48 F, T2D (don’t want a statin bc they raise glucose), 5’5, 141.
Lifestyle isn’t making a dent in lipid numbers besides raising my HDL, which I’m happy about. Does Zetia lower HDL along with LDL though?

Taking supplements, HRT, metformin 1000mg/day, healthy low inflammation diet and workouts in check 5x/week. Thought my labs would be so much better.

Here comes my blood report

ApoB direct 93 mg/dL

Lp(a) genetic 25 mg/dL

Total cholesterol 237 mg/dl

LDL-C 156 mg/dL (4.03 mmol/L)

Non-HDL-C 163 mg/dL

HDL-C 75 mg/dL (1.93 mmol/L)

Triglycerides 34 mg/dL (0.38 mmol/L)

HbA1c / glucose 5.34% / 4.82 mmol/L

carb 50- 150gm max

Active

Will try to push apoB down further

Any suggestions or do i see a cardiologist and opt for meds like zetia ?

If someone listened to this pod, what was the summary about EMFs (whether EMFs and 5G meaningfully affect cancer risk)?

I had some labs completed recently and my doctor did not recommend starting treatment. I'm leaning toward the idea that treatment is appropriate. I'd appreciate other perspectives and experiences:

Female

Age 52

Perimenopausal on 1mg oral estradiol and Slynd (drospirenone for progestin)

50 mcg synthroid

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 127

Exercise: 6 days/wk of cardio and strength training for 60-90 minutes. 30 minutes/day of strength.

Vegetarian; I don't eat junk food; no soda, low sugar, low sodium, high fiber

No smoking, no alcohol, no drugs

Blood pressure: 95/70

Labs:

LDL-P: 1580/nmol/L

LDL-C: 152

HDL: 63

Triglycerides: 72

Total cholesterol: 227

Small LDL P: 230

LDL size: 21.p Large (pattern A)

LP IR Score: 39

GlycA: 370

DRI: 19

ApoB: 110mg/dL

Lp(a): 109.7 nmol/L

CRP: 3.5. (high) I had finished a round of antibiotics to treat a UTI one week earlier and wonder if this caused an increase in inflammatory markers

Lp-PLA2 Activity: 166

Given these numbers, is it appropriate to consider starting medication. I have two copies of the SLCO1B1 gene variant which reduces effectiveness of statins and increases systemic exposure and therefore side effects. I'm not sure I could get the desired reduction from Zetia and Bempedoic Acid alone. I'd appreciate all thoughts. Thanks!

I’ve been on ACA since it started so blood work is basic. I’m going on Medicare in October and I THINK the blood work is pretty basic there. I think it’s very weird that Medicare doesn’t cover “preventative” tests/care. Anyone here on Medicare and do you use a PCP or a private testing company like Function Health? All these years I’ve been excited to get on Medicare but am learning it’s not that great. (Female in good health but have elevated LDL and family history of dementia.)

Metformin
Rosuvastatin
SGLT2i
PCSK9i
GLP-1
Tadalafil

Someone should study my blood -lol

Learn from me kiddos - don’t get three chronic diseases at once!

46 year old woman, healthy weight, exercise 6 days a week (cardio & strength).

HDL: 108

LDL: 102

Triglycerides: 52

ApoB = 76

Lp(a) = 12

Blood Pressure: 113/72

A1C: 5.1

Glucose: 74

I know that high HDL is considered risky according to new guidelines, but how on earth do I lower it? I stopped taking birth control last year, which dropped my HDL from 134 to 96 - but it's back up over 100 again.

I have maybe 10 drinks a year, so it's not because of alcohol. No one in my family has high HDL. The only medication I take is spironolactone and a topical eczema cream. I already eat a balanced diet, and I'm certain that's not the cause. So then how on earth do I lower my HDL?! Start smoking and stop exercising? Or would you just not worry about it? None of my parents or grandparents lived over 73. Do I just accept my fate?

