Mushy's [Reta] Fat Loss Progress

[hellerhiwater]

waddap bruddah

glad to see you're doing well.

how are you finding the keto? id like to challenge you to do daily updates to your log, with general tracking of your calories, protein, and any exercise you did.

speaking from personal experience, having maintained a 99% pure log for the past 4 months on another board, it goes a long way to motivating me to stay all the way on top of my shit. not even remotely questioning your commitment, progress, or anything similar. I just have found some very great benefit from the semi-permanent, semi-public transformation diary and wanted to share.

down 120lbs scale weight in 359 days (the goal was slow and steady with no "dieting" the first year, with a planned actual cut/diet starting on the 1 year mark)

 

[Mushy404]

waddap bruddah

glad to see you're doing well.

how are you finding the keto? id like to challenge you to do daily updates to your log, with general tracking of your calories, protein, and any exercise you did.

speaking from personal experience, having maintained a 99% pure log for the past 4 months on another board, it goes a long way to motivating me to stay all the way on top of my shit. not even remotely questioning your commitment, progress, or anything similar. I just have found some very great benefit from the semi-permanent, semi-public transformation diary and wanted to share.

down 120lbs scale weight in 359 days (the goal was slow and steady with no "dieting" the first year, with a planned actual cut/diet starting on the 1 year mark)

Hey brother, happy new year!

I genuinely love keto / carnivore!

I’ve used it on and off for years, but before Reta I’d occasionally “allow” carbs and that often turned into a slippery slope - binge-y eating, weight creeping back on, one step forward and two or three back. The more metabolically compromised/insulin resistant I got, the easier it was to gain fat and harder it was to lose it.

Since starting Reta, the food noise and impulsivity are basically gone. That’s been the real game-changer. Now, if I have carbs in a specific context - popcorn at the cinema, a family meal, Christmas, whatever - it doesn’t derail anything. I just switch straight back to keto/carnivore without friction. I’ve literally just come off a two-week Christmas stretch with plenty of carbs and junk, flipped back to keto a couple of days before leaving, and carried on without effort.

What’s not to like about keto anyway? I get to eat great food - meat, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts. All the good stuff. Carbs can taste good, sure, but for me they’re mostly nutritionally empty and clearly don’t suit my physiology long-term.

I am a bit on the fence about carbs longer-term though. Part of me is open to re-introducing some if it turns out I genuinely can’t add muscle without them. But I’m also fairly sceptical that meaningful carbs are actually required for a non-competitive, general-population lifter whose goal is just to get back to ~12% body fat and look “kinda muscular,” rather than chase stage conditioning or maximal performance.

My current thinking is: if I can make steady strength and hypertrophy progress without carbs, I’d rather keep things simple. If progress stalls in a real, measurable way, I’m not ideologically opposed to adding them back - I just don’t see a compelling reason yet.

On the logging front - I get exactly where you’re coming from, and massive respect on the 120 lbs in a year. That’s no joke. Right now I’m tracking the big things pretty tightly (weight trend, protein, training, compounds), but I’ve deliberately avoided daily calorie micromanagement because historically that’s been more mentally draining than helpful for me. And on keto it's not easy to overeat with how satiating the food is. Then adding a GLP-1 like Reta on top and I have pretty much guaranteed a caloric deficit. So little to no benefit to me counting total calories right now. As I said though, I track my protein tightly - I aim for 110g of protein per meal when I eat 2x/day, and about 75g per meal when I eat 3x/day.

That said, I do see the value in a semi-public accountability log, especially as the cut deepens. I may add more structured daily notes as things progress, particularly with my new training program. I have decided now is a good time to:

- move from a 3x/week all-over body workout with a target RPE of 7-8
- to a 4x/week Upper/Lower split with a target RPE of 8 to begin with. Aim is to seek strength progression session on session, without compromising form.

Out of curiosity - are you running GLP-1s or any other compounds, or was that all diet and adherence? Always interested in what levers people are (or aren’t) pulling.

Really appreciate you sharing what’s worked for you, genuinely. And seriously - outstanding work on your end bud!

 

[hellerhiwater]

Hey brother, happy new year!

I genuinely love keto / carnivore!

I’ve used it on and off for years, but before Reta I’d occasionally “allow” carbs and that often turned into a slippery slope - binge-y eating, weight creeping back on, one step forward and two or three back. The more metabolically compromised/insulin resistant I got, the easier it was to gain fat and harder it was to lose it.

Since starting Reta, the food noise and impulsivity are basically gone. That’s been the real game-changer. Now, if I have carbs in a specific context - popcorn at the cinema, a family meal, Christmas, whatever - it doesn’t derail anything. I just switch straight back to keto/carnivore without friction. I’ve literally just come off a two-week Christmas stretch with plenty of carbs and junk, flipped back to keto a couple of days before leaving, and carried on without effort.

