I Lost 35 lbs on Retatrutide — The Good, Bad & One Big Mistake

Summary

Ryan Sims describes losing about 35 pounds over four months while using retatrutide, starting at 2 mg and later increasing to 8 mg. This is his personal account, not a recommended dosing plan.

He began at 220 pounds and tracked his weight, binge eating and food noise, water retention, and bloating. Early on, he found it easier to stop eating and think less about food. He lost 10–12 pounds in the first couple of weeks, which he believed included substantial water loss. His bloating also improved.

As his dose increased, appetite control became stronger, but so did the side effects. At higher doses, he experienced significant nausea and heartburn, ate very little, and felt tired and less able to exercise. He also noticed a subtle loss of enjoyment and motivation—including less excitement about surfing—which he described as anhedonia. After reaching 183 pounds, he began reducing his dose because the side effects no longer seemed worth continuing.

A follow-up DEXA scan showed that his body-fat percentage had fallen from 24% to 17%, but he had also lost about 7 pounds of muscle. His central takeaway was that reaching a scale-weight goal did not necessarily mean achieving the healthier, stronger body he wanted.

Strategies and Lessons He Emphasizes

• Set a meaningful “why” and define what success means. His goals included long-term health, surfing, and looking good—not just losing weight.
• Track more than the scale. He also monitored eating patterns, food noise, bloating, and water retention, and used DEXA scans to assess body composition.
• Be patient with weight fluctuations. He says he would have waited longer before reacting to a brief stall by increasing the dose, since body weight can fluctuate for reasons other than fat loss.
• Use appetite suppression to build sustainable habits. He emphasizes treating it as an opportunity to establish healthy routines, rather than simply eating as little as possible.
• Prioritize body composition and function. He highlights adequate protein and other nutrients, resistance training, cardio, recovery, strength, and activities you enjoy.
• Build habits that work in everyday life. He highlights learning to eat while traveling or with family, and handling an off-plan meal without turning it into an off-plan week.
• Pay attention to quality of life, not only measurable outcomes. Changes in mood, motivation, enjoyment, energy, and exercise capacity mattered in his decision to reduce the dose.
• View medication as a tool, not a substitute for behavior change. He is concerned that weight loss may not last if eating, training, and other habits do not change.

Presenters and Sources

• Presenter: Ryan Sims
• Source or framework mentioned: Simon Sinek, regarding the importance of having a “why” and a “what”
• Clinical trials: Referred to generally; no specific trial source is identified in the subtitles.