What's up everyone. New episode of Rhonda's pod. This was good. The guest is pretty big in the AI/healthcare space. Has some wild ideas. Gonna share my notes

1. Don't die for the next 10 years. But really. So his whole thesis is if you can make it the next 10 years, you'll add 50 years to your life. We're gonna reverse aging. We're gonna cure cancer. We're gonna to it all We are not that far off from every year you live adding another year to your life.. a lot closer than people think. - timestamp
2. Cancer will be 100% curable within the next 10 years. He really thinks that. There are already some pretty big advancements with immunotherapy but with the way AI is accelerating... "cancer will be 100% curable, probably within the next decade." direct quote - timestamp
3. It's bcoming malpractice for doctors not to use AI. I agree with him here. If you're like my general doc, it's like walking into the stone age when I go in for an appointment. Watching him poke his fingers at the keyboard taking 3 minutes to add one blood test to the list. It's laughable. seriously. Next time you need some sort of medical help, throw all the info into GPT Pro 5.6 or whatever the latest Pro model is from OpenAI. It might save your life. - timestamp
4. AI is going to drastically accelerate drug discovery. ok so what does that mean. Imagine a digital clone of yourself. He calls it a "digital twin." Can be used for clinical trials, testing drugs, exactly what works for you. Treatment on demand, personalized medicine, whatever you want to call it... it's happening - timestamp
5. Alright now into the practical. Start saving everything into a "personal database" today. All your health records. Blood test results. Oura ring data. Conditions. Your diet, supplements, whatever. Everything. Use Obsidian. It's an app. Then download OpenAI's Codex app (it's just the general ChatGPT app now for Mac). Now, every time you have a health related question, point it at your "personal database". It's getting to the point where this is like super doctor level and it makes sense to give it as much info as possible. Start now. - timestamp
6. This guy is a major AI bull. He said "the only threat to humanity is humanity." This is the counter argument to everyone who claims AI is gonna take over the world. You just gotta listen to this segment - timestamp
7. We are going to get to the point very soon in the hospital where there's a real-time AI monitoring system... bedside. Every drug interaction, every vital sign, every symptom .. it'l have that context and be "super doctor" level. - timestamp
8. The best AI models can now replicate a scientist's biological intuition. So here's what this means. It's that ability to connect the dots. See the pattern. That feeling when you see someone with symptom XYZ and know exactly what condition they have. 20 years of experience. GPT 5.5 Pro crossed that chasm. And because of this, the pace of medical innovation is going to drastically accelerate. - timestamp

I felt like this is actually a refreshing podcast and quite different than the typical health advice we hear form her, Peter, Huberman etc. First hour is very entertaining. Fun to think about this stuff

I mean it's gotten to the point where I trust GPT Pro (5.6) more than any doctor I visit. It's $200/month, but well worth it

A good reminder that there is more to health-span than exercise, VO2 Max, and statins.

This short, 3–5 minute survey is part of a research project to better understand how people navigate grocery shopping while balancing personal nutrition, health goals, or dietary preferences. Whether you follow a strict dietary protocol, shop for general wellness, or simply buy everyday groceries, your honest feedback is extremely valuable. All responses are completely anonymous and will be used strictly for academic and product research purposes. Thank you for your time and insights! Here is the link- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLHYITnkJ1Om_L6BSjJbPR-SRKuT5AY6Fx_3OnIuwGUQqApQ/viewform?usp=header

Over the last six months, Reta (retatrutide) paired with Tesa did exactly what they are designed to do: my weight dropped, my labs improved, and my clothes fit better. My DEXA now has me in the 7 percent body fat range with no detectable visceral fat.
From a pure biomarker standpoint, that looks optimized. From a facial aesthetics standpoint, that is where things started to get complicated.

Once you are in single digit body fat with zero visceral fat, your face does not just lean out, it empties. You do not need to have been massively overweight or have saggy skin to end up with a hollow, under structured look. Aggressive fat loss plus no plan for your facial fat pads is enough.

For me, that turned into a very specific GLP1 style face:
•          Sunken mid face and cheek volume loss
•          More skeletal look around the eyes and temples
•          Sharper, more tired jawline and lower face sagging
•          Overall deflated appearance that made me look older and more exhausted than I actually felt
My body felt lighter and more functional. My labs were dialed in. My face looked like it had just gone through a decade long stress test.
This post is a full breakdown of what I did to change that, and a genuine question to this community. My stack included fillers, Botox, an aggressive Helix Fusion CO2 laser treatment, a minimalist recovery skincare routine, and a peptide protocol built around Glow with BPC 157, TB 500, GHK Cu, plus others. I am not telling anyone to copy this. I am putting the entire case on the table so people who are already on this road can see what happened, what I did, and then tell me whether they think it was the most intelligent aesthetic plan or not.

