Starting Reta: My Personal Journey and First Dose

[dragonwar54]

So, what’s going to happen when an overweight peptide newbie buys months of Reta to mess around with? I suppose we’ll see over the next few months!

For me, this forum has been an amazing resource, with tons of folks sharing essential info that newbies really ought to spend time absorbing. Endotoxins? Yeah, those are legit, and there’s lots of medical literature out there to check out. That helps you gauge your own risk, since the market doesn’t promise any particular levels. Filtration? That’s another thing people might overlook, and it seems like opinions are split on how well home labs can actually pull it off.

A bit about me:

I’m 6’1”, 276lbs, and 33 years old (sorry to all the metric users out there). Only a few years back, I’d dropped from 250lbs down to 190! Honestly, it didn’t take as long as you’d think. I just kept tracking calories in and calories burned using free apps and my fitness watch.

I started at 250lbs, basically not moving at all, and decided to change things by walking around the block just once a day. That gradually turned into a mile, then a 7 mile loop. I’m really lucky to have a great walking path that got me outside and bumped my 2000 daily steps up to over 10,000. I knew walking alone wouldn’t get me to my goal, so I added running. I began with a quick 20 minute fitness test: 5 minutes warmup, 5 minutes cooldown, and 10 minutes at a pace I could handle without stopping much. Well, that didn’t go as planned (the not stopping part). I probably walked as much as I ran in that 10 minutes, but it was the start of something bigger.

A few months later, I was running 5 days a week (and still doing my 7 mile walk on rest days). I started seeing progress and got hooked on that me-time. I’d listen to audiobooks and podcasts to improve myself. I ran several 5K races during this period and kept getting faster. I LOVE watching UFC fights, and since I was an athlete when I was younger, I thought I’d try boxing—boxers run too, right? I boxed for a year (absolutely loved it!) before life threw some serious punches. I had several seizures (this was before boxing, and no brain damage showed up, so doctors never figured out the cause) and my father passed away.

I stopped doing almost everything I should have kept up for my health, and slipped back into comfort, worrying about other stuff instead of myself. Over a few years, I crept back up to 250lbs, then kept going until here I am today at 276lbs, writing this.

My Reta package arrived today, and I was super excited to start this journey after all the positive feedback on this forum and in the fitness world overall. I want to show other members what I’m doing, the pros and cons I notice along the way, and hold myself accountable again.

Current protocol:

I checked the testing page on this forum to make sure the product wasn’t part of the endotoxin scare and matched what the company claimed.

I mixed the Reta10 with 1ml of water and took 20 units today (2mg total) as my starting dose. I added the peptide slowly to my BAC, then made sure the vial was still clear with nothing floating in it. As you can see, I didn’t filter my peptide beforehand, but I bet one bad experience could change that fast. It’s late now and I’ve already eaten for the day, so I thought this would help (taking it before bed and full). Hopefully my body gets some time to digest the peptide and we can start strong tomorrow.

I want to be transparent with everyone as I go through this and help others who might be thinking about starting their own peptide journey. Please do your research and know what you’re getting into if you’re just beginning. This forum is full of knowledge, and I spent a lot of time before joining reading posts and trying to absorb just 0.01% of what these people know.

I know this is a long post, so if you’ve read this far, I appreciate you and can’t wait to chat!

 

[idontlikeneedles]

Best of luck!

 

[professorpeppy]

dragonwar54 said:

So, what’s going to happen when an overweight peptide newbie buys months of Reta to mess around with? I suppose we’ll see over the next few months!

For me, this forum has been an amazing resource, with tons of folks sharing essential info that newbies really ought to spend time absorbing. Endotoxins? Yeah, those are legit, and there’s lots of medical literature out there to check out. That helps you gauge your own risk, since the market doesn’t promise any particular levels. Filtration? That’s another thing people might overlook, and it seems like opinions are split on how well home labs can actually pull it off.

A bit about me:

I’m 6’1”, 276lbs, and 33 years old (sorry to all the metric users out there). Only a few years back, I’d dropped from 250lbs down to 190! Honestly, it didn’t take as long as you’d think. I just kept tracking calories in and calories burned using free apps and my fitness watch.

I started at 250lbs, basically not moving at all, and decided to change things by walking around the block just once a day. That gradually turned into a mile, then a 7 mile loop. I’m really lucky to have a great walking path that got me outside and bumped my 2000 daily steps up to over 10,000. I knew walking alone wouldn’t get me to my goal, so I added running. I began with a quick 20 minute fitness test: 5 minutes warmup, 5 minutes cooldown, and 10 minutes at a pace I could handle without stopping much. Well, that didn’t go as planned (the not stopping part). I probably walked as much as I ran in that 10 minutes, but it was the start of something bigger.

A few months later, I was running 5 days a week (and still doing my 7 mile walk on rest days). I started seeing progress and got hooked on that me-time. I’d listen to audiobooks and podcasts to improve myself. I ran several 5K races during this period and kept getting faster. I LOVE watching UFC fights, and since I was an athlete when I was younger, I thought I’d try boxing—boxers run too, right? I boxed for a year (absolutely loved it!) before life threw some serious punches. I had several seizures (this was before boxing, and no brain damage showed up, so doctors never figured out the cause) and my father passed away.

I stopped doing almost everything I should have kept up for my health, and slipped back into comfort, worrying about other stuff instead of myself. Over a few years, I crept back up to 250lbs, then kept going until here I am today at 276lbs, writing this.

My Reta package arrived today, and I was super excited to start this journey after all the positive feedback on this forum and in the fitness world overall. I want to show other members what I’m doing, the pros and cons I notice along the way, and hold myself accountable again.

Current protocol:

I checked the testing page on this forum to make sure the product wasn’t part of the endotoxin scare and matched what the company claimed.

