My Reta story begins!

PineCone99

PineCone99

GLP-1 Apprentice
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Feb 9, 2026
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Canada
DISCLAIMER: This may not be of any interest to the more experienced on this site, but as a "newbie", I found this type of posting both informative and reassuring to read.

Today, I took my very first shot of Reta! 🎉 It's also my very first GLP-1 ever. I'm feeling proud as punch. My goodness, there are a LOT of steps to even get to this point, but so very satisfying to finally be in this next phase of the experience. Which I could not have done without the expertise and generous sharing of information on this site, so a big thank you to all here.

Backstory - struggled with weight all my adult life, gained and lost the same pounds for years. 101 different diets. All worked for a bit, but weren't sustainable long-term. I have been interested in a GLP1 since I first heard of them a number of years ago, but I don't have diabetes and while "fluffy", not quite fluffy enough that my doctor will prescribe me one. SIGH. I hemmed and hawed about paying out-of-pocket, but my God, so expensive!

One fortuitus day, on Reddit (I know) I heard murmurings of a way to acquire a GLP1 and NOT pay $400 a month... I was instantly fascinated. Reddit though, such chaos. From there I thankfully found my way here quite quickly and to a few other "beginner friendly" resources. Spent weeks reading, reading, searching, reading. My initial thoughts were: "this is absolute insanity, no way in hellll am I buying suspect white powder from another country, sneaking it through customs, and then trying to mix it up MYSELF and INJECTING it into myself!" What in the ever-loving F? 😀 I've come a long way since then.. emboldened by reading the many experiences of others, and the realization that these are just normal folks, they're not exclusively chemists or roid-rage-gym-bros. They're everyday people. My bad for assuming.

I spent some time learning the reconstitution process and while very daunting initially, it's not actually that complex. You can't be a moron about it of course, but if you have a functioning brain, you can certainly do it. Then researching dosing, safe sources, testing, supplies needed etc. And when I finally thought I was ready to place an order.. omg crypto?? I have to fucking pay in crypto?? I don't know anything about crypto and my brain is TIRED y'all. Anyway after a little flailing hissy fit, I got over myself and got back to learning. Crypto payments too, seem very very confusing initially - exchanges, wallets, addresses, stablecoins, networks WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS HOLY?!! SOMEONE HELP MEEEE. And the kind people on the internet, they did help me. With simple user guides and helpful pointers. Can we talk about how terrifying that first purchase is though? Did I just send hundreds of dollars into the abyss? Do I just wait for 3 weeks now in silence and hope a parcel shows up at my door instead of the customs officers coming to arrest me? 🙂

Well last night a parcel DID show up at my door, without any fanfare at all. No doorbell buzzer, no email, no phone call. Just silently there on my front step. In keeping with this whole secret-and-clandestine affair I suppose. It was all I could do to wait until today to take my first dose.

This morning I re-watched my favourite reconstitution videos, quadruple checked my calculations, and began. They said to inject the Hospira BAC water slowly and to the side of the powder, but zoooom! it was sucked right out of the syringe instantly... well.... okay I guess. Small fail on my part there. Everything mixed up perfectly clear. Now, the moment of truth. Did I mention I have a needle phobia? Yeah. Had to take some deep breaths, and broke out in a little sweat on my upper lip lol. I was so nervous. But I jaw-clenched my way through it and now I am SO PLEASED.

Today I am going to celebrate with some nice treat. It's the starting point of what I'm hoping will be the pathway to the best shape of my life.

I am starting with 1 mg Reta for 4 weeks and then will assess. If losing, will stay there, if not really losing, will increase to 1.5 or 2 mg.

5'7 female

Highest weight: 221
Current weight: 175
(Recently lost those 46 through intermittent fasting & a year of loss/grief)
1st Goal weight: 160
2nd Goal weight: 140

I had been doing 23/1 intermittent fasting, but I may now switch to more frequent but small meals, if I'm not struggling with hunger every waking hour of the day.
I incorporated high-intensity sports 3 x a week about 2 months ago, and will be adding in some weight-lifting on a couple days as I enjoy that more than cardio anyway. Always get min 10,000 steps anyway.

I am hypothyroid and will consult with my doctor in a month or so regarding any needed medication adjustments.

I bought a smart-scale so I can watch that I don't lose too much muscle mass as I go.