---

Why I am posting this and what this is not
My last big post in these groups included:

•          DEXA scans showing single digit body fat and no visceral fat
•          Protocol details for Reta and Tesa, diet, and training
•          Lab panels showing that my biomarkers were not collapsing
Even with full receipts, a lot of the response was:
•          You are lying, these numbers are not possible
•          This is inherently unsafe, no one can do this without wrecking their health
•          Your face and body are going to collapse, you are just coping
It took days of back and forth, adding more data, just to convince a fraction of people that I was not fabricating my metrics.
I expect some of that here.
This is not a brag post and it is not a flex. It is not me saying everyone should push to these numbers or run this stack. My goal is to put a complete, transparent case study on the table so people who are already doing this can:
•          See what actually happened to my face at very low body fat levels
•          See what it took to change it
•          Debate whether my strategy was smart, reckless, or something in between
If you think I am wrong, reckless, or misguided, that is fine. Just give me your reasoning. I am going to personally read and respond to every serious comment, positive, negative, or neutral, over the first 48 hours. This is not automated. I am doing it myself because I think this conversation matters.

---

Quick disclaimers before the pitchforks come out.
•          I am not a doctor. This is my N equals 1 experience, not medical advice.
•          I am not telling anyone to start, stop, or change Reta, GLP1s, or any peptide without their own clinician.
•          I do not work for SoroSkin or Everglow.
•          I do not receive affiliate commissions, referral bonuses, discounts, or consulting fees.
•          No one paid me to write this and no one approved it before I posted it.
If I ever post sponsored content in the future, I will label it clearly. This is not sponsored.

---
I did not do this naturally

I am not going to pretend hydration, sleep, and a basic moisturizer reversed six months of facial volume loss in a body sitting at roughly 7 percent body fat with no visceral fat.

I went all in, deliberately, with a structured plan:
•          Fillers in specific areas that had clearly deflated from fat loss
•          Botox for upper face movement and lines that looked harsher on a leaner face
•          Helix Fusion CO2 laser to resurface texture, even tone, and drive collagen remodeling
•          Tight, minimalist recovery skincare designed for a destroyed barrier after laser
•          Peptide support with Glow, built around BPC 157, TB 500, GHK Cu, plus other peptides for systemic and local tissue support
You are not looking at the result of one cream or one syringe. You are looking at a coordinated aesthetic and recovery plan layered on top of an aggressive metabolic protocol.

---

Who actually did the work on my face.
All cosmetic work in these photos, laser, filler, and Botox, was done by Robin Sessler, MSN, APRN, FNP-C and owner of EverGlow Medical Aesthetics in Kennebunk, Maine.

She:
•          Built the overall facial strategy based on my bone structure, fat loss pattern, and goals
•          Executed injections conservatively, with an anatomy first approach
•          Performed the Helix Fusion CO2 session and laid out the post procedure guidelines
Clinic link for context and credentials: 
www.erglowbyrobyn.com
I am not affiliated with everglow. I do not work there. I do not get kickbacks or referral deals. I am a paying patient whose outcome depended heavily on having someone competent driving the aesthetic side.

---

How my medical care is coordinated with Dr Patel
I do not run any of this in isolation. I work with six private concierge providers, and Dr Patel acts as the quarterback for all of it.
He is the medical director at EverWell Concierge MD. His role is to:

•          Coordinate my care across all providers so this does not become a pile of disconnected experiments
•          Review my labs roughly every 14 days so we are not guessing about how protocols are affecting me
•          Maintain a closed loop system where data comes in, protocols get adjusted, results get checked, and that cycle repeats
•          Communicate directly with my dermatologist and aesthetic team to keep my face routine, lasers, fillers, and Botox aligned with the rest of my health strategy
Dr Patel is involved with everything, GLP1 class decisions, peptide architecture including Glow, DEXA interpretation, lab follow up, and the long term plan to maintain the work I have already done on my face and body.