What’s not to like about keto anyway? I get to eat great food - meat, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts. All the good stuff. Carbs can taste good, sure, but for me they’re mostly nutritionally empty and clearly don’t suit my physiology long-term.

I am a bit on the fence about carbs longer-term though. Part of me is open to re-introducing some if it turns out I genuinely can’t add muscle without them. But I’m also fairly sceptical that meaningful carbs are actually required for a non-competitive, general-population lifter whose goal is just to get back to ~12% body fat and look “kinda muscular,” rather than chase stage conditioning or maximal performance.

My current thinking is: if I can make steady strength and hypertrophy progress without carbs, I’d rather keep things simple. If progress stalls in a real, measurable way, I’m not ideologically opposed to adding them back - I just don’t see a compelling reason yet.

On the logging front - I get exactly where you’re coming from, and massive respect on the 120 lbs in a year. That’s no joke. Right now I’m tracking the big things pretty tightly (weight trend, protein, training, compounds), but I’ve deliberately avoided daily calorie micromanagement because historically that’s been more mentally draining than helpful for me. And on keto it's not easy to overeat with how satiating the food is. Then adding a GLP-1 like Reta on top and I have pretty much guaranteed a caloric deficit. So little to no benefit to me counting total calories right now. As I said though, I track my protein tightly - I aim for 110g of protein per meal when I eat 2x/day, and about 75g per meal when I eat 3x/day.

That said, I do see the value in a semi-public accountability log, especially as the cut deepens. I may add more structured daily notes as things progress, particularly with my new training program. I have decided now is a good time to:

- move from a 3x/week all-over body workout with a target RPE of 7-8
- to a 4x/week Upper/Lower split with a target RPE of 8 to begin with. Aim is to seek strength progression session on session, without compromising form.

Out of curiosity - are you running GLP-1s or any other compounds, or was that all diet and adherence? Always interested in what levers people are (or aren’t) pulling.

Really appreciate you sharing what’s worked for you, genuinely. And seriously - outstanding work on your end bud!

yeah i love that bro. honestly youre braver than me, i fall apart without at least 100g carbs per day haha

i didnt count any calroies for the full year with the exception of the very first week just to kinda take a snapshot of where i was. its a giant mental (and sometimes emotional) strain, so any amount of progress that can be squeezed without doing it is top notch imo.

tirzepatide, 2.5mg up to 10mg, and then backdown to 7.5mg, all weekly in 1 bolus shot. started trt in mid-august, alongside some hcg and hmg for testicles. no real diet, just protein and fiber goal and not eating like a reet-hard.

its going to sound weird, but its almost like it wasnt the accountability aspect, but more the "how much more effort can i fit in to make the progress that much more punchy"

and first of all, fuck all the idiots on that board aside from like 3 of em. completely full of insecure juicers who absolutely started the day they entered the gym and are so afraid of not having that single thing that they turn it into weird emotional aggression toward anyone fat. its a weird weird thing but genuinely, fuck em all. it wasnt for them, it was for the prospective fatty who came along to see it was all doable, and by documenting all the steps (i just take photos of my plates, workouts [strong app], and the cardio machine's finish screen) they can replicate it exactly on their own.

i personally thought your head was in a solid enough space that even though keto is imo a tiny bit extreme for long term, another fellow member of the chub club could also copy/paste YOUR journey to achieve the same results.

also, im sure you feel the same, but it almost doesnt feel like any real accomplishment. half bc we're not done, half bc i never really accepted where i was in the first place, i just feel "normal" now. probably something deeper there, im just too shallow to see it.

 

[Athleticfreak]

Very difficult to read and stay on track with such long posts.

I have to agree with the other poster, for being so obese to start 45 lbs in 4 months is ehhhh not anything to write home about. It’s still good but push yourself more and you’ll be amazed that you’ll prob be 300lbs in 2-3 months, so shoot for April 1st 300lbs.

 

[Mushy404]

yeah i love that bro. honestly youre braver than me, i fall apart without at least 100g carbs per day haha

i didnt count any calroies for the full year with the exception of the very first week just to kinda take a snapshot of where i was. its a giant mental (and sometimes emotional) strain, so any amount of progress that can be squeezed without doing it is top notch imo.

tirzepatide, 2.5mg up to 10mg, and then backdown to 7.5mg, all weekly in 1 bolus shot. started trt in mid-august, alongside some hcg and hmg for testicles. no real diet, just protein and fiber goal and not eating like a reet-hard.

its going to sound weird, but its almost like it wasnt the accountability aspect, but more the "how much more effort can i fit in to make the progress that much more punchy"

and first of all, fuck all the idiots on that board aside from like 3 of em. completely full of insecure juicers who absolutely started the day they entered the gym and are so afraid of not having that single thing that they turn it into weird emotional aggression toward anyone fat. its a weird weird thing but genuinely, fuck em all. it wasnt for them, it was for the prospective fatty who came along to see it was all doable, and by documenting all the steps (i just take photos of my plates, workouts [strong app], and the cardio machine's finish screen) they can replicate it exactly on their own.

i personally thought your head was in a solid enough space that even though keto is imo a tiny bit extreme for long term, another fellow member of the chub club could also copy/paste YOUR journey to achieve the same results.

also, im sure you feel the same, but it almost doesnt feel like any real accomplishment. half bc we're not done, half bc i never really accepted where i was in the first place, i just feel "normal" now. probably something deeper there, im just too shallow to see it.

