What diet worked for you on reta?

[WholesomeApril]

I didn’t follow any specific diet. I just ate less and naturally gravitated to healthier food choices. I did focus on eating more protein and drinking electrolytes.

 

[Zydeceltico]

Hey, I’m about to start my first reta cycle so I’m looking to learn more about what works and what don’t.

Or what have you heard worked for people in general on reta to lose weight consistently?

I have found - that for me - the diet that works best - for me - is the one where I substitute healthy food for garbage food (and I definitely know the difference) and I practice patience, self-compassion, and am in general proud of myself for intentionally being aware and taking care of myself because I do in fact deserve it.

The minutiae and specifics may change at any given moment.

 

[retarequired]

Hey bro 👋
Do you try and stay under a certain amount of carbs daily ? If so how many ?
I’m fairly onto it with training and calorie counting but my carbs are standard. Let me know please 👏🏻

Hi! It depends on your goal. If you want to go into full ketosis it's recommended to stay below 20 to 50 g/day, depending on your activity level and current insulin sensitivity/resistance. I just stick below 30 grams and I think that works for most people.

If you don't want to go that low or not yet, just lowering the amount of carbs you eat, changing the type of carbs, and making sure to add other things to the meal like fats, fiber, and protein, can help keep your blood sugar more stable by slowing gastric emptying, which in turn helps increase insulin sensitivity and decrease hunger. Try to aim for carbohydrates that are lower on the glycemic index (a scale that rates how quickly carbohydrate sources raise blood sugar levels).

GLP1 medicines mechanisms are very similar to what happens when you go low(er) carb or keto, but degrees vary. I think it's good to try to work with the medication instead of against it, and it helps build better habits for when you go off the drug.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask!

 

[tubby]

Hi! It depends on your goal. If you want to go into full ketosis it's recommended to stay below 20 to 50 g/day, depending on your activity level and current insulin sensitivity/resistance. I just stick below 30 grams and I think that works for most people.

If you don't want to go that low or not yet, just lowering the amount of carbs you eat, changing the type of carbs, and making sure to add other things to the meal like fats, fiber, and protein, can help keep your blood sugar more stable by slowing gastric emptying, which in turn helps increase insulin sensitivity and decrease hunger. Try to aim for carbohydrates that are lower on the glycemic index (a scale that rates how quickly carbohydrate sources raise blood sugar levels).

GLP1 medicines mechanisms are very similar to what happens when you go low(er) carb or keto, but degrees vary. I think it's good to try to work with the medication instead of against it, and it helps build better habits for when you go off the drug.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask!

Do you track your ketone levels? It's not really needed, but it can be a fun curiosity for those trying to understand their own bodies better.

From experience I can tell you that the conditions for entering or remaining in ketosis are highly dependent on the current state of your body. At a BMI closer to 30 I might have to cut carbs out of my diet entirely for 72 hours (or fast for 48 hours) to get in the range of 1 mM BHB. A certain degree of protein restriction is often necessary too, as a strict (high protein) carnivore diet only had me ~0.3 mM BHB when I would wake up in the morning.

Meanwhile, at a BMI of 26 I could have fried potatoes for dinner and wake up at 0.7 mM BHB, which kind of blew my mind. It started with eating more berries and before I knew it, within weeks, I was eating 100 grams of carbs (potatoes) and still at a reasonable ketone level in the morning when I would wake up.

My suspicion is that since your fasting insulin level is highly correlated to your weight/BMI that can serve to handicap someone at a higher weight from easily entering ketosis. And to clarify, that's all pre-GLP results there.

 

[retarequired]

Do you track your ketone levels? It's not really needed, but it can be a fun curiosity for those trying to understand their own bodies better.

From experience I can tell you that the conditions for entering or remaining in ketosis are highly dependent on the current state of your body. At a BMI closer to 30 I might have to cut carbs out of my diet entirely for 72 hours (or fast for 48 hours) to get in the range of 1 mM BHB. A certain degree of protein restriction is often necessary too, as a strict (high protein) carnivore diet only had me ~0.3 mM BHB when I would wake up in the morning.

Meanwhile, at a BMI of 26 I could have fried potatoes for dinner and wake up at 0.7 mM BHB, which kind of blew my mind. It started with eating more berries and before I knew it, within weeks, I was eating 100 grams of carbs (potatoes) and still at a reasonable ketone level in the morning when I would wake up.

My suspicion is that since your fasting insulin level is highly correlated to your weight/BMI that can serve to handicap someone at a higher weight from easily entering ketosis. And to clarify, that's all pre-GLP results there.

