Is 4mg+ really the key?

[cujet]

I'm not going to mess with the 4/weeks 2mg stats, I lost a bunch, but likely water weight. I lost 11lbs in 6 weeks on 4mg. I lost 10lbs in 6 weeks on 6mg, but later in the 6mg is when my sleep issues started. Lost 13lbs in 6 weeks on 8mg. Currently on the second week on 9mg and close to 2lbs down. Down 52lbs since 1/9/26.

Retatrutide absolutely affects my sleep. I've found a few things that help. Going to bed on time is a big one. Eating prior to bed helps a bit, as does magnesium glycinate. But the bottom line is that it's 50-50 as to whether I will get a full night's sleep or not.

 

[woundcarping]

Who doesn't like a chart?

I started Tirz on 12/12/25, Reta on 1/10/26. The chart starts at 1/10/26, the weight loss stats start at 12/12/25.

I started supplementing creatine on 5/1/26, which stagnated the loss trajectory temporarily.

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Who doesn’t like a linear update? Down 70lb in 200 days.

 

[RetCurious]

Who doesn’t like a linear update? Down 70lb in 200 days.

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That's a sweet graphic, good work on both accounts.

 

[GLP1Pharmacist]

I’ve seen a lot of back and forth on whether or not 4mg or more is where you truly get the benefits of Retatrutide compared to Trizepitide. To my understanding the argument supports that the Glucogon agonist doesn’t really get activated until you hit the 4mg+ a week. I’ve titrated up from .5mg to 4mg over a course of an couple of months and have been cruising there for about 3 weeks and haven’t really noticed anything different effect wise (Other than the continuous benefits of Reta obviously lol). Can anyone share their own experience?

6mg to feel it and 8mg to really make a difference for me.

 

[bogardbilla]

So yeah, n=1 here but 4mg is definitely the sweet spot, I don't have any side effects at all it's perfect I'm going to stay on this indefinitely.

Same here side effect-wise on 7.5mg. My only worry is that I've started believing that I'm finally cured and that things (appetite, inflammation, etc.) would generally stay the same even if I titrated off Reta 🙂

 

[mybodyisasewer]

Same here side effect-wise on 7.5mg. My only worry is that I've started believing that I'm finally cured and that things (appetite, inflammation, etc.) would generally stay the same even if I titrated off Reta 🙂

You are cured, sort of.

We walked around 24/7 with food noise that we never even knew we had. We've now experienced life without it. When it returns, we will be able to recognize it for what it is, and thus it will be easier to manage. The same way an alcoholic can't really start to change until they recognize the problem.

We have the advantage now, even if we titrate off.

 

[HARLEYV2]

You can't really compare other GLP-1s to reta. Let me explain why.

First, take a look at the TRIUMPH-1 study. You can see that people were still losing weight at week 104 instead of plateauing. And in my personal opinion, you also can't compare trial patients to the people here.

As you can see from the triz curve, people started regaining weight once they stopped the GLP-1 meds. That tells me one thing: they were using GLP-1 purely as a lifestyle drug. They hadn't changed anything about their lifestyle or eating habits - they were simply in a calorie deficit. That's it.

With reta and grey GLP-1s especially, I see people using the drug as a window of opportunity to actually change their lives -to start doing sports, lifting weights, building muscle, and so on.

Now back to the triz study you quoted. The only thing it really shows is weight loss - not what people lost. And that's the key difference between a number on the scale and actual health, because we don't want to lose muscle mass; we want to get rid of fat.

In the triz study, people lost more weight on the 10 mg dose than on 5 mg simply because their calorie deficit was greater. That's it. Most people - even on reta - struggle to hit their minimum protein intake to slow down muscle loss, since muscle protein gets catabolised for gluconeogenesis.

That's why a dose of around 4 mg is the better choice. This is where you get the most long-term benefit. You can always escalate further, but there's no need to if you don't have to.

And for those who claim they have no side effects: because of the drug's half-life, you can't just say, "Yeah, I took an 8 mg dose and everything was fine." The peak concentration - even at 8 mg - won't hit until after the fourth injection, so about a month later.

That is some interesting input. Thank you. I believe trial and error is why we are all here. Learning as much as you can.

 

[Bruh132]

6mg to feel it and 8mg to really make a difference for me.

I agree, I've gone up to 6mg for the past 4 weeks and it seems to be the most effective dose for me thus far. Starting to get some of the negative sides though, like the skin sensitivity. Nothing unbearable but now it’s noticeable

 

[BNLFL]

That is some interesting input. Thank you. I believe trial and error is why we are all here. Learning as much as you can.

Don't listen to this self proclaimed know it all. He doesn't think anyone should go over 4mg.

 

[SVT810E]

You can't really compare other GLP-1s to reta. Let me explain why.

Because it’s more to fantasize with wild abandon?

First, take a look at the TRIUMPH-1 study. You can see that people were still losing weight at week 104 instead of plateauing. And in my personal opinion, you also can't compare trial patients to the people here.

Some people were still losing weight at 104 weeks. Just like some people were still losing weight at 72 weeks with tirzepatide (10% of the cohort!). That doesn’t mean people don’t plateau on these drugs. In fact you can see in the Triumph-1 data that the cherished 4mg cohort as a whole had plateaued by week 80. They even gained a tiny bit of weight. The 9mg cohort was looking pretty flat as well.

