Debate on starvation mode and managing side effects in long-term restriction

First thing I'd check is whether you're actually tracking calories. Too many and weight won't move, but too big a deficit can also stall things because the body thinks it's starving and holds onto fat. Your existing conditions might be playing a role too. Regular bloodwork would show what's going on inside. If calories look reasonable and bloods are fine, no reason not to try 7 mg and see how it goes from there.

How's your food intake looking? Have you swapped to better choices, cut back on snacks and sugars, and focused more on protein? Is food noise still an issue? You could try switching to Tirzepatide or stacking Reta with Tirz. Also explain how the Retatrutide is hitting you on hunger, eating habits and the like.

Food-wise I was stuck in a loop of fibro crashes followed by grabbing high-calorie quick fixes. That stopped once I started Reta. My condition still makes me skip meals from sheer tiredness, so breakfast at 2 pm then overeating once hunger hits. Been working on that and made progress. Upped protein and mostly snack on chicken. Stay as active as I can. Don't track calories because it stresses me out and I lose count. Some weeks the pin brings on overwhelming hunger but I manage not to clear the cupboard.

Starving isn't ideal either. Maybe look at ready-made protein drinks or shakes since mixing one when tired is probably tough. It might be hard to stick with right now, but what worked well for me on Tirzepatide was eating every three to four hours with around 20 g of protein each time. I tweak the protein a bit depending on the gap between meals and add a little more early on to help hold muscle.

Just picked up some of that meal-replacement shake powder. Still trying to figure out if I'm wasting time with the slow titration and should just move up to 7 or 8 mg.

My weight stalled on Tirzepatide for a couple of months. Had berberine sitting around so I added it. Weight started dropping again at a steeper rate than it had in months. Dropped twelve pounds since adding it. Berberine gets called the poor man's GLP-1. It's over the counter, helps with blood sugar and can lower blood pressure a little.

Take a look at that video, the guy shares decent info on reta, stalls and other compounds that can help.

People on 8 mg of reta lost a little over 20 percent bodyweight in a year while 12 mg got above 25 percent. Start by asking what your target weight is and go from there. Remember they hit those numbers over 48 weeks so patience matters. Took me about a year and a half to reach 30 percent bodyweight loss on tirz and sema. Good luck.

Went all the way up to 12 mg reta once a week, stalled for a few months, then dropped back to 6 mg and added cagri. Better to hold onto the lost weight longer than push too hard. A few more pounds came off over the last six months. Slower loss is easier for the body to handle.

Goal weight is 182 lb or 13 stone. Currently at 220. Was dropping just under 2 lb a week and happy with that pace. This stall has been frustrating though. Just want to break through and get the scale moving again.

Before adding anything else I'd first try moving to 8 then 10 mg of Reta if needed. Plenty of people here run those levels with good results. If that still doesn't work consider adding some Tirz on a different day from your Reta. I'm doing 7.5 mg Tirz on Friday and 4 mg Reta on Tuesday. Haven't stalled more than a few days. Tirz kills hunger and Reta boosts fat burning. Seems like a solid combo but results vary.

People often read the phase 3 data to fit their own story instead of taking it as a uniform cohort for safety and efficacy. Managing your own program is different from being in a study. I'd start looking at other options before going above 8 mg a week. In particular a small stack with Sema to strengthen GLP-1 effects, and maybe small amounts of Cag or Elora for extra appetite control while offsetting heart-rate rise. The data shows diminishing returns above 8 mg for things like liver fat, and the extension shows higher-dose benefits can still be used later if needed. Depends on your goals. If you want the weight off fast without worrying about other markers, follow the trial titration. If you're viewing Reta as

Without knowing the medical issues you're worried about with reta it's hard to say, but chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia don't seem like reasons to avoid higher doses. If anything reta may help fibromyalgia though nothing is proven yet. Being lighter should ease fatigue and general pain. Some people get anhedonia or fatigue from reta but most don't. I'd disagree with focusing hard on calorie intake. Strict restriction can work short term but is much harder to sustain long term. Makes more sense to raise the dose until hunger drops naturally so you're eating less comfortably. That approach is more sustainable and lets you keep going until the weight is off and stays off. Eating better and moving more is still good, but

Tried a fasting plan the chronic fatigue clinic suggested. Eating clean and fasting twelve hours from 8 pm to 8 am. That didn't work so we tried longer windows, 8 pm until about 2 pm. Ended up gaining a few pounds so they said they didn't know why and that was it.