Very very grateful for everyone that has shared knowledge, information, stories, encouragement along the way, and cannot wait to see how the future unfolds with Reta! 🙂 🙂 🙂

PS. One thing that took me aback each time was the sizes of the various items. For some reason I pictured Hospira BAC much larger bottles, and even more so for the Reta vials. WAY smaller than I'd imagined lol, THESE ARE FOR ANTS!! Also the way volumes of liquid look in different sized syringes and vials, very unexpected for me. Ten units is going to be half this vial, how can this possibly be 10 doses in here (then I extract it and it's like "oh.... okay, that's fine then") 😀
 
First, good for you. Second, ever consider writing for Hallmark? 🤣 Third, I saw 175 and said WTF, then saw you're a girl. Yeah, those 3ml vials are tiny. Prepare for some hunger lose and be sure to still get those proteins.
👍
 
Last edited:
PineCone99 said:
DISCLAIMER: This may not be of any interest to the more experienced on this site, but as a "newbie", I found this type of posting both informative and reassuring to read.

Today, I took my very first shot of Reta! 🎉 It's also my very first GLP-1 ever. I'm feeling proud as punch. My goodness, there are a LOT of steps to even get to this point, but so very satisfying to finally be in this next phase of the experience. Which I could not have done without the expertise and generous sharing of information on this site, so a big thank you to all here.

Backstory - struggled with weight all my adult life, gained and lost the same pounds for years. 101 different diets. All worked for a bit, but weren't sustainable long-term. I have been interested in a GLP1 since I first heard of them a number of years ago, but I don't have diabetes and while "fluffy", not quite fluffy enough that my doctor will prescribe me one. SIGH. I hemmed and hawed about paying out-of-pocket, but my God, so expensive!

One fortuitus day, on Reddit (I know) I heard murmurings of a way to acquire a GLP1 and NOT pay $400 a month... I was instantly fascinated. Reddit though, such chaos. From there I thankfully found my way here quite quickly and to a few other "beginner friendly" resources. Spent weeks reading, reading, searching, reading. My initial thoughts were: "this is absolute insanity, no way in hellll am I buying suspect white powder from another country, sneaking it through customs, and then trying to mix it up MYSELF and INJECTING it into myself!" What in the ever-loving F? 😀 I've come a long way since then.. emboldened by reading the many experiences of others, and the realization that these are just normal folks, they're not exclusively chemists or roid-rage-gym-bros. They're everyday people. My bad for assuming.

I spent some time learning the reconstitution process and while very daunting initially, it's not actually that complex. You can't be a moron about it of course, but if you have a functioning brain, you can certainly do it. Then researching dosing, safe sources, testing, supplies needed etc. And when I finally thought I was ready to place an order.. omg crypto?? I have to fucking pay in crypto?? I don't know anything about crypto and my brain is TIRED y'all. Anyway after a little flailing hissy fit, I got over myself and got back to learning. Crypto payments too, seem very very confusing initially - exchanges, wallets, addresses, stablecoins, networks WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS HOLY?!! SOMEONE HELP MEEEE. And the kind people on the internet, they did help me. With simple user guides and helpful pointers. Can we talk about how terrifying that first purchase is though? Did I just send hundreds of dollars into the abyss? Do I just wait for 3 weeks now in silence and hope a parcel shows up at my door instead of the customs officers coming to arrest me? 🙂

Well last night a parcel DID show up at my door, without any fanfare at all. No doorbell buzzer, no email, no phone call. Just silently there on my front step. In keeping with this whole secret-and-clandestine affair I suppose. It was all I could do to wait until today to take my first dose.

This morning I re-watched my favourite reconstitution videos, quadruple checked my calculations, and began. They said to inject the Hospira BAC water slowly and to the side of the powder, but zoooom! it was sucked right out of the syringe instantly... well.... okay I guess. Small fail on my part there. Everything mixed up perfectly clear. Now, the moment of truth. Did I mention I have a needle phobia? Yeah. Had to take some deep breaths, and broke out in a little sweat on my upper lip lol. I was so nervous. But I jaw-clenched my way through it and now I am SO PLEASED.

Today I am going to celebrate with some nice treat. It's the starting point of what I'm hoping will be the pathway to the best shape of my life.

I am starting with 1 mg Reta for 4 weeks and then will assess. If losing, will stay there, if not really losing, will increase to 1.5 or 2 mg.

5'7 female

Highest weight: 221
Current weight: 175
(Recently lost those 46 through intermittent fasting & a year of loss/grief)
1st Goal weight: 160
2nd Goal weight: 140

I had been doing 23/1 intermittent fasting, but I may now switch to more frequent but small meals, if I'm not struggling with hunger every waking hour of the day.
I incorporated high-intensity sports 3 x a week about 2 months ago, and will be adding in some weight-lifting on a couple days as I enjoy that more than cardio anyway. Always get min 10,000 steps anyway.