I mixed the Reta10 with 1ml of water and took 20 units today (2mg total) as my starting dose. I added the peptide slowly to my BAC, then made sure the vial was still clear with nothing floating in it. As you can see, I didn’t filter my peptide beforehand, but I bet one bad experience could change that fast. It’s late now and I’ve already eaten for the day, so I thought this would help (taking it before bed and full). Hopefully my body gets some time to digest the peptide and we can start strong tomorrow.

I want to be transparent with everyone as I go through this and help others who might be thinking about starting their own peptide journey. Please do your research and know what you’re getting into if you’re just beginning. This forum is full of knowledge, and I spent a lot of time before joining reading posts and trying to absorb just 0.01% of what these people know.

I know this is a long post, so if you’ve read this far, I appreciate you and can’t wait to chat!

Awesome results.. take a look at what's in my signature

 

[BNLFL]

Sounds good so far.

 

[dragonwar54]

idontlikeneedles said:

Best of luck!

Thanks a lot!

 

[Not_Your_Dad]

I'm a big fan of Reta! I take 6 mg every 84 hours.

Great job on starting out!

 

[dragonwar54]

professorpeppy said:

dragonwar54 said:

So, what’s going to happen when an overweight peptide newbie buys months of Reta to mess around with? I suppose we’ll see over the next few months!

For me, this forum has been an amazing resource, with tons of folks sharing essential info that newbies really ought to spend time absorbing. Endotoxins? Yeah, those are legit, and there’s lots of medical literature out there to check out. That helps you gauge your own risk, since the market doesn’t promise any particular levels. Filtration? That’s another thing people might overlook, and it seems like opinions are split on how well home labs can actually pull it off.

A bit about me:

I’m 6’1”, 276lbs, and 33 years old (sorry to all the metric users out there). Only a few years back, I’d dropped from 250lbs down to 190! Honestly, it didn’t take as long as you’d think. I just kept tracking calories in and calories burned using free apps and my fitness watch.

I started at 250lbs, basically not moving at all, and decided to change things by walking around the block just once a day. That gradually turned into a mile, then a 7 mile loop. I’m really lucky to have a great walking path that got me outside and bumped my 2000 daily steps up to over 10,000. I knew walking alone wouldn’t get me to my goal, so I added running. I began with a quick 20 minute fitness test: 5 minutes warmup, 5 minutes cooldown, and 10 minutes at a pace I could handle without stopping much. Well, that didn’t go as planned (the not stopping part). I probably walked as much as I ran in that 10 minutes, but it was the start of something bigger.

A few months later, I was running 5 days a week (and still doing my 7 mile walk on rest days). I started seeing progress and got hooked on that me-time. I’d listen to audiobooks and podcasts to improve myself. I ran several 5K races during this period and kept getting faster. I LOVE watching UFC fights, and since I was an athlete when I was younger, I thought I’d try boxing—boxers run too, right? I boxed for a year (absolutely loved it!) before life threw some serious punches. I had several seizures (this was before boxing, and no brain damage showed up, so doctors never figured out the cause) and my father passed away.

I stopped doing almost everything I should have kept up for my health, and slipped back into comfort, worrying about other stuff instead of myself. Over a few years, I crept back up to 250lbs, then kept going until here I am today at 276lbs, writing this.

My Reta package arrived today, and I was super excited to start this journey after all the positive feedback on this forum and in the fitness world overall. I want to show other members what I’m doing, the pros and cons I notice along the way, and hold myself accountable again.

Current protocol:

I checked the testing page on this forum to make sure the product wasn’t part of the endotoxin scare and matched what the company claimed.

I mixed the Reta10 with 1ml of water and took 20 units today (2mg total) as my starting dose. I added the peptide slowly to my BAC, then made sure the vial was still clear with nothing floating in it. As you can see, I didn’t filter my peptide beforehand, but I bet one bad experience could change that fast. It’s late now and I’ve already eaten for the day, so I thought this would help (taking it before bed and full). Hopefully my body gets some time to digest the peptide and we can start strong tomorrow.

I want to be transparent with everyone as I go through this and help others who might be thinking about starting their own peptide journey. Please do your research and know what you’re getting into if you’re just beginning. This forum is full of knowledge, and I spent a lot of time before joining reading posts and trying to absorb just 0.01% of what these people know.

I know this is a long post, so if you’ve read this far, I appreciate you and can’t wait to chat!

Awesome results.. take a look at what's in my signature

That's fantastic! What's your history with peptides—how long have you been taking them to achieve that?

Not_Your_Dad said:

I'm a big fan of Reta! I take 6 mg every 84 hours.

Great job on starting out!

Thanks so much! How many weeks or months do you intend to stay on it, and once you stop, will you step the dose down gradually?

 

[Not_Your_Dad]

dragonwar54 said:

professorpeppy said:

dragonwar54 said:

So, what’s going to happen when an overweight peptide newbie buys months of Reta to mess around with? I suppose we’ll see over the next few months!

For me, this forum has been an amazing resource, with tons of folks sharing essential info that newbies really ought to spend time absorbing. Endotoxins? Yeah, those are legit, and there’s lots of medical literature out there to check out. That helps you gauge your own risk, since the market doesn’t promise any particular levels. Filtration? That’s another thing people might overlook, and it seems like opinions are split on how well home labs can actually pull it off.

A bit about me:

I’m 6’1”, 276lbs, and 33 years old (sorry to all the metric users out there). Only a few years back, I’d dropped from 250lbs down to 190! Honestly, it didn’t take as long as you’d think. I just kept tracking calories in and calories burned using free apps and my fitness watch.

I started at 250lbs, basically not moving at all, and decided to change things by walking around the block just once a day. That gradually turned into a mile, then a 7 mile loop. I’m really lucky to have a great walking path that got me outside and bumped my 2000 daily steps up to over 10,000. I knew walking alone wouldn’t get me to my goal, so I added running. I began with a quick 20 minute fitness test: 5 minutes warmup, 5 minutes cooldown, and 10 minutes at a pace I could handle without stopping much. Well, that didn’t go as planned (the not stopping part). I probably walked as much as I ran in that 10 minutes, but it was the start of something bigger.