As you can see from the triz curve, people started regaining weight once they stopped the GLP-1 meds. That tells me one thing: they were using GLP-1 purely as a lifestyle drug. They hadn't changed anything about their lifestyle or eating habits - they were simply in a calorie deficit. That's it.

This is one of the most daft takes I’ve ever seen. Weight regain is a normal, expected outcome following weight loss. You want to blame the GLP-1 patients for doing it wrong. “They hadn’t changed anything about their lifestyle or eating habits.” If they just did it right they would be successful.

What do you know about what they changed or didn’t change? You’re making wild assumptions about people you know nothing about.

Here’s a fact: We can look at people who lose weight through diet and exercise. No “lifestyle drug” to cheat with, they did it right. And yet what happens? Oh, right. The vast majority of them regain a ton of weight too. Turns out weight loss maintenance is a bear even for people who make profound changes in their lifestyle and eating habits.

Now back to the triz study you quoted. The only thing it really shows is weight loss - not what people lost. And that's the key difference between a number on the scale and actual health, because we don't want to lose muscle mass; we want to get rid of fat.

You must not have bothered to read the Triumph-1 study because they did actually report body composition changes.

In the triz study, people lost more weight on the 10 mg dose than on 5 mg simply because their calorie deficit was greater. That's it. Most people - even on reta - struggle to hit their minimum protein intake to slow down muscle loss, since muscle protein gets catabolised for gluconeogenesis.

This seems like feral speculation as well. Do you have evidence that most people in the tirz or reta studies were struggling to hit their minimum protein intake?

That's why a dose of around 4 mg is the better choice. This is where you get the most long-term benefit. You can always escalate further, but there's no need to if you don't have to.

And for those who claim they have no side effects: because of the drug's half-life, you can't just say, "Yeah, I took an 8 mg dose and everything was fine." The peak concentration - even at 8 mg - won't hit until after the fourth injection, so about a month later.

You can also roll back your dose if you find that a dose increase is causing issues for you. It’s as if some people think that encountering a side effect means that you’ve failed at your entire weight loss journey. “Oh dear I felt nauseated. Back to 300 lbs I go. That sucks!”

 

[Kyli]

Well, the data confirms everything I wrote. But it seems like you just want to interpret the data the way you want.

This is one of the most daft takes I’ve ever seen. Weight regain is a normal, expected outcome following weight loss. You want to blame the GLP-1 patients for doing it wrong. “They hadn’t changed anything about their lifestyle or eating habits.” If they just did it right they would be successful.

What do you know about what they changed or didn’t change? You’re making wild assumptions about people you know nothing about.

Because I don't need to know the people. On the Endocrine Society congress 2026 a paper was published about the GLP-1 Patients. "Losing Pounds, Not Gaining Steps: The Paradox of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Therapy". And this paper said, that most of the patients, who were taking GLP-1 drugs even lowered their Activity. So they do the two fatal things on GLP-1 drugs. They lose muscle mass and they don't change their lifestyle. So the Jojo effect hits even harder.

This seems like feral speculation as well. Do you have evidence that most people in the tirz or reta studies were struggling to hit their minimum protein intake?

Sorry, but you can't be that ignorant, do you? Just look a little bit around. This forum here, Reddit, other communities. Every one is struggling to hit the protein intake goal. And you write, that this is pure speculation? WTF???

Some people were still losing weight at 104 weeks. Just like some people were still losing weight at 72 weeks with tirzepatide (10% of the cohort!). That doesn’t mean people don’t plateau on these drugs. In fact you can see in the Triumph-1 data that the cherished 4mg cohort as a whole had plateaued by week 80. They even gained a tiny bit of weight. The 9mg cohort was looking pretty flat as well.

One again. The drugs don't do any magic! Yes, Reta can remove the fat from the liver with the Glucagon part. But that's it. They don't increase the metabolism in a significant rate, that would explain the weight difference. Further more, you have the same curve with other GLP-1s.

So the only explanation is, that the people just eat less. That's it.

So if your goal is to get the typical Ozempic Face, go for it. Rush the weight loss process. Lose muscle and health for a number on a scale.

 

[SVT810E]

Well, the data confirms everything I wrote. But it seems like you just want to interpret the data the way you want.

That’s a very generous interpretation of the words “data”, “confirms”, and “everything”.

Because I don't need to know the people. On the Endocrine Society congress 2026 a paper was published about the GLP-1 Patients. "Losing Pounds, Not Gaining Steps: The Paradox of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Therapy". And this paper said, that most of the patients, who were taking GLP-1 drugs even lowered their Activity. So they do the two fatal things on GLP-1 drugs. They lose muscle mass and they don't change their lifestyle. So the Jojo effect hits even harder.

The study measured how much people walked around and found that on average their step count dropped by about 10%. Would you like to talk about things that would actually matter for preserving muscle mass? This ain’t it chief.

But yes, it’s not particularly surprising that NEAT dropped for people in a calorie deficit.

Sorry, but you can't be that ignorant, do you? Just look a little bit around. This forum here, Reddit, other communities. Every one is struggling to hit the protein intake goal. And you write, that this is pure speculation? WTF???

Are you really arguing that because people aren’t regularly posting about how easy it is to smash their protein goal that everyone is struggling?

Lol.

So if your goal is to get the typical Ozempic Face, go for it. Rush the weight loss process. Lose muscle and health for a number on a scale.

Is walking an extra 10% as many steps each day supposed to preserve buccal fat deposits? How the heck does that work?