## YouTube Summary Subscribe at https://www.youtube.com/@Dark.Rebuild if you prefer video format. ::youtube[{"videoId":"L4xquojxbcU"}] ## Current Stats - **Week 26 Weight:** 252.8 lbs - **Weekly Change:** -1.6 lbs - **Total Progress:** -83.8 lbs - **Retatrutide:** Missed Thu/Fri doses, moving to 12mg single dose Monday - **HGH:** PULLED this week due to water retention/BP spike - **Testosterone Cypionate:** 150mg weekly (3x 50mg) - **SLU-PP-332:** 10mg daily (5mg AM, 5mg PM) - **GHK-Cu:** 2mg daily ::gallery[{"images":["https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/d27e1aa8-96de-40b9-a938-df57102752b2.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/f590c71b-edd8-4142-bc40-0c6cb8326b80.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/261d71ab-47df-49f3-bdec-ce759d5705bc.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/7b61b0ad-6775-4b6c-9c9e-3ab0e2a2f797.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/3f676ee6-a916-468c-a97b-3f03bf9e0ae8.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/72377127-7368-42a3-a347-d11b2d5bf9ac.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/31c24551-c959-4f6c-b0cd-5b8d5315edc9.png"],"captions":["","","","","","",""]}] This week was a lesson in listening to your body. Water retention got worse, blood pressure spiked to 137/74, and I made the call to pull HGH until I can manage the water situation properly. Down 1.6 lbs on the scale, but more importantly, I'm taking the long-term approach instead of pushing through something that could cause problems. Let me break down what happened and the plan going forward. ## The Water Retention Problem **Week 26 vs Week 25 changes:** - Weight: 252.8 lbs (down from 254.4 lbs, **-1.6 lbs**) - Body Fat Mass: 63.8 lbs (down from 65.6 lbs, **-1.8 lbs fat**) - Muscle Mass: 176.6 lbs (up from 176.0 lbs, **+0.6 lbs**) - Body Fat %: 25.2% (down from 25.8%, **-0.6% drop**) - Visceral Fat: 11 (down from 12, **-1 level**) - Waist Measurement: 38.89" (up from 38.29", **+0.6 inches**) **Note on waist measurement:** I measure consistently at the same spot every week: about 2 inches above my belly button. Not where I wear my pants (on the hips), but at a consistent anatomical landmark for reliable week-to-week tracking. The good news: lost 1.8 lbs of fat, gained 0.6 lbs of muscle, body fat percentage dropped to 25.2%, and visceral fat down another level to 11. The problem: Waist went UP 0.6 inches to 38.89" despite losing fat. This confirms what I've been seeing - **I'm still holding water in my midsection**. I've had some water shedding since pulling HGH, but I haven't purged it all yet. The waist increase is all water retention, which is why the ARB is critical to get this under control. ## Blood Pressure Spike: Time to Pull HGH I've been tracking my blood pressure daily since I started this journey back in July. When you're carrying 336.6 lbs and taking experimental drugs like retatrutide, later adding testosterone cypionate, tesamorelin, HGH, and other compounds over a 6-month weight loss journey, it seems smart to keep an eye on BP in case something spikes it. **My BP monitoring setup:** I bought this [blood pressure monitor on Amazon for $49](https://amzn.to/4qDXb7v). It's cheap, comes with two cuff sizes, and has been reliable for daily tracking. ![71GFd+f-tkL._AC_SL1500_.jpg](https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/4be958a8-102b-41ab-ba25-da9571c2ba03.jpg) I've been mostly normal the whole time - no concerning numbers, steady readings, nothing worth mentioning in previous posts. But this week, I started seeing consistent readings in the **137/74 range**. That's high side. Not emergency-level, but elevated enough that I'm not comfortable ignoring it. The timing coincides with the water retention, which makes me believe the BP spike is directly related to the water I'm holding from the HGH. **My decision:** I pulled HGH this week to shed the water and bring BP back to normal range. The result: I've had some water shedding, but I'm ending the week with slightly more water than ideal - it didn't all come off by week's end. BP is still hovering in the 130s, which is better than 137 but not back to baseline yet. ## The ARB Solution: Managing Water at the Hormone Level I've ordered an ARB (Angiotensin Receptor Blocker) from the [pharma ancillaries source I list in my newsletter](https://pctzone.net/?coupon=darkrebuild) (use code DARKREBUILD for 10% off). **What is an ARB and how does it work?