Reta while on cycle
I've been on Reta since February. Current dose is 4mg a week in which I've gotten pretty comfortable with while running my TRT dose. Been eating pretty damn clean at around 2500 calories a day. However at my current Reta dose this is about maximum on what my body is allowing me to eat, anything more than that will plague me with indigestion and just not feeling great. Beginning the cycle I plan to increase calories to the 2800 to 3000 range. My question is how many of you are running Reta during your full cycle? Are you dropping dose during cycle to allow for more room of calories and just staying at the same dose and pushing on through. I don't want to come off completely as it's really improved my lipids tremendously and my overall insulin sensitivity.
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The lipid and insulin sensitivity improvements are too good to give up, totally get not wanting to come off completely.
The most common approach I've seen for this exact situation is dropping to a maintenance dose rather than staying at 4mg. Something like 2 to 2.5mg weekly gives you enough room to actually eat for the cycle without constant indigestion killing your gains, while still keeping most of the metabolic benefits you've built up since February. Your body's already adapted to the compound so you're not starting from zero if you dial back temporarily.
The guys who try to just push through at the same dose while aggressively upping calories usually end up fighting the drug the whole time. Spending half the cycle feeling like garbage after meals doesn't exactly set you up to recover and grow.
Man you are lucky, when I get on 1mg of Reta I am lucky to eat 1000 calories a day. I am doing primo, test, Tbol and have zero issues besides not getting enough protein.
Im off reta for about a month now but will be going back on during my cruise and next blast, I respond great and will be keeping it at 1mg split twice a week. This allows me to keep the other benefits of reta without sacrificing how much I can eat/ comfortably digest. If you keep it, just drop the dose and you'll be alright.
Why do you need to increase calories? Shift macros or increase your anabolic rate by burning more calories during the day.
You and I are the same height. I rarely go over 3000 calories, but I make a point to increase carb intake & drop fat intake when I am growing. You just have to be more conscious about where they come from (ie fruit, powders, etc...)
Give that a try.
I have personally done reta for about a year now, always adjusting dosing accoring to my goals. Reta works great because its literally like weekly you can go up or down and you can some what feel it/notice. Ive gone as low as 2mg eat with no problems but never over eatting and ive done as high as 8mg when I was losing all my weight (80lbs). Right now im in-between 2.5 and 3mg but I think im going back down to 2mg ive got some brain fog and demotivation and sex drive stuff going on and that is a side from reta since it targets dopamine.
Point is adjust as you need, everyone is different and its in and out. i split my dosing into twice weekly ive always found that works best for me.
Currently running 2.5mg and don't have a problem, looking to up it here soon so we will see. So far dropping BF pretty well while still gaining size.
I run 15mg monjouro, its a struggle to eat enough to really grow
Bro,
I’ve actually used Reta in all phases…blast, cruise, growth phase, health phase, and cutting.
During my last growth phase I was only running 1mg/week and had no issues eating 4,800-5,000 calories.
During a health/cruise phase I bumped it to 3mg/week while eating around 3,000-3,600 calories.
Right now during my cut I’m running 5mg Reta plus 1.25mg Cagri, and calories have gradually come down from around 2,800 to 2,500, then 2,300, and eventually as low as 1,800 for the final push.
I’ve had good results in all phases.
The science side of it is pretty interesting too. Most people focus only on appetite suppression, but Reta also improves insulin sensitivity, glucose disposal, and overall nutrient partitioning. That’s part of the reason I’ve liked keeping it in year-round.
I mean … everyone responds differently. Some guys can eat through 5mg without a problem, while others get full on 2mg and struggle to hit their macros.
If 4mg is already limiting you to 2,500 calories and causing indigestion, I wouldn’t force-feed myself through it. In your shoes I’d probably lower the dose a bit and see what happens.
The best approach is probably to start low and adjust as needed throughout the cycle until you find your sweet spot. Appetite, digestion, food volume, rate of gain, bloodwork, and overall performance should all be part of the equation.
