Finally posting after lurking for way too long

$1,200 a month was the quote I got before coupons, so I stopped assuming this was worth it for a recomp.

My fasting glucose went from 104 to 88 by week 12, but my HDL dropped 9 points and my ferritin fell from 118 to 41—nobody in the intro threads talks about the labs getting weirder while the scale gets prettier. I started at 5’9”, 228, 22% body fat, 405 squat, 275 bench. By week 12 I was 206 and pulling 455 fo ra single, so I thot everything was perfect. Then my annual labs came back and my doctor asked what changed. My A1c improved, inflammation markers dropped, but ferritin was low-normal and my free T had slipped a bit. I spent two weeks blaming the GLP-1 for my deadlift feeling heavy, then realized I was eating 1,900 calories, lifting five days, and sleeping six hours. The recomp wasn’t failing because of the drug; my recovery inputs were trash. I added a serving of red meat and citrus most days, not a supplement stack, and got repeat labs after eight weeks. Ferritin came up to the 70s and my pulls felt normal again. One thing that doesn’t get said enough: GLP-1 can make u eat less of the micronutrient-dense foods u need for heavy training, and the scale won’t tell you. If I did it again, I’d get baseline CBC, CMP, lipids, A1c, ferritin, and hormones before week one, then repeat around week 12. The mirror and bar speed are useful, but the bloodwork caught the problem I couldn’t feel until it was already hurting my lifts.

Week 6, sleep score went 62 to 84. Appetite shift was real, but recovery was the surprise.

At week 8 I had to drop protein shakes because they sat like cement. Shifting to Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and lean beef kept me at 180g without force-feeding. The weird part: smaller meals actually helped my lifting sessions because I wasn't bloated.

My smart scale said I lost 9 lb lean mass; DEXA said 1.8. Gadgets lie, trust the mirror and logbook.

Week 5: squat 405 still moved, but benc hdropped 15 lb before rebounding. Recomp is weird.

My A1c fell from 5.6 to 5.3 by week 10, but LDL actually bumped 12 points—likely lower food volume and fewer omega-3s. Weight barely moved those weeks, which reminded me recomp isn't just weight. I'm adding back fatty fish and tracking labs quarterly instead of chasing weekly averages.

Insurance quotes generally run about $1,200/month; compounded sits closer to $180. The part people forget is that the real tradeoff there is supply anxiety, not efficacy.

My tracking streak hit 63 days, then I realized my 'handful' of almonds was logging as 1 serving while I inhaled about 800 calories. The app made me more aware, but it also made me weirdly anxious on low-appetite days. I now use it every third day and eyeball portions otherwise; recomp doesn't need perfect data every meal.

At week 8 my bench held 275x5 while bodyweight dropped 9 lb, which surprised me because I expected all my lifts to tank. The tradeoff: squats felt heavy on days I accidentally skipped carbs around training, so I moved most carbs pre and post session. Deadlift actually stayed stable at 455x3, but grip fatigue showed up sooner. The appetite shift is real, but for recomp u still have to eat enough around lifting or the bar tells on you.

Resting HR went 58 to 52 by week 5 of keeping a log, but sleep was the first thing to wobble. I figured the appetite side of things would make late-night snacking vanish and sleep would improve on its own. Instead I'd wake at 3 a.m. on nights when dinner was too small, so I shifted more protein and fiber earlier in the day and kept a small casein-ish snack before bed. The recomp leverage turned out to be less about the scale and more about protecting 7.5 hours.

Twelve years under the bar means your 20% BF estimate might be off by 4 points—DEXA or not, keep lifting heavy.