If you pushed though with keto for a week or so then you'd be fine. I believe the first time I went keto it took me about a week to settle in, and it sucked. But nowadays I dip in pretty quick - at least from a feels point of view. I very rarely check my actual ketones nowadays but I did check after being on and off for about a year and it now seems to take me about 3 days to get back into ketosis and be comfortable.

My carbs range from about ~10 to ~50g as some days it's more carnivore than keto. Though, on occasion I'll get a popcorn when I go to the cinema, or will have a small bit of carbs when I had dinner at my sisters, which temporarily puts me out of keto, but I'm fine with that as long as it only occasionally. I am enjoying life and dropping a lot of fat in the process.

As you eluded to, online forums are ripe with bellends with silly comments, but for the most part I am going to keep doing what I want to do. If someone doesn't like it then they shouldn't do it. Simple. There's been a few constructive comments though, which have been good food for thought - Training structure is the next lever for me, which is why I’ve just moved to an upper/lower split and a bit higher RPE.

Massive respect again for your run - 120lbs in a year with consistency is no small thing! Looking forward to seeing where both of us land in the next months/year!

 

[Mushy404]

Very difficult to read and stay on track with such long posts.

I have to agree with the other poster, for being so obese to start 45 lbs in 4 months is ehhhh not anything to write home about. It’s still good but push yourself more and you’ll be amazed that you’ll prob be 300lbs in 2-3 months, so shoot for April 1st 300lbs.

Hey mate - fair point on post length. I’ll try to keep updates shorter and perhaps lean more on visuals going forward.

I actually like the suggestion of 300 lbs by April 1st - let’s see if I can hit it. That would be roughly ~2.5 lbs/week from here. My average so far has been ~2.4 lbs/week, so it’s very much in range.

For context, I’m down 61 lbs in ~6 months, and honestly it’s felt very manageable. A lot of that was achieved with minimal formal exercise, and my results line up pretty closely with the retatrutide trial averages.

More importantly to me: I’m faster, stronger, healthier, more energetic, and generally happier. Those are massive wins in my book.

Appreciate the nudge - we’ll see where April lands!

 

[Mushy404]

24-week update & direct comparison to the Retatrutide trials​

Starting weight: 391 lb
24-week weight: 330 lb
Total lost: 61 lb
Average rate: ~2.5 lb/week
% body-weight lost: 15.6%

​

Dosing context (important):

• Started at 2 mg/week
• Escalated by ~2 mg every ~4 weeks
  • Week 4: 2 mg
  • Week 8: 4 mg
  • Week 12: 6 mg
• Current dose: 5 mg every 4 days (~8.75 mg/week equivalent)
• This dose has been unchanged for ~8 weeks
• Max dose so far: ~8.75 mg/week (never reached 10–12 mg)

---

24-week comparison — % body-weight loss​

Trial – 8 mg group -- 8 mg / week -- (% body-weight lost ~13.2%)

Trial – 10 mg group -- 10 mg / week -- (% body-weight lost~15.8%)

Trial – 12 mg group (best) -- 12 mg / week -- (% body-weight lost~17.5%)

My progress ~8.75 mg / week equiv (5 mg every 4 days) -- (% body-weight lost 15.6%)

​

---

Straight interpretation​

• My progress is well ahead of the 8 mg group
• My progress is essentially identical to the 10 mg group, despite never reaching 10 mg
• I’m ~1.9 percentage points behind the 12 mg group, which aligns with lower cumulative dose exposure

---

Why my results outperform the 8 mg group​

• To be clear, my current dose (~8.75 mg/week) is ~0.75 mg higher than the 8 mg trial group
• However, the 8 mg trial group reached full dose quickly (by ~week 8–9)
• At that same time point (week 8–9), I was still on 4 mg/week
• It took me ~16 weeks to reach ~8–8.75 mg/week, meaning my average exposure over 24 weeks was lower
• Despite that, my results are still clearly ahead of the 8 mg group
• Likely contributors:
  • Consistent ketogenic / fat-adapted diet
  • High adherence
  • 4 IU/night rHGH, supporting fat loss and lean mass retention

---

Another way to look at it​

• Adjusted to my starting weight, the 10 mg trial group equates to ~15.8% (~61.8 lb)
• I’m at 15.6% (61 lb) — only ~0.8 lb behind
• This is despite slower titration and a lower max dose

 

[Mushy404]

I got my 1st DEXA scan today - started 6 months ago (July 2025) at 43% Bodyfat. Now 35% Jan 2026.

