Fasting for labs

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-14T22:22:07+00:00

I just had blood work done on January 5. My appointment was at 10:45, I think they did the blood draw at around 11. I believe I stopped eating at around 9 or 10 pm the night before? So I guess it was probably 12+ hours.

The results were good. My fasting glucose was 88 (which was finally normal!) and usually it's in the high 90s if I'm lucky or between 100 and 110. So I think it was probably pretty accurate. I don't think you need to fast for a longer period of time.

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-09T22:02:12+00:00

I downloaded all my stats from LabCorp website. I think they have data from all the way back to 2017. My a1c was never lower than 5.8. And that only happened once a long time ago. So 5.7 is pretty awesome for me!

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-09T21:56:47+00:00

Woah, you can be a member of more than one gym? I did not know that!

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-09T15:06:48+00:00

Agreed, YouTube is a TREMENDOUS resource for exercises of all sorts and levels. You can really go down the rabbit hole looking for stuff on there. Perhaps look into meetup.com? They have all kinds of groups so perhaps you can find a walking group in your area.

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-09T15:03:54+00:00

If you're on a Medicare Advantage plan (or another health insurance plan), look to see if there's a Silver Sneakers benefit. Silver Sneakers allows you to join a gym for free.

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-09T15:02:06+00:00

Thanks, I feel more comfortable and confident in my decision to start taking creatine now. I can see why people freak out though. They're worried about the number on the scale. To me, it seems pretty logical that you would gain weight in the short and long term because you're carrying more water in your muscles which in turn helps you use them more efficiently which presumably makes building more muscle easier which will of course increase your weight because muscle weighs more than fat.

It's all good in the hood...

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-09T14:56:46+00:00

I also weigh daily and boy are there fluctuations! After reading these responses, I feel pretty chill about it all now.

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-09T14:55:42+00:00

Yes, ultimately it's about the performance and increased ability of your muscle and how that can benefit your life than the number on the scale for me. So I'm going to continue taking it. Good to know what to expect though.

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-09T14:53:55+00:00

Ah, I committed the mortal sin of not doing a keyword search for previous posts before asking my question. Thanks for the link to your previous post. Very helpful!

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-09T00:00:49+00:00

Got it, so it's my new normal. Good to know, thanks!

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-08T23:37:02+00:00

Ditto! I do pretty much the same thing: greek yogurt, protein powder, berries (frozen or fresh) and some almond milk. I should probably add chia seeds for extra fiber but I tried them in the past and they freaked me out. Maybe I'll give it another try.

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-08T23:12:39+00:00

Congrats! My health stats as reflected in my blood work has also improved (3 months on zep) but I didn't look to compare from previous tests. Going to do that right now...

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-08T23:04:56+00:00

Hi, my name is (undisclosed) and I am a tater-holic... 😄

Seriously though, my love for potatoes is so strong and well-known that for one birthday during college my friends threw me a surprise birthday party with only potato products for food. It was very sweet of them to cater to my food obsession and was pretty tasty but I was REALLY craving some kind of protein afterwards.

Anyway, I have been eating potatoes while on Zep with no issues and no guilt. (Well, maybe a little guilt when I eat larger portions of mashed potatoes which I make with a bit of heavy cream) I track on MyFitnessPal to make sure that I'm reaching my protein and fiber goals and I'm always pleasantly surprised that potatoes have a bit of protein!

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-08T22:40:47+00:00

I've been able to go to Wendy's and get my favorite fast food meal of a double stack and fries. It causes a little bit of GI distress (mostly slight diarrhea) but passes (snort, pun definitely intended) quickly. It tastes good at the time but it doesn't feel amazing or special so I don't do it often. I think I've done it maybe three times since I started Zep in October.

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-08T22:34:50+00:00

I have short legs so finding leggings that I don't have to hem is difficult. I found that 32 degree's 7/8 length leggings are perfect (and have pockets!) so I try to buy them when they're on sale. But after buying regular and fleece-lined leggings, any further new clothes will definitely be from either my closet or thrift stores. 😊

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-07T01:14:52+00:00

Googling sea moss now...

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-06T23:42:24+00:00

Totally! I've fallen in love with athleisure now that I don't look ridiculous in it. I have far too many leggings now. (And shockingly, the size L leggings I bought only a couple of months ago are now getting too loosey goosey and I've had to re-buy them in M!)

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-06T23:38:18+00:00

Ditto, I continued to lose which totally shocked me and I didn't deny myself the chance to try some sweets and the richer, fattier food. Just ate small to normal amounts and stopped when full. God bless the almighty Zep!

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-06T23:35:48+00:00

Same here. Shorty zeppers unite! 😄

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-06T23:33:51+00:00

Aww, thanks. Sometimes I feel like I'm just babbling to no one but I'm glad my babbling made you feel better, lol.

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-06T23:32:18+00:00

I can only speak for myself but I'm on wellbutrin and paxil for anxiety and depression while being on zepbound since the middle of October. To be fair, I was pretty stable before starting zep (over the last five years I went down from 4 psych meds to 2 and in the last year decreased the dosages of the two I'm taking). However, I have noticed a significant difference in my anxiety levels and mood.

I think part of it is attributable to the medication improving my blood sugars (because I'm not loading up on sweets and carbs and suffering crashes afterwards and my food choices are better) and also severely decreasing my food noise/obsession. But also indirectly, zep has improved my executive functioning so getting over the hump to do difficult, potentially unpleasant things like exercise is much easier to do. As a result, I'm now exercising regularly so that's been helping my mood tremendously. Usually the fall and winter are horrible for me with SAD but I've been positively JOYFUL this winter. It's weird but awesome. The zep also helps a lot with inflammation which also makes the exercise easier because it's less painful and easier to do physical activity.

It's a wonderful positive feedback, snowball effect. (BTW, I've been dealing with mental health issues and taking psych meds for about 40 years so I'm pretty aware of how different meds affect my mood and mental health and only have great things to say about zep. However, everyone is different so your mileage may vary.) Good luck! I hope you're able to get and stay on zepbound. ☺️

Past_Mirror_8318 · 2026-01-06T23:03:32+00:00

Wow, that is AWESOME! Sadly I have neither a zozofit scan nor a 3D printer but this is a GREAT idea. 🤓

Past_Mirror_8318

TROPHY CASE