## YouTube Summary Subscribe at https://www.youtube.com/@Dark.Rebuild if you prefer video format. ::youtube[{"videoId":"Pv3Aj2FUSho"}] ## Current Stats - **Week 38 Weight:** 227.2 lbs - **Weekly Change:** -5.8 lbs - **Total Progress:** -109.4 lbs - **Body Fat %:** 16.8% (scale reading, likely ~18% realistic) - **Waist:** 33.34" (down ~1" from last check-in) - **Retatrutide:** 4mg weekly - **Testosterone Replacement Therapy:** 150mg weekly (prescription through clinic) - **GHK-Cu:** 2mg daily - **MOTS-c:** 5mg twice weekly (Monday/Thursday) ::gallery[{"images":["https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/bfef92e3-edf1-424a-a2ab-f1ee75fba3eb.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/16114077-e302-4040-a359-ead1e1ca62fa.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/52e6025e-ddfa-4f0a-8bd0-89a38b744d34.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/bfd8cf8e-0acb-44fa-b7a9-a17be4613f68.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/75b980ee-5952-48c1-ae3f-6fab76baced0.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/819b7ddd-c14f-41bc-a91a-1536127f5330.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/ec0a7540-dc7c-4526-a355-d78c5e4de1e5.png"],"captions":["","","","","","",""]}] I skipped the Week 37 post. Sometimes life just moves faster than the content schedule. But week 38 made up for it. **227.2 lbs. The 230s are done.** 5.8 pounds down this week. An inch off the waist. 109.4 pounds total from that 336.6 starting point. And for the first time in a while, stepping on the scale at 4am on a Saturday morning was actually a positive experience. ## Breaking the 230 Curse The last two weeks were a stall. Stuck at 233. March in general was just messy, between the water fast rebound and then stabilizing and waiting for the scale to catch up to reality. Looking back, I should have just stuck to what was working instead of experimenting with the fast. Would have been further along by now. But that's the thing about documenting this in real time, you get to watch someone make mistakes and then course correct. No curated highlight reel here. This week though, the dam broke. 5.8 lbs on the scale, and the body composition data backs it up. ## The Body Composition Breakdown According to the RENPHO scale: **Fat mass change:** -3.0 lbs. That tracks with how I've been feeling and what I'm seeing in the mirror. **Water mass change:** -2.2 lbs. Honestly I think the water loss was higher than what the scale is reading. My midsection visually tightened up significantly this week, and that level of change usually means more water came off than 2.2 lbs. **Body fat percentage:** Scale says 16.8%. I think that's a little optimistic. These scales tend to tell you you're leaner than you really are. My guess is closer to 18%. The DEXA scan will sort that out, planned for mid-May at the 12 week mark from the last one. **Visceral fat:** Level 5. The last DEXA only had a few grams left so I'm not putting much weight into this number anymore. The big physical change was the waist measurement. Went from 34.37" to 33.34" this week. Basically a full inch. I feel narrower. I don't know if that's the right word for it, but everything just feels tighter through the midsection. ![Week 38 RENPHO Report](https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/62c9a891-2172-46b4-87f5-360cb833fcfe.JPG) ## Diet Shift: IF/OMAD and a Menu Overhaul This week wasn't just about staying zero carb. I made a bigger change and shifted to an intermittent fasting/OMAD style eating pattern. Most days I didn't eat until 4:30pm and finished by 8:30pm with my last Fair Life shake. The meals themselves changed too. I swapped out the chicken for canned tuna. First meal is 3 cans of tuna with garlic toum for fat and pickled jalapenos, plus 3 mini cucumbers. Second meal is 3 whole eggs and 1 cup of egg whites with a third cup of cottage cheese. Some days I added 2 slices of keto bread (1 net carb each) with turkey slices, American cheese, and mayo. Still hitting 230 to 240 grams of protein daily. The approach is simple and repeatable, which is what matters when you're trying to force the scale to move again. This was a deliberate shift to break the stall, and I'll continue with it going forward. At this point it's pretty clear that my body responds better to low carbohydrate eating, at least at this body fat percentage. The first half of this entire process was 100% zero carb. Going back to what works just makes sense. I look a little flatter without glycogen filling out the muscles. But the goal right now is fat loss, not fullness. There will be time for that later. ## The Stack This Week **Retatrutide 4mg:** Still holding here. Plan is to stay at 4mg for another two to three weeks and then step down to 2mg as I approach 215. When I hit 215, that should put me roughly at 15% body fat based on my