CICO. Can't outrun the math. As weight drops the daily calories needed to hold steady also drop. A smaller body takes less energy than the larger one you had. Over several months a stall means you're eating exactly what's needed to maintain current weight. Must either cut intake, raise expenditure, or both. Reta helps with both but still needs your input later on. To cut intake, count calories and eat fewer. Eat lower-calorie-density foods high in protein and fiber to fill up and protect muscle. To raise expenditure, lift weights. Muscle burns more at rest than fat. Last point, maybe you're already doing all this. Leaner, more muscular, smaller body. Muscle weighs more than fat,

Since getting ill in 2021 exercise dropped fast and weight went up. Can't work out much anymore because it triggers full-body crashes lasting days. Stay as active as possible with light walking and moving around the house. Food intake is way down and portions are small. Will admit to snacking on things I shouldn't a couple times a week like chocolate or soda. Overall think I'm handling it. More protein foods like chicken and protein yogurts. Lost four inches off the waist and a couple off the neck. Kept most muscle which is why I picked reta over the others. Calorie cutting is hit or miss because it can trigger a crash. Read a study saying fibromyalgia can stop weight loss by putting the body into panic mode.

I've noticed personally that consuming foods with a low glycemic impact which deliver lots of bulk for few calories helps manage those sudden energy drops that came up. I also tried feeding a request into whichever AI model I prefer asking for examples of such items plus reasons they qualify along with effects on feeling full and supporting weight reduction. Pairing that method with protein sources has helped me avoid the drops while cutting back on total calories.

Stalls are common and frustrating but I like to see them as practice for maintenance. Some of us have bigger challenges due to various factors. Some are low responders to the meds and there are always outliers in studies. The closer you get to goal the fewer calories the body needs. Do you feel you're getting decent appetite suppression and satiety? If you're still eating through the dose there's room to go up. Can be hard to tell after months on it. Thought I had good suppression but was stuck six months so ended up going higher than studied. Some data shows people with the most side effects lose the most. I've had almost none so I titrated until I got mild discomfort. Day after the shot I might get a touch of nausea but nothing bad. Suppression and satiety are now very strong and I have to watch

Actually think diet and exercise are extremely important for health. Saw a study last year where fit obese people were two to three times less likely to have heart attacks than skinny unfit ones, so below about BMI 30 fitness probably matters more than fatness. But tolerability and sustainability are the biggest factors because obesity consequences play out over decades and keeping weight off long term is what reduces risk. Ideally eat better and exercise too, but I tend to think diet and exercise alone don't solve the weight part of the problem while GLP drugs largely do. If it's even mildly hard to stick to long term the chance it won't be maintained goes up, so making it as easy as possible matters.

Titrate up if the scale stalls, up to 12 mg. Obesity is worse than temporary side effects from Reta. Then stay on 12 mg while also fixing habits. Keep 1. Imodium, 2. Pepto Bismol, 3. Zyrtec on hand for side effects that will probably show up when going to 12 mg. After maintenance taper down and you're set.

Pinned 8 mg today. See how it goes. Wish me luck.

Finishing my fifth month now at a weekly dose of 12 milligrams. Along with regular cardio sessions this has started the weight dropping once more. However I'll begin lowering the amount during October. Then I intend to stop entirely for several winter months while attempting a lean bulk phase through March. Should the pounds return too quickly a minimal amount might get added back yet I believe taking a break to build muscle and refresh my metabolic rate will benefit me over time. My current weight is 205 pounds after starting from 295 though the losses have occurred in yearly cycles and these medications were introduced only recently. A decade back I managed to shed everything within twelve months yet clearly that approach failed to last.

Calories in versus out does hold up overall. Still people dealing with ongoing exhaustion or gland troubles often lack usable strength once they cut back on food. That leaves them chilly even somewhere warm and unable to handle regular activities. Basically they turn into total layabouts. In my situation the power fades so fast I can't manage to take any steps.

I increased my dose to 8 milligrams last Friday from the previous 6. My fibromyalgia reacted poorly to this change. A big flare-up occurred, and only now am I starting to feel functional again. The discomfort was extreme. On the positive side, my waist measurement decreased by half an inch, suggesting possible weight reduction benefits ahead. It might have been worth enduring that discomfort. I'll check my weight again at the week's end.

Two changes sped up my fat loss the most. I started going to the gym and added tesamorlin on top of reta. I also cleaned up my diet, dropped fast food and processed items, and added some vitamins. The gym plus tesamorlin gave the biggest and quickest results.

A lot of my stalls broke when I drank more water and cut calories further. For a stretch I added heavy cardio. Recently motsc ended another plateau. Might try 5a1mq next. Thirteen pounds left and two months to do it. Fingers crossed.