Consideration: There is no "stopping" these meds.

[MsGizmo]

I played around with lowering dose. Not for me. Found myself once again after over a year randomly waking up in the middle of the night shoving junk in my face hole for no reason not being able to stop myself. In a drive through line ordering stupid stuff just because I couldn't stop thinking about it. Not getting full and constantly thinking about what to dump down my throat.

I have a problem and this medicine fixes that problem thankfully.

Yeah, I think that some of us have hormone imbalances that aren't just going to go away when we lose weight.

 

[50ShadesGreyMarket]

See, this is where I think there is a difference in the 2 types of people taking GLP1s. There are the people who sound like they were fit and healthy before and just used it to get really shredded (which you sound like you fit here, as you have lots of healthy lifestyle habits anyway which you were able to stick to without the reta) and the people who were obese and struggled with controlling their intake before the meds.

Group 1 will be able to stop the meds. Group 2 will struggle if they do.

If group 2 uses the peptides to develop healthy habits couldn’t it work? I joined a gym and got a personal trainer after having my youngest just so I could have a strict regimen to drop the last of the baby weight. Once I was back in shape I invested in a home setup and used the Peloton app.

If you use your time learning how to cook healthy meals and creating a workout routine you enjoy then it seems you would have a much better chance of keeping the weight off. I agree they’ll struggle, but I don’t see it as impossible. I’ve known people who lost weight unassisted and were able to keep it off. It’s not easy but if you change your lifestyle it’s not impossible.

 

[Cassie MKM]

Taking GLP1 meds is no more natural than gaining weight inexplicably and being unable to lose it. I want to know the secret. Why did my body betray me? Why were there no obese people in 1950 but now a huge percentage of Americans are obese? So I’m on a quest to figure that out. Will I be on GLP1s in 2 years? Yes. Will I be on GLP1s in 10 years? I hope not. Of course I was on Glucophage/Metformin for 25 years trying to solve insulin resistance (which it didn’t do) so maybe I will be on GLP1s for many years.

Due to the current dietary issues, the diet is irregular and there are too many additives

 

[desinr-gal]

Taking GLP1 meds is no more natural than gaining weight inexplicably and being unable to lose it. I want to know the secret. Why did my body betray me? Why were there no obese people in 1950 but now a huge percentage of Americans are obese? So I’m on a quest to figure that out. Will I be on GLP1s in 2 years? Yes. Will I be on GLP1s in 10 years? I hope not. Of course I was on Glucophage/Metformin for 25 years trying to solve insulin resistance (which it didn’t do) so maybe I will be on GLP1s for many years.

I believe the answer to that is multilayered, but essentially, it is the fault of pre-prepared foods.
The adulteration of foods, the added chemicals, the highly refined calories, the preservatives.
Remember the main point of preservatives is to prevent fats from oxidizing. They don't quit just because they get eaten. Plastics, the toxins inside them affect our endocrine systems, stimulate estrogen etc.. All our food is stored mostly in plastics, served in plastic and we wear plastic..None of this existed in the 50s or 60s, and was just starting in the 70s.
Combined with a far more sedentary life. The majority of jobs shifted from manual labor to desk jobs. We all drive or get driven everywhere we go. That was not the lifestyle in the bygone eras. They actually did have to walk miles to school. Walking miles everyday and working on your feet burns a lot of calories, and keeps your muscles stronger than sitting.
I could go on...

 

[Chili777]

Taking GLP1 meds is no more natural than gaining weight inexplicably and being unable to lose it. I want to know the secret. Why did my body betray me? Why were there no obese people in 1950 but now a huge percentage of Americans are obese? So I’m on a quest to figure that out. Will I be on GLP1s in 2 years? Yes. Will I be on GLP1s in 10 years? I hope not. Of course I was on Glucophage/Metformin for 25 years trying to solve insulin resistance (which it didn’t do) so maybe I will be on GLP1s for many years.

Look at photos of those “fat” people. They would barely be considered overweight today.

