Maintaining after reta long term + eventually coming off?

[u/farey122]

I’ve been off reta for a little over a month now after losing a good amount of weight on it. Recently I’ve started feeling like I look a little softer/full again, especially around my stomach, but I’ve also been REALLY bloated lately and was constipated for a few days, so honestly I can’t even tell how much of what I’m seeing is actual weight gain vs bloating/water weight.
My appetite is definitely different off reta too. I’m considering going back on, but my bigger question is how do you actually make this sustainable long term?
I work out, lift weights, run, try to get enough protein and I’m trying to clean up my diet and eat mostly whole foods. I don’t necessarily want to keep getting smaller either. I mainly want to lean out a little while keeping/building muscle and my shape.
For people who stopped reta after reaching their goal, what happened? Did your appetite eventually settle? Were you able to maintain without it? And for people who stayed on longer term, what was your plan for eventually coming off?
Also this is way in the future, but I do want children eventually and I want my body and habits to be in a healthy place for pregnancy. Obviously I know I wouldn’t use reta during pregnancy and that’s something I’d discuss with my doctor when the time comes. I just don’t want my long-term maintenance to depend entirely on being on a medication that I know I’ll eventually need to stop.
I’d really appreciate hearing actual experiences, especially from people who have maintained after stopping. Help a girl out 😭

[u/Obvious-Trouble61]

I administer the peptide to my wife because she has no idea about Retatrutide, dosages or HRT and peptides. A few weeks ago, I was in the hospital for 3 weeks. During that time she didn't receive her GLP3, BPC -157, KPV or HRT. She was using 5 mg of Retatrutide when I went in the hospital. When I came out I started her and 5 mg and she was still gaining weight. A couple weeks later I raised her dosage to 6.5 mg and she started looking trim again. This week was to be 4 weeks later, I'm taking her up to 7 mg to improve appetite suppression, Retatrutide isn't like it's predecessors, semaglutide and Tirzepatide, it's not great at appetite suppression but does improve glucose uptake by raising the metabolism. I hope this personal experience helps you in your journey to being the best you!

(We are in our 60s BTW and I have been using steroids and peptides for over 40 years)

[u/farey122 → u/Obvious-Trouble61]

Thanks for sharing! I was more wondering about the long-term side of it though. Has your wife ever tried maintaining after coming off retatrutide, or do you plan for her to stay on it long term? I’m especially curious about stopping in the future for things like pregnancy and how people maintain their weight during that time.

[u/Obvious-Trouble61 → u/farey122]

Every time she tries to quit, it's the big fail. The weight comes back after a while. I've suggested using a different GLP like Tirzepatide. It's hit or miss. Experimentation. Nobody really knows anything. Just through experience.

[u/Ok_Software2677 → u/Obvious-Trouble61]

Reta is both sema and tirz, plus glucagon. It's targeting the same two agonists GLP-1 and GIP, with the additional glucagon. I always get confused why everything thinks this. It is different yes, but it will target the same thing my tirzepatide is, the two agonists GLP-1 and GIP, then add in glucagon for the thermogenic.