Just Getting Started

[jimbothigpen]

Noob here -- both in the forums and with GLP-1 medications in general -- just barely getting started with Reta + Tirz. Started the 16th of January @ 1mg Reta, bumped up to 2mg Reta + 1mg Tirz after 5 days, then 2mg Reta + 2mg Tirz after another 5 days, and finally yesterday 3mg Reta + 2mg Tirz. So far, feeling pretty good about this, considering I've dropped a pound/day on average, from 242# to 226#. I *know* this is the honeymoon period, and it's likely mostly water weight -- but still, that kind of crazy progress really makes me want to keep it up.

Last "diet" I was on was one of my own making, and I had similar results (10 years ago when I was in my 40s): 3 corn dogs every day with whatever condiments I wanted, and a pint of beer (Imperial, not those little US 16oz thimbles). Coincidentally, I lost a pound a day on that one as well -- kept it up for 19 days before I broke. Wife doesn't think the old "Corn Dog Diet" is *actually healthy* for some reason, so she's talked me into the GLP-1 route. She's probably right, as usual.

I do have some concerns about losing muscle mass. I've really never been a gym guy, or even an "exercise" guy, for that matter. I've always considered exercise for the sake of exercise to be a bourgeois aberration -- like, why the hell would I lift weights and run in circles when there's always a ditch that needs to be dug somewhere? Fact is, though, I haven't exactly been grabbing the shovel and scouring the neighborhood for potential excavation sites...

So, in my mid-50s, pretty fat still but shedding pounds quickly. Would simple body-weight exercises be good enough to keep my muscle mass intact? Pushups, squats, leg lifts in the AM? Or do y'all recon I might need to actually use those weight machines I keep hearing so much about? Any quick routines recommended for beginners?

 

[nonyabizznez]

I'd suggest putting the Reta in the freezer and staying at 2.5mg Tirz for a month. If you're still losing weight stay there. Increase when you plateau for more than a couple weeks then stay at that new level for another month (anything under 5mg). If you are an extremely rare exception you shouldn't be at more than 10mg/wk in your 4th month. There's no advantages increasing if you're losing on lower doses.

Let the drug do it's job like it's proven to do. I don't understand why anyone would go into this stacking from the get go. There are many benefits of gradual over rapid weightloss .

Personally I've lost almost 80lbs in under a year and haven't gone above 5mg Tirz. Added a bit of Cagri 10mo in to extend suppression. I'm below goal and project an extremely low maintenance cost of a singular peptide. 5mg/wk maintenance is under $11/mo. That leaves lots of room for corn dogs.

 

[Gamma662keV]

Don't stack, particularly since you're new. You don't know when a stack dose will overload you and give you gastroparesis. Better to follow the tried dosage guidelines with a single pep.

Also, lose slowly. Fast loss means saggy skin, and eww who wants that...

 

[jimbothigpen]

Appreciate the advice. The thinking here, after checking out other people's protocols, was to work up to 4 or 5mg reta for the fat loss, with a low dose (1 or 2mg) of tirz for the appetite suppression, as well as the noise reduction as far as alcohol and cigarette cravings.

I do know I have a tendency to think along the lines of more of the good stuff = better, so I probably ought to cut that out...

 

[peptideusername]

Appreciate the advice. The thinking here, after checking out other people's protocols, was to work up to 4 or 5mg reta for the fat loss, with a low dose (1 or 2mg) of tirz for the appetite suppression, as well as the noise reduction as far as alcohol and cigarette cravings.

I do know I have a tendency to think along the lines of more of the good stuff = better, so I probably ought to cut that out...

Just pick one to start with. I'm at 9mg/week of Reta and the suppression is just as strong as when I was on tirz. It's great.

 

[peptidy]

I do have some concerns about losing muscle mass. I've really never been a gym guy, or even an "exercise" guy, for that matter. I've always considered exercise for the sake of exercise to be a bourgeois aberration -- like, why the hell would I lift weights and run in circles when there's always a ditch that needs to be dug somewhere? Fact is, though, I haven't exactly been grabbing the shovel and scouring the neighborhood for potential excavation sites...

So, in my mid-50s, pretty fat still but shedding pounds quickly. Would simple body-weight exercises be good enough to keep my muscle mass intact? Pushups, squats, leg lifts in the AM? Or do y'all recon I might need to actually use those weight machines I keep hearing so much about? Any quick routines recommended for beginners?