I was a child of the 60s and 70s. I did some research (as in reading) and one thing that did change is dinner plate size. It may be small factor, but back then dinner plates were 8.5-9.0". Today, they are 12" and some restaurants have 13" plates. I love to cook and I cook healthy, so I went out and got a set of 8.5" dinner plates and that's all I use now. It's made a difference. I also don't stack it up like I'm at a buffet and I'm still satisfied after a meal. Maybe it's just psychological, but it's a step.

I still may stay on Reta long term, even on a low maintenance dose because it completely cancels food noise for me, but I know for some it doesn't.

 

[randompersonrandom]

I believe the answer to that is multilayered, but essentially, it is the fault of pre-prepared foods.
The adulteration of foods, the added chemicals, the highly refined calories, the preservatives.
Remember the main point of preservatives is to prevent fats from oxidizing. They don't quit just because they get eaten. Plastics, the toxins inside them affect our endocrine systems, stimulate estrogen etc.. All our food is stored mostly in plastics, served in plastic and we wear plastic..None of this existed in the 50s or 60s, and was just starting in the 70s.
Combined with a far more sedentary life. The majority of jobs shifted from manual labor to desk jobs. We all drive or get driven everywhere we go. That was not the lifestyle in the bygone eras. They actually did have to walk miles to school. Walking miles everyday and working on your feet burns a lot of calories, and keeps your muscles stronger than sitting.
I could go on...

I can't help thinking that there's a contributing factor of overwhelming and worldwide existential despair, widespread economic hopelessness, and the fact that literally everything that would make someone fat (sitting and passively, motionlessly consuming entertainment from a screen that you can lie down to consume from while shoving hyperpalateable food into your face to numb said despair) has been actively and incrementally engineered VERY successfully to be more addictive and more available. That's a really nasty and hard-to-fight combination.

 

[Foggy-Hollow]

I was a child of the 60s and 70s. I did some research (as in reading) and one thing that did change is dinner plate size. It may be small factor, but back then dinner plates were 8.5-9.0". Today, they are 12" and some restaurants have 13" plates. I love to cook and I cook healthy, so I went out and got a set of 8.5" dinner plates and that's all I use now. It's made a difference. I also don't stack it up like I'm at a buffet and I'm still satisfied after a meal. Maybe it's just psychological, but it's a step.

I still may stay on Reta long term, even on a low maintenance dose because it completely cancels food noise for me, but I know for some it doesn't.

There’s something psychological about seeing the empty space on the platter.. er, plate. Or maybe it’s seeing the full plate and thinking it looks good and like plenty of food.

Wayyy back when I had a successful run at weight watchers my group was encouraged to do the same: use smaller dinner plates. I can’t say if it was advice from my leader from her individual experience or an official rec. Yes it makes a difference. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Chili777]

There’s something psychological about seeing the empty space on the platter.. er, plate. Or maybe it’s seeing the full plate and thinking it looks good and like plenty of food.

Wayyy back when I had a successful run at weight watchers my group was encouraged to do the same: use smaller dinner plates. I can’t say if it was advice from my leader from her individual experience or an official rec. Yes it makes a difference. Thanks for the reminder.

Yes, space means room for more food! Yay.

A 12" plate has 78% more surface area than a 8.5" plate. That's probably more than most people think.

 

[Foggy-Hollow]

Yes, space means room for more food! Yay.

A 12" plate has 78% more surface area than a 8.5" plate. That's probably more than most people think.

If someone starts going up, about double. 😇😅

 

[Amuse84]

Would welcome perspectives.

I mean, I’ve quit chain smoking and drinking before. Many people arent able to quit yet I figured a way to live without it. I know if I don’t change my diet completely and enjoy it before coming off the medication then it will be nearly impossible, for me.

I find it annoying when people commit to this their entire life because finances change, supply change, circumstances change. What if you develop arthritis so bad you can’t even use the needles anymore? It’s obviously ideal to need nothing in the future to keep the weight off and one would think people would wish for that over dependency.