I was going to suggest one of those meters lol! I figured I was already rambling and he would just be starting out anyway. I do use one and I really enjoy being able to check out my levels, like you said it's not a necessity but it's definitely interesting.

Yeah, it also depends on if your glycogen stores are actually full, which, if you are obese, they probably are. Retatrutide should actually help with that as the glucagon component stimulates glycogen release from the liver which is cool!
And yeah protein can absolutely make a difference, my husband does strict carnivore, and while I have a little more difficulty sticking with it, we noticed I generally have higher ketone levels than him, because he eats more protein.

100 grams of carbs regularly is crazy! Your system just starts clearing it out so fast. When I started out doing keto I'd give myself one cheat day per week. I kept doing it for a while, and I noticed that once I had been fully keto adapted, the cheat day would make my ketone levels drop from approx. 6 mg/dl to at worst 2 mg/dl, which is still definitely ketosis lol. It would go right back up afterwards too.

You're definitely right about that last part too, insulin inhibits lipolysis and ketone production, so if your baseline levels are increased, it's gonna be harder. Insulin resistant people also have a metabolic preference for glucose over ketones, so it's going to be an absolute last resort, and probably inefficient, so definitely bad and long lasting keto flu. Thankfully GLP1s help with this transition though!

 

[BNLFL]

I have found - that for me - the diet that works best - for me - is the one where I substitute healthy food for garbage food (and I definitely know the difference) and I practice patience, self-compassion, and am in general proud of myself for intentionally being aware and taking care of myself because I do in fact deserve it.

The minutiae and specifics may change at any given moment.

My wife calls it eating clean.

 

[Zydeceltico]

My wife calls it eating clean.

So do I.
🙂

 

[tubby]

I was going to suggest one of those meters lol! I figured I was already rambling and he would just be starting out anyway. I do use one and I really enjoy being able to check out my levels, like you said it's not a necessity but it's definitely interesting.

Yeah, it also depends on if your glycogen stores are actually full, which, if you are obese, they probably are. Retatrutide should actually help with that as the glucagon component stimulates glycogen release from the liver which is cool!
And yeah protein can absolutely make a difference, my husband does strict carnivore, and while I have a little more difficulty sticking with it, we noticed I generally have higher ketone levels than him, because he eats more protein.

100 grams of carbs regularly is crazy! Your system just starts clearing it out so fast. When I started out doing keto I'd give myself one cheat day per week. I kept doing it for a while, and I noticed that once I had been fully keto adapted, the cheat day would make my ketone levels drop from approx. 6 mg/dl to at worst 2 mg/dl, which is still definitely ketosis lol. It would go right back up afterwards too.

You're definitely right about that last part too, insulin inhibits lipolysis and ketone production, so if your baseline levels are increased, it's gonna be harder. Insulin resistant people also have a metabolic preference for glucose over ketones, so it's going to be an absolute last resort, and probably inefficient, so definitely bad and long lasting keto flu. Thankfully GLP1s help with this transition though!

If I had to guess, I'd say it's an interplay between high baseline insulin levels combined with higher circulating FFA levels (which often accompanies poor metabolic health) creating a nutritional logjam in your bloodstream that takes longer to clear. At a lower BMI the FFA levels are probably going to be better regulated, letting your body clear that logjam sooner, letting you slip back into ketosis between meals.

So many people imagine ketosis to be this abnormal state, which is highly amusing. It's a state that you were constantly entering and leaving when you were younger, but only as an adult have stopped experiencing (if you're on the typical diet).

(hours fasted on the X-axis)

 

[cygnus]

High protein and fiber emphasis, less worried about the carb/fat ratio as I'm keeping calories at a ceiling which is producing fat loss.

 

[longestyards]

There is no one-size-fits-all GLP diet. Find what works for you.

Im the opposite of many: I only feel decent when I'm getting a good amount of higher glycemic more simpler carbs. Low carb and reta did NOT mix well for me.

I’m actually the same without drugs.

I eat everything, just not so much, but a lot of protein, some healthy fats and complex carbs.
I don't care for electrolyte drinks, I don't think, it's needed.
I had a problem with sugar cravings on 8 mg, geez it was hell. I couldn't stay away from the sugar, but still losing weight. (I just don't eat a lot).
Down to 6 mg again, and sugar cravings gone again.
There is no need to be on a 'special diet' on reta, reta will do her job, yes I think it's a woman, it's a Kinder chicken embryo surprise. ;-) ( but get your protein. )

yeah exactly, just normal diet but a deficit. Hope it feels good on deficit cause normally for me, after two weeks on deficit I simply break.

