## YouTube Summary Subscribe at https://www.youtube.com/@Dark.Rebuild if you prefer video format. ::youtube[{"videoId":"5hv8YXm-d3w"}] ## Current Stats - **Week 22 Weight:** 264.4 lbs - **Weekly Change:** 0.0 lbs (neutral) - **Total Progress:** -72.2 lbs - **Retatrutide:** 12mg (Split dosing Monday and Thursday) - **HGH:** 4iu daily (2iu AM fasted before gym, 2iu before bed) - **Testosterone Cypionate:** 150mg weekly (3x 50mg) - **SLU-PP-332:** 10mg daily (5mg AM, 5mg PM) - **GHK-Cu:** 2.5mg daily ::gallery[{"images":["https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/274f7578-e5ed-4eae-b877-a4bceaeb0adc.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/bce9f388-ffb0-4d0d-a624-bc694661c76d.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/d6d87801-292e-4000-9b81-f65312066b6f.png","https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/d634bdb9-fe07-4c7c-81d2-b25e2d4bb734.png"],"captions":["","","",""]}] The scale weight stayed exactly the same this week at 264.4 lbs, but the body composition shifted. According to my RENPHO scale, I lost 2.2 lbs of fat and gained 2.0 lbs of lean mass, which netted out to zero on the scale. That lean mass is glycogen, inflammation, water, all the stuff that comes with refeeding carbs and increasing training intensity. The mirror keeps telling a different story than the scale. Definition is definitely showing up more in person than what my camera captures in these progress photos. Still haven't figured out those magical lighting settings to make myself look like an amazing bodybuilder, and that's probably not happening anytime soon. ## The Scale Can Mess With Your Head I'm not going to lie, this week got to me a little bit. Last week I didn't panic over the 2.2 lb gain because I knew it was coming. But this week, seeing neutral movement, combined with some mild constipation causing daily fluctuations, threw me into a bit of a tailspin. I weigh myself throughout the week, and watching those numbers bounce around while dealing with digestive issues made the inner monologue start creeping in. But I came out of it. At the end of the day, I feel like I'm making progress in the mirror. The photos show changes even if my camera doesn't capture them as dramatically as I see them in real life. This is the mental game nobody talks about. It's one thing to say out loud "don't get wrapped up in the scale," and it's a completely different thing to actually do it as a human. Progress photos, the mirror, and then third, the scale. If you can see changes on the scale, great. But even when the total number doesn't move, body composition can still be changing. If this was easy, everybody would be walking around skinny and loving the gym. ## Glucose Response Testing: Processing Carbs Like a Machine One thing I've been curious about is how my body is handling the carb reintroduction. After 19 weeks of low carb, I wanted to verify that adding rice back wasn't causing glucose issues. **December 1st test (workout day):** - Post-gym, still fasted: 88 mg/dL at 6:24am - Ate breakfast including 1/2 cup white rice - Tested again at 7:59am: 85 mg/dL That's outstanding. My glucose actually dropped slightly after eating carbs. No spike whatsoever. My body is processing carbs efficiently even in a fasted training state. **Previous Sunday test (rest day):** - Fasted: 81 mg/dL - Post-meal: 105 mg/dL (slight bump) - Later: Back down to 80 mg/dL On a rest day I saw a small, normal post-meal increase that came right back down. On a training day, I saw nothing. My working muscles are pulling glucose so efficiently that there's no measurable spike even with 1/2 cup of rice. This confirms what my DEXA scan already showed: my metabolic health is improving significantly. The combination of retatrutide, training, and the protocol stack is keeping my glucose regulation tight even while reintroducing carbs. ## Protocol Updates: HGH Timing Change I made one adjustment to my HGH dosing this week. Instead of taking all 4iu in the morning fasted before the gym, I'm now splitting it: - **2iu AM fasted before gym** - **2iu evening before bed** The reasoning: growth hormone naturally pulses in two main windows, early morning and during deep sleep. By splitting the dose, I'm working with the body's natural rhythm instead of trying to override it with a single large morning dose. Everything else stays the same: - 12mg retatrutide split Monday/Thursday - 150mg testosterone cypionate (three 50mg injections per week, fixed schedule) - 10mg SLU-PP-332 daily (5mg morning, 5mg afternoon) - I'm back on this after testing 5-Amino-1MQ - 2.5mg GHK-Cu