 

[MsGizmo]

I mean, I’ve quit chain smoking and drinking before. Many people arent able to quit yet I figured a way to live without it. I know if I don’t change my diet completely and enjoy it before coming off the medication then it will be nearly impossible, for me.

I find it annoying when people commit to this their entire life because finances change, supply change, circumstances change. What if you develop arthritis so bad you can’t even use the needles anymore? It’s obviously ideal to need nothing in the future to keep the weight off and one would think people would wish for that over dependency.

Wishing for something and getting it are two different things. We do not WANT to take anything for the rest of our lives .. but we are accepting that might just be what we need. Frankly if the choice I have to make is take these shots everyday or get fat again I'll take the shots. If circumstances in life cut off the supply ... we'll all be forced to do our best and let the cards fall where they may.

As for your annoyance ... with all due respect ... I don't give a damn.

 

[randompersonrandom]

Wishing for something and getting it are two different things. We do not WANT to take anything for the rest of our lives .. but we are accepting that might just be what we need. Frankly if the choice I have to make is take these shots everyday or get fat again I'll take the shots. If circumstances in life cut off the supply ... we'll all be forced to do our best and let the cards fall where they may.

As for your annoyance ... with all due respect ... I don't give a damn.

Heh. I DID say I would welcome other perspectives, even though I raised an eyebrow or two when one of those perspectives was "I'm annoyed by what other people decide to do with their bodies." But at NO point did I promise that @MsGizmo would welcome other perspectives past a certain point. 😀

 

[Bootlegbob]

Can I just say this and its not meant in any disrespect at all . My biggest problem for me was portion size . My eyes always thought it was too small . Since using Ret I personally have changed they way I look at food . I only needed to loose 15kg to put me back to where I was but my portions were slowly getting bigger . I,m only on 2 mg split into 2 x 1mg week and it keeps me were I want to be . I had my metabolism checked and my resting calorific intake was only 1456 calories . I,m back at the gym and feeling great and I eat around 1800 calories day . I don’t track my macros I just look at food and portion size differently. But one thing I have noticed , and don’t take this the wrong way as nearly all of you guys seem to be in the US is whenever I have been over there i have to order a childs meal if I go eat out as the adult portion sizes are just way too big for me . Here in the UK an adult size meal is about the same size as a child portion over there and it must be a struggle over there for a lot of you .

 

[randompersonrandom]

Can I just say this and its not meant in any disrespect at all . My biggest problem for me was portion size . My eyes always thought it was too small . Since using Ret I personally have changed they way I look at food . I only needed to loose 15kg to put me back to where I was but my portions were slowly getting bigger . I,m only on 2 mg split into 2 x 1mg week and it keeps me were I want to be . I had my metabolism checked and my resting calorific intake was only 1456 calories . I,m back at the gym and feeling great and I eat around 1800 calories day . I don’t track my macros I just look at food and portion size differently. But one thing I have noticed , and don’t take this the wrong way as nearly all of you guys seem to be in the US is whenever I have been over there i have to order a childs meal if I go eat out as the adult portion sizes are just way too big for me . Here in the UK an adult size meal is about the same size as a child portion over there and it must be a struggle over there for a lot of you .

I don't take it as disrespect. And the reasons why we all struggle vary with region, culture, genetics, family history, and other factors that are too many to put here. In my case, I'm calling "genetics" as a heavy hitter for my struggle, as there's a very strong thread of addiction on my father's side; we're talking 4/5 of the generation before me being really active alcoholics, major food-addiction issues, gambling, bulimia, etc.

I know exactly how many calories are in every piece of food you can put in front of me. I just eat too many of them, too often, and struggle with the compulsion to go get more and eat that, and then obsess over wanting more. Unmedicated, I simply never stop thinking about food, and the struggle to only eat a reasonable amount in a day takes all of my focus and all of my energy, and I've never won it for more than a few months at a time.

