Users share timelines from a few weeks to over a year on these medications, with total losses ranging from around 13 pounds to over 100. Many describe plateaus they treat as normal body adjustment periods, then adjust doses, add compounds, or change routines to resume progress. Side effects appear in some accounts, and several have reached or are approaching personal goal weights while experimenting with maintenance.
What this discussion establishesSome prefer staying on lower doses long-term for anti-inflammatory benefits while others increase as needed; views differ on whether slow loss is preferable to faster results.
Still openWhether vision changes or other side effects are directly caused by the medications, and what optimal long-term maintenance protocols look like for most people.
Nothing here is advice.
How long have you been using these GLP-1 medications, and how is your experience unfolding? What results are you seeing, and have any obstacles come up? My own weight has stopped moving much recently.
Things look about the same as what my profile picture shows right now.
I began back in July. As of this morning the total is 41 pounds lower than when I started at 310, now sitting at 269.
Ten months into using tirzepatide and I am just two-tenths of a pound from my third and last target weight. I added cagrilintide then retatrutide at the four- and five-month marks. Body weight is down roughly 30 percent so far. There have been a few pauses in loss that I view as the body settling at a certain dose rather than true stalls. I usually wait several weeks, and if nothing shifts I adjust food, raise the dose, or add to the stack until movement returns. I am reaching the upper end with tirzepatide and noticing tinnitus, anhedonia, allodynia, and dysesthesia. Retatrutide is at a lower amount but still brings dysesthesia and stomach trouble. My eyesight has gotten noticeably worse over the past year.
I began tirzepatide in March 2025 and reached my goal by April, though the scale kept dropping afterward. Maintenance starts soon. There were some slower stretches and flat periods. For context I am a male in my late 50s, 5 foot 11, started at 293, aimed for 195, and am currently 176 with a maintenance target of 175.
Roughly 13 pounds lower after seven weeks on a very low dose of retatrutide, with almost no side effects and lean mass staying steady. I began at 1 mg weekly, shifted to every five days, and added 1 mg of MOTS-c two weeks ago. Another 15 pounds to go, then I will test staying off everything.
Started tirzepatide the first week of August with two weeks at 2.5 mg and now on 5 mg. Weight is down 35 pounds this week from a starting point of 277 to 242.
Forty weeks on retatrutide and 60 pounds gone. Maintenance has been in place with some tweaking for about two months.
Six months on tirzepatide and more than 50 pounds lost. Dosing went from 2.5 mg up to 10 mg weekly.
105 pounds total, 280 down to 175, all from tirzepatide. Weight has held steady for the last five months on 18-20 mg weekly maintenance. That is also when I added testosterone and HGH. The core now is the trinity stack along with five lifting days, very clean eating, steady SS-31, and cycling MOTS-c with NAD+ plus anavar. It all began with a telehealth appointment 17 months ago.
Started June 28 and only 16 pounds lower so far. Just moved up to 5 mg last week.
It has been 14 weeks and six days, 104 days total, since June 28 2026. Normal titration could have you at 10 mg by now, but maybe side effects kept you from following the usual schedule. Still, just over a pound a week is solid progress. Many variables play a role such as initial water weight, individual response rates, starting weight percentage, time spent at lower doses, and how much diet or activity each person adds. You will get there.
There were years when losing only 16 pounds would have felt like a huge win. These days I am down around 50 pounds but avoid the scale except at doctor visits. Even with CrossFit and rehab three times weekly I have lost noticeable strength and muscle. Target is near 150 but my husband already says I look frail at 170 and I am 6 foot 1. A bad knee injury for the past six months is slowing things; those tears need about a year to heal. Continuing with retatrutide under 4 mg and cagrilintide under 1 mg weekly through the end of the year, which will be a full year of loss. Recently added 0.75 mg semaglutide for possible joint benefits. Still working out what maintenance will look like and accepting that it lasts forever. Many days do not feel great, sleep is poor despite trying fixes, the knee causes problems, and standing up brings dizziness. Looking forward to microdosing once in maintenance.
22 weeks in and 46 pounds lower, almost 16 percent. At 6 mg weekly for the past seven weeks. Update: now 47 pounds and over 16 percent.
My wife is upset because her loss is much slower, and she did not start with as much mass as I did.
Yes, I wanted to move up slowly because I was using compounded versions and thought keeping the dose low would be enough since diet and exercise had worked before. Age makes natural loss tougher now, possibly because the body holds a little extra as protection. I also wanted to feel I had done most of the work myself, though that mindset has faded and I no longer mind raising the dose. I would prefer to stay at a modest level because the anti-inflammatory effects are valuable and I want to continue long term. I do not want to become reliant on it, and I have told myself that if I ever stop I can keep the weight off with diet and exercise. Yes, still averaging one pound a week.
Give her a hug. I am probably ahead of my husband even though he is on a higher dose, but he eats burritos and cookies while I stick to yogurt and lettuce.