A few months later, I was running 5 days a week (and still doing my 7 mile walk on rest days). I started seeing progress and got hooked on that me-time. I’d listen to audiobooks and podcasts to improve myself. I ran several 5K races during this period and kept getting faster. I LOVE watching UFC fights, and since I was an athlete when I was younger, I thought I’d try boxing—boxers run too, right? I boxed for a year (absolutely loved it!) before life threw some serious punches. I had several seizures (this was before boxing, and no brain damage showed up, so doctors never figured out the cause) and my father passed away.

I stopped doing almost everything I should have kept up for my health, and slipped back into comfort, worrying about other stuff instead of myself. Over a few years, I crept back up to 250lbs, then kept going until here I am today at 276lbs, writing this.

My Reta package arrived today, and I was super excited to start this journey after all the positive feedback on this forum and in the fitness world overall. I want to show other members what I’m doing, the pros and cons I notice along the way, and hold myself accountable again.

Current protocol:

I checked the testing page on this forum to make sure the product wasn’t part of the endotoxin scare and matched what the company claimed.

I mixed the Reta10 with 1ml of water and took 20 units today (2mg total) as my starting dose. I added the peptide slowly to my BAC, then made sure the vial was still clear with nothing floating in it. As you can see, I didn’t filter my peptide beforehand, but I bet one bad experience could change that fast. It’s late now and I’ve already eaten for the day, so I thought this would help (taking it before bed and full). Hopefully my body gets some time to digest the peptide and we can start strong tomorrow.

I want to be transparent with everyone as I go through this and help others who might be thinking about starting their own peptide journey. Please do your research and know what you’re getting into if you’re just beginning. This forum is full of knowledge, and I spent a lot of time before joining reading posts and trying to absorb just 0.01% of what these people know.

I know this is a long post, so if you’ve read this far, I appreciate you and can’t wait to chat!

Awesome results.. take a look at what's in my signature

That's fantastic! What's your history with peptides—how long have you been taking them to achieve that?

Not_Your_Dad said:

I'm a big fan of Reta! I take 6 mg every 84 hours.

Great job on starting out!

Thanks so much! How many weeks or months do you intend to stay on it, and once you stop, will you step the dose down gradually?

I've been on Reta for 3 months, after spending 15 months with Tirz. Tirz stopped working for me, and anything past 12.5 mg gave me terrible side effects. I plan to stick with this aggressive dose until I drop at least another 40#, which ought to bring me into a "normal" range for my height. At some point I'll taper. I honestly can't say whether I'll end up needing it permanently. Right now I have 1000 mg sitting in the freezer, and whenever I spot a good deal, I'll continue picking up 60 mg kits every few months, just in case I'm on it forever.

 

[dragonwar54]

Not_Your_Dad said:

dragonwar54 said:

professorpeppy said:

dragonwar54 said:

So, what’s going to happen when an overweight peptide newbie buys months of Reta to mess around with? I suppose we’ll see over the next few months!

For me, this forum has been an amazing resource, with tons of folks sharing essential info that newbies really ought to spend time absorbing. Endotoxins? Yeah, those are legit, and there’s lots of medical literature out there to check out. That helps you gauge your own risk, since the market doesn’t promise any particular levels. Filtration? That’s another thing people might overlook, and it seems like opinions are split on how well home labs can actually pull it off.

A bit about me:

I’m 6’1”, 276lbs, and 33 years old (sorry to all the metric users out there). Only a few years back, I’d dropped from 250lbs down to 190! Honestly, it didn’t take as long as you’d think. I just kept tracking calories in and calories burned using free apps and my fitness watch.

I started at 250lbs, basically not moving at all, and decided to change things by walking around the block just once a day. That gradually turned into a mile, then a 7 mile loop. I’m really lucky to have a great walking path that got me outside and bumped my 2000 daily steps up to over 10,000. I knew walking alone wouldn’t get me to my goal, so I added running. I began with a quick 20 minute fitness test: 5 minutes warmup, 5 minutes cooldown, and 10 minutes at a pace I could handle without stopping much. Well, that didn’t go as planned (the not stopping part). I probably walked as much as I ran in that 10 minutes, but it was the start of something bigger.

A few months later, I was running 5 days a week (and still doing my 7 mile walk on rest days). I started seeing progress and got hooked on that me-time. I’d listen to audiobooks and podcasts to improve myself. I ran several 5K races during this period and kept getting faster. I LOVE watching UFC fights, and since I was an athlete when I was younger, I thought I’d try boxing—boxers run too, right? I boxed for a year (absolutely loved it!) before life threw some serious punches. I had several seizures (this was before boxing, and no brain damage showed up, so doctors never figured out the cause) and my father passed away.

I stopped doing almost everything I should have kept up for my health, and slipped back into comfort, worrying about other stuff instead of myself. Over a few years, I crept back up to 250lbs, then kept going until here I am today at 276lbs, writing this.

My Reta package arrived today, and I was super excited to start this journey after all the positive feedback on this forum and in the fitness world overall. I want to show other members what I’m doing, the pros and cons I notice along the way, and hold myself accountable again.

Current protocol:

I checked the testing page on this forum to make sure the product wasn’t part of the endotoxin scare and matched what the company claimed.

I mixed the Reta10 with 1ml of water and took 20 units today (2mg total) as my starting dose. I added the peptide slowly to my BAC, then made sure the vial was still clear with nothing floating in it. As you can see, I didn’t filter my peptide beforehand, but I bet one bad experience could change that fast. It’s late now and I’ve already eaten for the day, so I thought this would help (taking it before bed and full). Hopefully my body gets some time to digest the peptide and we can start strong tomorrow.