Plugged it into AI

---

DEXA scan summary — 10 Jan 2026 (≈24 weeks into Reta)​

Body size & composition​

• Weight: 147.6 kg (≈ 325–330 lb, scale variance explained by hydration/clothing)
• Body fat %: 35.2%
• Fat mass: 51.7 kg
• Lean mass: 92.1 kg
• Lean mass %: 62.6%
• Bone mass: ~3.3 kg

Key takeaway:
Despite large absolute fat mass (expected at your size), you are carrying exceptionally high lean mass.

---

Lean mass: this is the standout result​

• Lean Mass Index (LMI): 28.7 kg/m²
  → 100th percentile vs other 38-year-old males
• Appendicular Lean Mass Index (ALMI): 13.6 kg/m²
  → 99th percentile
• No evidence of sarcopenia (cutoff ≈7.26 kg/m²)

Interpretation:
This is not what aggressive dieting looks like. You have preserved (and very likely retained) a huge amount of contractile tissue during a 61-lb weight loss.

This strongly supports:

• conservative titration
• adequate protein
• resistance training
• rHGH support

From a trials-comparison perspective: this materially weakens the common criticism that “you should have pushed harder on the scale.”

---

Fat mass & distribution​

Total fat​

• Fat Mass Index (FMI): 16.1 kg/m²
• 99th percentile (expected given starting weight)

This simply reflects where you are in the fat-loss journey, not failure.

Visceral fat (important risk marker)​

• Visceral fat area: 177 cm²
• Healthy target: <100 cm²
• Risk classification: high (97/100 vs peers)

Interpretation:
You still have substantial visceral fat to lose — which is exactly where retatrutide, continued fat loss, and time at higher doses tend to shine.

This also means:

• you are not near a “hard plateau”
• future weight loss is likely to remain fat-dominant, not muscle-dominant

---

Regional lean mass & symmetry​

• Arms, trunk, and legs: above average
• Minor left–right asymmetries only (normal, non-pathological)
• No red flags for imbalance or functional risk

---

Bone density (quietly excellent)​

• Total BMD: 1.371 g/cm²
• T-score: +1.6
• Z-score: +1.5
• Classification: Normal / Above average

Interpretation:
Bone density is excellent, especially in the context of weight loss. No concern about diet-induced bone loss.

---

Big-picture interpretation (the part that matters)​

At ~24 weeks:

• You’ve lost ~15.6% of body weight
• Lean mass is preserved at elite percentiles
• Bone density is strong
• Remaining mass to lose is predominantly fat, including visceral fat

This profile is exactly what you want if the goal is:

• long-term fat loss
• metabolic health
• ability to continue pushing dose or duration without muscle collapse

It also explains why your scale loss has been steady rather than extreme:
you’ve protected the right tissue.

 

[hellerhiwater]

If you pushed though with keto for a week or so then you'd be fine. I believe the first time I went keto it took me about a week to settle in, and it sucked. But nowadays I dip in pretty quick - at least from a feels point of view. I very rarely check my actual ketones nowadays but I did check after being on and off for about a year and it now seems to take me about 3 days to get back into ketosis and be comfortable.

My carbs range from about ~10 to ~50g as some days it's more carnivore than keto. Though, on occasion I'll get a popcorn when I go to the cinema, or will have a small bit of carbs when I had dinner at my sisters, which temporarily puts me out of keto, but I'm fine with that as long as it only occasionally. I am enjoying life and dropping a lot of fat in the process.

As you eluded to, online forums are ripe with bellends with silly comments, but for the most part I am going to keep doing what I want to do. If someone doesn't like it then they shouldn't do it. Simple. There's been a few constructive comments though, which have been good food for thought - Training structure is the next lever for me, which is why I’ve just moved to an upper/lower split and a bit higher RPE.

Massive respect again for your run - 120lbs in a year with consistency is no small thing! Looking forward to seeing where both of us land in the next months/year!

ive done it a fair few times. longest stint was a little over 4 months. the reflux was honestly the worst part. im just not set up for all that oil. i did lose an insane amt of weight to be fair. first time was like 20lbs while sedentary over 5-6 weeks. second time was 50lbs in 2 months (and it stayed off for years), and third go round was combined with 18/6 IF for 4ish months, I was also fucking RUNNING while doing that round. so every ounce of fiber and carb was consumed prerun, then I was just a zombie for the rest of the day

ok let me stop chit chatting on ur thread. I think you're cool brody, and I look forward to seeing all the cool stuff you get up to.