Weight-loss drug found to shrink muscle in mice, human cells

It would seem wise to potentially add a low dosed anabolic androgenic steroid like Anavar (Oxandrolone) [1] during a course of Ozempic. This would help keep skeletal muscle in tact during a calorie deficient period. A low dose wouldn't be expected to cause much, if any, side effects. But it's something that would be best put through rigorous studies.

But bodybuilders have been using tricks like these for decades (obviously at much more ridiculously high amounts) that work quite successfully for this exact purpose.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxandrolone

There are non-steroidal OTC supplements that are specifically anti-catabolic instead of anabolic like HMB[1], a metabolite of the amino acid leucine, and also widely used in the fitness community. Personally I have no idea which is preferable though, or whether anti-catabolism is something actually positive, as we know the importance of autophagy of senescent cells for longevity. Most of the literature I read suggests the less growth signalling, the better longevity, with the only exception being the frail elderly.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%92-Hydroxy_%CE%B2-methylbu...

I have done exactly this. I stack semaglutide with ~ 1 ml testosterone and .35 ml of anavar weekly. I’ve transitioned out of regularly competing in powerlifting to running and yoga everyday. 47lbs down in 5 months and havent felt this good since college.

Most data on HMB shows that it is effective in preserving muscle mass in people with cancer cachexia or the eldery, results are generally not great for those without specific diseases or of younger age.

I'm still taking it because it's cheap and I figure I might as well, but anavar is likely significantly more effective.

Yes, HMB is another compound that would be potentially very beneficial during catabolic times such as extreme weight loss. The typical dosage would be 3g/day.

Examine has done excellent write ups on all the research related to it, which can be found below. They recently paywalled the bulk of it, but it's still on the wayback.

https://web.archive.org/web/20240310004421/https://examine.c...

Can you tell if you're retaining muscle with that combination? Is this a doctor prescribed protocol or a DIY stack?

I have had three major bouts of weightloss so I can say with some confidence im retaining muscle in my lower body (because of the return to running) but have lost a lot in my chest and back from the significant reduction in heavy lifting but the muscle definition is better. This is almost exactly what we expected to happen and yes, Im working with an actual sports focused md. Insurance costs for HRT and wegovy were through the roof.

You might consider doing some body fat vs muscle ratio comparison tests. There are 3 methods that give pretty good results. DEXA, Bod Pod & Hydrostatic weighing. I never investigated it much, but I had a buddy who tried all three & felt hydrostatic was the best and most affordable.

I don't know if these are the best resources, I only gave them a cursory glance. The summary does a good job.

AI Summary (Brave Searc) - Hydrostatic, DEXA, Bod Pod Comparison https://search.brave.com/search?q=hydrostatic+weighing+vs+de...

Oh Ive done dexa’s before, I mostly dont care about hard body comp numbers anymore. Part of this latest “journey” is separating my identity from the “stats” of my body, because I was defined by them for so long. I want to spend my time feeling and looking good now.