For me, Reta has been one of those compounds that works equally well during a blast, a cruise, a health phase, or a cut. The dose is what changes, not necessarily the need to use it.
Just a thought, my bro !
@Pandateston what are your thoughts on all these bodybuilders saying Reta makes you flat? I have not experienced this at all personally, it’s like the new thing and they’re like “you gotta start cutting it 4-5 weeks out or it will flatten you out n mess up your peak”. I feel better on Reta like it actually makes me feel healthier probably due to insulin sensitivity
@Petecastiglione ….
Pete, this is just my opinion, but I think what happened is that this was the first prep season (2025 - 2026) where Tirz and especially Reta really started getting a lot of attention from bodybuilders and coaches.
Like any new tool, I think a lot of people underestimated the timing aspect of it.
From everything I’ve seen, prep itself becomes dramatically easier. Hunger is lower, food compliance is easier, insulin sensitivity improves, glucose control improves, and athletes can stay productive much deeper into a prep. That’s a huge advantage when you’re weeks into low calories, high cardio, Tren, stimulants, thyroid meds, and all the other fun stuff we do to get peeled.
The issue, in my opinion, starts when people try to peak while still having significant amounts of the drug active in their system.
Look at Samson Dauda at the Olympia. Obviously none of us know exactly what was used, but that’s the type of look people keep pointing to when discussing GLP-1s during peak week. Extremely lean, but also flat and lacking that dense, hard, 3D look everyone expects. Whether GLP-1s were involved or not, it’s the visual example people reference.
Mechanistically, it makes sense.
Reta isn’t just a GLP-1 agonist. It also has GIP and glucagon receptor activity. GLP-1 slows gastric emptying and suppresses appetite. The glucagon component increases energy expenditure and promotes fat oxidation. That’s fantastic during a fat-loss phase.
The problem is that peak week is no longer a fat-loss phase.
Peak week is a glycogen-loading phase.
Your goal is no longer to lose body fat. Your goal is to maximize glycogen storage, intracellular fullness, and create that hard, round, dense look on stage.
When you’re 4-6% body fat, depleted, doing cardio, using stimulants, manipulating water, and pushing for every last ounce of conditioning, glycogen becomes one of the most valuable fuels left in the system. At that point, the objective isn’t creating more expenditure … it’s maximizing storage.
So if you still have a drug in your system increasing energy expenditure, slowing gastric emptying, suppressing appetite, and generally creating a physiological environment geared toward weight loss, I can absolutely see why some athletes would struggle to fill out properly.
The analogy I use is trying to fill a tire that still has a slow leak in it.
Can you fill it? Sure.
Will it be as easy as plugging the leak first? Probably not.
That’s why I think some competitors end up looking leaner but flatter. Not necessarily because Reta is “burning muscle” or directly destroying glycogen, but because the environment it creates isn’t fully aligned with the goal of peak week.
Personally, if I were competing, I’d probably run Reta throughout prep and then pull it far enough out to let those effects clear before peak week. For me, that would probably be around 10 days( 2 half-lives ) out, maybe a little longer depending on the individual. (Like some people you mentioned said: start cutting it 4 weeks or so…)
Everyone is different though. Some guys seem to fill out just fine while using it. Others clearly don’t.
As always, bodybuilding is individual, and peak week is where individual responses matter more than theory.
If I were in your shoes, I’d discuss it with your coach, but I wouldn’t be surprised if more and more coaches start pulling Reta or Tirz before the show as they gain experience with it.
That’s my current understanding of it anyway. Does that make sense to you, or am I completely off base?
As with all compounds, it varies person to person.
Some bulk on 5mg of reta a week and some can barely eat 2000 calories on 2mg.
It really is how you react.
Just make sure that no matter how you plan on using reta just listen to your body, stock up on fiber supplements, and drink tons and tons of water.
I run Reta all year. 3mg bulking up to 10mg cutting. I can eat 5,000 cals of rice, chicken, steak, eggs, milk no problem on 3mg. Just find the dose that works for you that allows you to keep eating.
