Total turnaround.
Let me lay out the timeline before diving into the details.
As of November 2024 I weighed 260 pounds, then dropped to 205 pounds (without glp) by February 4th 2025
Began 2/4 as a baseline, 17%+ body fat
On that 4th I chose to inject .5mg of Reta, and I'm genuinely happy I went through with it. Each week I went up by .5. Cravings? Obliterated. Small amounts of food made me full, yet I made certain my diet was completely dialed in, nailing my protein and calories. I stayed at 1,700-1,900 regularly, aware that my maintenance sat around 2,200+. By week two I had moved to 1mg, 1x per week. Remained at that level for a stretch, felt fantastic. The weight began steadily dropping, by 3/4 I was at 192lbs. Cravings didn't truly return, though the initial suppression was clearly somewhat weaker.
At roughly the month and a half mark, I chose to raise my Reta dose to 2mg. Pinning once weekly worked, but hunger returned 5-6 days after each pin, so I moved to 2 pins weekly. That fixed it.
Throughout month two my weight fluctuated, even though I stayed extremely consistent. I hit 193lb then fell back to 190lbs for essentially all of march. My theory is my body was recomping, and fat loss continued, only slower, alongside a slight gain in muscle. I kept my calories and protein consistent.
Date 4/1 weight 186lbs
Month three was when things broke through, with clearly visible changes beginning to show. I raised my Reta from 1mg 2x per week to 2mg 2x per week, for no specific reason I can point to, maybe hunger, though again it was minimal at most. Added triz (1mg) too. Since I had some spare money, I chose to order Tesamorelin and ipamorelin to stack together, and began that 4/8.
Looking back now, I likely didn't need to add these, but they certainly didn't set me back. Probably money wasted, since by then I was around 14-15% body fat, and while I carry a good amount of visceral fat, it's likely not enough to justify Tesa. I still use it, but won't buy more. My dose began at 1mg for two days, after that it's been 2mg tesa nightly alongside 300mcg ipa. I also did a morning ipa shot (300mcg)
By month's end, I had reached 177lbs, and the loss stayed steady. Through May, I began nearing 170, and today I'm 165lbs.
I figure I'm around 11-12% body fat now, and for the first time in my life I can actually see my abs.
My relationship with food has shifted dramatically too, since I no longer fear specific foods. Strange as it sounds, Reta showed me I can enjoy sweets and cravings, I just need to control myself and recognize when to stop. 3 mini cookies are fine, I just can't eat the entire container. On Reta, binging is nearly impossible unless you force it, which was something I battled before. I haven't binged since January/feb, when I began. Only 1 or 2 days have I exceeded my calories, with my biggest being 1,000 cals over. That day came around when I was pinning Reta 1x per week, and I caved slightly once hunger started creeping back lol.
Overall, deeply proud of what I've achieved so far, and very excited for the next 3 months.
Let me lay out the timeline before diving into the details.
As of November 2024 I weighed 260 pounds, then dropped to 205 pounds (without glp) by February 4th 2025
Began 2/4 as a baseline, 17%+ body fat
On that 4th I chose to inject .5mg of Reta, and I'm genuinely happy I went through with it. Each week I went up by .5. Cravings? Obliterated. Small amounts of food made me full, yet I made certain my diet was completely dialed in, nailing my protein and calories. I stayed at 1,700-1,900 regularly, aware that my maintenance sat around 2,200+. By week two I had moved to 1mg, 1x per week. Remained at that level for a stretch, felt fantastic. The weight began steadily dropping, by 3/4 I was at 192lbs. Cravings didn't truly return, though the initial suppression was clearly somewhat weaker.
At roughly the month and a half mark, I chose to raise my Reta dose to 2mg. Pinning once weekly worked, but hunger returned 5-6 days after each pin, so I moved to 2 pins weekly. That fixed it.
Throughout month two my weight fluctuated, even though I stayed extremely consistent. I hit 193lb then fell back to 190lbs for essentially all of march. My theory is my body was recomping, and fat loss continued, only slower, alongside a slight gain in muscle. I kept my calories and protein consistent.
Date 4/1 weight 186lbs
Month three was when things broke through, with clearly visible changes beginning to show. I raised my Reta from 1mg 2x per week to 2mg 2x per week, for no specific reason I can point to, maybe hunger, though again it was minimal at most. Added triz (1mg) too. Since I had some spare money, I chose to order Tesamorelin and ipamorelin to stack together, and began that 4/8.
Looking back now, I likely didn't need to add these, but they certainly didn't set me back. Probably money wasted, since by then I was around 14-15% body fat, and while I carry a good amount of visceral fat, it's likely not enough to justify Tesa. I still use it, but won't buy more. My dose began at 1mg for two days, after that it's been 2mg tesa nightly alongside 300mcg ipa. I also did a morning ipa shot (300mcg)
By month's end, I had reached 177lbs, and the loss stayed steady. Through May, I began nearing 170, and today I'm 165lbs.
I figure I'm around 11-12% body fat now, and for the first time in my life I can actually see my abs.
My relationship with food has shifted dramatically too, since I no longer fear specific foods. Strange as it sounds, Reta showed me I can enjoy sweets and cravings, I just need to control myself and recognize when to stop. 3 mini cookies are fine, I just can't eat the entire container. On Reta, binging is nearly impossible unless you force it, which was something I battled before. I haven't binged since January/feb, when I began. Only 1 or 2 days have I exceeded my calories, with my biggest being 1,000 cals over. That day came around when I was pinning Reta 1x per week, and I caved slightly once hunger started creeping back lol.
Overall, deeply proud of what I've achieved so far, and very excited for the next 3 months.