I want to be transparent with everyone as I go through this and help others who might be thinking about starting their own peptide journey. Please do your research and know what you’re getting into if you’re just beginning. This forum is full of knowledge, and I spent a lot of time before joining reading posts and trying to absorb just 0.01% of what these people know.

I know this is a long post, so if you’ve read this far, I appreciate you and can’t wait to chat!

Awesome results.. take a look at what's in my signature

That's fantastic! What's your history with peptides—how long have you been taking them to achieve that?

Not_Your_Dad said:

I'm a big fan of Reta! I take 6 mg every 84 hours.

Great job on starting out!

Thanks so much! How many weeks or months do you intend to stay on it, and once you stop, will you step the dose down gradually?

I've been on Reta for 3 months, after spending 15 months with Tirz. Tirz stopped working for me, and anything past 12.5 mg gave me terrible side effects. I plan to stick with this aggressive dose until I drop at least another 40#, which ought to bring me into a "normal" range for my height. At some point I'll taper. I honestly can't say whether I'll end up needing it permanently. Right now I have 1000 mg sitting in the freezer, and whenever I spot a good deal, I'll continue picking up 60 mg kits every few months, just in case I'm on it forever.

Back when I used to run, I learned that the final stretch is by far the hardest part. Dropping 50+ lbs is possible, but as you approach your target weight, the effort needed to keep matching that early rate of loss grows exponentially. To keep seeing those same 2lbs/week, I had to put in longer and faster runs.

Are you keeping tabs on total calories and macros right now, and do you also have a workout plan you stick to? I'm a very numbers-driven person, so seeing the figures laid out in front of me makes a huge difference. Measuring out EVERYTHING wasn't exactly enjoyable, but it genuinely made a difference. Putting a splash of creamer in your coffee? Log it once you've measured it. Pouring a bit of oil into the pan? Count it toward that meal's calories.

Given how long you've been at this, it seems like you've got a solid handle on things. I hope you reach the stage where the peptides aren't needed anymore and you're sitting at your goal!

 

[Not_Your_Dad]

dragonwar54 said:

Not_Your_Dad said:

dragonwar54 said:

professorpeppy said:

dragonwar54 said:

So, what’s going to happen when an overweight peptide newbie buys months of Reta to mess around with? I suppose we’ll see over the next few months!

For me, this forum has been an amazing resource, with tons of folks sharing essential info that newbies really ought to spend time absorbing. Endotoxins? Yeah, those are legit, and there’s lots of medical literature out there to check out. That helps you gauge your own risk, since the market doesn’t promise any particular levels. Filtration? That’s another thing people might overlook, and it seems like opinions are split on how well home labs can actually pull it off.

A bit about me:

I’m 6’1”, 276lbs, and 33 years old (sorry to all the metric users out there). Only a few years back, I’d dropped from 250lbs down to 190! Honestly, it didn’t take as long as you’d think. I just kept tracking calories in and calories burned using free apps and my fitness watch.

I started at 250lbs, basically not moving at all, and decided to change things by walking around the block just once a day. That gradually turned into a mile, then a 7 mile loop. I’m really lucky to have a great walking path that got me outside and bumped my 2000 daily steps up to over 10,000. I knew walking alone wouldn’t get me to my goal, so I added running. I began with a quick 20 minute fitness test: 5 minutes warmup, 5 minutes cooldown, and 10 minutes at a pace I could handle without stopping much. Well, that didn’t go as planned (the not stopping part). I probably walked as much as I ran in that 10 minutes, but it was the start of something bigger.

A few months later, I was running 5 days a week (and still doing my 7 mile walk on rest days). I started seeing progress and got hooked on that me-time. I’d listen to audiobooks and podcasts to improve myself. I ran several 5K races during this period and kept getting faster. I LOVE watching UFC fights, and since I was an athlete when I was younger, I thought I’d try boxing—boxers run too, right? I boxed for a year (absolutely loved it!) before life threw some serious punches. I had several seizures (this was before boxing, and no brain damage showed up, so doctors never figured out the cause) and my father passed away.

I stopped doing almost everything I should have kept up for my health, and slipped back into comfort, worrying about other stuff instead of myself. Over a few years, I crept back up to 250lbs, then kept going until here I am today at 276lbs, writing this.

My Reta package arrived today, and I was super excited to start this journey after all the positive feedback on this forum and in the fitness world overall. I want to show other members what I’m doing, the pros and cons I notice along the way, and hold myself accountable again.

Current protocol:

I checked the testing page on this forum to make sure the product wasn’t part of the endotoxin scare and matched what the company claimed.

I mixed the Reta10 with 1ml of water and took 20 units today (2mg total) as my starting dose. I added the peptide slowly to my BAC, then made sure the vial was still clear with nothing floating in it. As you can see, I didn’t filter my peptide beforehand, but I bet one bad experience could change that fast. It’s late now and I’ve already eaten for the day, so I thought this would help (taking it before bed and full). Hopefully my body gets some time to digest the peptide and we can start strong tomorrow.

I want to be transparent with everyone as I go through this and help others who might be thinking about starting their own peptide journey. Please do your research and know what you’re getting into if you’re just beginning. This forum is full of knowledge, and I spent a lot of time before joining reading posts and trying to absorb just 0.01% of what these people know.

I know this is a long post, so if you’ve read this far, I appreciate you and can’t wait to chat!

Awesome results.. take a look at what's in my signature

That's fantastic! What's your history with peptides—how long have you been taking them to achieve that?

Not_Your_Dad said:

I'm a big fan of Reta! I take 6 mg every 84 hours.

Great job on starting out!

Thanks so much! How many weeks or months do you intend to stay on it, and once you stop, will you step the dose down gradually?