 

[keangkong]

I don't take it as disrespect. And the reasons why we all struggle vary with region, culture, genetics, family history, and other factors that are too many to put here. In my case, I'm calling "genetics" as a heavy hitter for my struggle, as there's a very strong thread of addiction on my father's side; we're talking 4/5 of the generation before me being really active alcoholics, major food-addiction issues, gambling, bulimia, etc.

I know exactly how many calories are in every piece of food you can put in front of me. I just eat too many of them, too often, and struggle with the compulsion to go get more and eat that, and then obsess over wanting more. Unmedicated, I simply never stop thinking about food, and the struggle to only eat a reasonable amount in a day takes all of my focus and all of my energy, and I've never won it for more than a few months at a time.

Some folks view overeating as a sign of a lack of self-discipline. I look at myself and how I manage to control my appetite through medication as an example of me exercising self-discipline to achieve a goal than I otherwise couldn't achieve. I am proud of myself for losing weight. But I won't pretend that I would have lost this much weight and kept it off without medicine. I'm doing what I have to do in order to accomplish my goal. We don't criticize alcoholics who are now sober for always refraining from any use use of alcohol and regularly going to AA. Yet they're also doing what they need to accomplish their goal. They fear they would succeed in their sobriety without taking these steps. In a manner of speaking, alcoholics who have stopped drinking lack the self-discipline to safely just consume one or two drinks. And that's okay. As Dirty Harry would say: "A man has got to know his limitations."

 

[randompersonrandom]

Some folks view overeating as a sign of a lack of self-discipline. I look at myself and how I manage to control my appetite through medication as an example of me exercising self-discipline to achieve a goal than I otherwise couldn't achieve.

You are willing to lend more dignity and reframing to that point of view than I ever bother to; I check out of that conversation as soon as the words "discipline" and "willpower" start being bandied around. It always comes down to "you should have to suffer, and if you are in misery because the urge to eat too much and too often never lessens, then too bad for you, fatty." And nope. It's 2025; there are plenty of things for us to all suffer with that cannot be treated. Be damned if I'll suffer unnecessarily just to prove how good I am at withstanding suffering.

 

[keangkong]

You are willing to lend more dignity and reframing to that point of view than I ever bother to; I check out of that conversation as soon as the words "discipline" and "willpower" start being bandied around. It always comes down to "you should have to suffer, and if you are in misery because the urge to eat too much and too often never lessens, then too bad for you, fatty." And nope. It's 2025; there are plenty of things for us to all suffer with that cannot be treated. Be damned if I'll suffer unnecessarily just to prove how good I am at withstanding suffering.

Agreed. And I'm not good at enduring suffering. I don't want to be.

 

[tendency]

I plan on stopping perhaps after a year or so but, A) I'm not a addicted to food and am not on Reta for weightloss (though I do want to drop ~10lb) and B) I don't suffer from food cravings or its related noise.

 

[basedpepbae]

You are willing to lend more dignity and reframing to that point of view than I ever bother to; I check out of that conversation as soon as the words "discipline" and "willpower" start being bandied around. It always comes down to "you should have to suffer, and if you are in misery because the urge to eat too much and too often never lessens, then too bad for you, fatty." And nope. It's 2025; there are plenty of things for us to all suffer with that cannot be treated. Be damned if I'll suffer unnecessarily just to prove how good I am at withstanding suffering.

I’m personally so tired of people treating suffering like it’s a virtue.

 

[byefatlicia]

Some folks view overeating as a sign of a lack of self-discipline. I look at myself and how I manage to control my appetite through medication as an example of me exercising self-discipline to achieve a goal than I otherwise couldn't achieve.

☝️ You can write this on my tombstone!

I'd like to add that it takes a different approach of discipline to find this way, to pursue this way, and to do the work of researching everything to understand what we need to do. And then the procurement and administration on top of that... It's not without effort that we arrive to any goal. It's just perhaps a different route than the norm.