I am hypothyroid and will consult with my doctor in a month or so regarding any needed medication adjustments.

I bought a smart-scale so I can watch that I don't lose too much muscle mass as I go.

Very very grateful for everyone that has shared knowledge, information, stories, encouragement along the way, and cannot wait to see how the future unfolds with Reta! 🙂 🙂 🙂

PS. One thing that took me aback each time was the sizes of the various items. For some reason I pictured Hospira BAC much larger bottles, and even more so for the Reta vials. WAY smaller than I'd imagined lol, THESE ARE FOR ANTS!! Also the way volumes of liquid look in different sized syringes and vials, very unexpected for me. Ten units is going to be half this vial, how can this possibly be 10 doses in here (then I extract it and it's like "oh.... okay, that's fine then") 😀
Click to expand...

Schitts Creek Good Job GIF by CBC
 
Gwynhwyfar said:
I will start after my easter Holidays. But I'm almost two years on zepbound now and lost 110 LB. But it will BE my first experience of grey reta and reconstitution 😁
Click to expand...
You lost 110 pounds??! That is AMAZING. You must feel incredibly proud of yourself, well done! You're gonna save so much $$ once you switch to grey reta too.
 
Love this post — and I guarantee it’s helpful for more people than you think. A lot of us had the exact same “what in the world am I doing?” journey before that first injection.

The progression you described is almost a rite of passage around here:

Reddit → confusion → weeks of reading → realizing normal people are doing this → learning reconstitution → the crypto panic → the “did I just send money into the void?” moment → the mysterious package appearing on your doorstep → the first jab 😄

Your story about the vial sizes made me laugh too. Everyone imagines these big medicine bottles at first and then the package arrives and it’s like… “wait… THAT’S the vial?” The first time you see how tiny 10 units actually is, it suddenly makes sense.

Huge respect for pushing through the needle phobia as well. That first injection is always the hardest psychologically, and after that it usually becomes very routine.

Also sounds like you’re approaching this in a really thoughtful way:
• Starting low with 1 mg
• Already exercising and staying active
• Watching muscle mass with a smart scale
• Being mindful of thyroid meds
• Adjusting food timing if appetite changes

That’s honestly a great foundation for success.

And you’re already ahead of the curve starting at 175 with a goal of 140–160. Reta seems to work particularly well for people who are closer to the “last stretch” of weight loss compared to some of the other GLPs.

Most importantly — congratulations on getting through the entire learning curve. The research phase can honestly be more stressful than the injection itself.

Welcome to the experiment, and definitely keep posting updates. A lot of newcomers will read posts like yours and think, “Okay… maybe I can actually do this too.” 🎉
 
Always great to hear that someone's doing their research before injecting themselves with this stuff! Best of luck on your journey look forward to your progress updates.

I was pretty surprised by the size of the vials too! I’ve been using my compounded Tirzepatide from Refills, which came in 10ml vials, so I was expecting the same size for my BPC.
 
Great writeup! I lacked the bandwidth to learn about everything all at once so my first vial came from a local reseller. Accepting the fact that I was going to be injecting myself with drugs probably for the rest of my life was just as much of a hurdle as learning crypto. I am a big chicken so I started with 1mg as well. I felt it within 3 hours and the effect was profound, for the next 3 days I felt as if I had just eaten a big burrito. My first shot of reta was on Jan 7th and I am down 20lbs so far. I hope you reach your goals!
 
PineCone99 said:
You lost 110 pounds??! That is AMAZING. You must feel incredibly proud of yourself, well done! You're gonna save so much $$ once you switch to grey reta too.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Yes, I have a complete new life, but still need to loose 50 lb to come to an healthy BMI. At the moment I have Zepbound for 6 months in the fridge, after that I will stop that brand.
 
Geez what a lovely, supportive community this is!

@Elgordoboy @WLBLD @CNCCurrency @Estarossa19 @Dydanz @FortySeven @anhydrous Thank you for the encouragement and kind words! Really appreciate it.

@BNLFL Haha thanks! I'm not sure Hallmark will employ me; I swear too much. 🤭 Thanks for the reminder about protein, that is actually one of my concerns, 1 gram per pound of lean body mass, that's a LOT. I'll def need to find a decent-tasting protein shake...
 
Welcome!! I was SO EXCITED and proud of myself when I made my first big girl sketchy drugs from the internet purchase. Big thrills. I've been on the reta for 5 months now, down 60lbs, (205-145) very pleased, love drugs, love the grey market, love being thin.
 
vande250 said:
Love this post — and I guarantee it’s helpful for more people than you think. A lot of us had the exact same “what in the world am I doing?” journey before that first injection.

