Just starting out... your advice?

Hong Kong Yanpep International
Digital tracking is easier to search and sort over time. A simple phone note works. Some people prefer an app but the format matters less than doing it consistently.
 
For someone starting with T2D at 302, the medication is going to do a lot of work. The main advice from people who have been through it: track your blood sugar more than the scale in the first months. The metabolic shift happens before the weight loss becomes obvious.
 
302 at 5'11" with type 2 is where GLP-1 produces the strongest dual result - weight and blood sugar both move. Protein priority from day one.
 
Week 4 is the common window for meaningful appetite suppression to arrive, after the GI adjustment phase settles.
 
Starting dose on reta is typically 0.5mg weekly, so the concentration in your vial determines how many units that is - a 10mg/mL concentration would give 0.05mL per shot, or about 5 units on a 100-unit syringe. Worth calculating before pulling 40 units if you haven't confirmed the mg/mL.
 
At 2.5mg with fullness and burping, the dose is doing something - T2D typically gets blood sugar stabilization before the scale moves much.
 
Omeprazole is the right call for the heartburn side of things, and Dramamine for nausea in a pinch. The building-up-in-system nausea pattern is real - it often peaks around weeks 3-5 and then settles as your body adjusts to the dose. Crackers and something small before the shot can help buffer it.
 
Starting low and titrating slowly is genuinely the most important thing to get right in the first month - the people who push up too fast because they want faster results tend to create the nausea problems that could have been avoided. The protocol of waiting until weight loss stalls OR sides settle before moving up is the right sequence.
 
T2D and insulin resistance changing the expected response rate is well documented - the metabolic context means the weight loss mechanism works against a more entrenched hormonal picture. The 2.5mg starting point is the standard first step. The OP at 302 with T2D is asking the right questions at the right moment. What does the A1C look like going in and has the prescriber set a dose titration schedule?
 
The sulfur burps plus nausea plus gas cramping combo in the first weeks is the classic adjustment profile - it does settle for most people, usually by week 3-4 at the starting dose. The 'all manageable' piece is what matters; if you can get through that window the medication tends to normalize.
 
the berry smoothie with Metamucil added is one of the cleaner ways to front-load fiber and protein before the appetite suppression kicks in for the day - frozen berries add antioxidants, the spinach disappears into the flavor, and the psyllium in Metamucil covers the fiber target early. the AG1 is expensive for what it provides, but if the protocol is already working, the morning stack timing is solid
 
Should clarify, what I meant was my actual eating habits haven't shifted since starting, I'm just eating less overall thanks to the appetite suppression obviously, and I steer clear of heavily processed stuff more often than not. Going to work on tracking calories better and adding in more exercise. Trying really hard to keep from spiraling over this lol.
 
Haven't actually started yet, won't get here until Saturday. Right now dealing with obesity and diabetes, and honestly most of the weight came from drinking soda constantly. Hoping this kills that craving so I can shift focus over to protein instead. Never really been into protein shakes either, so that'll be new territory for me too. Appreciate getting another angle on this, helps a lot!
 
10 days into the low dose now, 7 pounds down, nothing side-effect-wise yet. Though I'm perimenopausal, so honestly who even knows what's causing what anymore. On this for diabetes too. But not being hungry all the time? That part's genuinely nice.
 
Ease into it with a low dose and climb slowly as your body allows. Take the shot at night so the early nausea hits while you're asleep. Yogurt, soup, and fruit will be your best friends. Keep something like an antacid on hand too. Skip the fast food.
 
Making better food choices gets a lot simpler once things settle in. Might not notice much until the dose climbs higher though, and that can take a few months, so hang tight and welcome aboard!
 
Did my first shot earlier this week. Nothing major to report side-effect wise, just some extra burping, not the sulfur kind thankfully. Definitely noticed the constant urge to hunt for food throughout the day has eased up a lot. Eating when actually hungry, but can't get through much at once. Trying out different protein shake options just to help hit protein targets. Haven't stepped on a scale yet, waiting until the next shot. Fasting blood sugar's already looking better though! Kind of wish this had started sooner, but a few things were on the calendar and staying sharp for those took priority. Glad things are going well for you!
 
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