 

[Summer48]

I’m on this for life no matter how long that may be I’m 78. Thinking about why I was over eating it boils down to that feeling after a meal that I’m not satisfied and I need to eat something else. It’s like an empty feeling that you need to fill but don’t know with what. So far tirz has kept that feeling at bay and it feels soooooo good I can eat a meal and no longer need to search for something else to satisfy the longing

 

[dogmom]

Just going back to the original topic of this thread. I truly think this is the case. I have tried to stop reta a few times and I feel so off balance and my digestive system gets messed up. Reta helps make me feel normal. (even though it raises my resting heart rate).

 

[Nailedit]

If group 2 uses the peptides to develop healthy habits couldn’t it work? I joined a gym and got a personal trainer after having my youngest just so I could have a strict regimen to drop the last of the baby weight. Once I was back in shape I invested in a home setup and used the Peloton app.

If you use your time learning how to cook healthy meals and creating a workout routine you enjoy then it seems you would have a much better chance of keeping the weight off. I agree they’ll struggle, but I don’t see it as impossible. I’ve known people who lost weight unassisted and were able to keep it off. It’s not easy but if you change your lifestyle it’s not impossible.

Yeah nice dream. Maybe a select group, just like with any diet a select group will make lifestyle changes and keep their weight off forever. But look at the statistics for that. Not at all good, 80-95% of people gain the weight back and then some. I have eaten "real food" that I cooked myself and exercised my whole life and I was still fat. I already had a good lifestyle, what should have given me, so the story goes, a perfect weight using the calories in, calories out model, didn't. I've been chasing it for 40 years. This med somehow gives me the edge that I never had before. I'm not eating that much less than I was before, maybe the slowdown of the stomach emptying, and therefore keeping glucose regulated and insulin controlled, I don't know, but it works.

 

[mlke6]

If group 2 uses the peptides to develop healthy habits couldn’t it work? I joined a gym and got a personal trainer after having my youngest just so I could have a strict regimen to drop the last of the baby weight. Once I was back in shape I invested in a home setup and used the Peloton app.

If you use your time learning how to cook healthy meals and creating a workout routine you enjoy then it seems you would have a much better chance of keeping the weight off. I agree they’ll struggle, but I don’t see it as impossible. I’ve known people who lost weight unassisted and were able to keep it off. It’s not easy but if you change your lifestyle it’s not impossible.

Do you have this same attitude with people who need BP medicine?

 

[tendency]

Yeah nice dream. Maybe a select group, just like with any diet a select group will make lifestyle changes and keep their weight off forever. But look at the statistics for that. Not at all good, 80-95% of people gain the weight back and then some. I have eaten "real food" that I cooked myself and exercised my whole life and I was still fat. I already had a good lifestyle, what should have given me, so the story goes, a perfect weight using the calories in, calories out model, didn't. I've been chasing it for 40 years. This med somehow gives me the edge that I never had before. I'm not eating that much less than I was before, maybe the slowdown of the stomach emptying, and therefore keeping glucose regulated and insulin controlled, I don't know, but it works.

This is really the crux of it and applies to virtually every chronic health condition (or anything in life, really): you can do everything 'right' and still have the issue. There's a very, very popular idea that if we only change this, or fix that, or become more disciplined or just .. figure something out we'll be able to solve once and for all whatever the problem was.

It's just not true though, at least for many things in life.

 

[50ShadesGreyMarket]

Do you have this same attitude with people who need BP medicine?

Do you have this same attitude with people who need BP medicine?

It’s not an attitude. If someone maintains disregulated blood pressure then they should continue to take medication. If their lifestyle habits and diet are able to get them to a place where their doctor thinks it a good idea to try stepping down to go their medication then I think it should be up to the patient and doctor. I had medical issues that required surgery in 2022 and my endocrinology team stepped me off of the medication I was on as it was no longer needed.

If someone absolutely wants to be on medication that’s between them and their doctor. I just think it’s ridiculous to insist everyone who’s ever taken a peptide protocol is stuck on it for life. I don’t agree with strangers telling one another they must continue to be on something until they die, it takes the autonomy away from the individual.