I've been on Reta for 3 months, after spending 15 months with Tirz. Tirz stopped working for me, and anything past 12.5 mg gave me terrible side effects. I plan to stick with this aggressive dose until I drop at least another 40#, which ought to bring me into a "normal" range for my height. At some point I'll taper. I honestly can't say whether I'll end up needing it permanently. Right now I have 1000 mg sitting in the freezer, and whenever I spot a good deal, I'll continue picking up 60 mg kits every few months, just in case I'm on it forever.

Back when I used to run, I learned that the final stretch is by far the hardest part. Dropping 50+ lbs is possible, but as you approach your target weight, the effort needed to keep matching that early rate of loss grows exponentially. To keep seeing those same 2lbs/week, I had to put in longer and faster runs.

Are you keeping tabs on total calories and macros right now, and do you also have a workout plan you stick to? I'm a very numbers-driven person, so seeing the figures laid out in front of me makes a huge difference. Measuring out EVERYTHING wasn't exactly enjoyable, but it genuinely made a difference. Putting a splash of creamer in your coffee? Log it once you've measured it. Pouring a bit of oil into the pan? Count it toward that meal's calories.

Given how long you've been at this, it seems like you've got a solid handle on things. I hope you reach the stage where the peptides aren't needed anymore and you're sitting at your goal!

35 years is how long I carried extra weight. My relationship with food was abusive in the same way my relationship with narcotics once was. The catch is that chemical dependence can be overcome — oxy isn't required for survival — yet eating can't be stopped.

297 lbs was my peak, and that is a heavy load for someone standing 5' 8". A size 44 waist felt tight. Pain was constant, everywhere, all the goddamn time. Numbing some of that pain was what food made easy. Sugar intake could be counted in pounds per week, 3k - 6k calories a day was routine (at least 1k of those came from whatever I was drinking), and so on. Food occupied my mind nonstop, and every single time, without fail, I would go eat whatever I was thinking about.

In 2024 I hurt my back once more. Nothing I've ever felt matched that intensity. And I've been a chronic pain patient with a back injury for almost 30 years. Contemplating suicide type pain, no joke. Roughly 5 days passed before that pain eased even a bit, and the whole time I was on gabapentin measured in full grams just to function. For about a month afterward, a cane was how I walked. Wake-up call number one. It became clear that death or an inability to walk would be the outcome if this continued. Out went the energy drinks (4 a day being bad was news to me? Sitting still for a while, I could actually feel the arrythmia). The diet got tightened. 20 lbs came off this way, which was great. Pain dropped a lot (my guess is the inflammatory response from all that sugar, which quieted right down once I stopped consuming so much of it). The food noise, though, was unbeatable. At that point Mrs. NYD had been on Tirz for 5 months and wanted me to give it a try. Her genuine concern was that I'd leave her a widow and my kids without a father, and I shared that concern. A poster boy for a massive cardiovascular event, that was me. Compounded Tirz was my start, a few months on it followed, then everything went to shit with Mochi, and grey became the move at that point.

Tirz changed my life! 50 lbs came off on Tirz, which again, absolutely fabulous, but 50-ish lbs. still remained to go. That's when the long stall and the sides from the high dose hit, and prompted the switch to Reta. GLPs absolutely eliminate food noise for me. I'm Free, and I mean Free from food. I eat in order to survive, and that's all. Most days only eating 300 calories by 4pm, then a larger meal at dinnertime, which I enjoy, makes me perfectly happy. Driving past all my former favorite fast food places, they don't even get a second thought. Nothing short of a miracle, and I am so fucking grateful that these medications exist. Without them, I'm not sure I'd be sitting here typing this.

So, after my long and rambling explanation thus far, my answer to you is: no, I don't generally track every calorie and macro. Lots of people do, they love it, it works for them, and that's great, I know! It just ends up making me angry. How much creamer goes in my coffee is something I'm cognizant of (spoiler: a lot!), so, a pot of coffee gets made at home twice a week, a couple cups how I like them get had, and the 250 calories for the day just get ballparked. The rest of the time I'll get some caffeine from something carbonated with zero sugar. Almost for certain I don't hit a protein goal daily, probably not even weekly, I know. Eating that much, and that much protein too, is absolutely exhausting for me. A steady 1-4 lbs week has been my success once I hit 12 mg on Reta, and maintaining it doesn't drive me insane, so I'll keep doing what I've been doing. When goal is hit, more diligence about tracking and recording things will probably be needed, I realize, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

 

[dragonwar54]

Not_Your_Dad said:

dragonwar54 said:

Not_Your_Dad said:

dragonwar54 said:

professorpeppy said:

dragonwar54 said:

So, what’s going to happen when an overweight peptide newbie buys months of Reta to mess around with? I suppose we’ll see over the next few months!

For me, this forum has been an amazing resource, with tons of folks sharing essential info that newbies really ought to spend time absorbing. Endotoxins? Yeah, those are legit, and there’s lots of medical literature out there to check out. That helps you gauge your own risk, since the market doesn’t promise any particular levels. Filtration? That’s another thing people might overlook, and it seems like opinions are split on how well home labs can actually pull it off.

A bit about me:

I’m 6’1”, 276lbs, and 33 years old (sorry to all the metric users out there). Only a few years back, I’d dropped from 250lbs down to 190! Honestly, it didn’t take as long as you’d think. I just kept tracking calories in and calories burned using free apps and my fitness watch.

I started at 250lbs, basically not moving at all, and decided to change things by walking around the block just once a day. That gradually turned into a mile, then a 7 mile loop. I’m really lucky to have a great walking path that got me outside and bumped my 2000 daily steps up to over 10,000. I knew walking alone wouldn’t get me to my goal, so I added running. I began with a quick 20 minute fitness test: 5 minutes warmup, 5 minutes cooldown, and 10 minutes at a pace I could handle without stopping much. Well, that didn’t go as planned (the not stopping part). I probably walked as much as I ran in that 10 minutes, but it was the start of something bigger.

