Reta's making me HUNGRY??

Salad-Better

Salad-Better

Active member
Been on retatrutide about a third of a year now. Started at 1 mg each week and upped it to 10 mg these last 4 weeks. Lost weight at first, but I've been trying to build muscle again (like back when I was 20 years younger) so I'm lifting heavy and maybe recomping, who knows. Doesn't matter. But I've noticed, even on the higher dose, I'm really hungry. Like, ready to eat every meal. I've heard ppl say a GLP-1 “isn't working” if they plateau or feel hungry. I'm not focused on the scale, so I looked into the hunger thing.

Here's what I figure. Homeostatic hunger (stomach's empty, normal hunger signals) vs. hedonic hunger (cravings, hungry or not). I think it's the first one for me.

GLP-1 agonists probably don’t just 'stop' working due to receptor downregulation or autoantibody formation making your dose useless. But gastric emptying delay might experience tachyphylaxis meaning the body adapts and resets the nerves to this new 'normal', so food empties faster. An emptier stomach = hunger.

This adaptation is like smelling something strong at first, then you don't notice it because your nose gets used to it. Same with nerves, probably.

Could also be less fat = less leptin = more hunger, more muscle = faster metabolism = hunger, or more exercise = hunger.

But even though I'm hungry, I don't want candy bars, ice cream, or those energy drinks anymore. I used to have a problem with those.

Retatrutide is really effective for weight loss. Maybe it's because it doesn't leave you unnaturally suppressed forever. Real hunger, without cravings, might mean you're healthier than when eating felt impossible.

Just my thoughts. What do you think?
 
There's a lot of individual variation, but retatrutide isn't known for strong appetite suppression. Its GLP-1 binding isn't super strong.

Some add another med to boost that when using reta mainly for weight loss. I'd try overhydration and a protein-rich diet first, though.
 
That's what I figured, based on the trials. If hunger beat the medication, weight loss wouldn't be so good. Thanks!
 
Thanks Goals. I'm not upset, I like normal hunger cues, just not the overeating or junk food desires. It's a tool to teach people how moderate eating feels, so maybe they can eventually stop taking it. But like you said, everybody's different.
 
People using GLP1s often see weight loss as just a calorie thing, not a hormone thing. They fixate on calories in, not calories out, even though that can vary a lot.

So they think, "If I eat less, I'll lose more," which might be true, but isn't always helpful. They chase appetite suppression, even if it doesn't work.

Maybe appetite matters for single and dual agonists, but with a glucagon agonist, that mindset's not as useful. Even if you don't care about weight and just want health, track weight to see progress. People lose weight on retatrutide even if they eat more than they think and more than on other GLP drugs.
 
I get this, so here's my story. Started Tirz maybe 6 months ago. Switched to Reta after a month. I only cared about dropping pounds for the first 3-4 months. Appetite totally suppressed. Then I started taking testosterone and hitting the gym hard like 6 weeks ago. Suddenly, I was starving even on 6 mg of Reta. But I could ignore it, so it didn't bug me. Now it's getting better.

Intense training = hunger, I guess. I'm glad I didn't give in to cravings. I lost like 60 pounds those first 4 months on Tirz/Reta, and now I'm recomping great. No weight loss, but bigger arms, smaller waist, more muscle, and the scale hasn't budged.
 
There's another kind of hunger, maybe not for everyone, but a big deal for me and others with binge eating disorder or food addiction, which is common with obesity.

As you lose weight, you get hungrier. Your body's not happy about the calorie deficit. That's why people say their GLP isn't suppressing appetite, but it is if you're not gaining weight. It's just a new normal.

For me, regaining weight in the past was because after losing weight, eating even a little ice cream or chocolate triggered extreme rebound hunger hours later. Impossible to resist. Haven't seen much research on it, but there's some. The more weight you lose, the worse it gets.

Solution: Tirzepatide plus a little reta helps, and total avoidance of those foods. Like avoiding addictive drugs. Dark chocolate doesn't seem to cause it, thankfully. So I have one small treat. Otherwise, it's been 3 years of low-calorie foods: lean meat, fruits, veggies, zero slip-ups. Don't know if I can keep it up, but it's been over 2 years since I lost 50% of my weight. GLPs make it easier.
 
Great reply, most miss the addiction side of obesity. Telling someone to "just put the fork down" is like telling an alcoholic to stop drinking.

Much of today's food is designed to maximize pleasure, and those addiction pathways keep ppl obese.

Keto people (real keto, not packaged "keto" desserts) know what you mean. Food noise goes down, and going 12 hours between meals is easy. Your body turns down the addiction signals. Sadly, working from home makes ignoring it harder.

Dark chocolate (85%+) is a good example of a food you can eat a little of without triggering that addiction. The keto or paleo communities focus on less "engineered" food. Food processing often enables rapid absorption of starch or glucose (high-glycemic) to maximize pleasure. Subconsciously seeking that pleasure is the trap. We don't need to be monks, but recognizing the cycle is the first step.
 
I think you put my thoughts into words.
I definitely get this. When I started reta, cravings disappeared. Now, after 10 weeks, some are back. I've lost a lot of weight and crave high-calorie "binge" foods.
I need to stay away from them to avoid overeating. My pantry's pretty bare, but that helps me feel calmer.
 
I'm wrapping up my first week and I honestly did not expect to feel changes this quickly.

My appetite is still there, but it feels calmer.
Food noise has noticeably quieted down.
My portion sizes are smaller without me trying to control them.

It feels subtle but real. I do not feel restricted. I just feel more in control.
 
It's weird how GLP-1s can mess with your taste, isn't it? I've heard people say they get repulsed by certain foods on sema. I haven't experienced that, but I can imagine it making things even harder. I stick to simple meals to avoid any weird cravings or aversions.
 
Toni_21 said:
I've heard people say they get repulsed by certain foods on sema.
Click to expand...
That's interesting. I haven't had aversions, but I've been less interested in cooking. Used to love trying new recipes, now it feels like a chore. Maybe that's related?
 
High-dose Reta hunger at 10mg+ is well-documented, especially when lifting heavy - the GH effects at that dose tend to drive appetite more than the GLP-1 side suppresses it.
 
going from tirz EOD to daily reta and then still feeling hungry despite smaller portions is such a specific frustration. daily reta is actually an unusual protocol - most run weekly. some people just find the tirz hunger control stronger regardless of dose pattern. if tirz was working, it might just be the right mechanism for you.
 
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