CommunityFood & Appetite

Reta and food noise

39 replies24 peopleMar 30, 2026☆ Follow
Summary

How does retatrutide compare to tirzepatide for reducing food noise and appetite suppression?

Users report that tirzepatide generally suppresses food noise and appetite more strongly than retatrutide. Many stack low-dose tirzepatide or cagrilintide with reta to maintain that effect while benefiting from reta's other properties. Experiences vary widely by dose, prior GLP-1 use, and individual response, with some feeling strong suppression even at low reta doses and others noticing little change until higher amounts or stacking.

What this discussion establishesWhere people disagree

Some find reta provides excellent food noise reduction on its own while others see minimal benefit without stacking.

Still open

Whether prior tirz or sema use permanently reduces sensitivity to reta's appetite effects.

Nothing here is advice.

39 replies · 24 people
BlueMeadow15archiveopening postMar 30

Curious what others think about how reta handles food noise and appetite compared with MJ. I used MJ for ten months last year and it basically eliminated both for me. I've seen conflicting reports that reta might not work as well for this. I've been on 2 mg of reta for two weeks now with no noticeable change. Should I wait longer or is this typical?

ClearBeacon24archiveMar 30
↳ replying to @BlueMeadow15 (opening post)

Reta doesn't control food noise as well as tirz. Plenty of people run both, keeping tirz at a lower dose. Some also add cagri when noise is still an issue.

LevelHarbour57archiveMar 30

The usual order people give for food noise control is sema ahead of tirz ahead of reta. Like the previous comment said, stacking reta with tirz is pretty common. For me even 0.5 mg of reta made a difference right away. Before that I was constantly wanting sugary stuff, but after the first couple shots it just didn't matter anymore. Interesting how that worked.

BlueSignal52archiveMar 30
↳ replying to @LevelHarbour57

Only a week in on reta but I'm seeing the same thing. Normally my brain is quick to talk me into having a little sugar, yet this week it's been simple to say no. I might have one frozen Greek yogurt bar at night and that's it. Could be placebo though.

IronLantern24archiveMar 31

I had no food noise at all on reta for the first three or four weeks. After that it wasn't as strong but still enough to keep me on track.

PlainAnchor67archiveMar 31

Not sure I fully get what food noise means. I don't get much appetite suppression on reta even at 4 mg, and I've gone as high as 7.5 mg before. On the higher dose I did feel full after eating less though.

ClearBeacon24archiveMar 31
↳ replying to @PlainAnchor67

Food noise basically means you aren't thinking about or wanting food all the time.

PlainAnchor84archiveMar 31

I was on 10 mg tirz weekly when I added reta. Started at 4 mg on the same day and that was rough. Now I pin 4 mg reta on Friday and have dropped tirz to 7.5 mg for the last two weeks. Food noise has stayed low. Plan is to stay at these doses through week four, then move reta to 8 mg and tirz to 5 mg. My body is responding well to reta and I'm feeling strong in the gym. The small tirz dose helps keep noise down. Might eventually drop tirz entirely and just use reta for a while. All one big experiment anyway.

AmberSignal47archiveMar 31
↳ replying to @PlainAnchor67

For me food noise is like the food in the fridge is literally calling to me. In college I'd cook a week's worth of chicken on Sunday and it would be gone by Tuesday just to make it stop. I wasn't always truly hungry, it was mostly because it was there. Food hasn't really shut up since fourth grade. It finally went quiet after 0.5 mg of reta a couple months ago. It felt freeing.

BlueMeadow15archiveMar 31
↳ replying to @LevelHarbour57

That lines up. I'm not noticing any drop in cravings yet, which is the main issue for me. With tirz they disappeared completely and it was great.

BlueMeadow15archiveMar 31
↳ replying to @AmberSignal47

Yeah that's a good way to put it, constant thoughts about food running in the background. Have you only used reta or did you try tirz or sema before?

AmberSignal47archiveMar 31
↳ replying to @BlueMeadow15

This is my first time with any GLP-1 type compound. I'm at about 1.25 mg weekly now. Might add a small amount of one of the others soon to test.

NorthCompass84archiveMar 31

On 2.5 mg of reta I have to make myself eat. We got chick-fil-a last night even though I wasn't hungry and I could barely finish a grilled chicken sandwich plus three waffle fries. That was most of my calories for the day.

SlowBramble73archiveMar 31

I've been looking into reta since October and started low, increasing based on what I found online. It's been working well. At higher doses the glucagon part kicks in more and the liver uses glucose differently. Around 8 mg a week my sugar cravings actually went up for a while before settling again. Since the other GLP-1s don't have that effect, switching from high tirz might feel different at first. Also noticed that after losing fat the body gets more efficient and under-eating can drop blood sugar too low.

GreyTimber78archiveMar 31

Almost two months on reta now, currently 3 mg once a week. Appetite suppression is strong from Sunday evening through Thursday lunch, then fades. Started at 219 and lost about 16 pounds in February. Focusing more on body recomp than the scale. Calories around 1500 with five lifting days and no cardio. Hitting protein is tough but I'd feel better with another 50 grams a day.

KeenSignal54archiveMar 31

I'm on both tirz and reta so maybe not the cleanest example. I only use a tiny dose of reta mid-week. Tirz wiped out my food noise at the start and it felt life-changing. After a few months it stopped working as well and I can't go much higher. Reta hasn't changed food noise or appetite for me yet, but the dose is small and it's early. Responses seem to differ a lot between people.

BlueMeadow15archiveMar 31
↳ replying to @AmberSignal47

I'm wondering if people who already used sema or tirz don't get as much effect from reta as those new to these compounds. Might need to bring tirz back in to get that same quiet feeling again.

