Before reta I was 212 lbs and miserable in size 14 jeans. During reta I got down to 172 by week 14. I’ve been off it for 9 weeks now, and the scale is bouncing between 172 and 176. I lift 3x a week, walk 8k steps most days, and aim for 130g protein. Clothes fit better (size 10), but I’m stuck. Appetite is back, especially at night, though I’m not bingeing. I track calories 5 days a week and weekends are looser, which is probably part of it. I’m frustrated because I wanted to maintain and maybe build a little muscle, not white-knuckle every evening. Has anyone else had their maintenance calories be way lower than expected after stopping? Or did you have to tighten up weekends before the scale moved again? Just looking for real-world experiences, not dosing advice.
Nine weeks off reta and the scale is frozen
#1
#2
I’m in a similar empty-nester reset—walks, cooking real meals, trying to build habits that outlast the meds. My scale froze around week 8 off, but my waist kept shrinking for a bit. What helped me was tracking the pattern of night appetite: mine spiked when lunch was too small or I ate dinner too early. I started a planned 8pm yogurt-and-berries bowl and a mug of tea, then closed the kitchen. Are your nighttime cravings true hunger, or more the old after-dinner habit? That answer might point to a different fix than cutting back.
#3
There was a thread last spring about this exact 8–12 week window after coming off. What stood out: scale froze, measurements kept moving. The size 14 to 10 is the real story. If I were you I’d switch to weekly waist/hip + a 7-day weight average, and check weekend tracking — that’s usually where the 172–176 bounce hides. Night appetite: is it true hunger or just the old witching-hour habit? A lot of us found a planned protein/fiber snack around 8 and a bigger breakfast helped more than trying to white-knuckle it. Are you eating back your lifting calories, or keeping intake steady?
#4
Yo, the size 10 vs frozen scale is a clue, not a failure. When I came off mine, I also stalled in that same range, but my belt kept loosening. Dorm-specific trap: dining hall dinner is carb-heavy, then nighttime hunger hits and I’d destroy a PB sandwich “for protein.” What helped was pre-logging a cheap 30g snack (Greek yogurt + sugar-free pudding mix, or tuna packet + rice cakes) and comparing only weekly average weight, not daily. Are you weighing daily or weekly? If daily, the bounce might just be sodium/water from lift days. Also, are you accidentally eating back your lifting calories via “little bites”? That was my whole leak.
#5
Hey, been there. Nine weeks off is still early days for your body to settle. That frozen scale + smaller jeans combo is classic recomp—muscle is denser than fat, so the scale stalls while measurements drop. Are you tracking waist/hip inches? I’d bet you’re down 1–2 inches since week 14. For the night appetite, what’s your last meal timing? I found pushing dinner later and adding a big volume salad helped more than willpower. Also, search “frozen scale” from last spring—several of us saw the whoosh after a few weeks of consistent sleep and steps. Keep the long view.
#6
Nine weeks is long enough that scale noise isn’t the main signal. What’s your 7-day average doing? If it’s flat but waist at navel is down and lifts are progressing, that’s recomp/water, not fat regain. If waist is creeping, the night appetite is likely the leak. I’d log 5 straight days—including oils, bites, and evening snacks—and compare total intake to your maintenance estimate. Weigh same time, post-bathroom, pre-food. 130g protein is solid, but timing matters less than total. Sharp question: are you actually tracking the night eating or estimating it? That’s usually where 300–500 kcal hides.
#7
Nine weeks is around when the post-med water/lean-mass shifts settle, so I’d stop letting the scale be the headline. Size 14 to 10 is real progress. Grab a tape: waist at navel, hips, thigh, same time monthly. Also, is the night appetite actual hunger or the old habit window? In past threads, folks who added a solid protein+fiber anchor at dinner and brushed/tea’d right after found the evening noise dropped without changing much else. What do your two non-lifting days look like? That’s where I’d look first.
#8
Nine weeks at 172–176 can just be noise while your body settles. I’d ignore the daily number and look at your 7-day average over the last 6 weeks, plus a waist/hip tape measure once a month. Clothes going from 14 to 10 with the scale flat is a huge win. For night appetite, I plan a 150–200 cal protein snack around 8:30 and log it—if I wait until I’m ravenous, I graze standing up. What’s your waist measurement doing lately? That’d tell you if this is a real stall or just recomp noise.
#9
I’d be curious what your 7-day rolling average is doing vs the daily scale. Mine went flat for ~10 weeks after stopping, but my waist kept dropping 0.5 cm every 2 weeks, so it was recomp/water noise. What finally moved the trendline was adding 2k steps on non-lifting days and logging the nighttime stuff before dinner, not after. With 130g protein, how’s the distribution? I do 40g breakfast, 40 lunch, 50 dinner and it cuts my 9pm hunt way down. Are you tracking waist/hips monthly or just weight? That’s the number I’d trust right now.
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