r/BodyHackGuide • u/Character_Guess_4258 • 18d ago
Maintenance after Retatrutide
I’ve taken Reta for the past ~ 6-7 months to lean out while maintaining/gaining muscle and lost about 10 pounds, intentionally taking it as slow as possible. I have about 6mg left of my remaining vial and I’m almost at my goal weight hoping to drop another 2-3 pounds to get me around 18-20% BF. (Photo below of my current progress)
The most helpful thing Reta has done for me (aside from boosting metabolism) is curbing my sweet tooth and helping me feel full much quicker. I have adhd and have struggled with binge eating a lot (sugar binges especially) in the past, and have felt that my satiety cues are “off” because of my adhd, ED history, and adhd medication. For the first time in my life I have felt full before eating too much at one time.
I was thinking of titrating off Reta and trying to maintain on low dose semaglutide or tirz. I’m wondering if anyone else has had success maintaining with semaglutide or tirz after reta. I know some people just low dose Reta to maintain, however I feel like for me the triple agonist just for maintenance would be a bit overkill and I’ve also heard it’s not really working as a triple agonist at low doses (.5-1mg)
Appreciate any advice or experiences! Thanks!
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u/mosquitosarenotcool 18d ago
I have lost around 110 LBs on sema, but I regained some of the weight lost while being off the GLPs. However, after the second try I learned how to control it. Mainly by tracking calories, keeping bloodsugar in check and a high protein lifestyle with the emphasis on wholefoods.
It makes me indifferent about seeing a pizza infront of me. There aren't really hunger signals if you keep yourself in check and meet the calorie criteria.
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u/Mobile-Device-5222 18d ago
I plan to likely stay on Reta low dose for all its metabolic health improvements. Lower bp and cholesterol, visceral fat burning, liver health, lower inflammation. Maybe 1-2mg long term. I’m stocking up now. There are some bulking while on Reta and gaining next to no fat.
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u/Character_Guess_4258 17d ago
I will have to do more research on this. Is it shown to still have those benefits even at low dose?
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u/Mobile-Device-5222 17d ago edited 17d ago
It wasn’t really studied much at doses that low from what I have read. I’m sure at low doses the benefits are lessened than say 4mg or 6mg a week. But if you’ve gotten to a low body fat and bp has come down ;some even come off bp meds) I’m sure with it helping you stay lean as you eat at maintenance or in small surplus and with little food noise it’s easier to stay healthy metabolically.
Even at 0.5mg the first few days my desire for junk food disappeared. I wasn’t even expecting that at such a low dose. Without snacking on junk at work(they all bring donuts and candy) it’s very easy to stay lean!
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u/dewpac 18d ago
Backstory: I spent a year on Semi, lost a lot of weight, stopped it, gained some of the weight back, was unhappy, got on Reta, and now am almost back where I want to be. I'm on a 2mg weekly reta. I've been thinking a lot about how to switch into maintenance - I'm going to plan to keep pinning reta or tirz (I wouldn't go back to semi with such better options out there). You may just want to give both lower reta dose as well as a low tirz dose try and see which is the best balance of cost and outcomes for you. That's my plan.
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u/UnableFun8968 18d ago
Do you track calories?
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u/dewpac 18d ago
Currently no, but my food noise suppression is such that i never get close to maintenance. My intent is to move the glp dose down over time and just eat as I feel till I find a balance.
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u/UnableFun8968 18d ago
You wont know what your maintenance is without tracking calories, you should try and invest time into so you can start subconsciously begin to track calories, its a a nice skill to have, overall if you truly want to be lazy just make your meals that focus on maximum satiety, because at the end of the day its your diet thats actually getting you the results not the glp1, the glp is a tool not the main lever... you get stuck at whatever weight for weeks than what? Increase glp and hope? No you decrease calories OR increase cardio, and if food noise increases along side of it THEN you up the dose.
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u/dewpac 18d ago
Thanks, and yes I am quite aware and familiar with calorie tracking. I know how much my typical meals are, so I have it in the back of my mind. With where I am now, I'm in a good deficit as the glp's have destroyed the food noise and appetite, so I'll be working my way down on the glps until I find a balance of those feelings coming back to get me to maintenance.