GreenAlder21archiveMar 31

I add 2 mg of cagri weekly with my reta to handle food noise. Appetite suppression is already solid at 7.5 mg reta so I don't need to increase that.

GreyPebble34archiveMar 31

I still get food noise toward the end of the week, maybe a day or two before the next pin. Probably because I'm staying at 2 mg. When I do eat I fill up fast and sugar cravings are gone or at least I stop myself from eating junk.

PlainAlder11archiveMar 31
↳ replying to @GreyPebble34

No, it's because reta's half-life is roughly six days, so half of it has cleared by then.

BlueHarbour44archiveMar 31
↳ replying to @GreyPebble34

Similar thing happening seven weeks in. I went up to 1.5 mg split between Monday and Friday but got skin sensitivity, so now it's 1 mg twice a week. No more sides and still losing, down 17 pounds since mid-February.

QuietWillow76archiveMar 31

I tried reta even though tirz was already working fine. Now I have more cravings and food smells and tastes better, but I still fill up very fast. I've lost more weight than planned and my BMI is low. The extra noise hasn't shown up on the scale though. For me the noise is louder than on tirz but not enough to stop progress. I've never needed more than tirz 5, reta 4, and occasional small sema.

GreyLantern14archiveMar 31
↳ replying to @BlueMeadow15 (opening post)

It might take time depending on your previous MJ dose. I switched straight from 2.5 mg MJ to about 2.5 mg reta. First two weeks were okay, but by the one-month mark the physical fullness is so strong I can barely eat without feeling sick. The food noise reduction probably won't match MJ until I go higher, but right now food just doesn't interest me. Effects feel different but results are better for me overall. Longer half-life and slightly higher energy are nice too. Sadly switching back to MJ because I'm in Japan and can't get syringes. Stick with it.

WryCompass22archiveApr 1
↳ replying to @GreyTimber78

Dumb question, but are you talking about med schools or physical therapy programs?

GreyTimber78archiveApr 1

Not a dumb question. The place I'm going tomorrow is a regular college with a kinesiology department. Some towns have colleges that offer the same scans. Might take some searching but in a decent sized city you can usually find one. I'm getting the dexa to compare directly with the inbody reading. Scale lies anyway.

BlueMeadow15archiveApr 1
↳ replying to @GreyLantern14

I was up to 7.5 mg on MJ and food thoughts were completely gone. I had to remind myself to eat. Long term I think reta will be better for me since I'm training more. Can you not get insulin pens you can fill yourself? I know some places sell them with cartridges.

AmberSignal47archiveApr 1
↳ replying to @GreyTimber78

A couple years ago I did a dexa then an inbody shortly after and the numbers were very close. Later dexa scans showed big differences depending on whether I was fasted or not. One time I went in right after eating a big meal and it threw everything off. The matching scans were both done fasted in the morning.

GreyTimber78archiveApr 1
↳ replying to @AmberSignal47

Yeah both scans tomorrow morning on an empty stomach.

GreyTimber78archiveApr 1

The inbody and dexa differed by 10 percent body fat. Only lost 7 pounds in March compared with 16 the month before. Started at 225 in mid-January, now 198.

WryCompass22archiveApr 1
↳ replying to @GreyTimber78

Thanks for the info, I'll look around.

KeenLedger22archiveApr 1
↳ replying to @ClearBeacon24

That's what I do too and it seems like the best approach. I've been on reta over a year and only recently added cagri at 4-5 mg reta with 1-1.5 mg cagri.

LevelFenwick52archiveApr 1
↳ replying to @BlueMeadow15 (opening post)

I got decent food noise suppression even starting at 1 mg reta. Went up to 1.5 then 2, 3, and now 4 mg. Noise never got bad, I only increased because I could feel it wearing off before the next dose. There's still a little noise but it's quiet enough not to bother me. Before reta I was already on a 1500 calorie diet for nine months so I was used to saying no. Reta just gave the extra edge. Still only a month in so we'll see if more titration is needed.

GreyLantern14archiveApr 1
↳ replying to @BlueMeadow15

Syringes are illegal without a prescription here. You can import a lot of meds but not needles. I know others using reta but they don't mention how they get supplies.

BlueMeadow15archiveApr 2
↳ replying to @GreyLantern14

That's backwards. Maybe someone in aesthetics or a similar field could help.

PlainAlder11archiveApr 2
↳ replying to @LevelFenwick52

That's the half-life again. I also wonder how much difference there is between different sources. Saw some discussion on one platform about certain batches hitting harder than others.

LevelCinder55archiveApr 2
↳ replying to @GreyLantern14

I'm always looking for workarounds. With a low dose you could try putting reta in a nasal spray bottle with saline and use it a couple times a week. Haven't heard of it being done but I'd try that before going without.

GreyLantern14archiveApr 2
↳ replying to @BlueMeadow15

A friend with a testosterone prescription back home can import syringes. When I asked how to do it he looked at me like I was crazy. Most clinics here don't allow self-injection anyway. Plus it's three times the price of MJ. Looks like I need to make some diabetic friends.

SlowHarbour49archiveApr 5
↳ replying to @GreyLantern14

Have you thought about using a refillable injection pen for reta?

GreyLantern14archiveApr 6
↳ replying to @SlowHarbour49

Those probably fall under the same rules as regular syringes unless it's a prefilled pen you're importing.

BrightSignal26archiveJul 25

I dealt with binge eating for years and could never stop. Food was always on my mind. Reta changed that. First month I just got full faster than ever before. By the second month at 1 to 1.5 mg I stopped thinking about food without even noticing it happen. No cravings, no loss of control. I have to remind myself to eat and I pick better options. From my own experience I'm really grateful for it. Doses were 0.5-1 mg the first month and 1-2 mg the second.

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