** ARBs (Angiotensin Receptor Blockers) are blood pressure medications that work by blocking the action of angiotensin II, a hormone that causes blood vessels to constrict. By blocking this hormone, ARBs help blood vessels relax and widen, which lowers blood pressure and reduces the workload on your heart. More importantly for my situation, ARBs help the kidneys excrete excess sodium and water. This is why they're commonly used to manage fluid retention and high blood pressure, especially when water retention is contributing to the BP issue. **The plan:** 1. Use the ARB to pull BP back into normal range 2. Control water retention at the hormone level 3. Reintroduce HGH once BP and water are stable 4. Continue with ARB to manage the water retention caused by HGH My hope is that because I believe the BP spike is due to the water retention from HGH, the ARB will help control the water retention at the hormonal level, allowing me to add HGH back in and get the benefits I was seeing for recovery and lipolysis without the water and BP issues. This is a long-term strategy. I'm not interested in pushing through elevated BP just to keep HGH in the stack. The goal is sustainable progress, not short-term gains that create long-term problems. ## Missed Reta Injections: Hunger Signals Return I missed my second retatrutide injection on Thursday and forgot Friday as well. At this point, I'm getting some really strong hunger signals. This is the first time in 26 weeks I've felt actual hunger like this. Food noise is back. The appetite suppression is wearing off. **The plan:** I'm going to white knuckle through the weekend and will likely do the full 12mg dose on Monday. I'm also moving off split dosing for the next couple weeks to see how that goes. Instead of 6mg Monday/Thursday, I'll do a single 12mg injection on Monday. This wasn't intentional - I just forgot the doses - but it's a good reminder of how effective retatrutide is at suppressing appetite. When it's active, there's zero food noise. When it wears off, hunger comes back hard. ## Overall: Happy With Where I Landed Despite the water retention, BP spike, and missed injections, I'm happy with where I landed this week: - **Lost 1.8 lbs of fat** while gaining 0.6 lbs of muscle - **Body fat at 25.2%** - continuing the downward trend - **Visceral fat at 11** - down another level - **Made a smart decision** to pull HGH instead of pushing through elevated BP The scale is down 1.6 lbs, but the body composition changes tell the real story: fat going down, muscle staying stable or increasing slightly, and health markers (visceral fat) improving. Pulling HGH was the right call. Getting the ARB is the smart next step. Reintroducing HGH with proper water management will be the long-term play. ## Amazefit Active 2: One Week Review It's been one week with the new [Amazefit Active Sport 2](https://amzn.to/4jrkW0c) that I got for Christmas. This is the $79 watch I mentioned last week that I picked up to test the Amazefit platform before committing to the $250 T-Rex 3. **The size issue:** My biggest complaint is the small size. It's definitely on the last notch of the band on my wrist, which makes it less comfortable than it should be. But even that is kind of growing on me - I like how low profile it is compared to the Garmin Fenix. I finally ordered a longer band, so it should be more comfortable once that arrives. The watch itself is solid, but the stock band sizing is the weak point. **Tracking accuracy:** So far, the metrics seem solid: - **HRV tracking:** Landing me in the 40s most days, which is a good range. Seems consistent and reliable. - **Resting heart rate:** Just as accurate as my old Garmin Fenix. The optical sensor is working well. - **Heart rate in general:** No complaints. Tracks accurately during workouts and throughout the day. **Sleep tracking:** The sleep score is a bit strict. I typically only get 5-6 hours a night to begin with, so I take a huge score hit just from the length out of the gate. The watch heavily penalizes short sleep duration. That said, the REM and deep sleep tracking numbers seem to match around about what I was seeing on the Garmin. The sleep stage detection appears accurate even if the overall score is harsh. **Battery life:** After one week of what I would consider normal use without any GPS-tracked activity, the battery landed at **38% this morning**. I'll charge it today. My best guess: it would likely make it till Wednesday if I don't charge it today. That's about 10 days of battery life with daily wear, sleep tracking, HRV measurements, and heart rate monitoring but no GPS workouts. For a $79 watch with these features, that's solid battery performance. **Verdict so far:** It's a good test platform. The