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Lyle McDonald's latest video on Reta

4 replies5 peopleNov 3, 2026☆ Follow
Summary

Does retatrutide cause more muscle loss than tirzepatide plus a metabolic stimulant, and how does it affect thyroid needs?

One user wonders if pairing tirzepatide with something like clenbuterol would spare muscle better than retatrutide alone. Another reports needing a higher T3 dose while on retatrutide and still feeling cold despite major weight loss. Others push back on adding stimulants due to safety risks and say they are maintaining strength on retatrutide without extreme deficits.

What this discussion establishesWhere people disagree

Whether adding a stimulant such as clenbuterol to tirzepatide would be preferable to retatrutide for muscle retention

Still open

Long-term effects on thyroid function or muscle mass when using retatrutide

Nothing here is advice.

4 replies · 5 people
LevelPebble76archiveopening post6d

It looks like pairing tirz with another compound that raises calorie burn, such as clen, might turn out better than reta when the priority is holding on to muscle.

AmberTimber37archive6d

At the 13 minute mark he says we simply do not know. My own single data point: I use only T3 for my non-working thyroid with zero T4 showing on labs. Since starting reta I have had to raise my T3 by over ten percent and might need more. My guess is reta sped up my metabolism so I now need extra T3 to match it. Even after the increase I still get cold easily, even living in Florida. I have dropped seventy pounds to my target weight, something that never happened before, and that loss started before I raised the T3. The giveaway was feeling freezing all the time plus labs showing T3 at the bottom of the normal range. Diet has stayed the same, carnivore OMAD for years.

SharpCinder28archive6d
↳ replying to @LevelPebble76 (opening post)

No. One reason people like reta is it reduces the urge to add risky stimulants or insulin. Clen can be dangerous for some users and its safe dose range is tiny, so even brief use carries high risk. Some on Meso-Rx who are less worried about sides will pick albuterol instead, but that is still riskier than reta.

I am using reta and just set another PR. I have no interest in cutting hard enough to cause big muscle loss. If my strength starts dropping I will lower the dose and slow the weight loss. Right now progress looks solid. I am looking forward to bloodwork next month to check how things stand. As for anabolics, I am getting older so I expect I will need TRT at some point, but that is all I plan to use.

PlainAlder11archive5d
↳ replying to @PlainThistle11

I am close to starting and my son is really pushing it. He is already on it and keeps telling me to begin.

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