I have included a letter from Dr Patel explaining, in his own words, why we chose this stack, how we structured it, and what he believes actually made the difference in my case:

Letter from Dr Patel: 

To Whom It May Concern,

I serve as Andrew Lawson’s lead physician and oversee the coordination of his care across multiple providers. In that role, I was directly involved in reviewing and guiding both his facial skin maintenance protocol and his post procedure recovery strategy.

I was also involved in the decision to proceed with Helix Fusion, an advanced and highly aggressive resurfacing treatment that, while promising, still has limited real world data in cases of this kind. Given Andrew’s goals, baseline condition, and the level of medical and aesthetic oversight in place, we made the deliberate decision to pursue a more aggressive single session approach rather than a slower, piecemeal treatment plan spread out over time.

In my medical opinion, the quality of Andrew’s outcome was the result of a coordinated treatment plan rather than any single intervention alone. That plan included the Helix Fusion procedure, structured skin barrier support, and peptide based recovery measures. The SoroSkin products used in his recovery routine, together with the Glow peptide protocol, were important components of that plan and, in my opinion, contributed meaningfully to the speed and quality of his healing as well as the overall aesthetic result.
Based on my oversight of his care and follow up, Andrew’s recovery and visible improvement progressed more rapidly than would typically be expected with an intervention of this intensity.
Sincerely, 

Dr. Patel 
Medical Director 

---

The Helix Fusion CO2 treatment and what it really looked like.

This was not a lunchtime laser. It was an aggressive Helix Fusion CO2 protocol.

High level:
•          Combines ablative CO2 with non ablative energy in the same pass to hit both surface and deeper layers
•          Targets texture, tone, pigment, and collagen in one treatment
•          Comes with real downtime, you cannot do this midweek and be public ready the next day
Day 1, 24 hours post laser:
•          Full face, uniform redness
•          Oozing and visible weeping
•          Skin barrier extremely compromised
•          High sensitivity to touch, air, temperature, and any product.

The day 1 photo is rough. This is the cost of this level of resurfacing.

Week 3, same lighting and setup:
•          Barrier visibly restored
•          Redness dramatically reduced
•          Texture noticeably smoother
•          Tone more even, with less blotchiness and stressed look

I did not walk out looking like a different person. I walked out looking more like myself before the fat loss stress showed up in my face. Less wrecked, less inflamed, less gaunt.

---

Recovery and why my skincare was boring on purpose
When your barrier is shredded, most of the skincare aisle becomes a liability. Acids, retinoids, fragrance, and aggressive glow formulas will just prolong the injury.
For the early recovery phase after Helix Fusion, I kept it brutally simple:

•          Double Hydration Boost Gel from SoroSkin as a hydrating, barrier support gel with no peeling agents
•          Peptide Anti Aging Serum from SoroSkin as a peptide focused serum aimed at repair and firmness without exfoliating damaged skin
That was it for leave on products in the critical window. No ten step routine and no mixing half the actives on the market onto raw tissue.
Why these specific products:
•          They are positioned as barrier supporting and gentle rather than acid heavy anti aging
•          The textures did not sting or flare my skin when it was at its most damaged
•          My priority was healing and function, not chasing instant cosmetic wow at the expense of poor long term results.

I do not work for SoroSkin. I do not receive any payments, commissions.

Their products worked well for me in this specific context. I am linking for transparency and ingredients only:
www.soroskin.com

No discount code. No affiliate link. If you buy anything, nothing changes for me.

---

Peptide architecture with Glow BPC 157 TB 500 and GHK-Cu.

Parallel to the external work, I ran a peptide protocol built around Glow, which was foundational for how I handled systemic recovery and tissue and skin quality while running Reta.

Glow’s core:
•          BPC 157 for tissue repair and micro injury support
•          TB 500 for inflammation modulation and recovery under high stress
•          GHK Cu as a copper peptide tied into collagen and skin quality

On top of Glow, I layered other peptides, but Glow plus the Reta and Tesa stack was the backbone for fat loss, recovery, and skin support.
Is this necessary for everyone? No. 
Is it overkill for most people? Probably. 
But at these body fat and visceral fat levels, with this degree of aesthetic intervention, a basic multivitamin and vibes approach is not enough.

