Halfway to goal in 14 weeks, not sure how to proceed.

[amosmylove]

I dropped my Tirz from.4.5 to 3 and added a 1mg of reta. I planned to be at 3.5 and 1 but because of the half-life i dropped it a little more and came back up. The only difference I notice is better energy. I expected suppression might go down or resting heart rate up, but neither happened. I susp3ct you may need to swap 1.5 to 2mg with your dose but, obviously, everything in this area is a guess. Hope it goes well for you. I definitely want to hear the results.

I didn't recon my reta last night because by the time I planned on it I was ready for bed and my bac water was fridge cold and the reta straight from the freezer. I thought I read they needed to be room temp when reconning or things can happen? Again I'm just paranoid about gelling.

 

[amosmylove]

Yeah, that worries me -- that is a lot and very fast too. Especially since you go on to say you've got fatigue and you have not worked out for 2 weeks.

I really hope you’ll prioritize staying healthy enough -- physically and mentally -- to be there for yourself and your family long term.

Please be careful about immediately jumping toward advice involving stimulants, ephedra, Anavar, steroids, etc.

Those chemicals are not minor things to experiment with casually and can have major health effects.

Also, heads up -- one person replying quickly, frequently and confidently does not automatically mean they’re the best source of guidance. This forum has been getting a lot of guys lately migrating over from bodybuilding/steroid forums, and some people approach weight loss with a very “faster, leaner, harder at all costs” mindset.

That may work for their goals, but your post reads like someone who is trying to balance health, energy, motherhood, appearance, and mental well being all at once.

Before taking advice that could seriously affect your health, sleep, anxiety, and muscle mass, I’d encourage you to spend some time reading older threads from others here who have gone through the final 20–30 lb phase more gradually and sustainably. You’ll probably notice a pattern: many people end up happiest long term when they protect muscle, keep nutrition up, strength train, and avoid turning the process into punishment.

I think losing 30 lbs in 14 weeks is already a very significant rate of loss. The fact that the scale has slowed a little recently does not mean you’re failing or need to escalate aggressively.

One thing I notice is how compassionate you are toward everyone except yourself. You describe other people as beautiful and worthy exactly as they are, but speak about yourself with a level of harshness you would probably never direct at another woman.

You do not sound pathetic or weak. You sound exhausted, overwhelmed, and emotionally vulnerable while trying very hard to “do this right.” The fact that you’re actively trying to break unhealthy self-esteem patterns for your kids says a lot about you in a positive way.

I’d just hate to see you make fear-driven decisions in a low moment that will compromise your health later. Also be aware as you start reta, you can read here on the forum that people can experience fatigue and anhedonia with it as well -- so go slow.

Best wishes, and stay healthy.

Thank you very much for your thoughtful and encouraging reply. I'm prepared to be on guard for anhedonia. I'm debating getting back on an anti depressant but I hate some of the side effects of it so I've been really glad to be off of it for the last 6 months. I was on sertraline for 10 years previously. It just gave me horrid brainfog amd made it extra hard to wake up and be lucid, which I didn't know was from it until I got off and it was completely gone. Plus harder to orgasm which sucks. But it may be better to do a low dose for awhile. Haven't decided yet.

 

[Vriende]

I'm debating getting back on an anti depressant ...

I believe that SSRI's are close to miracle* drugs for recent generations as GLP-1 meds.

Yes, there can be side effects. A good psychiatrist or MD will fine tune the meds and let a person try different types to find one with less side effects.

You might consider requesting Lexapro (escitalopram) to see if it works better for you. At least try a low dose for awhile. It can be so hard to slog along with mild depression, and it can be a relief to have lifted spirits for awhile.

Sometimes no amount of therapy can help if one's brain chemicals are out of whack. Many people now can live normal lives rather than be crippled with anxiety or depression since SSRIs were introduced.

*(Oh I know some people will disagree...)

 

[amosmylove]

I dropped my Tirz from.4.5 to 3 and added a 1mg of reta. I planned to be at 3.5 and 1 but because of the half-life i dropped it a little more and came back up. The only difference I notice is better energy. I expected suppression might go down or resting heart rate up, but neither happened. I susp3ct you may need to swap 1.5 to 2mg with your dose but, obviously, everything in this area is a guess. Hope it goes well for you. I definitely want to hear the results.

Do you take reta in the am or pm? I woke up about 2 hours after going to bed (maybe 3-4 hours post 1mg reta dose) and couldn't get back to sleep for hours. Not typical for me without provocation to wake.

 

[Smiter]

Do you take reta in the am or pm? I woke up about 2 hours after going to bed (maybe 3-4 hours post 1mg reta dose) and couldn't get back to sleep for hours. Not typical for me without provocation to wake.

I haven't had a fixed time, only the day for my Reta dose. I didnt have the sleep issue yet, but then again, my sleep issue is actually worse than my obesity issue and that's saying something. Although, my sleep for the last two days has been a tad better. If I were forced to guess, I would put it down to my being a Varrior now. If that is true, then could something similar be the case for you? I remember you mentioning CNS issues including hardship in achieving an orgasm. I had similar issues when my Canadian diabetic doctor prescribed amitriptyline for neuropathy. And my sleep, or lack thereof, became most palpable after the diabetic neuropathy.