A few months later, I was running 5 days a week (and still doing my 7 mile walk on rest days). I started seeing progress and got hooked on that me-time. I’d listen to audiobooks and podcasts to improve myself. I ran several 5K races during this period and kept getting faster. I LOVE watching UFC fights, and since I was an athlete when I was younger, I thought I’d try boxing—boxers run too, right? I boxed for a year (absolutely loved it!) before life threw some serious punches. I had several seizures (this was before boxing, and no brain damage showed up, so doctors never figured out the cause) and my father passed away.

I stopped doing almost everything I should have kept up for my health, and slipped back into comfort, worrying about other stuff instead of myself. Over a few years, I crept back up to 250lbs, then kept going until here I am today at 276lbs, writing this.

My Reta package arrived today, and I was super excited to start this journey after all the positive feedback on this forum and in the fitness world overall. I want to show other members what I’m doing, the pros and cons I notice along the way, and hold myself accountable again.

Current protocol:

I checked the testing page on this forum to make sure the product wasn’t part of the endotoxin scare and matched what the company claimed.

I mixed the Reta10 with 1ml of water and took 20 units today (2mg total) as my starting dose. I added the peptide slowly to my BAC, then made sure the vial was still clear with nothing floating in it. As you can see, I didn’t filter my peptide beforehand, but I bet one bad experience could change that fast. It’s late now and I’ve already eaten for the day, so I thought this would help (taking it before bed and full). Hopefully my body gets some time to digest the peptide and we can start strong tomorrow.

I want to be transparent with everyone as I go through this and help others who might be thinking about starting their own peptide journey. Please do your research and know what you’re getting into if you’re just beginning. This forum is full of knowledge, and I spent a lot of time before joining reading posts and trying to absorb just 0.01% of what these people know.

I know this is a long post, so if you’ve read this far, I appreciate you and can’t wait to chat!

Awesome results.. take a look at what's in my signature

That's fantastic! What's your history with peptides—how long have you been taking them to achieve that?

Not_Your_Dad said:

I'm a big fan of Reta! I take 6 mg every 84 hours.

Great job on starting out!

Thanks so much! How many weeks or months do you intend to stay on it, and once you stop, will you step the dose down gradually?

I've been on Reta for 3 months, after spending 15 months with Tirz. Tirz stopped working for me, and anything past 12.5 mg gave me terrible side effects. I plan to stick with this aggressive dose until I drop at least another 40#, which ought to bring me into a "normal" range for my height. At some point I'll taper. I honestly can't say whether I'll end up needing it permanently. Right now I have 1000 mg sitting in the freezer, and whenever I spot a good deal, I'll continue picking up 60 mg kits every few months, just in case I'm on it forever.

Back when I used to run, I learned that the final stretch is by far the hardest part. Dropping 50+ lbs is possible, but as you approach your target weight, the effort needed to keep matching that early rate of loss grows exponentially. To keep seeing those same 2lbs/week, I had to put in longer and faster runs.

Are you keeping tabs on total calories and macros right now, and do you also have a workout plan you stick to? I'm a very numbers-driven person, so seeing the figures laid out in front of me makes a huge difference. Measuring out EVERYTHING wasn't exactly enjoyable, but it genuinely made a difference. Putting a splash of creamer in your coffee? Log it once you've measured it. Pouring a bit of oil into the pan? Count it toward that meal's calories.

Given how long you've been at this, it seems like you've got a solid handle on things. I hope you reach the stage where the peptides aren't needed anymore and you're sitting at your goal!

35 years is how long I carried extra weight. My relationship with food was abusive in the same way my relationship with narcotics once was. The catch is that chemical dependence can be overcome — oxy isn't required for survival — yet eating can't be stopped.

297 lbs was my peak, and that is a heavy load for someone standing 5' 8". A size 44 waist felt tight. Pain was constant, everywhere, all the goddamn time. Numbing some of that pain was what food made easy. Sugar intake could be counted in pounds per week, 3k - 6k calories a day was routine (at least 1k of those came from whatever I was drinking), and so on. Food occupied my mind nonstop, and every single time, without fail, I would go eat whatever I was thinking about.

In 2024 I hurt my back once more. Nothing I've ever felt matched that intensity. And I've been a chronic pain patient with a back injury for almost 30 years. Contemplating suicide type pain, no joke. Roughly 5 days passed before that pain eased even a bit, and the whole time I was on gabapentin measured in full grams just to function. For about a month afterward, a cane was how I walked. Wake-up call number one. It became clear that death or an inability to walk would be the outcome if this continued. Out went the energy drinks (4 a day being bad was news to me? Sitting still for a while, I could actually feel the arrythmia). The diet got tightened. 20 lbs came off this way, which was great. Pain dropped a lot (my guess is the inflammatory response from all that sugar, which quieted right down once I stopped consuming so much of it). The food noise, though, was unbeatable. At that point Mrs. NYD had been on Tirz for 5 months and wanted me to give it a try. Her genuine concern was that I'd leave her a widow and my kids without a father, and I shared that concern. A poster boy for a massive cardiovascular event, that was me. Compounded Tirz was my start, a few months on it followed, then everything went to shit with Mochi, and grey became the move at that point.

Tirz changed my life! 50 lbs came off on Tirz, which again, absolutely fabulous, but 50-ish lbs. still remained to go. That's when the long stall and the sides from the high dose hit, and prompted the switch to Reta. GLPs absolutely eliminate food noise for me. I'm Free, and I mean Free from food. I eat in order to survive, and that's all. Most days only eating 300 calories by 4pm, then a larger meal at dinnertime, which I enjoy, makes me perfectly happy. Driving past all my former favorite fast food places, they don't even get a second thought. Nothing short of a miracle, and I am so fucking grateful that these medications exist. Without them, I'm not sure I'd be sitting here typing this.

