Body Recomp Reta Stack

[REDTREX]

I’m currently using Reta to cut down body fat from a previous bulk. I started at 210 and I’m now at 172, aiming to get down to 165. Are there any peptides I should be taking to help preserve or gain lean muscle during a cut like this? It’s hard to tell without a DEXA scan how much muscle I’ve lost — I feel like looking leaner makes me think I've kept more than I actually have. I did stay at about 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight the whole time. I have my eyes on Tesa.

 

[RuggerPanda]

Reta is defiantly a good start on helping conserve muscle during a cut. Eating enough protein as you are already doing and controlling how fast your loosing the weight will be the biggest help to preserve muscle. Growth hormone secretagogues will help burn fat and help keep muscle. Tesa really focusses on the visceral fat that's usually hard to lose and causes the most health risks. I usually run Tesa/Ipa but CJC/IPA is just as good.
After that could look at fat reducing peptides like AOD, 5-Amino or SLU. These will not necessarily preserve muscle but will target more fat loss. These defiantly aren't necessary but just another thing available. I found these to be the biggest help when getting to a lower body fat and hit a plateau.

 

[Nathanologist]

There little to no clear published evidence that Retatrutide causes less lean mass loss than other incretin mimetics, or other weight loss programs (diet, surgery, etc.). Basically weight lost will always be from a blend of fat, muscle, water, etc. These meds don't appear to significantly shift the typical ratio, where roughly 25-35% of total weight lost is lean mass (muscle, bone, water). (Retatrutide-Induced Weight Loss is Associated with Body Composition Improvements, in Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.); Body composition changes during weight reduction with tirzepatide in the SURMOUNT-1 study of adults with obesity or overweight, in Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.))

The most evidence supported lean mass preservation interventions during weight loss are slow loss (0.5 to 1 percent BW per week) high protein intake(1-1.2 grams per lb), and regular resistance training (3+ times per week). (Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition; Higher compared with lower dietary protein during an energy deficit combined with intense exercise promotes greater lean mass gain and fat mass loss: a randomized trial, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)

Second to those, supplements that have moderate evidence include creatine, collagen, HMB, D3 and Omega-3 (EPA/DHA) but primarily in supportive roles and for individuals that are not pursuing other more effective interventions or have deficiencies, but have a high safety threshold. Likewise Growth Hormone Secretagogues and SARMs have less than adequate evidence in healthy populations, with approval (where approved) for specific deficiencies or illnesses, but with higher risks and side effects (e.g., liver toxicity, hormonal suppression).

There’s no magic Superman stack, unfortunately. Despite much hype in the amatuer ‘Research’ community. Anything that increases igf-1, HGH, and/or testosterone will theoretically help, but lacks strong evidence and carries some long term safety risk. Whereas, the tried and true practices (protein, slow loss, resistance training) are well tolerated, safe, and strongly backed by scholarly evidence. As the French say, “C'est dans les vieux pots qu'on fait les meilleures soupes.”