Stalled, and now gaining while at 15 mg of Tirz

When_Pigs_Fly

When_Pigs_Fly

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I've run through every diet out there and even had RNY, yet Tirz is what nailed the weightloss for me. BUT. Over the last 6 months my weight has crept up slowly even though my exercise and calorie intake haven't changed. Roughly 10 pounds across that stretch (hey, for me that counts as slow). And I think the food noise is creeping back too. I'm still at 15 mg/week, pinned once a week. I've posted before asking whether I should add Reta or Cagri, but I wanted one more shot at hearing your all's opinion or experience about what worked for you. Or should I add sema? I'm honestly confused about which path is best.

So what has your experience been? I'm acting on this TODAY! I can't stand it. I can't face going back to where I came from.

Thanks ahead of time.
 
Had you reached goal before the gaining started?

Plenty of people here go above 15mg of tirz. I stalled while still short of goal on tirz, so I stacked reta in slowly and broke through. In my case it was a gradual thing — adding reta while easing off tirz. The switch took me about 2 months.
 
I dropped below goal without breaking a sweat (meaning I never mentally obsessed over it). Honestly I got too lean. It made me look older than my years, and I'm already old — so that's saying something. The gain that followed caught me off guard, which is probably why I took a while to react — right up until my love handles started spilling over my jeans (again — gah!!).
 
I'm at a similar stage and my loss has come in dribbles these last few months. 2 weeks ago I went up to 15mg hoping for a boost, and nothing noticeable happened. I was jabbing every 6 days.

This past week I shook things up a bit....dropped the dose back to 12.5 but jabbed on day 5 instead of 6, so now it's a 5 day rotation. Running 12.5 every 5 days against 15 every 6 days ought to hold a same med level either way, six of one, etc.

But to my utter shock, weight is suddenly coming off DAILY, 3 pounds in 3 days! I can't explain it. I did add an electrolyte to my routine at the same time, though that's the only other change.

I genuinely can't explain it, just tossing it out there as a data point for you. 🤷
 
When_Pigs_Fly said:

I've run through every diet out there and even had RNY, yet Tirz is what nailed the weightloss for me. BUT. Over the last 6 months my weight has crept up slowly even though my exercise and calorie intake haven't changed. Roughly 10 pounds across that stretch (hey, for me that counts as slow). And I think the food noise is creeping back too. I'm still at 15 mg/week, pinned once a week. I've posted before asking whether I should add Reta or Cagri, but I wanted one more shot at hearing your all's opinion or experience about what worked for you. Or should I add sema? I'm honestly confused about which path is best.

So what has your experience been? I'm acting on this TODAY! I can't stand it. I can't face going back to where I came from.

Thanks ahead of time.
Click to expand...

RNY in 2003 for me, and tirzepatide has nailed the weightloss for me as well. Right now I'm on 17mg, though that's a step down from 20mg a while back. I'm also stacking elora at the moment. Earlier I stacked sema and cagri too, each for short stretches.

Given that you've already reached your goal, this reads more like a maintenance problem. There simply isn't much clinical guidance here, nor high-quality research pointing us toward the best way to maintain. So most people end up taking ad-hoc approaches, throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.

In your position I'd stack a small amount of sema or cagri instead of pushing past 15mg of tirzepatide. You might also need a few months of dialing your diet in to shift those 10lbs. You say your diet hasn't changed, but I do wonder whether something has. My reason for saying don't raise the tirzepatide is that I now believe higher doses give diminishing returns and mostly just worsen the sides. That's what I'm currently blaming for my trashy sleep, anyway. I'm working on getting back down to 15mg.

Good luck!
 
When_Pigs_Fly said:

I've run through every diet out there and even had RNY, yet Tirz is what nailed the weightloss for me. BUT. Over the last 6 months my weight has crept up slowly even though my exercise and calorie intake haven't changed. Roughly 10 pounds across that stretch (hey, for me that counts as slow). And I think the food noise is creeping back too. I'm still at 15 mg/week, pinned once a week. I've posted before asking whether I should add Reta or Cagri, but I wanted one more shot at hearing your all's opinion or experience about what worked for you. Or should I add sema? I'm honestly confused about which path is best.

So what has your experience been? I'm acting on this TODAY! I can't stand it. I can't face going back to where I came from.

Thanks ahead of time.
Click to expand...
first of all, I'm really sorry you're going through this, and I know it must be a big source of anxiety, because the last thing you want is to end up back where you started. six months is a long stretch, yet those pounds can sneak on gradually. That's exactly how it went for me, and I never really saw it coming. So I think once you've lost weight, your body carries not just a muscle memory but a fat memory too, and it will turn on you fast if you slip even a little! That's cruel, but thankfully we've got some tools to work with! I think this might be the ideal case for adding Reta, since it nudges metabolic rate up a bit? Also, have you been under stress? Any cortisol shifts? Sleeping well? If I wanted to act TODAY: I think I'd commit to a week of very clean eating and see whether adding reta gives you a push in the right direction again. Don't beat yourself up about it tho, it sounds like you're already set on reining it in. Good luck! HYDRATE / TONS ** Edit, reading this back, I sound so patronizing. I'm trying to be supportive — sorry if it comes off as complete douchebaggery, and wishing u the best!
 
