Mega Thread - Reta foods that work / foods that did not

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Like Calm Logic I still eat pizza, chips, ice cream, etc but my interest in them is not all consuming as it was before. Instead of at least 4 pieces of pizza I have to make myself finish 1. Instead of ice cream every day I have it whenever the mood strikes. Instead of an all you can eat bowl of chips that magically gets refilled its 1 small bowl of chips or a bag of Quest's loaded taco flavor protein chips.

Because the appeal has been turned down from off scale high down to a low and my hunger is generally so blunted, I just eat as much or little of whatever appeals to me as I can. Fresh berries, apples, oranges, bananas, roasted root veggies, and pickled beets have all been staples. The only things that seemed to do real damage and was a chunky homemade Bolognese followed up by a big ribeye.
 
Calm Logic said:
Alka-Seltzer counts towards water intake, haha.
So does chomping down a Tums/Rolaid with a water chaser. I do like Alka Seltzer Plus for colds.
 
BNLFL said:
So does chomping down a Tums/Rolaid with a water chaser.
Too much calcium for me, even mild hypercalcemia with it.
 
By the way, one of the oldest threads at Meso that is still going:

What R U Eating ?​[archived internal link]

AI summary:

quoted said:
The GLP-1 & Retatrutide Shift ​
The introduction of "Reta" (Retatrutide) and Tirzepatide into the community has changed what people post in the thread:

Protein Prioritization: Users on GLPs/Reta report "extreme satiety," meaning they can't finish large meals. The trend has shifted to

Protein-First Eating : eating the steak/chicken first and leaving the rice if they get too full.

The "Anti-Nausea" Diet: GLP users frequently mention bland foods—crackers, ginger tea, or cold proteins—to manage the "sulfur burps" or nausea common during dose escalations.[

Reta's "Glucagon" Effect: Retatrutide users often note a higher "thermogenic" feeling compared to standard Ozempic. They tend to report needing more hydration and electrolytes (sodium/potassium) to keep up with the increased metabolic rate.

Older Lifters & Insulin Sensitivity: Older members are increasingly using micro-doses of GLP-1s not for weight loss, but to keep fasted blood glucose in the 70s-80s, allowing them to eat more "OGH-style" carbs without bloating.

Gemini said:
What R U Eating? ~ Old Guy Health Highlights ​

Category Popular Food Items Context / Member Notes Protein Staples Grilled chicken breast, ground beef (90/10), egg whites, and salmon. Focus on meal prepping in bulk for consistency during the week. Carbohydrate Sources Jasmine rice, sweet potatoes, cream of rice, and oats. Cream of Rice is a "fan favorite" for pre/post-workout digestion. Breakfast Favorites Omelets with spinach/peppers, protein pancakes, and Greek yogurt. High-protein starts; peanut butter is often added for healthy fats. OGH Specials Home-cooked comfort meals, hearty stews, and meat & potatoes. OGH emphasizes balanced, "real food" over processed supplements. The "Cheat" Meals Pizza, massive burgers, sushi rolls, and Mexican food. Usually posted on weekends or "refeed" days to boost morale. Vegetables/Micros Asparagus, steamed broccoli, and large mixed salads. Used for volume and fiber during "cutting" or dieting phases. Snacks & Extras Almonds, protein bars, rice cakes, and cottage cheese. Quick fixes used to hit specific macro targets between meals.

Key Takeaways from the Thread:

Consistency over Perfection: The thread shows that a sustainable routine beats a temporary crash diet.

The CoR Trend: Significant focus on Cream of Rice as a bodybuilding staple for easy carbs.

Community Feedback: Members often "rate" each other's plates and offer macro advice.

Health & Longevity: OGH encourages eating for long-term health markers, not just maximum size.
 
For overall health the mediterranean diet has very good evidence for reducing chances of many different health problems.

I think what works or is ideal depends quite a lot on how severe the obesity is. Gym bros trying to get to 12% body fat have different priorities and likely different metabolic conditions to those with BMI's over 35 or 40.

