/ Kills / FAT KILL

#03 / ADIPOSEEducation · not medical advice

FAT KILL

“Not a diet. A vendetta.”

Foundations first The evidence Labs to discuss Questions for your clinician

// 01

The goal.

Lose fat, keep muscle, and keep it off — while improving the numbers that actually predict disease: blood sugar, blood pressure, ApoB, liver fat.

This topic spans the full range of evidence on this site: one FDA-approved drug with large trials behind it, one investigational drug still in trials, and one peptide whose human trials did not pan out.

// 02

Foundations first.

Protein

Adequate protein protects muscle while you lose weight and keeps you fuller.

Resistance training

Lifting is how you make sure the weight you lose is mostly fat. It matters even more on appetite-suppressing drugs.

Sleep

Short sleep raises hunger hormones and makes every food decision harder.

Alcohol and ultra-processed food

The two easiest places to find calories you will not miss.

Measure what matters

Waist circumference and labs tell you more than the scale.

The free version of all of this: S.T.A.R.T.E.D.

// 03

The compounds people ask about.

GLP-1-class drugs changed this conversation. Here is the difference between an approved drug, an investigational drug and an unapproved peptide — and why that difference matters for your safety.

No doses, schedules, combinations or sources — by design.

Evidence · FDA-approved drug

Tirzepatide

Mounjaro · Zepbound

What it is

A prescription drug that activates two gut-hormone receptors (GIP and GLP-1). It is FDA-approved as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and as Zepbound for chronic weight management and for obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity.

How it’s thought to work

Slows stomach emptying, reduces appetite and improves insulin response to food.

What the research shows

—Large randomized controlled trials in diabetes and obesity. Of everything discussed on this site, this has the strongest evidence base.

Risks and side effects

—Common: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation.
—Serious: pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, low blood sugar when combined with some diabetes medicines, kidney problems from dehydration.
—Boxed warning: thyroid C-cell tumours in rodents. Not used by people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2.
—Weight lost includes some muscle; protein intake and resistance training matter.
—Not for use in pregnancy.

Regulatory status

—FDA-approved, prescription only, for the uses listed above.
—FDA has warned the public about unapproved, counterfeit and compounded GLP-1 products, including ones sold online.

Sources

Evidence · Human trials · not approved

Retatrutide

What it is

An investigational drug from Eli Lilly that activates three receptors (GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon).

How it’s thought to work

Appetite and gut-hormone effects like tirzepatide, plus glucagon-receptor effects on energy use.

What the research shows

—A phase 2 trial found large weight reductions compared with placebo. Phase 3 trials are under way or reporting.
—Long-term safety and outcome data do not exist yet.

Risks and side effects

—In trials: gastrointestinal side effects and an increase in heart rate. Longer-term risks are unknown.

Regulatory status

—Not FDA-approved. It is an investigational drug available legitimately only inside clinical trials or a manufacturer’s supervised access programme.
—Anything sold online as “retatrutide” is not an approved or legally marketed drug.

Sources

Evidence · Human trials · not approved

AOD-9604

What it is

A modified fragment from the tail end of human growth hormone.

How it’s thought to work

In animal studies it affected fat metabolism without raising IGF-1 or blood sugar the way full growth hormone does.

What the research shows

—Its developer ran human obesity trials in the 2000s. They did not show a meaningful effect on weight, and development for weight loss was stopped.

Risks and side effects

—FDA cites possible immune reactions, impurities, limited safety information, and serious adverse events that may be associated with it (causality unclear).

Regulatory status

—Not approved by FDA for any use.
—FDA put it in “category 2” of its compounding policy — substances that may present significant safety risks. The nomination was later withdrawn, and in April 2026 FDA moved it to the “nominated but withdrawn” list on the same page, which still sets out its safety concerns. Withdrawal does not make it approved, and it does not place it in category 1 (the substances FDA is still evaluating for compounding).

Sources

// 04

Labs to discuss.

Worth asking your clinician about before you change anything:

—HbA1c and fasting glucose.
—Fasting insulin (and HOMA-IR) — it often rises years before HbA1c.
—Lipid panel with ApoB.
—Comprehensive metabolic panel — liver and kidney function.
—TSH.
—Family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2 — tell your prescriber before any GLP-1-class drug.

The full baseline panel →

// 05

Questions for your clinician.

01Am I a candidate for an approved medication, and which one fits my history?
02How will we protect muscle while I lose weight?
03What side effects should make me call you?
04What happens when I stop — and what is the plan for keeping the weight off?

// 06

Keep reading.

Proactive Health

The Labs To Run Before Your First Peptide

// 07

Related kills.

#01 / SLOW HEALING

RECOVERY KILL

“Recover like you borrowed the body.”

BPC-157TB-500GHK-Cu

FOUNDATIONS · EVIDENCE · LABSREAD →

#02 / INSOMNIA

SLEEP KILL

“Die better at night.”

DSIPEpitalonPinealon

FOUNDATIONS · EVIDENCE · LABSREAD →

#04 / TIME

LONGEVITY KILL

“Outlive your enemies.”

EpitalonThymalinNAD+

FOUNDATIONS · EVIDENCE · LABSREAD →

// Education · not medical advice

Talk to a licensed clinician.

This is education, not medical advice. KILLER*.HEALTH does not publish doses, schedules or combinations, does not sell or recommend any compound, and does not tell you where to get one. Compounds described here that are not FDA-approved have not been shown to be safe or effective. Before starting, stopping or changing anything about your health, talk to a licensed clinician who knows your history.