There's a whole road of options ahead of you.

1. Take more Tirz. Trials are underway at 20-25 mg right now. Results should land at EOY.

2. Stack some Elora (1- 2 mg). At this stage that looks like the better option over Cag.

3. Fine-tune a peptide cycle aimed specifically at mitochondria ( SS31, MOTS-c, NAD+)

Expect a little water retention from the next two, which typically sorts itself out.

4. Secretagogues ( putting your own GH to work): Tesa, CJC-1295 no DAC with IPA)

5. HGH - bringing growth Hormone in

6. Lift more weights, at least 3 x a week. Fasted cardio for lipolysis as well.

7. Dial the diet in

8. Add 5-Amino-1mq and AOD-9604. The differences are very subtle, but there is still a difference.
 
chewonmysac said:

There's a whole road of options ahead of you.

1. Take more Tirz. Trials are underway at 20-25 mg right now. Results should land at EOY.

2. Stack some Elora (1- 2 mg). At this stage that looks like the better option over Cag.

3. Fine-tune a peptide cycle aimed specifically at mitochondria ( SS31, MOTS-c, NAD+)

Expect a little water retention from the next two, which typically sorts itself out.

4. Secretagogues ( putting your own GH to work): Tesa, CJC-1295 no DAC with IPA)

5. HGH - bringing growth Hormone in

6. Lift more weights, at least 3 x a week. Fasted cardio for lipolysis as well.

7. Dial the diet in

8. Add 5-Amino-1mq and AOD-9604. The differences are very subtle, but there is still a difference.
Click to expand...

Wow! That's great advice.

The one part I'm unsure about is #2. Cagri seems to do really well for many folks with minimal side effects, and given how wonky the elora supply is right now, I'd suggest people try cagri first to see whether they can tolerate it and whether it works. I'd still be on it cagri if the fatigue hadn't got me. It costs less, has a longer track record, and testing is affordable. My only advice is not to repeat my mistake of buying a pile of cheap cagri kits before learning it wasn't for me.
 
Your caloric needs have come down, which is why eating the same calories now produces gain rather than maintenance.

So you either cut your calories, or you ramp up your workouts while leaving calories where they are.
 
Grogu said:

chewonmysac said:

There's a whole road of options ahead of you.

1. Take more Tirz. Trials are underway at 20-25 mg right now. Results should land at EOY.

2. Stack some Elora (1- 2 mg). At this stage that looks like the better option over Cag.

3. Fine-tune a peptide cycle aimed specifically at mitochondria ( SS31, MOTS-c, NAD+)

Expect a little water retention from the next two, which typically sorts itself out.

4. Secretagogues ( putting your own GH to work): Tesa, CJC-1295 no DAC with IPA)

5. HGH - bringing growth Hormone in

6. Lift more weights, at least 3 x a week. Fasted cardio for lipolysis as well.

7. Dial the diet in

8. Add 5-Amino-1mq and AOD-9604. The differences are very subtle, but there is still a difference.
Click to expand...

Wow! That's great advice.

The one part I'm unsure about is #2. Cagri seems to do really well for many folks with minimal side effects, and given how wonky the elora supply is right now, I'd suggest people try cagri first to see whether they can tolerate it and whether it works. I'd still be on it cagri if the fatigue hadn't got me. It costs less, has a longer track record, and testing is affordable. My only advice is not to repeat my mistake of buying a pile of cheap cagri kits before learning it wasn't for me.
Click to expand...
I thought of you when the Cag came up. I can't handle exhaustion. My schedule won't allow for it. You're the reason I never gave it a try when I first arrived here. Lol.
 
chewonmysac said:

Grogu said:

chewonmysac said:

There's a whole road of options ahead of you.

1. Take more Tirz. Trials are underway at 20-25 mg right now. Results should land at EOY.

2. Stack some Elora (1- 2 mg). At this stage that looks like the better option over Cag.

3. Fine-tune a peptide cycle aimed specifically at mitochondria ( SS31, MOTS-c, NAD+)

Expect a little water retention from the next two, which typically sorts itself out.

4. Secretagogues ( putting your own GH to work): Tesa, CJC-1295 no DAC with IPA)

5. HGH - bringing growth Hormone in

6. Lift more weights, at least 3 x a week. Fasted cardio for lipolysis as well.

7. Dial the diet in

8. Add 5-Amino-1mq and AOD-9604. The differences are very subtle, but there is still a difference.
Click to expand...

Wow! That's great advice.

The one part I'm unsure about is #2. Cagri seems to do really well for many folks with minimal side effects, and given how wonky the elora supply is right now, I'd suggest people try cagri first to see whether they can tolerate it and whether it works. I'd still be on it cagri if the fatigue hadn't got me. It costs less, has a longer track record, and testing is affordable. My only advice is not to repeat my mistake of buying a pile of cheap cagri kits before learning it wasn't for me.
Click to expand...
I thought of you when the Cag came up. I can't handle exhaustion. My schedule won't allow for it. You're the reason I never gave it a try when I first arrived here. Lol.
Click to expand...