Could you share how you are handling maintenance, including dose amounts, how often you take it, and how well it is holding? I am getting ready to shift into that phase and would like to hear what has worked for others.
Maintenance is still going well. I am expecting some water-weight increase after restarting creatine this week. Slowly lowering the retatrutide and planning to add tirzepatide once appetite control begins to fade.
I moved retatrutide to 3 mg twice a week after being at 4 or 5 mg every six days. Loss has been flat lately. I have been having beer and too busy at work for workouts, though most activity happens on the job anyway. I like retatrutide a lot and think these GLP-1s are great, but oddly I lost weight faster before starting it. Having a reliable way to eat less may have made me less strict with my own habits, which is a poor approach I need to correct, or perhaps adding a bit of tirzepatide or cagrilintide would help.
I like retatrutide too. I wonder if starting on it from the beginning makes people like it more than those who switched from semaglutide or tirzepatide. I am 23 shots in, began at 2 mg and now at 5 mg. Down 74.2 pounds and many inches, and I feel dramatically better. Another 47.8 pounds to reach the weight on my license. 56, 5 foot 8, Celtic background, body that prefers to keep every extra pound for possible hard times.
I enjoy hearing about first, second, and sometimes third goal weights. Quite a few here have done better than expected. I am 3.6 pounds from the first goal and 18.6 from the updated final target. My inexpensive Amazon scale with handles gives 50 wifi readings and originally set a specific goal; as weight dropped it kept lowering that number, which feels unhelpful. With these medications I believe I can reach and hold whatever weight I choose. The people here are also generous with their experiences and a bit of humor.
Quit describing me that way! Laughing. Also Irish background and would not trade it for anything.
64-year-old female, started GLP-1 in March 2026, down 54 pounds. First stall since September 20. Raising retatrutide tomorrow from 2 mg to 4 mg while keeping tirzepatide at 5 mg weekly. Resistance training three or four times a week plus walking two or three miles five days a week.
Progress has slowed in recent weeks but direction is still good. Started at 317 on April 22 2026 and now at 258. Sixty pounds gone feels good, though I am eager to reach the goal.
Began in March so week 31 on retatrutide. Started at 0.5 mg for three weeks then tried doubling, which caused severe acid reflux and indigestion that took four weeks to settle with zinc, mastic gum, DLG, and time. Learned I need to stay on a dose about eight weeks to feel normal and can only raise by 0.25 to 0.5 mg each step. Current dose is 2.75 mg once weekly. Loss is slow but I accept that it took years to gain and will take time to lose. Average is 1.2 to 1.4 pounds per week with occasional two- or three-week stalls followed by sudden drops of three to five pounds. Down 37 pounds total. Can wear my wedding ring and other family jewelry again, have more energy, and feel better than in years. Only downside is no longer sleeping past 5 a.m., which bothers me since I used to be a night owl.
Back on track and randomly another 5.6 pounds lower since September 8. Currently on R3 weekly and T10 biweekly. Surprised by how quickly others lose; I guess I am not a strong responder. Progress has been up and down this year after insurance stopped coverage without warning in January. Went to compounded versions by April and got consistent again in mid-July, so eight months of earlier gains disappeared. It took time for my body to respond. The first two months on compounded felt like nothing was happening and I even gained 15 pounds in July that later vanished. Glad to report it is working now.
Month 10 and roughly 70 pounds down. First seven months on tirzepatide then switched to retatrutide just to try it. Currently at 6 mg and feeling decent. Aiming for another 10 pounds by year end. Current weight 217 from starting 288.
Started retatrutide in July mainly to reduce body fat rather than chase a scale number. Dexa scan at the start of July showed 32.2 percent body fat. It has helped me stay consistent with diet while still eating enough for running. New dexa a week ago showed 23.5 percent. Planning to continue and hopefully drop a little more fat while adding some muscle.
I'm a 54 year old guy standing six foot one who began around 330 pounds. Back in late 2025 I began with tirzepatide and stayed on it for seven months total, the first couple at the lowest dose and then five more at the next level up. After that I moved over to retatrutide, beginning low and increasing fairly fast until reaching five milligrams, where I figure I'll remain for some time. I'm also thinking about combining the two compounds now. Progress has included a few plateaus, plus a full month on the road that slowed things further, and I haven't done any workouts yet. I plan to join an all hours fitness center and might even go tonight. Right now I'm down to 270 pounds after dropping sixty from the start, with a target around 199. The pace hasn't been rapid but this marks my best results yet with weight loss. I anticipate staying on a modest amount of tirzepatide or a comparable option long term, since these compounds have transformed how I feel and I'm really thankful for that.