tracking metrics seem accurate compared to Garmin, the battery life is solid, and the price point is unbeatable. The small size is the only real drawback, and that's fixable with a longer band. I'll run it for another few weeks and decide if the T-Rex 3 is worth the upgrade or if I just stick with this and save the $170. ## RENPHO Scale Report: Week 26 Body Composition ![report (23)-1-fotor-2026010395153.png](https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/2e72fb7b-3356-4bec-b8e4-cc7dca0259fd.png) The [RENPHO smart scale](https://amzn.to/4rMH6Ok) continues to show body recomposition happening even with the water retention issues. **Key metrics Week 26:** - Weight: 252.8 lbs - Body Fat Mass: 63.8 lbs (25.2%) - Muscle Mass: 176.6 lbs - Skeletal Muscle: 109.8 lbs - Body Water: 138.6 lbs - Visceral Fat: 11 - BMI: 32.5 Body fat percentage at 25.2% means I'm well on track toward the goal of body fat in the teens. Visceral fat dropping from 12 to 11 is another health win - that's the dangerous fat around your organs. The slight increase in muscle mass (+0.6 lbs) while losing fat (-1.8 lbs) shows the protocol is still working even without HGH this week. ## YouTube Growth: 291 Subscribers Subscriber count is still growing, landing at **291 at the time of writing this**. I really didn't expect to get this much attention on that platform. All the comments and questions have been great. **Daily content will continue** in the vlog style. I ordered a magnetic mount for my phone so I'll attempt to add some clips of the actual workouts to the daily vlogs if I'm not bothering everyone at the gym. I can't promise it will be in every day, but at least a few from time to time to start out with. I'll continue this format: **5 daily uploads (Monday-Friday) + 1 Saturday weekly summary** that gets embedded into the weekly blog post. If you want to follow along with the daily updates, subscribe at [@Dark.Rebuild](https://www.youtube.com/@Dark.Rebuild). ## StepUp Challenge: Week 26 Update - 11 Members! We gained **2 new members** this week! The group is now at **11 members**.
Group Name retatrutidelog
Number of current members 11
Date Range 2025-12-26 to 2026-01-02
Sum of total steps of all members 608,503 steps
Avg daily steps of all members 6,994 steps/day
Total distance covered by group 276.59 miles [445.13 kms]
Weekly Wrap-up: 608K+ steps and 276+ miles covered with 11 members. Average daily steps: 6,994/day. Welcome to the two newest members!
If you'd like to join our group, you can use the [direct group invite](https://join.thestepupapp.com/zW07S5) or read about [why I started this challenge](https://retatrutidelog.com/posts/my-step-count-is-trash-started-a-group-to-fix-it). ## Why I Track Blood Pressure: Risk Management I haven't talked about blood pressure tracking in previous posts because it's been completely normal the whole time. But now that I'm dealing with an elevated reading, it's worth explaining why I've been monitoring it since day one. When you're experimenting with peptides, hormones, and weight loss at this scale, you need to watch for warning signs. Blood pressure is one of the easiest and most important metrics to track. The [BP monitor I use](https://amzn.to/4qDXb7v) costs $49, comes with two cuff sizes, and takes 30 seconds to get a reading. I check it first thing in the morning before I've had any caffeine or food. **Normal baseline for me:** 115-120 systolic, 70-75 diastolic **This week's readings:** 130-137 systolic, 70-74 diastolic That 15-20 point increase in systolic pressure is enough to warrant action. I'm not waiting to see if it gets worse - I'm addressing it now with the ARB and by pulling HGH temporarily. This is the kind of monitoring everyone should be doing if they're running protocols like this. You can't manage what you don't measure. ::sourceguide[{ "headline": "Need a source? ", "description": "Quick access to my supplier's contact info.", "buttonText": "Get Contact Info", "variant": "gradient" }] --- **Disclaimer:** The information provided on this site is for **educational and informational purposes only** and reflects my **personal experiences and opinions**. It is **not** intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Retatrutide is an **investigational drug** that is **not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration** for any use outside of clinical trials. Always consult a licensed healthcare professional before making any decisions regarding medications, supplements, or medical treatments. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this site may be affiliate links.