 

[tendency]

I’m actually the same without drugs.

yeah exactly, just normal diet but a deficit. Hope it feels good on deficit cause normally for me, after two weeks on deficit I simply break.

Yes, you don't feel the deficit with GLPs, in fact, typically quite the opposite - that's one of the things that makes them so revolutionary and, well, kick ass 😀

 

[RetCurious]

Interesting. But wouldn’t low carb actually make your blood sugar a bit too low and cause you to have maybe possibly feint or something?

Commonly reported in forums, I've also heard one of the reta agonists (Glucagon?) needs carbs to work.

 

[tendency]

Commonly reported in forums, I've also heard one of the reta agonists (Glucagon?) needs carbs to work.

Anecdotally that's been my experience on reta.

 

[miss-sanne]

I’m actually the same without drugs.

yeah exactly, just normal diet but a deficit. Hope it feels good on deficit cause normally for me, after two weeks on deficit I simply break.

Oh, for me I usually break the diet in 2-4 hours, so you are very good ! ;-)

 

[tubby]

yeah exactly, just normal diet but a deficit. Hope it feels good on deficit cause normally for me, after two weeks on deficit I simply break.

That is the inherent struggle. If your weight loss strategy in the past has been "calorie restriction" and your challenge has been "willpower" then a GLP (reta or otherwise) will generally lead to weight loss with no intentional dietary changes whatsoever. If that's your approach, you may be overthinking things by asking for a particular dietary protocol. Whatever you do while on a GLP is likely to "work."

The whole point to different "diets" in general is that by changing what they're restricting (e.g. restricting food types rather than "calories") it's a different tension one is fighting. When one is restricting "calories" (but eating the same modern foods around us) one is constantly trying to balance just the right low level of hunger in a way where they can sustain the behavior. If one is instead restricting "carbs" (as an example), then one is no longer fighting hunger, but now is fighting carb-cravings. Different people will find different fights easier and harder to maintain and may select a particular diet or switch between diets partially based on allowing one craving to be fulfilled at the expense of another.

 

[RomanNumeral]

After experimenting with fasting low carb keto for years I have to say switching to a low fat higher carb diet has been a game changer for me and has been working great with Reta. This guy Zane Griggs has really good content and can explain how it works better then I can. I'm fairly active and my workouts and sleep are a lot better with this diet. Just thought I'd share since it helped me a lot.

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/OuDKNqoiar0?si=tKeMzhIxozdFVEmU

 

[Sid the SeaGull]

What is WPI? Does husk really work? I have like a kiloof it I’ve never used.

WPI is whey protein isolate . Comes as a powder you can mix with a glass of water . Or if you grab the unflavoured WPI you can mix with soup or in other cooking to boost the protein content.

With Reta it's the simplest way to reach your protein levels . Whist keeping control of calories .

Psyllium husk , can be added to cereals or many other foods , or simply add to water and drink before it turns to a jelly like consistency. Low calorie and high soluble fibre , which helps with such high protein levels .

Hopefully that helps 🙂

 

[longestyards]

Be careful fasting on retatrutide, and be careful about keto diets. There is a warning on later trials to participants about keto diets and possible low blood sugar.

What do they say? Low blood sugar as in you will faint or something? Thank for the heads up I will check this out.

Wow, this thread is a bit much. Optimization trap.

GLP1's make reducing calories a breeze and you want to make it as difficult as possible. I would never tell anyone to do any of these things.

Track what you eat, track your weight. Run a deficit. Take your shots.

No need to build a better mousetrap. You are literally injecting the best mousetrap ever invented and you want to "improve" it....... Don't feel guilty for it being easy. It isn't cheating , this isn't a moral question in the first place.

Hey, i understand what you're saying. But this is my first time and I had no idea on what to expect, so I figured i could prepare by asking to see what actually works for people. But like many people already stated, reta will reduce your apetite so you'll end up eating "clean". The thing is i eat "clean" already, i just eat tons of it... I live in norway so eating clean and unprocessed food daily is pretty normal and expected.

I eat everything, just not so much, but a lot of protein, some healthy fats and complex carbs.
I don't care for electrolyte drinks, I don't think, it's needed.
I had a problem with sugar cravings on 8 mg, geez it was hell. I couldn't stay away from the sugar, but still losing weight. (I just don't eat a lot).
Down to 6 mg again, and sugar cravings gone again.
There is no need to be on a 'special diet' on reta, reta will do her job, yes I think it's a woman, it's a Kinder chicken embryo surprise. ;-) ( but get your protein. )

I guess sugar isnt so bad as long as you're on a deficit. I noticed that my leanest years was when I ate just a buncha carbs and sugar...