Back in January I began dropping weight when I hit my lowest point at 114kg or 252lb and felt awful in every way possible. This morning the scale showed 82kg or 180lb and everything feels great. Three times each week I train with weights once a week I train jiu jitsu and I run several times as well which still surprises me since I never pictured myself running plus I add mobility drills and a quick kettlebell session on most days. At 40 I'm in the best shape strongest and most limber I've been in my adult years and both body and mind feel fantastic. It's like my life returned. Right now my routine includes Rata 4mg once weekly Tesa 2mg five days weekly from Monday through Friday Mots-c 5mg three days weekly on Monday Wednesday and Friday GHK-cu 1.5mg every day plus Bpc-157 1mg daily for two weeks to fix a shoulder issue. I'm grateful to this group and the broader grey market circle for turning me into someone I can respect again. God bless.
After reaching my second target I reduced the dosage from ten milligrams down to eight then six. I went a bit beyond that target though not by much. My weight stayed the same so I tried four milligrams but disliked how it felt since hunger showed up more often and the effect wasn't the same. Now I move between six and eight milligrams without gaining or dropping any weight. Eight works better for me so I've used that level over the past three weeks. The stubborn fat under the skin on my stomach and sides looks smaller when I check the mirror. I've been holding steady for nine weeks and intend to keep going with it indefinitely. I had set my own first and second targets but ended up a little past them while maintaining. Weight has stayed put recently though adding five pounds would be fine. Losing the belly fat gradually feels good. Large shirts fit without trouble now and some mediums work as well with pants going from thirty eight inches down to thirty four. Looking back I wish I had done weight training across those nine months to limit loose skin but with my age and no training for twenty seven years that didn't happen. I've started lifting for two weeks now along with some sit ups.
I began at 206 pounds aiming for 175. Treatment began back in April 2026 with the first medication. That produced a drop of ten pounds across three months. After reaching a stall further reduction stopped even after raising the dose. Moving to the next medication now brings a steady drop of one or two pounds weekly. My present weight sits at 193 pounds so eighteen remain. My digestive condition has also fully resolved. Progress looks positive.
🤣🤣🤣👍 I kicked off Reta at two milligrams weekly back on June fifteenth and dropped twenty-two pounds from two hundred fifteen to one hundred ninety-three. Those visible results keep pushing me to rise early for workouts and steer toward smarter eating habits. It looks solid from the outside, yet the internal improvements have me most fired up.
For the past thirteen months I've been using reta and have held steady at my target weight for three months. Dropped eighty-five pounds total which came to thirty-nine percent from two hundred five down to one hundred thirty. I'm a forty-four-year-old woman. At first I aimed for one hundred fifty since I'd never been that small as an adult but after getting there I chose to go further. The highest amount I used reached six milligrams and now I take four milligrams to stay even. A few tries at cutting back left me extremely hungry and irritable so it seems medication will stay necessary for the long haul.
I wondered if tossing in the blend of cjc ipa tesa with klow ss31 mots c or perhaps anavar at reduced levels might fit.
Began treatment back on June 22 2026 and today marks the sixteenth injection so far. I've dropped forty pounds which works out to eighteen point three kilograms. At forty three years old and one meter sixty two tall with four kids I've never seen the scale move this fast before. Started at two milligrams then raised it one milligram per week up to six milligrams where I stayed through six doses and now sit on the sixth one at eight milligrams.
I plan to raise again once the drop slows at this level though I doubt that will happen anytime soon. Really eager to see a number under one hundred kilograms since reaching double digits feels like a big personal milestone. Hopefully that shows up in roughly two weeks. Right now the change stays invisible to everyone else but my clothes already fit looser without question. The target itself isn't anything major since I'll still count as obese yet I remember feeling comfortable around eighty kilograms. Time will show whether I keep going down but landing at eighty kilos would leave me very satisfied. My starting weight sat at two hundred sixty four pounds or one hundred nineteen point nine kilograms.
I've already tried KLOW before. Right now I'm on SS31. That MOTS-C stuff just doesn't agree with me at all, which is why I've stopped it completely. Anavar isn't for me either since my workouts aren't intense enough to make it worthwhile. But Tesa is something I really enjoy!
I began a month earlier than you and have already dropped twenty two. You're not by yourself here. I was meant to raise my dose to five milligrams but I still haven't done so. What I tried instead was adding a small amount of that other compound mainly to gain the advantages and help burn fat. Turns out the unwanted effects returned so it doesn't agree with me. We're managing okay. You raised some really solid observations.
So you're stopping the reta now? Which side effects have shown up for you? My dosing lines up closely with yours at five milligrams tirz plus one milligram reta. Spent the past month at my other place. Heading back to my main residence on Tuesday and plan to focus more on real training sessions rather than only walking. Thinking I'll raise the reta amount to two.
Currently using these two at four and two milligrams. The allodynia feels awful lately. Supplements of magnesium along with zinc eased it quite a bit yet only for about fourteen days before the issue returned worse than before. Random spots of skin pain popping up without warning really bother me. The primary substance still seems effective so in a couple days I'll raise that one to five milligrams while stopping the secondary one entirely. Down the line I could experiment with an alternative.
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