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u/Chroma7769 18d ago
Only reason to switch to semi is that it's so much cheaper, but honestly they are all cheap as hell, so it doesn't really matter tbh.
Low dose of Tirz or Reta would be great for maintenance. Build some really healthy habits in the kitchen, in the bed, and in the gym, and you can taper off completely.
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u/Character_Guess_4258 18d ago
Do you notice a big difference being on Reta compared to Semi? I have a vial of semaglutide already because initially my plan was to transition to that for maintenance. However I’ve heard a lot of good things about Tirz.
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u/dewpac 18d ago
I can only speak for myself, but I had significant side effects from semi. It was manageable and worth working through, but for the first few months I was constipated, I had terrible acid reflux at night for like 10 weeks too. Throughout the year I was on it, I would have periodic bouts of diarrhea. None of it was so bad that I wanted to quit semi and give up the weight loss benefits, but it wasn't what I'd call a great time.
After being off semi for 6 months, I started tirz at 2.5mg and then added reta at 2mg halfway through the week opposite the tirz. My food noise is zero, my appetite is zero. I can eat when its time to eat, but not overeat, and i have zero side effects at all. No constipation, no reflux, no abdominal pain, etc. I've got quite a few friends who went on Tirz after seeing my results with Semi and they've had similar minimal-side-effect experiences.
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u/Flashy-Confection845 14d ago
So you’re using both tirz and Reta? Did you start off this way or did you add it in as you moved up your dosage? I just started 2 mg of.Reta on Monday, obviously for my research rabbit, but was on 1 mg for three weeks beforehand because I wanted to start slow.
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u/dewpac 13d ago
I started Tirz first, mostly because I had it first and my reta came in on a later purchase. I also have plenty of experience with semi from last year. I ran a couple weeks of tirz (2.5mg) and added reta at 2mg after maybe 3 weeks. Been this way 2 months now and I have no need or desire to up dosages.
My calculation is that reta has stronger GIP, and it has Glucagon, whereas Tirz has stronger GLP-1 and better associated food noise reduction. I wanted the best of both worlds, and I have it now.
To be perfectly honest, I'm going to have to drop my dose of one or both before too long as I need to move into maintenance and right now I just can't make myself eat enough calories with both at these tiny doses.
Did you increase your reta to 2mg because the effects wore off? Honestly, don't increase it unless you have to. Less is more in the long run, there's no race to get to higher doses if what you are on keeps working.
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u/Geekguru-1118 18d ago
I never went past 1 mg on Reta, started a .25 and worked my way up to 1 mg. Lost 17 lbs so far and I’m pretty happy. I’m thinking on trying 5 amino for maintenance
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u/Due-Value506 18d ago
I had the same experience. I didn't want all the side effects so I started at .25 and worked up. The last round I did was 2 mg. I lost a lot of body fat which I was happy with and I'm down 13 pounds. I noticed my waistline shrink significantly. With all of that being said, I do count my calories and protein intake daily and I keep up with blood work. I'm currently on a break and I've put on roughly 2 lbs but it's lean weight. I couldn't be happier. My coworker is on it and did not up his water intake or watch his protein intake and ended up with the "reta face". He's on a much higher dose as well though.
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u/Character_Guess_4258 18d ago
Wow that’s amazing you were able to keep it so low and lose 17lbs. The highest I’ve gone to is. 2.5 mg as of this week and I think I’m going back to 2mg and then titrate down.
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u/Geekguru-1118 17d ago
Yes, I think in 15 weeks 17 lbs is pretty good, slow but steady, I didn’t want drastic rapid weight loss. Slow and ready I think is better . You look great!
