## Current Stats - **Week 10 Weight:** 289.6 lbs - **Weekly Loss:** 4.8 lbs - **Total Progress:** -46.8 lbs - **Retatrutide:** 8mg (my current sweet spot) - **Tesamorelin:** 2mg daily ::gallery[{"images":["https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/b0501a0e-8841-4ef7-ac4b-94413d0ee84a.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/0ea888f7-1521-47b4-8ce4-b04c7e2e2727.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/00130d1f-85b3-4ef9-b0f5-151ddb2d57da.png"],"captions":["Stomach projection down","Waist pulling in tighter","Love handles narrowing"]}] Another solid week in the books. Week 10 brought me down to **289.6 lbs** - that's 4.8 lbs this week and **46.8 lbs total** since starting this journey. I'm now at 8mg [retatrutide]{card:retatrutide} (which seems to be my sweet spot) and continuing with 2mg [tesamorelin]{card:tesamorelin} daily. I haven't included glucose or ketone readings in the last few weeks, but I've been tracking them consistently. The trends are worth talking about because they tell a pretty clear story of what's happening metabolically. ## Blood Sugar: The Tale of Two Phases ### Phase 1: Early Rettatruetide, July 4th to mid-August * Glucose was fluctuating mostly **90–120 mg/dL**. * Ketones were modest (0.5–1.0 mmol/L), suggesting you were either just entering ketosis or not fully stable in it yet. * This looks like your metabolism was still "transitioning", higher variability in glucose, ketones not consistently elevated. ### Phase 2: Retatrutide + Tesamorelin Combined (mid-Aug to early Sept) * Glucose has come **way down**, sitting steady in the **70–85 mg/dL** range. * Ketones are **consistently present** (1–1.5 mmol/L). * That combination (low/steady glucose + elevated ketones) = a **stable fat-oxidizing state**. * It also lines up with your reported fat loss rate (2–4.8 lbs/week). The metabolic shift explains the consistent weekly losses. My body has figured out how to efficiently use fat for fuel, and the retatrutide is keeping everything stable. ## Side Effects: Still Minimal on Retatrutide The only ongoing side effect from retatrutide is that sensitive skin feeling - like I can sense my shirt moving against my skin. It's barely noticeable at this point. I tried an allergy pill like some people recommended, but it didn't make much difference. Honestly, it's such a minor thing compared to the benefits. ## Tesamorelin Effects: Familiar IGF-1 Symptoms Tesamorelin is a GHRH analog that increases growth hormone release, leading to elevated IGF-1 levels. It's FDA-approved for HIV-related lipodystrophy but used off-label for body composition improvements. The tesamorelin is definitely making its presence known. I've got some joint tightness in my shoulders and hands when I wake up. Nothing major, just that "need to work out the kinks" feeling. But here's what's interesting - and this is going to sound weird - but these symptoms triggered a memory that suddenly made everything click. ## Military Days: Connecting 20-Year-Old Dots Back in my 20s when I was in special operations, I was lifting heavy daily, running long distances, and sitting at a much lower body fat percentage. I used to wake up with tight shoulders, arms that would "fall asleep" at night, and hands that felt stiff and weak in the mornings. At the time, I just thought this was normal. I'd pop some naproxen in the morning and get on with my day. It never occurred to me to question why a guy in his early 20s would need daily anti-inflammatories just to function. Now that I know what elevated IGF-1 feels like, those dots just randomly connected. I was probably at my natural GH peak back then - high IGF-1 levels from intense training, low body fat, and youth. The symptoms I'm experiencing now on tesamorelin are remarkably similar, just not as intense. It's funny how our brains work. Twenty years later, researching peptides and actually taking tesamorelin, suddenly that piece of my past makes perfect sense. In my early to mid-30s, I stopped having the arm numbness and weak grip on waking. That timing makes sense now - natural GH decline as I aged out of peak production years. ## Old Man Tangent Alert This reminded me of a story that still irritates me. During one deployment, I went to our flight medic asking for naproxen since Motrin doesn't do much for me. When I explained the morning hand stiffness, he completely overreacted. Next thing I know, he's driving me to the hospital and pushing me to the front of the line for hand X-rays. We walked past people in real agony - guys who'd just come in on a CASEVAC - so this PA could X-ray my hands. After the X-rays, I finally asked what we were looking for. His answer? "Making sure you don't have gout." I told him that was a waste - I don't have gout, no family history, nothing. He gave me the naproxen I'd originally asked for, and I went on my way. Nobody talked about this stuff back then. I had no clue WTF high IGF-1 was, let alone what the symptoms were. 20 years later and taking tesamorelin made me realize it was likely chronically elevated IGF-1 from youth, training, and low body fat. The connection became obvious once I actually knew what to look for. ## New Addition: 5-Amino-1MQ [5-Amino-1MQ]{card:5-amino-1mq} is a small molecule that inhibits NNMT, potentially increasing NAD+ availability and promoting fat loss through enhanced mitochondrial function. I added it on Saturday (my retatrutide injections are Thursdays, so I was a couple days late for a full week). I documented the whole process in my [Amazon shopping list post](https://retatrutidelog.com/posts/adding-5-amino-1mq-stack-amazon-shopping-list) and coming soon the mixing process I used (it's been a busy week). Honestly, I'm not detecting any effects from it yet. Nothing noticeable anyway. ## Body Temperature and Heart Rate Changes One thing I have noticed this week: my body temperature and heart rate are both elevated. I'm not sweating excessively, but I can feel that my baseline temp is higher. My Garmin shows my average heart rate for the last 7 days at 74 bpm, which is higher than normal. This is interesting because when I first started retatrutide, I actually saw my heart rate trending down, which I documented in [this earlier post](https://retatrutidelog.com/posts/retatrutide-heart-rate-decrease). But now, months into the protocol with tesamorelin added, it's trending upward. This shift aligns more with what most people report and what the studies show - retatrutide typically elevates heart rate. I'll keep tracking to see if this levels out or continues climbing. ## StepUp Challenge: No Longer Flying Solo Good news - I got someone to join my StepUp challenge! I'm not walking alone anymore. If you want to join our group and help keep each other motivated, check out [this post](https://retatrutidelog.com/posts/my-step-count-is-trash-started-a-group-to-fix-it) for the app info and group details. Here's our group report for the week:
Group Name retatrutidelog
Number of current members 2
Group creation date 2025-08-26
Date Range 2025-09-04 to 2025-09-11
Sum of total steps of all members 141,340 steps
Avg daily steps of all members 10,095 steps/day
Total distance covered by group 64.25 miles [103.40 kms]
Weekly Wrap-up: 141K+ steps and 64+ miles covered between two members over 8 days. Solid consistency!
With 2 members covering 141K+ steps and 64+ miles over 8 days, we've really stepped up our game. Averaging over 10K steps daily as a group - not bad for something that started because my step count was trash. ## Looking Ahead Week 10 was solid progress across the board. The metabolic data shows I'm in a stable fat-burning state, the side effects remain minimal and manageable, and I'm continuing to learn how these peptides work in real-world application. The IGF-1 connection to my military days was an unexpected insight. It's wild how taking tesamorelin helped me understand what was happening in my body 20 years ago. Sometimes the dots don't connect until you have the right context. Next week I'll be watching for any effects from 5-amino-1MQ, and keeping an eye on the elevated heart rate and body temperature. The deeper I go, the more connections I uncover, and I'm just getting started. 46.8 pounds down, metabolism humming, and the science just keeps getting more fascinating. ::subscribe[{"variant":"default"}] --- **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 (FDA)** 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.