Transitioning to maintenance...

Strong

Active member
I'm super happy with my progress. I started on Reta in July and I think I'll get to my goal physique in a month or so. I'm doing 2mg every 3-4 days. I had some skin issues for a bit, but I'm all good now. I was dropping a consistent 1-2 lbs each week. My strength has been great.

For those of you who have hit your target – did you stop completely? Taper down? Immediately drop to a lower dose? Has anyone experimented with a tiny "microdose"? Like .5mg or less, just once a week?
 
I just stayed at the dose I was already on. It ended up being around where I wanted my weight to be. I know if I go lower, I'll be back to craving sweets all the time. At my current dose, I'm hungrier than when I was going up, but I can stop when I'm full. I still want sweets, but not like before. A snack or some carbs usually takes care of it. I think these are meds for life for me. I hope I can always afford them.
 
For maintenance, I went from 15mg of Tirz weekly, then switched to 1mg of Reta once I got Tirz to 10mg (over 2 weeks). Then I added .250mcg of Cagri to my 1mg Reta. I increased Reta to 2mg, then 3mg. My current maintenance is 3mg Reta & .5mg Cagri weekly, and I don't plan to go higher. I might lower them later if it works. It's going well, my weight is stable (though I unintentionally lost like 5 lbs over the last few months). I think I posted this before somewhere.
 
Just watched the video. I totally agree with what he says starting at about 9 minutes...that's been my experience too. Thanks!
 
Thanks for the video, BigStrong. Once I got over his units, it was really interesting. Even though I still have another 10-15 lbs to go, I'm already thinking about what maintenance will look like and if Reta is the right choice or if "down shifting" to Tirz might make more sense.

I'm glad I'm not the only one struggling with protein, but I wish I had his discipline. I know I should get more, but I don't.
 
I'm wondering why folks are picking Reta for maintenance if they were on Tirz. I haven't tried Reta. I've heard Reta burns fat faster, but once you're at your goal weight, what's the benefit of Reta over Tirz? Is it just because you can use lower doses? I've also heard Tirz is better for food noise. Just planning for the future me. And starting my stash!
 
I was on the max Tirz dose, and I lost most of my weight there. I would've switched to Reta earlier, but I decided to stick with the protocol to get the most out of Tirz, especially for inflammation. Now I take KPV for that. I like that I can actually eat on Reta, not a lot, but enough to be happy and still not gain weight. It's been months now. I also microdose Cagri once a week. I'm also less tired, and my heart rate, even though it was high at first on Reta, has evened out and is lower than when I was on Tirz. But everyone's different. I still have Tirz left, so I'll use it if I need to later.
 
Strong said:
I'm wondering why folks are picking Reta for maintenance if they were on Tirz...

That's a valid point. Lower effective doses might be a big factor for some people, reducing potential side effects long-term.
 
I'm worried about the fatigue. I used to hike and do yoga, but I've stopped since starting this. Maybe a lower dose for maintenance would give me some energy back. Has anyone else dealt with being super tired?
 
yeah the glycogen thing makes sense, especially mid-workout. also glad you're back on trt at the right level—those studies about tendon stuff got me paranoid too but seems overblown.
 
That's such a smart gradual taper - stretching the interval slowly rather than just stopping. Starting at 2.5mg and maintaining is the dream outcome honestly. How's the hunger response been as you've stretched to every 20 days? Any meaningful difference in appetite between day 15 and day 20?
 
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