 

[keangkong]

It’s not an attitude. If someone maintains disregulated blood pressure then they should continue to take medication. If their lifestyle habits and diet are able to get them to a place where their doctor thinks it a good idea to try stepping down to go their medication then I think it should be up to the patient and doctor. I had medical issues that required surgery in 2022 and my endocrinology team stepped me off of the medication I was on as it was no longer needed.

If someone absolutely wants to be on medication that’s between them and their doctor. I just think it’s ridiculous to insist everyone who’s ever taken a peptide protocol is stuck on it for life. I don’t agree with strangers telling one another they must continue to be on something until they die, it takes the autonomy away from the individual.

I believe the discussion was centered on whether people who lose weight on these drugs should generally be on them for life. You seem to be attacking something that no one advocated - that once a person takes these drugs that the person should necessarily be on the drugs for life. Just as a person may lose 100 pounds of weight without these medications and keep it off, it's also possible for someone to lose that 100 pounds with medications and keep it off without. It's just not that likely. There is research already existing showing that people who stop these medications usually regain the weight. We still don't know much about the exceptions - how frequent they are and what can be done to help someone succeed without the medication.

 

[50ShadesGreyMarket]

I believe the discussion was centered on whether people who lose weight on these drugs should generally be on them for life. You seem to be attacking something that no one advocated - that once a person takes these drugs that the person should necessarily be on the drugs for life. Just as a person may lose 100 pounds of weight without these medications and keep it off, it's also possible for someone to lose that 100 pounds with medications and keep it off without. It's just not that likely. There is research already existing showing that people who stop these medications usually regain the weight. We still don't know much about the exceptions - how frequent they are and what can be done to help someone succeed without the medication.

I didn’t “attack” anything. If you want to be on any peptides the rest of your life then do so. If someone else doesn’t want to stay on them until they die then I think that is their prerogative. I work in biosciences and have seen plenty of adults make their own decisions. If you believe that you can’t live without something then that is true, but only for you. Not everyone has to live by your standards, that was the point I was making.

 

[Summer48]

Having been a fitness instructor previously for many years and helped so many people lose weight I know how difficult it is for the majority of them to keep the weight from going back on. I have researched why this happens and it’s quite complicated and my brains too tired to explain it. So we do know for certain many people of glp1/2s will need to be using them for at least 10 years to help keep the weight off but what we don’t know is what the effects of this long usage will be on our bodies. Will we need higher and higher doses which may bring about issues or will we be able to keep at a dose which is suitable. It’s exciting as time goes on to discover more and more about we are subjecting our bodies to and the results we will get

 

[50ShadesGreyMarket]

Having been a fitness instructor previously for many years and helped so many people lose weight I know how difficult it is for the majority of them to keep the weight from going back on. I have researched why this happens and it’s quite complicated and my brains too tired to explain it. So we do know for certain many people of glp1/2s will need to be using them for at least 10 years to help keep the weight off but what we don’t know is what the effects of this long usage will be on our bodies. Will we need higher and higher doses which may bring about issues or will we be able to keep at a dose which is suitable. It’s exciting as time goes on to discover more and more about we are subjecting our bodies to and the results we will get

That’s why my original comment started with me posing a question. I later used the example of someone who can successfully change their lifestyle habits. I didn’t say “everyone should stop taking peptides”, I was very clear in the way I approached the subject. I’ve seen ‘My 600 lb Life’, I’m well aware there is a huge segment of our population that is full-blown addicted to gravy and fried foods and if they can’t have it they’ll become violent. My comment was in regards to those who use their time losing weight to make radical changes.

Regarding dosage, I think that is different for everyone. I know someone with diabetes who lost a significant amount of weight with Ozempic and has kept it off despite being on only 1mg for more than a few years now. I have been on .2mg Sema and .7mg Reta weekly since August. I have no plans to increase based on a schedule. However there are plenty of folks who titrate up to the maximum dosage as quickly as possible and no longer find it efficacious.