I didn’t follow any specific diet. I just ate less and naturally gravitated to healthier food choices. I did focus on eating more protein and drinking electrolytes.

Did you even calorie count? A lot of people are saying just like you, but do ya'll calorie count or what?? And if you do, how much deficit should i aim for?

High protein and fiber emphasis, less worried about the carb/fat ratio as I'm keeping calories at a ceiling which is producing fat loss.

How much deficit do you go for? What would you recommend?

Yes, you don't feel the deficit with GLPs, in fact, typically quite the opposite - that's one of the things that makes them so revolutionary and, well, kick ass 😀

Insane... I CANT WAIT!!!

After experimenting with fasting low carb keto for years I have to say switching to a low fat higher carb diet has been a game changer for me and has been working great with Reta. This guy Zane Griggs has really good content and can explain how it works better then I can. I'm fairly active and my workouts and sleep are a lot better with this diet. Just thought I'd share since it helped me a lot.

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/OuDKNqoiar0?si=tKeMzhIxozdFVEmU

Thanks for the input, i will check it out and probably keep my high carb low fat "healthy" diet. But of course, on some kind of deficit.

WPI is whey protein isolate . Comes as a powder you can mix with a glass of water . Or if you grab the unflavoured WPI you can mix with soup or in other cooking to boost the protein content.

With Reta it's the simplest way to reach your protein levels . Whist keeping control of calories .

Psyllium husk , can be added to cereals or many other foods , or simply add to water and drink before it turns to a jelly like consistency. Low calorie and high soluble fibre , which helps with such high protein levels .

Hopefully that helps 🙂

Thanks for the tip of drinking husk with water just. i can do that. i haaaate adding weird stuff to my food as the consistency and taste always changes... but just putting shit into water and drink it? thats fine.

 

[Sid the SeaGull]

What do they say? Low blood sugar as in you will faint or something? Thank for the heads up I will check this out.

Hey, i understand what you're saying. But this is my first time and I had no idea on what to expect, so I figured i could prepare by asking to see what actually works for people. But like many people already stated, reta will reduce your apetite so you'll end up eating "clean". The thing is i eat "clean" already, i just eat tons of it... I live in norway so eating clean and unprocessed food daily is pretty normal and expected.

I guess sugar isnt so bad as long as you're on a deficit. I noticed that my leanest years was when I ate just a buncha carbs and sugar...

Did you even calorie count? A lot of people are saying just like you, but do ya'll calorie count or what?? And if you do, how much deficit should i aim for?

How much deficit do you go for? What would you recommend?

Insane... I CANT WAIT!!!

Thanks for the input, i will check it out and probably keep my high carb low fat "healthy" diet. But of course, on some kind of deficit.

Thanks for the tip of drinking husk with water just. i can do that. i haaaate adding weird stuff to my food as the consistency and taste always changes... but just putting shit into water and drink it? thats fine.

No worries, just on the WPI and soup , I forgot to mention, hot drinks and soup work best with pea or soy protein rather than WPI , it can get a bit cottage cheese like when hot , works for some soups, not others. Pea and soy unflavoured is good . As is bovine peptides unflavoured, which really help with joint recovery over time .

 

[UpDownLeftRightAS*]

Protein, Exercise (min 20 mins cardio x 3-4 weekly) and 20 mins resistance training daily, and carbs when your body tells you it's time to have carbs! lol...

 

[Habibibi]

What do they say? Low blood sugar as in you will faint or something? Thank for the heads up I will check this out.

Correction, the new warning is actually for increased risk of ketoacidosis due to poor food intake, not necessarily for doing a keto diet. The risk increases if you fast, drink too much alcohol, or not enough water. This new risk was added to later trials, and is rare.

 

[tubby]

Correction, the new warning is actually for increased risk of ketoacidosis due to poor food intake, not necessarily for doing a keto diet. The risk increases if you fast, drink too much alcohol, or not enough water. This new risk was added to later trials, and is rare.

SGLT-2 inhibitors also have this risk in very rare conditions. It makes no sense whatsoever (based on our understanding of how these hormones work), but yet it exists. I take it to mean that we just haven't mapped out our hormonal responses and how they handle edge cases in certain ways just yet (and perhaps never will).

Combine that with poorly informed doctors who were trained in medical school to fear ketone production (a natural thing that actually happens in most healthy people overnight) because at very high levels, it's an indication of ketoacidosis and you get weird FUD.

