Does reta cause reduction in nutrient absorption

[Dardarbinks]

Hi all!!

So ive lost 9lbs of muscle since january. Weirdly end of january i finished an aggressive cut and have upped my cals by 800 and reduced cardio by an hour (currently doing 1.5-2hours/week). The only difference was i started using reta @2mg/week. I dont understand how ive lost muscle despite doing resistance training 5-6 days a week and eating a clean diet. My body fat went from 10% to 14% so i dont get why muscle has gone down so much?

Do you guys know if there is any studies that reta causes a reduction in nutrient absorption?

 

[woundcarping]

It can change absorption, yes.

The first questions involve your data, how are you measuring muscle loss?

Lean mass is not only muscle.

When did you start losing weight and what was your starting and current stats?

 

[Dardarbinks]

I used a DEXA scan. Im a female.
January was the end of my cut - i was 10% BF 136lbs
Upped my cals the next 6 months by 800 cals and reduced cardio from 3- 1.5/2 hours. Just did a dexa scan and it said im 14%BF weigh a little less (133) but somehow have dropped purely in muscle. I have no idea how!

 

[woundcarping]

I used a DEXA scan. Im a female.
January was the end of my cut - i was 10% BF 136lbs
Upped my cals the next 6 months by 800 cals and reduced cardio from 3- 1.5/2 hours. Just did a dexa scan and it said im 14%BF weigh a little less (133) but somehow have dropped purely in muscle. I have no idea how!

Cardio doesn’t signal muscle growth like lifting does.

DEXA can have frustrating accuracy issues in the data, which make looking at smaller relative differences much more frustrating. I have my 5th DEXA in a couple weeks, my first was the beginning of January.


I went back and reread, after you cut, you upped calories, cut cardio, and started Reta? Trying to make sure I understand the timeline.



A female at 10% or even 14% BF is exceptionally lean, considerably leaner than what’s typically healthy.

Do you want to post the relevant portions of your DEXA results from then and now?

 

[5byfive]

One consideration in getting a DEXA no one talks about is the difference between machines and their quality. First, did you get the scan at the same place? Different machines can give different results. Second, what kind of machine? Some of the female wellness clinics use a really Bobo machines. I usually get my scans done at a local college on a GE machine. Those are great. I did one at a wellness clinic and it was horrible. The results made no sense; you can look in the mirror and say 'no way am I at that BF'. It was a Hologic machine. Next DEXA at the college was in line with previous results and with what made sense looking in the mirror.


Also, very suspicious of the 10% bodyfat number. Like @woundcarping said 14% is extremely lean for a woman. 10% is almost dead. And I don't mean that jokingly. You would feel horrible and your body would be shutting things down and going into survival mode.

 

[woundcarping]

One consideration in getting a DEXA no one talks about is the difference between machines and their quality. First, did you get the scan at the same place? Different machines can give different results. Second, what kind of machine? Some of the female wellness clinics use a really Bobo machines. I usually get my scans done at a local college on a GE machine. Those are great. I did one at a wellness clinic and it was horrible. The results made no sense; you can look in the mirror and say 'no way am I at that BF'. It was a Hologic machine. Next DEXA at the college was in line with previous results and with what made sense looking in the mirror.


Also, very suspicious of the 10% bodyfat number. Like @woundcarping said 14% is extremely lean for a woman. 10% is almost dead. And I don't mean that jokingly. You would feel horrible and your body would be shutting things down and going into survival mode.

I have to drive an hour to get my Hologic done in T town at $200/each. You’ve got me thinking about getting a scan somewhere else for SAG.

On the plus side, same tech and machine each time.