Maintaining Muscle mass on Reta

[Llanitox]

I get cravings for sweets sometimes on Reta. Sour skittles and these homemade banana raisin cookies recently (I don’t normally eat many sweets). I could have smashed half the bag, but snapped out of it and put them away and didn’t struggle not eating anything else the rest of the night. Normally that would be a 2-4 hour battle in my head that I lose 20-50% of the time and walk to the kitchen at 1am and go to bed disappointed in myself.

Hilarious because I was craving sour patch kids haha

 

[Smiter]

I start y day usually with a good portion 20+g of (grass-fed) hydrolized creatine peptide. That is an incomplete protein and low in BCAA, but does provide proteine and goes well with the GHK-CU that I take as well and starts the day without an insulin spike. The rest of the day I prioritize protein in food, from beans and lentils to eggs and white meats.

I do not do much cardio (unless you count sauna) but I do resistance training to keep/build muscle.

Regarding cravings, I find them much more manageable on Reta and if I ever give in to one I will stop a lot earlier than I would have before.

Good luck!

Are you talking about collagen peptides instead of creatine?

 

[Hawk_recon]

Hilarious because I was craving sour patch kids haha

Sour patch kids are absolute kryptonite for me!

 

[Florus2026]

Are you talking about collagen peptides instead of creatine?

Yes, you are right, I meant hydrolyzed collagen, thanks for spotting this - cannot edit the post anymore.

(incidentially I am allso taking 15-20g of Creatine Monohydrate or 6-10g of Creatine HCL)

 

[Sid the SeaGull]

Are you talking about collagen peptides instead of creatine?

Bovine peptides most likely, great for cartilage

 

[lastresort]

Lots of greek yogurt.

 

[RoadRash]

I've been on Reta for four months now, I'm down to my goal weight, I've lost 45 lbs. I've been doing a lot of resistance training and making sure I get enough protein, and I've maintained most of my muscle. Reta is great for this if I'm eating properly and working out with plenty of rest.

 

[Stayinalive]

Bovine peptides most likely, great for cartilage

If ur taking them, would u mind telling me which brand ur taking. I've been looking around and I end up not buying anything because there are dozens of brands out there that are basically unflavored gelatin, and I lose patience wading through them all.

 

[tendency]

I’ve lost single digit percentage lean mass vs total mass over the last thirty something pounds as indicated by sequential DEXA scans.

When I prioritized protein, I lost even less lean mass than when I didn’t.

Theoretically “anti-catabolic/lean sparing in varying degrees” supplements I use

TRT

Reta

HMB-FA

Creatine

Glycine

Taurine

That plus protein and lifting, for me, would practically stagnate losing actual contractile fiber.

When you first start losing weight the various forms of water weight (glycogen, inflammation, etc) that come off quickly in the first weeks are lean mass on a DEXA, but for the purposes of preserving muscle, it’s not important.

you can basically delete everything on your list and TL;DR it by simply highlighting TRT

It's quite easy to maintain muscle mass - and even grow a bit - while on GLPs if you take T and lift - full stop.

im assuming original poster does not want to take anabolics and is looking for natural suggestions.

 

[woundcarping]

you can basically delete everything on your list and TL;DR it by simply highlighting TRT

It's quite easy to maintain muscle mass - and even grow a bit - while on GLPs if you take T and lift - full stop.

im assuming original poster does not want to take anabolics and is looking for natural suggestions.

My total test is around the 700s, nothing crazy.

TRT is assuredly the biggest lever in my stack, but for the cost vs the track record, it's not in my interest to remove anything. Everything but the HMB-FA has a variety benefits, aside from lean sparing.

Maintaining muscle isn't an extreme milestone, but it's practically impractical to not lose lean mass while losing weight. Full stop.

 

[Sid the SeaGull]

If ur taking them, would u mind telling me which brand ur taking. I've been looking around and I end up not buying anything because there are dozens of brands out there that are basically unflavored gelatin, and I lose patience wading through them all.

Hydrolyzed Bovine Collagen Powder | Unflavoured | Vital Proteins

Made from high quality bovine source, our VITAL PROTEINS Collagen Peptide powder is made from 1 simple ingredient, is unflavoured and easily digestible.

www.vitalproteins.com.au

They have a few types of, many others out there .

I prefer unflavoured, I mix them in with soup and protein powder.