I did plenty of whining about the cagri fatigue 🤣!

If we're choosing, good quality elora probably beats cagri. I'm a practical guy, and I was factoring in what the elora marketplace looks like now. What I see is plenty of vendors claiming to have it, with no testing to back up that it really is elora or that the structure is right. I've seen a COA where a 5mg vial tested .5mg.

Which just leaves the gorilla in the room. The gorilla's pricing works for me, and I probably never would have started cagri had I known elora was this close to showing up in the grey market. So you're right about #2, provided OP is fine with the gorilla. 🤣
 
indolent said:

Around the time the weight started climbing, had you switched to a different batch of tirz?
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That would have been my first question as well.

And fwiw, I've sat at the same weight for close to a year now, but it's about 13 pounds above my lowest. That looks to be the 'no effort' zone, at least in my case.

I'm snail crawling my way up a reta titration stack alongside my tirz, bought some Elora yesterday, and I'm starting a fresh round of genuine effort. For whatever reason it makes no difference to me whether I take 20mg, 15mg, or 12.5mg of tirz - the feels are identical.
 
I hate to be that guy, but are you certain your calories haven't shifted? Gaining on identical calories is very rare. Tirz doesn't burn calories — sure, there's some metabolic stuff, but mostly it's appetite suppression. Once you're in maintenance mode, it takes very little for one or two extra food items to start piling on calories.

The first thing I'd do in your shoes is hold the tirz dose steady and try a 6 day or 5 day interval, since plenty of people find the hunger comes back a day or two ahead of the next shot.
 
Off topic, but OP @When_Pigs_Fly happens to live in a spot I love visiting. The wife and I normally make the trip there once a year. It's always a good time — roughly 4-5 hours of driving depending on traffic, the season, or the route I pick.
 
indolent said:

Around the time the weight started climbing, had you switched to a different batch of tirz?
Click to expand...
100% this. Having a spread of vendors on hand is always wise. Quality sorts itself out in the end. Across compound and grey I must have around 11 different types. The majority are excellent, a handful are not. The weak ones end up buried at the back of the pile and in all likelihood never get touched again. Fortunately my soft spot is single vials. Kits have all been great.
 
Yeah, with the food noise coming back, though this isn't exactly a full-blown crisis (I know "it's just 10 lbs" can land as trite - that's not how I mean it! You've done a great job so far - and honestly I'm jealous of anyone who reached goal and gets to work on the maintenance side now) you've still got a fair few options here.

Maybe the first thing worth trying is simply shifting your injection schedule so you pin 15mg on a 5 day cycle rather than 7.

Clearly that raises the effective total dose, though not by a ton, and it may quiet the noise across days 5,6 and 7 post-shot
 
gusterbuster said:

I hate to be that guy, but are you certain your calories haven't shifted? Gaining on identical calories is very rare. Tirz doesn't burn calories — sure, there's some metabolic stuff, but mostly it's appetite suppression. Once you're in maintenance mode, it takes very little for one or two extra food items to start piling on calories.

The first thing I'd do in your shoes is hold the tirz dose steady and try a 6 day or 5 day interval, since plenty of people find the hunger comes back a day or two ahead of the next shot.
Click to expand...

Don't hate, but that's almost certainly the issue. It comes down to either more calories going in or fewer being burned. The fix is eating less or moving more. To eat less you lean on more medicine, more tracking and conscious effort, or some mix of the two.

Spork said:

Yeah, with the food noise coming back, though this isn't exactly a full-blown crisis (I know "it's just 10 lbs" can land as trite - that's not how I mean it! You've done a great job so far - and honestly I'm jealous of anyone who reached goal and gets to work on the maintenance side now) you've still got a fair few options here.

Maybe the first thing worth trying is simply shifting your injection schedule so you pin 15mg on a 5 day cycle rather than 7.

Clearly that raises the effective total dose, though not by a ton, and it may quiet the noise across days 5,6 and 7 post-shot
Click to expand...

That's a 40% jump in effective weekly dose. Equivalent to going from 15mg to 21mg.
 
ladyj779 said:

Your caloric needs have come down, which is why eating the same calories now produces gain rather than maintenance.

So you either cut your calories, or you ramp up your workouts while leaving calories where they are.
Click to expand...
Exactly this.
 
First off, I want to say I appreciate that you're one of the few people posting here who grasps that a stall is normal, and that regain is the real signal something isn't working for you.

I'd offer actionable steps, but @chewonmysac already gave you the right answer, so there'd be no point in me repeating what's already been shared.

The one thing I'd add is that it can help to picture weight loss and maintenance as two teams in a tug of war, with each player standing for a different factor. Meaning: simply because you're on a GLP, nothing stops you from running several dietary strategies at once to see what the cumulative effect looks like for your body — and while chew's list is great, the non-peptide approaches that once worked for you might be worth another look too.
 
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