Ursus1
Explorer
Weight has been a lifelong battle for me, along with this sense that something in my body just isn't functioning the way it should. Yet whenever I went to a doctor, the very first thing out of their mouth was that I was obese, and that dropping the pounds would fix everything. As if losing weight were that easy — clearly I would have done it long ago. I've never been in "terrible" health, but it's my health, and it bothers me.
For the last 3 years I've cycled on and off GL1P medications sourced from compounding pharmacies, with results and supply both fluctuating. Every bit of it came out of my own pocket, since my insurance — for which we pay an absurd amount — refuses to cover it. Bariatric surgery? Covered. An injection? Not covered.
About 4 years ago I hit my peak weight of 384 lbs. Since then the pounds have come off gradually, and this week I'm sitting at 320. Roughly 7 months back, I started exploring biohacking and "alternative" routes to improve my health. Step one was visiting a men's clinic for a testosterone panel. I'd been tested many times before and the results always landed at "low normal," but this time it came back at 158. A bit of searching turned up a recent NIH study where the average for men in my age cohort was ~350. I began TRT right away, paying out of pocket since my insurance won't touch it. In 2 months I dropped 20 lbs without changing anything else — no diet shifts, no new exercise. Just 20 lbs gone. Incredible... supply the sex hormone that lets men function as men, and the body performs better. Who could have seen that coming?
That sent me deeper down the rabbit hole. GL1P is a peptide, and a pretty impressive one... so what about other peptides? How do they function? My body recomp is going well, even if the pace is slower than I'd prefer. Sleep remains awful, but my aim is to discover more and better ways to support my body's healing and push it toward a better state, because traditional medicine in the US certainly won't be the one to get me there.
For the last 3 years I've cycled on and off GL1P medications sourced from compounding pharmacies, with results and supply both fluctuating. Every bit of it came out of my own pocket, since my insurance — for which we pay an absurd amount — refuses to cover it. Bariatric surgery? Covered. An injection? Not covered.
About 4 years ago I hit my peak weight of 384 lbs. Since then the pounds have come off gradually, and this week I'm sitting at 320. Roughly 7 months back, I started exploring biohacking and "alternative" routes to improve my health. Step one was visiting a men's clinic for a testosterone panel. I'd been tested many times before and the results always landed at "low normal," but this time it came back at 158. A bit of searching turned up a recent NIH study where the average for men in my age cohort was ~350. I began TRT right away, paying out of pocket since my insurance won't touch it. In 2 months I dropped 20 lbs without changing anything else — no diet shifts, no new exercise. Just 20 lbs gone. Incredible... supply the sex hormone that lets men function as men, and the body performs better. Who could have seen that coming?
That sent me deeper down the rabbit hole. GL1P is a peptide, and a pretty impressive one... so what about other peptides? How do they function? My body recomp is going well, even if the pace is slower than I'd prefer. Sleep remains awful, but my aim is to discover more and better ways to support my body's healing and push it toward a better state, because traditional medicine in the US certainly won't be the one to get me there.