 

[amosmylove]

I haven't had a fixed time, only the day for my Reta dose. I didnt have the sleep issue yet, but then again, my sleep issue is actually worse than my obesity issue and that's saying something. Although, my sleep for the last two days has been a tad better. If I were forced to guess, I would put it down to my being a Varrior now. If that is true, then could something similar be the case for you? I remember you mentioning CNS issues including hardship in achieving an orgasm. I had similar issues when my Canadian diabetic doctor prescribed amitriptyline for neuropathy. And my sleep, or lack thereof, became most palpable after the diabetic neuropathy.

I never had an issue orgasming until I was put on an SSRI. I'm off the SSRI currently and everything is back to normal in that arena thankfully. But it was never impossible, just took more effort lol. My sleep has been unideal since childhood. I've always struggled to go to sleep. Staying asleep has been normal/ not an issue typically. I also shoot myself in the foot by getting distracted by my phone and 'not being able to fall asleep ' when I likely could have if I never picked it up after laying down to bed. But in general it takes me a couple hours with no distractions to fall asleep. My husband takes 3-5 minutes and I lowkey hate him for it. Wish it was like a lightswitch! I also really struggle getting up in the mornings.

 

[Smiter]

I've always struggled to go to sleep.

My twin?

I also shoot myself in the foot by getting distracted by my phone and 'not being able to fall asleep '

Okay mirror twin then.

until I was put on an SSRI.

ah there's one of my pet peeves. I am glad you're off it. Glad.

My sleep has been unideal since childhood. I've always struggled to go to sleep.

Huh! Come to think of it, yeah, it has been an issue for me too. The things one forget as time goes on. I only remember sleeping for 26 hours at a stretch, and being woken up thinking it had only been two hours. That was due to exhaustion. The other was the first and last time I took a puff or two of some druggy cigarette. I jumped awake thinking it had been a nap of a minute to find 30 hours had gone by.

 

[5byfive]

But in general it takes me a couple hours with no distractions to fall asleep. My husband takes 3-5 minutes and I lowkey hate him for it. Wish it was like a lightswitch! I also really struggle getting up in the mornings.

I have spent a lot of time working with people on hygiene. It really works. I am not a great sleeper myself, never will be, but I have really locked down the basics and it has helped a lot.

●Go to bed and get up at the same time. This is huge.

●No TV in the bedroom.

●Cold dark room. 68° is supposed to be ideal.

●Ideally no devices an hour before bed. I don't manage this one this, but when you put it down and get into bed DO NOT touch it until you get up for the day! Period ever.

●If you habe trouble falling asleep, look up some mindfulness techniques and practice them.

●A lot of people do better with a fan or sound machine to drown out background noises.

●No caffeine at least 6 hours before bed.

●No big meals or exercise 2 hours before bed. I have found on Tirz I need to eat a smaller dinner than I normally would and eat earlier or my sleep quality suffers.

●The bed is for sleeping (or fornicating) nothing else. If you can't sleep for more than 30 minutes, get out of bed and walk around for 5 minutes. No watching TV or anything else in bed. You want to teach your body that bed is for sleeping only.

If you are consistsnt with all of this you will likely get results. If you don't its probably time for a sleep study. I also make sure I do shots first thing in the AM so it doesn't impact my sleep.

 

[fatjacked]

Vriende really said most of what I was wanting to say & probably better, so mainly just +1 to all that!

I am in a similar spot as you in a couple ways - about halfway to goal weight, trying to balance against muscle loss and be sustainable, considering other options for stacking vs. staying the course. And though I am a man, I relate to some other aspects of your post more than you might expect - thank you for making it & starting this conversation.

Regarding sleep, I try to always pin in the morning and have not seen any increased difficulty with sleep so far. But I generally sleep well already, so ymmv.

I think your post & this thread speak to the qualitative experience of being mid-journey really clearly in a couple ways. There is excitement and satisfaction for the progress made so far, but also impatience or a desire to accelerate / do even more. Being in a sustained weight cut for so long takes a toll, too - I am 4 months in and the crankiness & brain fog are real. My first month on tirz I was way clearer / more energetic in early afternoons than I was before I started, I'm guessing because the metabolic improvements were noticeable and the calorie deficit was not yet taking its toll. I think this is why a lot of people start looking into other peps for recovery / energy / sleep / muscle maintenance around this time - I certainly have.

In retrospect, there have been several weeks where I pretty much stalled on weight loss, and I think it may have been a subconscious way (or just my body doing it) of trying to take a break from the stress of a long cut. Nothing wrong with that in my book. I've gone through several big weight cuts pre-GLP-1 and 3-4 months was about the longest I ever had to stay in a cut, and I was fuckin well and fully done with it by the end.

Lots of different opinions already on what you should do, and I think ultimately you will be fine and pick something that works. My $.02 is that you might consider stalling at your current dose for a bit and allowing the appetite suppression to back off so you can eat enough and rebuild your energy. Personally, the worst periods of my cut have been when I wasn't getting any exercise due to either injury or other life disruptions. Doing whatever is needed to maintain your exercise routine seems reasonable in my view.

It also sounds like maybe you already started mixing in reta instead, which might have the same effect of reducing suppression a tad. If so, I'd be curious to hear how that goes for you - I was thinking about doing the same thing, but ultimately decided to stick with straight tirz a bit longer.

I am trying not to just start mixing in tons of stuff just to do it, but I have also had good luck with wolverine stack in the past for digestion & recovery. It helped with pain and post-workout soreness, but actually the most notable effect for me was that it keeps me super regular - I haven't shit so good since I was a teenager (sorry if TMI lol). I am probably going to restart that or try KLOW in the near future.