 

[Beardboost]

My current diet which is everyday basically the same, the only thing that changes is the type of soup for variety:


Wake up 3hours minimum fasting

First Meal: 2 Chicken Thighs, 2 Egg, 1 Whole pepper, 4 Strands asparagus, Mushrooms (All cooked in George Forman for the use of no oil)

3 hours after 1st Meal: 150g Blackberries, Honey, yogurt

Second Meal 3 hours after snack: 500g Soup

This has been working wonders for my body, reduced swelling in legs, weight loss. ability to just to more!

 

[longestyards]

Correction, the new warning is actually for increased risk of ketoacidosis due to poor food intake, not necessarily for doing a keto diet. The risk increases if you fast, drink too much alcohol, or not enough water. This new risk was added to later trials, and is rare.

Very interesting so it mean i should not be fasting 3 days every two weeks??

My current diet which is everyday basically the same, the only thing that changes is the type of soup for variety:


Wake up 3hours minimum fasting

First Meal: 2 Chicken Thighs, 2 chicken embryo, 1 Whole pepper, 4 Strands asparagus, Mushrooms (All cooked in George Forman for the use of no oil)

3 hours after 1st Meal: 150g Blackberries, Honey, yogurt

Second Meal 3 hours after snack: 500g Soup

This has been working wonders for my body, reduced swelling in legs, weight loss. ability to just to more!

thanks this sounds nice actually

 

[tubby]

Very interesting so it mean i should not be fasting 3 days every two weeks??

thanks this sounds nice actually

If you're a type 1 diabetic or a type 2 who currently takes insulin and/or sulfonylureas then I would avoid fasting. LOL

Fasting is probably unnecessary when taking a GLP, but it's not like NDKA is vastly different from other edge case things that can go horribly wrong. Plenty of GLP hyper-responders are engaging in fasting-like behavior for days at a time (unintentionally). I can't say how many, but I personally know someone (so it can't be that rare). We're lucky in that we can control dosing to account for hyper-response, but those on brand name using the standard injectors are forced to stick to set level injections and among those there will be people (like my friend) who simply can't eat for multiple days in a row due to extreme discomfort.

 

[longestyards]

If you're a type 1 diabetic or a type 2 who currently takes insulin and/or sulfonylureas then I would avoid fasting. LOL

Fasting is probably unnecessary when taking a GLP, but it's not like NDKA is vastly different from other edge case things that can go horribly wrong. Plenty of GLP hyper-responders are engaging in fasting-like behavior for days at a time (unintentionally). I can't say how many, but I personally know someone (so it can't be that rare). We're lucky in that we can control dosing to account for hyper-response, but those on brand name using the standard injectors are forced to stick to set level injections and among those there will be people (like my friend) who simply can't eat for multiple days in a row due to extreme discomfort.

Damn that’s insane. Yeah we’re lucky to have control over dosage. I’ve started with 0.5 mg so it probably won’t suppress my appetite wildly yet. But I’d figure I’ll try fasting 3 days from tomorrow (I injected 0.5 today). I figure the first day of fast is fine so it’s not important if Reta has started to affect me. But for me the second and third day are usually hell. So if it feels fine this time I’ll know it works.

 

[BNLFL]

My current diet which is everyday basically the same, the only thing that changes is the type of soup for variety:


Wake up 3hours minimum fasting

First Meal: 2 Chicken Thighs, 2 chicken embryo, 1 Whole pepper, 4 Strands asparagus, Mushrooms (All cooked in George Forman for the use of no oil)

3 hours after 1st Meal: 150g Blackberries, Honey, yogurt

Second Meal 3 hours after snack: 500g Soup

This has been working wonders for my body, reduced swelling in legs, weight loss. ability to just to more!

Interesting. So, that first meal is basically breakfast? I couldn't eat 2 chicken thighs these days. I do our chicken in the air fryer. Most other meats on the grill. Yesterday, did 2 rack BB ribs on the pellet grill/smoker. I ate 2 ribs.

 

[Beardboost]

Interesting. So, that first meal is basically breakfast? I couldn't eat 2 chicken thighs these days. I do our chicken in the air fryer. Most other meats on the grill. Yesterday, did 2 rack BB ribs on the pellet grill/smoker. I ate 2 ribs.

Here in the UK they are not very big, 2 Boneless Chicken Thighs = 250grams, been an easy meal to digest on Triz and Reta Stack, plus after 16 hours of fasting my belly is empty, Triz helped out with the fasting but still being able to get the calories needed, its a great plan for my body but might not work for others