The progression you described is almost a rite of passage around here:

Reddit → confusion → weeks of reading → realizing normal people are doing this → learning reconstitution → the crypto panic → the “did I just send money into the void?” moment → the mysterious package appearing on your doorstep → the first jab 😄

Your story about the vial sizes made me laugh too. Everyone imagines these big medicine bottles at first and then the package arrives and it’s like… “wait… THAT’S the vial?” The first time you see how tiny 10 units actually is, it suddenly makes sense.

Huge respect for pushing through the needle phobia as well. That first injection is always the hardest psychologically, and after that it usually becomes very routine.

Also sounds like you’re approaching this in a really thoughtful way:
• Starting low with 1 mg
• Already exercising and staying active
• Watching muscle mass with a smart scale
• Being mindful of thyroid meds
• Adjusting food timing if appetite changes

That’s honestly a great foundation for success.

And you’re already ahead of the curve starting at 175 with a goal of 140–160. Reta seems to work particularly well for people who are closer to the “last stretch” of weight loss compared to some of the other GLPs.

Most importantly — congratulations on getting through the entire learning curve. The research phase can honestly be more stressful than the injection itself.

Welcome to the experiment, and definitely keep posting updates. A lot of newcomers will read posts like yours and think, “Okay… maybe I can actually do this too.” 🎉
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for all of this, I agree, now that the first injection is done, I expect subsequent ones to be less sweaty lol. And who knows, maybe with this forced-exposure-therapy, I can eventually rid myself of the phobia entirely. Amazing what the right motivator can get you to do! 🙂

It is a bit funny the way the world's tiniest vials suddenly appear on your doorstep, silently, after ALLLL of that preamble. Surely there should be a marching band parade coming from down the street with drums and cymbals to announce such a monumentous arrival??!
 
anhydrous said:
Great writeup! I lacked the bandwidth to learn about everything all at once so my first vial came from a local reseller. Accepting the fact that I was going to be injecting myself with drugs probably for the rest of my life was just as much of a hurdle as learning crypto. I am a big chicken so I started with 1mg as well. I felt it within 3 hours and the effect was profound, for the next 3 days I felt as if I had just eaten a big burrito. My first shot of reta was on Jan 7th and I am down 20lbs so far. I hope you reach your goals!
Click to expand...
Thanks! I'd love to hear how long you stayed at 1 mg and if/when you titrated up, as well as any sides you experienced. That's awesome that you're down 20 pounds already! 🙌
 
Day 2 Observations

Yesterday, about an hour after injecting I did feel a slight headache, but I figure that's probably from the needle-phobia-anxiety from earlier and probably not the Reta itself.

Felt decent all day and evening, had a few seconds of "dizzy-headedness" and very mild nausea here and there but only for a couple seconds. I did notice I was thirstier than usual, and I am again today, so I've been drinking more than usual water, which is a win regardless.

Slept fine and woke up feeling fine. No issues, feeling great! 🙂

I had been doing intermittent fasting (23/1) so it's not unexpected that I'm not very hungry during the morning/aft, but 4/5 pm onward will be more telling as that's generally when the appetite kicks IN. I did make myself have a little protein and fibre so far, as I'm wanting to phase away from intermittent fasting (that was only ever a mechanism to control my overall consumption).

I'm using that app - "MeAgain" to track my dosing. It shows medication level as 0.81 mg currently.

And I have a home blood pressure cuff that I've been using the past 3 weeks so that I can see any change to heart rate/blood pressure. My normal is about 110/63 and 57 pulse. We'll see if that changes going forward.
 
I feel you on both the hypothyroid AND the needle phobia. I just finished a weird anxiety about injections out of nowhere, after doing injections for months and months. I was psyching myself out or something, it was so strange. I second the pens, all the way. The 4mm pen needles really did make a difference for me 👍
 
23/1 fasting, holy crap! I've been doing fasting for ~12 years now. Usually 18/6 or 20/4, even did a handful of full 21-28 day fasts, but I couldn't handle 23/1 when I tried. Props to you.
 
PineCone99 said:
🤣🤣🤣 Least I can do. That was the first word that popped in my head but I was like IMMEDIETLY NO. "Story" still feels kinda cheesy, but my mental thesaurus struggled to come up with a better alternative.
Click to expand...

Seriously, the amount of posts I've read that start with my TRT, GLP or weight loss journey, like every damn thing we try is now considered a "journey"? What ever happened to just simply trying stuff out?
 
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