daily (I mix this myself from raw powder, same filtering process as 5-Amino) ## Sleep Quality: The Stack Is Working My sleep continues to be excellent. I'm consistently getting at least 45 minutes of deep sleep and over an hour of REM every night. Even on nights when I don't get to bed until 11:30 or midnight instead of my usual 10pm target, I'm still hitting deep sleep numbers. I'm attributing this completely to the sleep stack I've been taking since August. It took some time to kick in, but I'm really noticing the effects now. I've worn a Garmin watch for eight years, so I have extensive baseline data from before I was fat, while I was fat, and now during this transformation. The sleep improvement is showing up in my recovery and in my labs. I'm planning to post my complete supplementation stack soon, everything I'm taking to support this entire process. The sleep component alone has been a game changer. If you haven't read it, I detailed my sleep solution in [Fixing Retatrutide Insomnia: The Deep Sleep Supplement Solution](https://retatrutidelog.com/posts/fixing-retatrutide-insomnia-deep-sleep-supplement). ## Work Stress and Step Count I'm coming out of a pretty high-stress work project that's finally reaching its end. At least time to turn it in. That's going to be a relief going into the holidays, and I'll be able to turn attention back to things I've neglected, like getting my step count back up. I know it's cliché that everybody says "I've been busy," but shit's got to get done. I'm still making it to the gym every day, six days a week, up at 4:15am. But my daily step count has been lower during this work sprint than where I had it before. Going forward into the next weeks, I'm planning to get the step count back up to where it was prior to this huge push to get the project finished. ## Adding Tape Measurements Starting this week, I'm adding tape measurements back into my tracking. I last measured my abdomen on October 10th and it was 45.31 inches (measured about 2 inches above the belly button). This morning post-meal: 40.9 inches. That's **4.41 inches lost** in about 2 months. This is exactly why I'm adding measurements back. The scale stayed flat this week, but I lost over 4 inches off my midsection since mid-October. The belly is still my main problem area, but it's clearly shrinking. The scale can lie. Progress photos can be misleading depending on lighting and angles. But the tape measure doesn't care about water weight or lighting. If the measurement goes down, I'm making progress. And 4.41 inches is undeniable progress. ![61aRflDh0mL._SL1500_-fotor-2025120614443.png](https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/8c72e736-7527-4e7c-8b45-30cfab639680.png) For reference, I'm using this [digital tape measure](https://amzn.to/3XBka6P), much easier to get accurate measurements when you're doing it solo. ## RENPHO Scale Report: Week 22 Body Composition ![report (15)-1-fotor-2025120614378.png](https://retatrutidelog.com/uploads/8f1f59ff-2cfb-48f3-b8e9-5354f79cc37e.png) The [RENPHO smart scale](https://amzn.to/4rMH6Ok) confirms what I suspected: body recomposition is happening even when the scale weight stays flat. **Week 22 vs Week 21 changes:** - Weight: 264.4 lbs (no change) - Body Fat Mass: 74.8 lbs (down from 77.0 lbs, **-2.2 lbs fat**) - Body Fat %: 28.3% (down from 29.1%, **-0.8% drop**) - Muscle Mass: 176.8 lbs (up from 174.8 lbs, **+2.0 lbs**) - Skeletal Muscle Mass: 110.2 lbs (up from 108.6 lbs, **+1.6 lbs**) - Body Water Mass: 139.0 lbs (up from 137.4 lbs, **+1.6 lbs**) This is exactly what happens during a carb refeed with increased training. The scale stayed at 264.4, but I lost 2.2 lbs of fat and added 2 lbs of lean mass (water, glycogen, possibly some muscle). The body fat percentage dropped from 29.1% to 28.3%. These bioimpedance scales have limitations, especially when hydration changes significantly. But the trend is clear: fat is going down, lean mass is stable or increasing, and the body composition continues to improve. ## StepUp Challenge: Now 8 Members! Welcome to our newest member!
Group Name retatrutidelog
Number of current members 8
Date Range 2025-11-28 to 2025-12-05
Sum of total steps of all members 508,204 steps
Avg daily steps of all members 7,940 steps/day
Total distance covered by group 231.00 miles [371.76 kms]
Weekly Wrap-up: 508K+ steps and 231+ miles covered with 8 members. Average daily steps: 7,940/day. Group keeps growing!
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). ::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** 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.