Road cyclists using Reta?

[Daisbuys]

gimmeshelter said:

Daisbuys said:

Curious how everyone is doing with Reta while also riding road bikes?

Does it make training harder for you?

Can you keep going for a set period before you eventually hit a wall?

My plan is roughly 14 weeks on Reta, aiming to shed 10kg (currently 100) by May, since I’m heading to the Pyrenees at the end of May for about 400 miles of riding, so dropping a solid 10kg is necessary for those mountain climbs.

What worries me is that once Reta kicks in, I might not be able to handle longer training rides lasting 2-6 hours?

Is anyone here coping, or completely struggling, with exercise over long durations?

I’ll be drinking a carb and electrolyte mix during these rides to stay fuelled….just hoping that does the trick

Happy I came across this thread, since I was on the verge of making my own post. My "Kit" should show up within a few weeks, and I ride roads from April through Oct, roughly 2500 miles. Certain years it's higher, certain years lower. Still, what I wanted to ask was how Reta impacts rides. My rides are mostly with a group or alone, and occasionally a fondo, so there's nothing competitive beyond what I expect of myself.

What was training like, and how did u fuel it? Was there any dropoff, did you feel weak, or did everything come down to hydration and keeping protein up ? TY !

There are still 8 weeks to go before the trip, and the weather here in Britain has been so bad that I haven't been able to get outside and rack up the miles, so most of my riding has been indoors, which has its ups and downs!

This weekend, though, I did get out, and I completed a very hilly 40 mile ride with a group without any trouble at all!

Reta hasn't stopped me from eating reasonably well, so I fuelled that ride with a bowl of porridge and 2 bottles of tailwind (300 calories and electrolytes in each), and my hydration/electrolyte/magnesium intake is on point throughout the week.

I'm still taking in approximately 2000 calories a day.

This Saturday I've got another 50 miler lined up, and I'll follow the same process as last weekend.

 

[Daisbuys]

CycleSloth said:

If your goal weight is reached before the Pyrenees trip, why not simply quit Reta or drop to a small maintenance dose, so you can be sure you're able to fuel your rides properly?

For that week, I'll skip my injection. I want to make sure I can fuel properly the whole time, so once I'm back I'll pick up again at the same dose.

 

[Cannonball72]

I ride mountain bikes regularly — usually 4 days each week, with 2 rides of 10+ miles, 1 of 15 miles, and 1 of 20+ miles. On top of that, I do weight training 2 times per week (push/pull).

Reta turning on fat metabolism cuts both ways for me. The upside is that longer rides don't leave me hungry and my energy stays steady, but the downside is that I end up eating too little.

The biggest shift I've noticed involves my max HR. I'm 53, and my max HR on hard shorter efforts has always been 180/190, yet now I'm seeing it climb past 200. That has made me ease off somewhat. Initially I assumed my watch was malfunctioning, but my resting HR has risen too, from around 50 to the mid 60s, which is a known pattern with Reta. I'm keeping a close eye on it.

My dose is on the low side: 1.5mg 2 times per week. At this amount it has worked very well for my broader health goal and has sharply cut down my emotional/stress/boredom eating as well as my alcohol intake.

I strongly favor the minimum effective dose approach. I'm also on true TRT at .6mg/week (.3 x 2 times per week) taken on the same days as Reta. In addition, Gonadatropin 2 times per week @.5 mg, and daily tadalifil, for full disclosure.

For what it's worth, daily tadalifil gave my endurance a strong boost, which may explain why I haven't felt the energy drop that a Reta calorie deficit can cause.