Achieving and sustaining large weight losses from a starting point of severe obesity generally requires foods optimised for hunger control, with as much satiety per calorie as possible. Some people on GLP's seem to be able to do it while still eating pizza and drinking beer, but for those with the most severe problems it may not be possible.

While the mediterranean diet is the best for health issues, it may not be the best for hunger control or long term weight loss as it is fairly high fat and low protein. A version of it with more protein, less olive oil and lots of salad, vegetables and fruit and less grains is probably better for weight control. Thankfully GLP drugs tend to improve food choices towards lower fat less processed foods anyway.

Generally speaking protein is the most satiating food per calorie, and you get the bonus of 20% of its calories being used up in digesting and metabolising it. Despite concerns about kidney stress from high protein diets, I found that my diet with 40-50% of calories from protein actually improved renal function and reduced proteinuria quite a lot. ( High protein diet is a very bad idea if there is significant renal failure, low protein diets slow down progression of renal failure, but this is not necessarily the case if renal function is still good, just with hyperfiltration and proteinuria ) But knowing renal function is likely a good idea before considering this.
 
If the goal is simply to gain muscle while "cutting," then reta is arguably not better anyway compared to tirz. And for better or worse, diet can take a back seat to dosage. But I also like diet-neutral intermittent fasting, even for just 12 hours.

If cardiovascular health is not important to someone, then YOLO and get on steroids too while you are at it, lol. One reason I like reta is that it has a much better effect on LDL than tirz.

I agree that healthy fats can be overrated, just like protein. Except for fiber, everything is basically overrated since most Americans are more overnourished than anything.

But the culprit is not just processed foods. For example, that chicken is heart healthy is a myth (APPROACH study). Animal protein (especially at high amounts) is not associated with cardiovascular health. One of thousands of studies saying the same thing:

Association of Animal and Plant Protein Intake With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality

quoted said:
High animal protein intake was positively associated with cardiovascular mortality and high plant protein intake was inversely associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, especially among individuals with at least 1 lifestyle risk factor. Substitution of plant protein for animal protein, especially that from processed red meat, was associated with lower mortality, suggesting the importance of protein source.

Cardiovascular health is also important for physical and mental performance.

For plant-based, a bro approach is by Tom Brady, so overkill except for starch:

TB12

tb12sports.com

quoted said:
In a nutshell, athletes need nutrients to fuel their bodies, and fruits and vegetables provide those nutrients without many of the negative side-effects of ultra-processed foods...

“I wake up and drink 20 ounces of water with electrolytes,” he says. After that, a high-calorie, high-fat, high-protein smoothie follows. The usual fare is bananas, blueberries, nuts, and seeds...

Around noon, Tom assembles his lunch according to his core principle of “mostly plants.” About 20 percent of his plate is a healthy protein (like a piece of fish), and the rest is vegetables — “lots of vegetables,” he notes — whole grains, and dark leafy greens. For the rest of the day, it’s nuts and seeds as a snack, 2 to 3 more protein shakes, a plant-packed dinner, and — not infrequently — a steaming cup of bone broth.

If you’re looking to eat more like Tom, start with the 80/20 rule outlined above... make sure 80% of your plate consists of plant-based food, with the other 20% representing animal product.

For comparison, "the best fighters in the ancient world were essentially vegetarian."

What Is the Gladiator Diet and How Do Vegetarian Athletes Stack Up? | NutritionFacts.org

I compare the diets of the Roman gladiator “barley men” and army troopers to the modern Spartans of today. The remains of dozens of Roman gladiators were

nutritionfacts.org

quoted said:
The vegetarians beat out their omnivore counterparts for cardiorespiratory fitness, but their strength didn’t differ. This suggests, at the very least, “that vegetarian diets do not compromise performance outcomes and may facilitate aerobic capacity in athletes.”

[The modern Spartans] eat the same kind of 75 to 80 percent starch diet, based on beans, corn, and squash, and have the cholesterol levels to prove it, with total cholesterol levels down at 136 mg/dL, which is essentially heart attack-proof...They don’t have special genetics, either, because data show that if you feed them enough egg yolks, their cholesterol levels creep right up.
 
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