What I think is different now is that trt has noticeably lifted my mood; it's possible I'd been dealing with mild depression for years without realizing it. On top of that, no matter how much sleep I got, I'd smash the snooze button repeatedly and still have to force myself out of bed exhausted. That's entirely gone now, and my son and I are up at 4:30 am heading to the gym almost every day (at least until this shoulder impingement cropped up recently). Another thing worth considering regarding KLOW or BPC-157/TB500: there was a post, or maybe a podcast, where a doctor discussed those peptides and said you should inject right at the injury sites, even intramuscularly if possible. I did subcutaneous shots alternating between my elbows for about a week (likely too brief a window for any significant change), but it did appear to help. On the surface it seems logical — just a thought. Best of luck getting back into it; I've still got a good 70+lbs to lose and I'm aiming for sub 200's — have you considered cycling to help your knee?
From what an orthopedic specialist has shown me, injecting into the knee joint isn't advised—unless it's done in a doctor's office—because it can lead to serious issues such as infection and sepsis. I believe the podcast I came across was the same one, or at least very close. When it comes to exercise and maintaining fitness, the last 2 years have been a struggle. Before I got hurt, I had my weight under control and was staying on top of things. In fact, between 2020 and 2024 I worked out regularly and kept myself within my target weight range. Then life surprised me and I lost my footing badly! I went from 187 to 231 in roughly 18 months, and I can honestly say I was in a dark place and didn't care much about anything. I started Tirzepatide in January and found the drive to put in consistent effort; since then I've lost 16 lbs, and as of today I'm just under 215. I've been biking and using the elliptical at the gym on a regular basis, and combined with the tirz it has played a major role in my weight loss. Even so, the joint pain and knee osteoporosis remain, so I'm now searching for something to help with that, particularly if I want to keep running.
Nice work on the 16lbs! The knee situation is rough, but my guess is once you get under 200 the discomfort will ease up and the joint will be able to take the load more easily, given less force hitting it with each step. I get why you'd be wary about joint injections — I'd skip going straight in and instead do subQ as near to that spot as possible. It's also wild how fast I moved from "I'll never touch PEDs" to TRT to going all in on peptides
you just have to consider the risks, since we're pretty much our own test subjects here. My muscles absolutely hate IM pins, so I stopped doing those with TRT. You might also bring up HG with your doctor, though in my experience most GPs and clinicians barely know anything about using hormones for healing and repair — yet it's everywhere in sports. There's simply no way the kind of comeback speeds we've watched over the past decade or so from athletes with major injuries come only from "improved surgical techniques" with 0 help from peptides and hormone-based treatments. Jeremy Renner is a perfect illustration — the actor whose snowplow rolled over him. What he came back from was unbelievable. He does strike me as extremely determined, and outliers like that exist, but it's happening way too often now to write off as pure coincidence.