So, after my long and rambling explanation thus far, my answer to you is: no, I don't generally track every calorie and macro. Lots of people do, they love it, it works for them, and that's great, I know! It just ends up making me angry. How much creamer goes in my coffee is something I'm cognizant of (spoiler: a lot!), so, a pot of coffee gets made at home twice a week, a couple cups how I like them get had, and the 250 calories for the day just get ballparked. The rest of the time I'll get some caffeine from something carbonated with zero sugar. Almost for certain I don't hit a protein goal daily, probably not even weekly, I know. Eating that much, and that much protein too, is absolutely exhausting for me. A steady 1-4 lbs week has been my success once I hit 12 mg on Reta, and maintaining it doesn't drive me insane, so I'll keep doing what I've been doing. When goal is hit, more diligence about tracking and recording things will probably be needed, I realize, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Cutting those 50lbs is no small feat, and it's great that you had what you needed to make it happen! When an addiction is in play, it's rough — as you said, other substances can be left behind entirely, but food can't simply disappear from your life.

I get that the detailed way I handle things isn't for everyone. Tracking every single thing is a lot of effort, but it forces me to see what my plate ought to contain instead of whatever I'm craving. Back when I was cutting before, hunger was never a big issue for me. I loaded up on vegetables because they're low in calories and keep you full. Those habits have to come back, or else I'm pretty sure I'll rebound.

Zero sugar soda is a favorite of mine. It satisfies the craving without piling on calories (and those really do pile up). I used to down tons of the regular "diesel" kind without a second thought. What's unfortunate is that this was — and still is — my primary source of fluids. Switching to water and actually monitoring how hydrated I am is something I badly need to do, but that fight won't be easy.

Does 1-4 lbs per week strike you as possibly too fast? Hitting the weight target quickly is appealing, but if keeping loose skin to a minimum matters to you, it might be overkill. I've come across the idea that 2 lbs is a solid goal for limiting loose skin, though I also know — since I've got stretch marks too — that ship may have sailed the moment I chose to gain all that extra weight. Before my first cut I already had stretch marks, and I didn't wind up with loose skin (I was dropping 1-2lbs per week), but I wasn't shredded either. There was a bit of extra padding and some minor moobs, though I think lifting could have filled it all back in.

If you'd like tips or a person to help hold you accountable with tracking, just say so! Having someone else in the trenches with you makes these things a whole lot more manageable.

 

[thebonus]

dragonwar54 said:

So, what’s going to happen when an overweight peptide newbie buys months of Reta to mess around with? I suppose we’ll see over the next few months!

For me, this forum has been an amazing resource, with tons of folks sharing essential info that newbies really ought to spend time absorbing. Endotoxins? Yeah, those are legit, and there’s lots of medical literature out there to check out. That helps you gauge your own risk, since the market doesn’t promise any particular levels. Filtration? That’s another thing people might overlook, and it seems like opinions are split on how well home labs can actually pull it off.

A bit about me:

I’m 6’1”, 276lbs, and 33 years old (sorry to all the metric users out there). Only a few years back, I’d dropped from 250lbs down to 190! Honestly, it didn’t take as long as you’d think. I just kept tracking calories in and calories burned using free apps and my fitness watch.

I started at 250lbs, basically not moving at all, and decided to change things by walking around the block just once a day. That gradually turned into a mile, then a 7 mile loop. I’m really lucky to have a great walking path that got me outside and bumped my 2000 daily steps up to over 10,000. I knew walking alone wouldn’t get me to my goal, so I added running. I began with a quick 20 minute fitness test: 5 minutes warmup, 5 minutes cooldown, and 10 minutes at a pace I could handle without stopping much. Well, that didn’t go as planned (the not stopping part). I probably walked as much as I ran in that 10 minutes, but it was the start of something bigger.

A few months later, I was running 5 days a week (and still doing my 7 mile walk on rest days). I started seeing progress and got hooked on that me-time. I’d listen to audiobooks and podcasts to improve myself. I ran several 5K races during this period and kept getting faster. I LOVE watching UFC fights, and since I was an athlete when I was younger, I thought I’d try boxing—boxers run too, right? I boxed for a year (absolutely loved it!) before life threw some serious punches. I had several seizures (this was before boxing, and no brain damage showed up, so doctors never figured out the cause) and my father passed away.

I stopped doing almost everything I should have kept up for my health, and slipped back into comfort, worrying about other stuff instead of myself. Over a few years, I crept back up to 250lbs, then kept going until here I am today at 276lbs, writing this.

My Reta package arrived today, and I was super excited to start this journey after all the positive feedback on this forum and in the fitness world overall. I want to show other members what I’m doing, the pros and cons I notice along the way, and hold myself accountable again.

Current protocol:

I checked the testing page on this forum to make sure the product wasn’t part of the endotoxin scare and matched what the company claimed.

I mixed the Reta10 with 1ml of water and took 20 units today (2mg total) as my starting dose. I added the peptide slowly to my BAC, then made sure the vial was still clear with nothing floating in it. As you can see, I didn’t filter my peptide beforehand, but I bet one bad experience could change that fast. It’s late now and I’ve already eaten for the day, so I thought this would help (taking it before bed and full). Hopefully my body gets some time to digest the peptide and we can start strong tomorrow.

I want to be transparent with everyone as I go through this and help others who might be thinking about starting their own peptide journey. Please do your research and know what you’re getting into if you’re just beginning. This forum is full of knowledge, and I spent a lot of time before joining reading posts and trying to absorb just 0.01% of what these people know.

I know this is a long post, so if you’ve read this far, I appreciate you and can’t wait to chat!

Hey, did you take my story or something? I'm in the Baltimore area too, and I'm a little older than you. My weight sits around 240-250ish. I've used Semaglutide, and more recently Tirzepitide, for roughly a year. I dropped about 45 lbs but then hit a plateau. Just moments ago I injected 2mg of reta, having picked up a 10mg kit, then a 24mg kit, plus a few other kits.