Can’t eat anything fatty though. Lean proteins and simple carbs. A ribeye will fuck you up and sit in your gut for hours. I opt for picanha with the fat cap trimmed off. Lame I know but it works
Dude that’s the only thing I don’t like about Reta is I gotta cut out my ribeyes
10mg is a mighty dose of reta lol
Oh I’ve gone to 15mg. 5mg MWF
That's wild. I'd be omw to the damn emergency room just from backed up shit alone.
Crazy how we all respond differently to the same drug. Now granted that was deep into a cut to 6% bf. Now I don’t go above 10mg and just add some clen in there. Works way better
Fuck it I'm gonna try it
I've been on Reta while on TRT. Managed to lose fat and gain muscle in a slight deficit. My dose at 2.5mgs every 5 days lets me eat enough CLEAN food while getting rid of the temptation to eat garbage. Fatty food will just sit in your gut but if you eat clean, you should be able to hit your macros no problem. One other benefit for me was the complete lack of interest in alcohol or THC. I had a habit of a little wine with dinner, a single malt when the kiddo went down or a gummy to get sleepy which are now completely gone...
I just finished my first cut on Reta and dropped from 191 to 157 and under 10% bf. Cycle was 300 test 300 mast, Reta starting at 2mg and I ended at 4mg after 10 weeks and 4iu gh. Now I’m reverse dieting and have kept everything the same but the Reta I dropped down to 1mg 2 times per week. I can easily down 3500 calories on this clean with 60 or less grams of fat and the norm macros for everything else. Bloods are amazing and the Reta has my liver so depleted I am always insulin sensitive so the 500+ grams of carbs a day don’t even spike my BG for long before it’s back below 90. My experience so far!
I’m not familiar with Reta, just 2 weeks in.. but with other GLP1s, Sema, the tolerance restarted pretty quickly. For example, stopped taking Sema for 2-3 weeks and could start back up at beginner doses and titrate up like you normally would. That might be an option for you, but like I said, not sure if that technique is possible with Reta.
You’re gonna love reta. It was game changing for me.
I was on 7 mg of Sema and transitioned right to 1mg of Reta. The food noise is loud af, I’m hungry all day. But still can only eat small portions. That’s probably due to being on such a high dose of sema and transitioning.
With that said, I did shot 3 this morning, dropped back to 0.75mg. I lost 8 pounds in 2 weeks… like wtf!! I’m sure a lot of that is water but still.
I’m taking 8mg a week. Splitting it in two doses. Everyone is different with reta. My twin brother can’t pass 2.5mg without getting sick. I feel nothing lower than 5.
For me the appetite suppression part isn't super strong, but it just straight up feels like I run out of room in my stomach throughout the day at 4mg. I might try splitting the dose this week and see if that makes a difference first.
Tirezepatide is a stronger appetite suppressant. If that is what you’re looking for. I’ve read forum posts of people stacking them together and having good success with it.
I myself started stacking them 3 weeks ago and love it. I don’t take em on same day tho….5mg Reta on Friday And 5mg tirz Monday….the balance is nice. I can still eat but only my meals. Zero snacking. Zero cravings. Enough hunger to get every prepped meal down. Love it
Very cool. Thanks for your insight! No sides like upset stomach or racing heart beat?
None at all bro, it’s been smooth sailing all the way
I have been running between 2.5 - 3.0 mg Reta per week on a full cycle(npp/tren e/test e/gh. I stayed at this dose the whole way so far and it’s been three months plus at this point. It has helped my lipids and blood pressure very much and I didn’t want to come off Reta either. I do feel I didn’t grow as much as I should have because of the lack of calories at the beginning. Once I started making sure I was increasing protein and not eating Ike a bird I noticed an improvement. I really feel great on Reta and my quality of life and well being has improved. I should have planned it better but y first time using Reta , now I know. I want to run 2 mg per week during my next Dhb/npp/test/gh cycle ( I never got a big appetite suppression from it, just a little and less cravings but could eat whatever)
Yeah I'm thinking I'm gonna drop back down to 2mg a week for the 16week cycle.
Makes sense, good luck