last DEXA numbers, assuming no lean mass change. That's the finish line for this cut. **GHK-Cu 2mg daily:** Still a staple. The skin and hair benefits continue to impress me, especially the reduction in grays. More haircuts, less gray. Even the beard, where some of my older videos show it nearly white in the chin area... that's reversed noticeably. I don't see this ever coming out of the protocol while I'm using peptides. **MOTS-c 5mg Monday/Thursday:** Still experimenting. This was the second week at 5mg twice weekly, up from 2.5mg. I can't pinpoint a specific advantage right now. No noticeable feeling one way or the other. Dosing recommendations are all over the place online. Next week I'm going to try three days a week and see if that changes anything. **TRT (prescription):** Standard protocol through my clinic. Continues to be an important part of the overall optimization. No changes here. ## Progress Photos The bedroom progress photos are consistent week to week for comparison purposes, but the natural light in that room makes it hard to see changes from one week to the next. Side by side with day one though, the transformation is obvious. Completely different person. I also take bathroom photos with less natural light. What I see in the bathroom mirror is closer to reality, closer to what my eyes actually see standing there. The camera still flattens things a bit, but overall I'm pretty happy with where things are at. ## Gym Schedule Change Dropping from 6 days to 5 days in the gym. Thursday becomes a rest day now. New split: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, rest Thursday, Friday, Saturday, rest Sunday. Reducing the volume slightly and increasing rest time. Recovery matters, especially deep into a cut like this. The body needs time to rebuild, and I've been pushing hard enough that an extra rest day makes sense at this stage. ## YouTube Lab Partners Update The tesamorelin test results came back this week. If you're a YouTube member and haven't checked those out yet, there's a video and a post with the COA and full breakdown available in the members-only content. There's also a new poll up with the next set of peptides to test. BPC is looking like the frontrunner right now, which surprised me. If you're interested in the testing group, click the Join button below any video on YouTube to get a membership. You get a vote on what we test next, access to the COAs and test breakdowns, and you're directly helping fund the third party testing that keeps this whole operation transparent. Appreciate everyone who's participating in the testing program. If you want to join and vote on the next peptide test, use the [join link on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRKyrE8khBaia7PHFqWdqpg/join). ## Channel & Recording Changes Vlogs are now Monday through Wednesday. Thursdays will become a live session format. Weekly check-in videos like this one will continue on their normal schedule. The live sessions are the big change. More interaction, more real-time Q&A, more community engagement. ## StepUp Challenge: Week 38 Update - 22 Members
Group Name retatrutidelog
Number of current members 22
Date Range 2026-03-21 to 2026-03-28
Sum of total steps of all members 829,536 steps
Avg daily steps of all members 6,744 steps/day
Total distance covered by group 377.06 miles [606.82 kms]
Weekly Wrap-up: 829K+ steps and 377+ miles covered with 22 members. Average daily steps: 6,744/day. The StepUp Challenge has been running since August 2025 and continues to be a solid accountability tool for the community.
Walking is underrated. It's low impact, it burns calories, and it gets you moving without destroying your joints while you're still carrying extra weight. 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). ## YouTube Growth: 1,754 Subscribers The YouTube channel continues to grow steadily.
📺 YouTube Channel
1,754
Subscribers
+172 since last check-in
Steady Growth 🚀
From 29 subscribers to 1,754 in 38 weeks. That's 60x growth. Vlogs Monday through Wednesday, Thursday lives starting next week, weekly check-ins continue. Thank you all for the support.
Subscribe on YouTube →
## What's Next **Diet:** Staying IF/OMAD, zero carb, high protein. The tuna and egg combo is simple, repeatable, and gets me to 230+ grams of protein daily. **Reta:** Holding at 4mg. Another 2 to 3 weeks here, then stepping down to 2mg as I close in on 215. **MOTS-c:** Trying 3 days per week starting next week. **DEXA scan:** Mid-May. That's 12 weeks from the last one and will validate everything the scale has been telling me. **Goal:** 215 lbs, roughly 15% body fat. At the current pace, probably 4 to 6 weeks out. 109.4 pounds down. 16.8% body fat on the scale, probably 18% in reality. Waist at 33.34". The 230s are in the rearview. Time to go finish this. ::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.