CommunityReconstitution & Math

Plateau + Pen + Maintenance Calculator

12 replies9 peopleJul 1, 2026☆ Follow
Summary

How to handle a weight-loss stall on reta after several weeks, including doubts about pen potency and questions about maintenance calories with high activity

The original poster reports a stall after steady loss on 3 mg reta, with reduced food noise and the ability to eat more, plus suspicion that the pen has lost effectiveness. Multiple replies advise raising the dose to 4 mg and increasing daily calories well above 1200-1400. After the poster added roughly 400 kcal the scale dropped 2 kg; the poster plans to move to 3.5 mg next. Participants stress that a one-week stall is common and that very low calories can trigger metabolic pushback.

What this discussion establishesWhere people disagree

Whether the pen itself has become ineffective versus the user simply needing a higher dose

Still open

What the correct maintenance calorie target should be for this activity level and medication

Nothing here is advice.

12 replies · 9 people
GreyTimber60archiveopening postJul 1

Just sharing details. I'm a 25-year-old male, 171 cm, now 86.6 kg after beginning at 103 kg. Eighth week on reta at 3 mg. Daily intake sits between 1200 and 1400 kcal, sometimes lower. Loss had been steady until the scale held between 86.2 and 86.6 kg. I can manage larger meals yet still eat little; being able to eat breakfast again shows the food noise has dropped, which matches how the medication is supposed to work. A refeed attempt did not move the scale. Using a pen and wondering if it has lost strength or is no longer effective. Also unsure how maintenance calories are calculated because online tools suggest 2000 kcal, which feels excessive. My routine includes 5-10 km runs three days a week, 1.5 hours of football twice a week, and daily weight training. Looking for input.

LevelAlder29archiveJul 2

A week without movement on the scale is annoying but usual. Only after several weeks of no progress, defined as under 1 percent body weight lost in two weeks or 2 percent in four, would I consider it a real stall and change something. Not sure what the concern with pens is, since the medication is the same whether delivered that way or from a vial with a syringe, assuming proper handling. Switching formats is always an option, or the cartridge can be used like a vial if preferred.

GreyTimber60archiveJul 2
↳ replying to @LevelAlder29

The flat period has actually lasted two or three weeks now, longer than the initial stall. Effects from the medication also feel weaker, and I can eat larger amounts without trouble. Much of the response to reta seems mental, and I dealt with that for the first six or seven weeks. I now believe the pen has stopped working properly and will switch to vials.

AmberCinder46archiveJul 2

Maybe raise the weekly amount to 4 mg?

CopperBeacon24archiveJul 2
↳ replying to @GreyTimber60 (opening post)

Looks like solid progress so far, well done. The 2000-plus calorie target with 2.2 g protein per kg feels impossible on these medications, though shakes can help reach it.

SlowAnchor19archiveJul 2

If earlier doses from the same pen produced clear effects, it is unlikely the pen has suddenly lost all potency. Consider titrating upward instead. There is no prize for staying at the lowest dose or enduring the most hunger; let the medication do its job.

GreyHarbour88archiveJul 2

The suggestions to move to 4 mg and hold there for a month make sense. Eating more also seems advisable. At 1200 kcal daily I weigh about 50 lb less than you, so adding at least 400 protein-rich calories per day would better suit an active 25-year-old male.

GreyTimber60archiveJul 3
↳ replying to @GreyHarbour88

Hard to answer everyone, but it is odd. After raising intake the last few days to 1800 kcal with eggs, sourdough, sweet potatoes, chicken breast and spinach, the scale fell 2 kg even without workouts. Pinning today and will use 3.5 mg. Increasing by a full 1 mg at once still feels risky.

PlainAlder11archiveJul 3
↳ replying to @GreyTimber60

How many days did it take to drop those 2 kg? I raised the dose by 2 mg each step until reaching 8 mg and now use 9 mg.

GreyHarbour88archiveJul 3
↳ replying to @GreyTimber60

The approach you describe sounds reasonable. I began with tirz and later added reta after a stall, moving up slowly and cautiously the same way you are. That gradual pace worked for me.

AmberTimber24archiveJul 3

It takes time, so no need to worry. A 300 g weekly loss is a solid steady rate. The trials track results over 48 weeks, so the overall total matters more than any single week. Nearly 20 kg in two months is strong progress. Holding water can also be beneficial.

QuietAnchor73archiveJul 3
↳ replying to @GreyTimber60

Too large a calorie deficit can cause the body to resist further loss, so it becomes a balance between adequate nutrition and the deficit.

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Plateau + Pen + Maintenance Calculator · ZyraTrack Community