Retatrutide Week 28: 250.4 lbs - Massive Recomp: 3.8 lbs Fat Gone in One Week

# Retatrutide Week 28: 250.4 lbs - Massive Recomp: 3.8 lbs Fat Gone in One Week ## YouTube Summary Subscribe at https://www.youtube.com/@Dark.Rebuild if you prefer video format. ::youtube[{"videoId":"Gt2kCPGg3y0"}] ## Current Stats - **Week 28 Weight:** 250.4 lbs - **Weekly Change:** -3.2 lbs - **Total Progress:** -86.2 lbs - **Retatrutide:** 12mg weekly (single dose Monday) - **HGH:** 5iu daily (single IM injection at night) - FULL WEEK - **Testosterone Cypionate:** 150mg weekly (2x 75mg IM Monday/Thursday) - **GHK-Cu:** 2mg daily - **Telmisartan:** 40mg daily (AM before gym) ::gallery[{"images":["https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/2783526e-cb3a-4fb6-8166-dbd117dd2039.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/5cff8981-1e55-42c7-94cc-c74905c132fd.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/f892356b-b507-4f48-b5a1-58ba301556a1.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/647653c0-bd21-41b1-b97b-611d73df14ad.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/f6efd186-3cb2-478c-b0e1-7039f4bbadae.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/e3c84016-2c8c-4705-a384-0bf86a2a424e.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/8969a11b-cddd-40a6-a3c8-2054c41e2e49.png"],"captions":["","","","","","",""]}] This was a massive week. Lost 3.8 lbs of fat while gaining 0.6 lbs of muscle. Body fat percentage dropped from 24.5% to 23.3% in a single week. Visceral fat down to 10. Waist down another 0.47 inches to 37.67". But here's the interesting part: hunger suppression from retatrutide is completely gone. From day one after injection, my stomach is yelling at me to feed it. I'm white knuckling through it, but my body is clearly adapting to the increased metabolic demands of adding muscle mass. Let me break down what happened this week and what the data is telling me. ## The Numbers: Week 27 vs Week 28 **Week 28 vs Week 27 changes:** - Weight: 250.4 lbs (down from 253.6 lbs, **-3.2 lbs**) - Body Fat Mass: 58.4 lbs (down from 62.2 lbs, **-3.8 lbs fat**) - Muscle Mass: 179.0 lbs (up from 178.4 lbs, **+0.6 lbs muscle**) - Body Water: 140.8 lbs (up from 140.2 lbs, **+0.6 lbs water**) - Body Fat %: 23.3% (down from 24.5%, **-1.2% drop**) - Waist Measurement: 37.67" (down from 38.14", **-0.47 inches**) - Visceral Fat: 10 (down from 11, **-1 level**) **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. This is the biggest fat loss week I've had in a while: **3.8 lbs of fat gone** while still adding muscle. Body fat percentage dropped a full 1.2% in one week. Visceral fat down to **10** - that's the dangerous fat around your organs continuing to drop. ## HGH Back In: Full Week at 5iu This was a full week with HGH added back in after taking the one-week pause for high blood pressure. **BP is still in check** with Telmisartan at 40mg daily. I purchased this from my [ancillary source](https://pctzone.net/?coupon=darkrebuild) (use code DARKREBUILD for 10% off). For testosterone cypionate, I use [this domestic source](https://retatrutidelog.com/s/aquila) (use code DARKREBUILD for 5% off). Both links are also available in the newsletter with full details. **HGH effects this week:** With the new higher dosage of 5iu, I'm seeing slightly elevated fasted glucose, which is a common thing to see and an indicator of fat mobilization. The way I have my diet structured, I front-load all of my carbs post-workout in the morning, then basically low-carb the rest of the day. I'm still seeing a **metabolic shift in early afternoon** where my body shifts back into ketosis even after 100g of carbs in the morning. ## Glucose and Ketone Tracking: The Fat Burning Evidence Because I track my fasted glucose numbers every morning and post-workout numbers, I've seen some interesting effects this week. **Gluconeogenesis from hard workouts:** On a couple of my workouts, the effort appears to have caused gluconeogenesis where my **post-workout glucose was higher than my fasted glucose**. This happens when your body is working so hard that it's converting protein and lactate into glucose to fuel the workout. **Daily ketosis despite carbs:** This effect was strong this week. I was seeing **0.9-1.2 mmol ketones** with my blood meter daily, with glucose in the mid-80s. That means I'm spending over half the day and the entire sleep period still burning fat because of the deep level of ketosis. **What this means:** With the scale report suggesting that I'm adding lean mass and losing fat, this means I'm in a **recomp, not just a fat loss phase**. I'm essentially getting the best of both worlds with the balance I currently have: - Drip-feeding muscle enough nutrients to gain mass - Restricting carbs enough to drop me into fat-burning mode for most of the day The HGH at 5iu is clearly mobilizing fat overnight (shown by elevated fasted glucose), and my nutrient timing strategy is allowing me to build muscle in the morning while burning fat the rest of the day. ## Hunger Suppression is Gone: The Metabolic Demand Signal However, even though I'm on **12mg of retatrutide once a week**, I am **no longer receiving any hunger suppression**. I'm for sure still getting the **slow gastric emptying**. But from day one after injection, I'm getting hunger pains with my stomach yelling at me to feed it. **How I'm managing it:** I've been able to control this by just white knuckling through it and waiting till my planned times to eat. My current meal plan is sufficient to silence those hunger pains when I do eat, but the constant hunger signal is back. **Why this is happening:** I believe that I've hit a new phase with my metabolic rate. While maybe the scale is overestimating how much muscle mass I've added these last few weeks, it's likely fairly close given how overwhelming the hunger has gotten. **More mass = more calories needed.