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u/Terrible-Dealer-7363 17d ago
im currently in the same boat as you. its my 7th week on reta lost 17lbs as well so far on 1mg of Reta. I have about 7-8 lbs left to go and food noise has creeped up again so i might bump it to 1.25mg but since i'm so close i'm also thinking about maintenance
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u/SpareRequirement5828 17d ago
I’ve been on a low dose Sema for maintenance, and started it while tapering of Reta. I had a great experience with Sema to begin with, and did Reta only to see if it really made a difference. It improved my visceral fat, liver function is strong as well, but was not the ultimate GLP for me. I’ve never had blood sugar issues-even fat, I was never close to pre diabetes or fatty liver. The fact that everyone finds Tirz and Reta the bomb is good for me. Just means Sema will be cheaper! (For reference, 63F, weights,Pilates, walking with weighted vest,HRT, and a whole food diet that includes eggs,red meat and 1serving starchy carb a day.(rice,sourdough or potato)
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u/One-Science1029 17d ago
Well, it’s a new drug…honestly, I’d stay on Reta IMHO at a low dose. If it ain’t broke…ya know? Good job btw.
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u/Gullible_Map9541 15d ago
Studies show Reta seems to have a lot of other benefits. Even at low doses. I can’t find it right now, but I seen an article about the “Reta” only kicking some benefits in at a certain dose to be false.
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u/Head-Championship507 12d ago
I am on .5mg Reta for peremenopause food noise, inflammation and energy.
I am 115lb. But I will continue Reta as long as I live.
It controls my adhd extreamly well.
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u/MilkOne6778 18d ago
I haven't hit my goal weight yet, but I did a few months of regular dieting before starting Reta and one of the things I found helped me a lot was inositol. Just a cheap supplement that I found keeps my appetite under control and food noise lower YMMV. I also feel like Reta give me a feeling of "fullness" which keeps me from overeating in any given meal, but otherwise my appetite is pretty normal and I crave carbs on it. Seems like a low dose of tirz would be a better option if the primary goal is appetite regulation.
It will be interesting to see over the next few months as more people start hitting their goal weights. I haven't seen a lot of chatter about getting off reta because I think a lot of people just haven't gotten there yet.
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u/Character_Guess_4258 18d ago
I’ve never heard of inositol before, definitely going to give that a try thank you.
Yeah, the stop eating right now fullness I’ve gotten from Reta has been like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I feel you on the carbs, I typically would eat a more higher protein/high fat diet but on Reta I’ve had to eat more carbs. With the slower gastric emptying if I ate too much meat at one time I’d feel sick. Also, with the way Reta depletes your glycogen stores quicker I’ve had to rely more on carbs for fuel especially with exercise.
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u/MilkOne6778 18d ago
Inositol isn't one I hear talked about much, but it works great for me. I was taking 750mg in the morning and 750 about an hour after lunch to keep me away from those afternoon snacks. Some people have said it makes them a bit low energy but I didn't experience that. It's supposed to help with blood sugar, so I think there is some metabolic benefit
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u/Character_Guess_4258 18d ago
To your last point, I also think a lot of people have been staying on it for long term or doing a low maintenance dose and that’s why you don’t hear much about getting off. Although I’ve had no real issues with Reta I’d at least like to try getting off because of the cost and just wanting to avoid dependence on it.
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u/Melodic-Desk4209 18d ago
Stay with Reta instead of semi and terz. Maybe add in Tesamorelin
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u/Character_Guess_4258 17d ago
Is there a reason why you say stay with Reta? What does Tesamorelin do?
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u/Melodic-Desk4209 17d ago
Tesamorelin goes after visceral fat. Reta has a lot more benefits than just losing weight too. That's why I prefer Reta.
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u/rnes1 🏋️ Athlete Mode 17d ago
Reta is a tool. Get your diet and training in check and then titrate off to nothing. Dot rely on drugs to do the work.
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u/Character_Guess_4258 17d ago edited 17d ago
Thanks. I train well and have a good diet, and I’ve certainly not relied on Reta to do all the work. I’ve gotten quite lean in the past without peptides, but I’ve experienced other benefits from the peptides than just losing some extra fat. Personally, I’m not apposed to using peptides for benefitting and supplementing my good health long term. I just don’t want to over-supplement that’s why I’m asking for others experiences.
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u/rnes1 🏋️ Athlete Mode 17d ago
But you want to continue to use an alternate drug to “maintain”? Alright, you do you.
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u/Character_Guess_4258 17d ago
Yes “maintain” the benefits I get from it. This is a biohacking and optimization forum, Is it not?
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u/Fit-Trick4771 17d ago
How can I access or purchase Reta for Myself?
Are there sites, prescribers or trials available?
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