I did run my peptide through a filter, by the way. That said, if you're ever up for swapping thoughts or possibly teaming up on a group buy sometime, reach out. It's always nice to have people nearby experimenting with the same stuff.

 

[dragonwar54]

[UPDATE] My dose has been increased gradually, and I'm now at 8mg/week (that dose was only started last week). In this brief window, I've dropped 50lbs! Apart from occasional headaches when the dose goes up, I haven't had any side effects. Reta continues to work, and since my goal is close, I'll soon begin titrating back down to 0.

If you're considering Reta for weight loss, I'd say go for it! In only a few months, I went from ~280lbs to ~230 (right now I'm slightly below 230). Once the cutting phase ends, the journey isn't over; keeping the weight off will be essential, and I'll be watching that closely as I taper off Reta! I also plan to focus on a fuller body recomp by returning to the gym to build muscle, because I haven't lifted at all during this time.

 

[Skidude]

dragonwar54 said:

[UPDATE] My dose has been increased gradually, and I'm now at 8mg/week (that dose was only started last week). In this brief window, I've dropped 50lbs! Apart from occasional headaches when the dose goes up, I haven't had any side effects. Reta continues to work, and since my goal is close, I'll soon begin titrating back down to 0.

If you're considering Reta for weight loss, I'd say go for it! In only a few months, I went from ~280lbs to ~230 (right now I'm slightly below 230). Once the cutting phase ends, the journey isn't over; keeping the weight off will be essential, and I'll be watching that closely as I taper off Reta! I also plan to focus on a fuller body recomp by returning to the gym to build muscle, because I haven't lifted at all during this time.

Should you choose to go down this path, please let us know how it goes.

Every study indicates a rapid rebound, along with weight regain, if you quit it 100%

 

[dragonwar54]

Skidude said:

dragonwar54 said:

[UPDATE] My dose has been increased gradually, and I'm now at 8mg/week (that dose was only started last week). In this brief window, I've dropped 50lbs! Apart from occasional headaches when the dose goes up, I haven't had any side effects. Reta continues to work, and since my goal is close, I'll soon begin titrating back down to 0.

If you're considering Reta for weight loss, I'd say go for it! In only a few months, I went from ~280lbs to ~230 (right now I'm slightly below 230). Once the cutting phase ends, the journey isn't over; keeping the weight off will be essential, and I'll be watching that closely as I taper off Reta! I also plan to focus on a fuller body recomp by returning to the gym to build muscle, because I haven't lifted at all during this time.

Should you choose to go down this path, please let us know how it goes.

Every study indicates a rapid rebound, along with weight regain, if you quit it 100%

Of course! I haven't been counting calories at this point, though back when I did a cut, tracking was how I kept myself honest. Reta is a useful tool, but you also have to shift your habits, which means keeping an eye on portions and how much you eat as the Reta gets phased out. On top of that, adding more movement would help even things out (I'm an engineer stuck at a desk all day and don't get much physical activity outside of work).

Reta has done a lot for me when it comes to silencing food noise and making this weight loss possible, but I'm aware the phase ahead will be tough, since I'll have to own every choice and stop treating Reta like a magic pill. As time goes on, I'm eager to share honest feedback with all of you, whether it goes well or not!

 

[BNLFL]

Skidude said:

dragonwar54 said:

[UPDATE] My dose has been increased gradually, and I'm now at 8mg/week (that dose was only started last week). In this brief window, I've dropped 50lbs! Apart from occasional headaches when the dose goes up, I haven't had any side effects. Reta continues to work, and since my goal is close, I'll soon begin titrating back down to 0.

If you're considering Reta for weight loss, I'd say go for it! In only a few months, I went from ~280lbs to ~230 (right now I'm slightly below 230). Once the cutting phase ends, the journey isn't over; keeping the weight off will be essential, and I'll be watching that closely as I taper off Reta! I also plan to focus on a fuller body recomp by returning to the gym to build muscle, because I haven't lifted at all during this time.

Should you choose to go down this path, please let us know how it goes.

Every study indicates a rapid rebound, along with weight regain, if you quit it 100%

I've come across this same point previously, both in reading and hearing it. If it's possible, I'll stick with it until the end. What's curious is that after tinkering with this maintenance routine for some time, the amount doesn't appear to make a difference—whether it's 10, 8, 6, or even 4mg, my weight just fluctuates by 2 pounds.

 

[Skidude]

BNLFL said:

Skidude said:

dragonwar54 said:

[UPDATE] My dose has been increased gradually, and I'm now at 8mg/week (that dose was only started last week). In this brief window, I've dropped 50lbs! Apart from occasional headaches when the dose goes up, I haven't had any side effects. Reta continues to work, and since my goal is close, I'll soon begin titrating back down to 0.

If you're considering Reta for weight loss, I'd say go for it! In only a few months, I went from ~280lbs to ~230 (right now I'm slightly below 230). Once the cutting phase ends, the journey isn't over; keeping the weight off will be essential, and I'll be watching that closely as I taper off Reta! I also plan to focus on a fuller body recomp by returning to the gym to build muscle, because I haven't lifted at all during this time.

Should you choose to go down this path, please let us know how it goes.

Every study indicates a rapid rebound, along with weight regain, if you quit it 100%

I've come across this same point previously, both in reading and hearing it. If it's possible, I'll stick with it until the end. What's curious is that after tinkering with this maintenance routine for some time, the amount doesn't appear to make a difference—whether it's 10, 8, 6, or even 4mg, my weight just fluctuates by 2 pounds.

Were I still in my early 30s, tapering all the way to 0 is probably what I'd attempt.

At nearly 60, though, I think the other advantages carry weight, and restarting later risks running into diminishing returns, which I'd rather avoid.

So I'll continue building my supply until I'm able to at least hold steady.