I would highly recommend lifting weights if you want to preserve/gain muscle. Any training program centered around compound movements (bench, squat, deadlift) with additional isolation movements will give you results. Look into a push/pull/legs split or upper/lower, and try exercises from those.

Try and eat enough protein, 1g per lb of your goal body weight should be enough.

Sorry if this is a lot of information at once, let me know if I can clarify anything for you

 

[jimbothigpen]

Try and eat enough protein, 1g per lb of your goal body weight should be enough.

My God, that sounds bonkers to me. Even with my goal weight set unrealistically low -- 165# is the high end of the chart for "healthy" for me, even though I struggled to stay under 155# back in HS wrestling -- that's, like, a dozen eggs and a pound of chorizo every day. There *might* be other sources of protein besides eggs and chorizo, I'll do some research.

You supplement with shakes to hit numbers like this?

 

[BillGoldberg]

I really want a corn dog

 

[jimbothigpen]

I really want a corn dog

It's a "superfood". Like acai berries or whatever.

 

[chmuse]

My God, that sounds bonkers to me. Even with my goal weight set unrealistically low -- 165# is the high end of the chart for "healthy" for me, even though I struggled to stay under 155# back in HS wrestling -- that's, like, a dozen eggs and a pound of chorizo every day. There *might* be other sources of protein besides eggs and chorizo, I'll do some research.

You supplement with shakes to hit numbers like this?

I can't even make 125 without protein shakes. An egg is only 6g!

 

[jimbothigpen]

I can't even make 125 without protein shakes. An egg is only 6g!

Maybe I should go with 10 corn dogs?

 

[chmuse]

Maybe I should go with 10 corn dogs?

Maybe make a cottage cheese based queso dip, just in case.

 

[peptidy]

My God, that sounds bonkers to me. Even with my goal weight set unrealistically low -- 165# is the high end of the chart for "healthy" for me, even though I struggled to stay under 155# back in HS wrestling -- that's, like, a dozen eggs and a pound of chorizo every day. There *might* be other sources of protein besides eggs and chorizo, I'll do some research.

You supplement with shakes to hit numbers like this?

Yeah protein shakes help a lot. 6 ounces of chicken breast is 50 grams, another easy way to get protein in

 

[jimbothigpen]

Maybe make a cottage cheese based queso dip, just in case.

Smart. A little chopped cilantro in that dip, and I'd probably be getting enough veggies to keep my mom happy.

 

[BillGoldberg]

My God, that sounds bonkers to me. Even with my goal weight set unrealistically low -- 165# is the high end of the chart for "healthy" for me, even though I struggled to stay under 155# back in HS wrestling -- that's, like, a dozen eggs and a pound of chorizo every day. There *might* be other sources of protein besides eggs and chorizo, I'll do some research.

You supplement with shakes to hit numbers like this?

This guy is pretty funny. I’m reading through this again and cracking up. Chorizo is a horrible source of protein. I want to believe you are joking with that statement.

 

[chmuse]

This guy is pretty funny. I’m reading through this again and cracking up. Chorizo is a horrible source of protein. I want to believe you are joking with that statement.

It's only 5g less protein per 3.5oz than chicken breast. It's just, ah, a bit higher in fat... And salt.... And preservatives..... Damn good, though!

 

[nonyabizznez]

This guy is pretty funny. I’m reading through this again and cracking up. Chorizo is a horrible source of protein. I want to believe you are joking with that statement.

Imagine the slowed gastric emptying with a gut full of chorizo, eggs and now cottage cheese cilantro dip! With all that Tirz and Reta @jimbothigpen if ya hurry and eat this now you'll still be tasting it during the Superbowl

 

[jimbothigpen]

Chorizo is a horrible source of protein. I want to believe you are joking with that statement.

Well, you're not going to find me putting dry ass white chicken meat in my eggs. Chorizo is a delicious source of protein, and at a ratio of 1oz per egg, the amount of rendered pig fat is just right for frying up the eggs. With some pickled red onions topping it off? Oh boy, good stuff.

When it comes to cured chorizo, I'm partial to the Portuguese style. The rustic coarseness of the meat and the fine balance of smoke, paprika, and fat -- quite sublime, really.

I do not joke about chorizo. And also, I don't think the "food noise" in my head is letting up much.

 

[BillGoldberg]

I’m from the East coast. Chorizo is not big around here. I’ve only recently tried it. I did like it though.

 

[jimbothigpen]

...slowed gastric emptying...

No joke there, for sure. Not getting the indigestion, but I swear I'm pooping out little bits of charcoal probably halfway en route to diamonds.