Why Retatrutide Alone Isn't Enough

Today is April Fool’s Day, which got me thinking about something I learned in my finance days — the greater fool theory.

In this financial concept, investors buy assets not because they’re intrinsically valuable but because they hope someone else (a greater fool) will buy them later at a higher price.

You can probably imagine how this investing strategy plays out for most people.

It may work in the short term, but in the long run….not good.

This reminded me exactly of how people approach fat loss today.

They chase after the next trendy peptide or miracle drug, betting everything on a quick fix, hoping someone or something will magically keep their results sustainable.

But like the investor stuck with a worthless asset when the bubble pops, people who rely solely on a single fat-loss solution inevitably find themselves stuck, disappointed, and back at square one.

Real, lasting fat loss requires a holistic, multi-pathway approach—not wishful thinking.

The truth is that fat loss isn't straightforward or simple—it’s much more nuanced.

Your body operates through interconnected metabolic pathways, and focusing exclusively on one, like the insulin or appetite pathway, will never deliver the holistic results you aim for.

I will flesh out this email in a future video titled something along the lines of “Summer Fat Loss for 2025,” but for now, I want to send you my initial thoughts on how to approach fat loss from first principles.

Today, let’s examine why this single-pronged approach fails and how a multi-dimensional strategy can overcome these limitations.

Understanding Your Body’s Fat Loss Pathways:

To achieve lasting fat loss, it's essential to address several interconnected metabolic pathways simultaneously.

Neglecting even one of these pathways can lead to suboptimal results, stalled progress, or worse, rebound weight gain. Here's a detailed look at each critical pathway you must optimize:

1. Hormone Pathway

Optimizing your hormones, especially testosterone for both men and women, is crucial for sustained fat loss.

Testosterone supports lean muscle mass, increases metabolism, and boosts overall energy levels.

Additionally, women benefit significantly from balanced estrogen and progesterone levels, which control fat distribution and metabolism.

2. Thyroid Pathway

Your thyroid is like the thermostat of your metabolism.

Using desiccated thyroid effectively helps regulate your body's energy expenditure, ensuring your metabolism is running at peak efficiency, thereby facilitating fat loss.

3. Insulin Pathway

This pathway involves peptides and medications like Retatrutide, Metformin, and Jardiance.

Retatrutide microdoses effectively regulate appetite and insulin sensitivity.

Metformin enhances insulin sensitivity, controls blood sugar, and promotes longevity.

Jardiance helps prevent excess glucose absorption and encourages your body to burn fat instead.

4. Mitochondrial Pathway

Your mitochondria are the powerhouses of your cells, directly responsible for energy production and metabolism.

Enhancing mitochondrial function using peptides like SLU-PP-332, BAM-15, MOTS-C, and SS-31 dramatically elevates your body's fat-burning potential at the cellular level.

These compounds work synergistically to increase metabolic rate, energy production, and overall mitochondrial efficiency.

5. Growth Hormone Pathway

Growth hormone (HGH) or peptides that stimulate HGH like Ipamorelin or Tesamorelin are essential for preserving muscle mass, promoting lipolysis (fat burning), and improving overall body composition.

Without addressing this pathway, you risk muscle loss, which can significantly slow your metabolism.

6. NAD Pathway

NAD+ is a crucial molecule that supports cellular energy production, metabolism, and overall longevity.

Boosting NAD+ levels through supplementation with NAD+ itself and/or 5-Amino-1MQ enhances metabolic efficiency, increases energy levels, and supports sustained fat loss efforts.

7. Metabolic Flexibility Pathway

Injectable L-Carnitine enhances your body's ability to efficiently switch between burning carbs and fats.

This metabolic flexibility is critical for sustained fat loss, improving exercise performance, and increasing energy efficiency.

8. Inflammation Pathway

Chronic inflammation can significantly disrupt your fat loss efforts, impair insulin sensitivity, and hinder metabolic efficiency.

Peptides such as BPC-157, KPV, and TB-500 effectively reduce systemic inflammation, helping you overcome metabolic resistance and facilitating consistent fat loss.

9. Appetite Regulation Pathway

Simply put, if you're always hungry, you'll eventually fail.

Appetite regulation using peptides and supplements like Cagrilintide, Tesofensine, or Calocurb (Amarasate extract) dramatically reduces cravings and hunger signals, making adherence to your dietary plan significantly easier.

Why Single-Peptide Approaches Often Fail:

Many people mistakenly assume that peptides like Retatrutide or Tirzepatide alone can address all their fat-loss needs.

While these peptides are powerful appetite suppressants and improve insulin sensitivity, they only influence one aspect of your body's complex metabolic network.

Neglecting the other pathways leaves you vulnerable to plateaus and rapid weight regain.

When you only focus on one metabolic pathway, other critical systems can become bottlenecks.

Hormonal imbalances can stall progress, mitochondrial inefficiencies can slow metabolism, and chronic inflammation can sabotage your results.

It's not that Retatrutide or Tirzepatide aren't effective—they are highly effective—but they must be part of a comprehensive strategy, not the entire strategy itself.

And before you double your dose of a GLP-1 peptide, you should always consider these other pathways.

The Power of Synergistic Pathway Activation:

When you address all these metabolic pathways simultaneously, you unlock a powerful synergy.

Your metabolism operates efficiently, inflammation decreases, hormonal balance is restored, mitochondria produce abundant energy, and your appetite remains comfortably controlled.

This multi-pronged approach not only accelerates fat loss but also ensures your results are sustained long-term.

Here’s a clear breakdown illustrating how each pathway impacts fat loss:

Hopefully, you’ll refer back to this email before deciding to up the dose of a GLP-1 or cut the calories to 800 per day!

Best,

Hunter Williams

P.S. I released my new video on BPC-157 and cancer today. Here is the link to check it out.