** My body is trying to tell me to help feed this new muscle tissue. Unfortunately, I will need to keep it in the box for now and let it starve a bit longer while I'm still cutting. The hunger suppression was a nice tool to have for the first 27 weeks, but now that it's gone, I'm relying on discipline and meal timing to stay on track. ## Goal Shift: No Longer Chasing Weight, Chasing Body Fat % With the estimated body fat this week coming in at **23.3%**, which is amazing progress, I no longer have a goal weight. **I have a goal body fat percentage.** I would like to continue this aggressive cut until I hit **15-18% body fat**. That's another 5-8% to drop. At my current rate of fat loss (averaging 1.5-1.6 lbs per week over the last several weeks, with this week at 3.8 lbs), I'm looking at: - **Conservative estimate:** 8-12 more weeks to 18% body fat - **Aggressive estimate:** 6-10 more weeks to 15% body fat But I'm not fixated on timeline. I'm focused on continuing to lose fat while maintaining or building muscle. The scale weight will be whatever it needs to be. If I end up at 240 lbs at 15% body fat with 200+ lbs of lean mass, that's a completely different body than 240 lbs at 30% body fat. The number on the scale is just data - the body composition is what matters. ## DEXA Scan Scheduled: Validation Coming I would like to note that while I'm using the [RENPHO scale](https://amzn.to/4pKOyai) to track the trend of fat mass, muscle mass, and total weight, it's clear that it might have drifted in accuracy. I'm really looking forward to getting some more solid numbers on where I actually stand in the process. **DEXA scan details:** - **Date:** February 14, 2026 - **Time:** 7:30 AM - **Location:** 2 hours away (one way) - **Cost:** $159 I will be bringing my camera this time to document some of the process. I will also be bringing this RENPHO scale with me so I can take a scale reading at the exact same time and location as the DEXA scan for direct comparison. This will tell me: - Actual body fat percentage - Actual lean mass - Bone density - Regional fat distribution - Whether the bioimpedance scale is even close to accurate The DEXA scan will be the ultimate validation of whether these recomp weeks are real or if the scale is just telling me what I want to hear. ## RENPHO Scale Report: Week 28 Body Composition  The [RENPHO smart scale](https://amzn.to/4pKOyai) shows massive recomposition this week. **Key metrics Week 28:** - Weight: 250.4 lbs - Body Fat Mass: 58.4 lbs (23.3%) - Muscle Mass: 179.0 lbs - Skeletal Muscle: 111.8 lbs - Body Water: 140.8 lbs - Visceral Fat: 10 - BMI: 32.1 Body fat percentage at 23.3% is a huge milestone. I've lost over 2% body fat in two weeks (from 25.2% at week 26 to 23.3% now). Visceral fat at 10 is another health win. This is the fat around your organs that causes metabolic problems. Getting this number down is more important than scale weight. The 3.8 lbs of fat lost this week while gaining 0.6 lbs of muscle shows the protocol is dialed in. ## YouTube Growth: 403 Subscribers The YouTube channel hit **403 subscribers** this week. From 29 subscribers just 8 weeks ago to 403 now - that's nearly 14x growth in two months. I really didn't expect this kind of response when I started. The support on both the blog and YouTube has been incredible. Thank you all for following along. **Daily content continues:** 5 uploads Monday-Friday + 1 Saturday weekly summary embedded in the blog post. If you want to follow the daily updates, subscribe at [@Dark.Rebuild](https://www.youtube.com/@Dark.Rebuild). ## StepUp Challenge: Week 28 Update We're holding steady at **12 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). ## The Hunger Challenge: Discipline Over Chemistry The loss of hunger suppression from retatrutide is interesting from a data perspective. For 27 weeks, I've had pharmaceutical help keeping appetite in check. Now that it's gone, I'm relying entirely on: 1. **Meal timing:** Waiting for planned eating windows 2. **Meal composition:** High protein, moderate carbs post-workout, low carb rest of day 3. **Discipline:** White knuckling through hunger signals 4. **Slow gastric emptying:** Still getting this from reta, which helps with satiety once I do eat The fact that my body is screaming for more food while I'm losing fat this aggressively suggests the protocol is working. My metabolic rate has increased from the added muscle mass, and my body wants to support that new tissue. But I'm not ready to increase calories yet. I'm still cutting toward 15-18% body fat. Once I hit that range, I'll reassess and likely do a controlled reverse diet to find my maintenance calories at the higher muscle mass. For now, the hunger is just data telling me that my metabolism is alive and well. ## The Recomp Sweet Spot This week showed what happens when everything lines up: - HGH mobilizing fat overnight - Nutrient timing supporting muscle growth in the morning - Deep ketosis for 12+ hours per day - High training volume 6 days per week - Adequate protein intake - Controlled calorie deficit The result: **3.8 lbs of fat lost, 0.6 lbs of muscle gained, 1.2% body fat drop in one week.** This is the recomp sweet spot. I'm not trying to maintain this pace - it's not sustainable or necessary. But it shows what's possible when the variables align. Looking forward to the DEXA scan in 4 weeks to validate whether these numbers are real or if the bioimpedance scale is drifting. ::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.