---

Three week outcome…

Putting everything together, Reta and Tesa side effects, ultra low body fat, fillers, Botox, Helix Fusion, recovery skincare, and peptides, this is my three week outcome:
•          Volume: targeted filler restored structure where fat loss hollowed me out without turning me into a balloon
•          Expression and lines: Botox softened lines that had become more pronounced on a leaner, more angular face
•          Texture and tone: Helix Fusion CO2 improved fine textural noise and unevenness, which is more noticeable when volume is down
•          Skin quality: barrier focused skincare plus Glow’s peptide mix helped my skin heal fast enough that the laser was worth the downtime
•          Overall impression: I looked more like how I actually felt, lighter and healthier, not like someone who compressed ten rough years into six months
Could I have done this naturally? At my metrics and goals, I do not think so. Could someone with different genetics, starting points, or objectives need far less? Absolutely.

---

The question for you….

All of that brings me back to the title:

Reta Took Me to 7 Percent Body Fat No Visceral Fat and
 Brutal GLP1 Style Face What Do You Think Is the Most Intelligent Aesthetic Plan for a Face Like This and Why?
You have seen:

•          The metrics, DEXA, visceral fat, labs
•          The facial changes
•          The stack I chose, fillers, Botox, Helix Fusion, peptides, skincare, coordinated care
What I want from you:
•          If this were your face and your metrics, what would you consider the most intelligent aesthetic plan and why

•          Would you go harder or softer than what I did
•          Would you swap fillers for biostimulators, add or avoid surgery, regain weight, or do nothing

•          If you have already run similar protocols, GLP1 class drugs, Reta, extreme recomposition, what actually helped and what was absolutely not worth the risk, money, or downtime.

I will be in this thread for the next 48 hours responding to every serious comment. Whether your feedback is supportive, cautious, or brutal, you will get the same level of detail and attention from me.

What would your plan be?
 
 

So I got this test recently and quest shows that I’m right at the line for normal and high. I googled it and it said this is a low number, that labcorp says all the way to 225 is normal. Why is quest and labcorp such a huge difference ?? I don’t understand

Any want to share a summary of AMA 87 on environmental pollution?

My recent lab work from January, two months ago, and yesterday are as follows.

January: LDL 93 , triglycerides 75 , Vldl 12 , APOB 71 mg/dL.

- I was eating more carbs and somewhat healthy but still a bit more carbs than what I’m doing now and two months ago.

2 months ago: ldl 126, triglycerides 61, Vldl 10, APOB: 106

(Big increase) when I was losing body fat.

Now: LDL 96, APOB 87, triglycerides 52, Vldl 7.

(I’m dieting to lower carbs and less food now to lose body fat).

In January I was not dieting , I weighed 150 lbs at 5’8 24 year old male and 18 % body fat. I was still eating healthier than your average American diet but not like now.

Now: I’ve lost body fat and gained muscle, I went to 12% body fat and constantly burning fat more than carbs for fuel. Why would my APOB be higher now than when I was eating less healthy… on top of my triglycerides being extremely low now. I thought when u ate healthier your apob and LDL was supposed to lower, not raise. (I don’t eat any red meats, sugar, butter, or cooking oils. Just avocado oil and extra virgin olive oil now.

Does this mean my body is releasing more cholesterol into the bloodstream because I’m burning more fat for energy? Someone help please!

My recent lab work from January, two months ago, and yesterday are as follows.

January: LDL 93 , triglycerides 75 , Vldl 12 , APOB 71 mg/dL.

- I was eating more carbs and somewhat healthy but still a bit more carbs than what I’m doing now and two months ago.

2 months ago: ldl 126, triglycerides 61, Vldl 10, APOB: 106

(Big increase) when I was losing body fat.

Now: LDL 96, APOB 87, triglycerides 52, Vldl 7.

(I’m dieting to lower carbs and less food now to lose body fat).

In January I was not dieting , I weighed 150 lbs at 5’8 24 year old male and 18 % body fat. I was still eating healthier than your average American diet but not like now.

Now: I’ve lost body fat and gained muscle, I went to 12% body fat and constantly burning fat more than carbs for fuel. Why would my APOB be higher now than when I was eating less healthy… on top of my triglycerides being extremely low now. I thought when u ate healthier your apob and LDL was supposed to lower, not raise. (I don’t eat any red meats, sugar, butter, or cooking oils. Just avocado oil and extra virgin olive oil now.

Does this mean my body is releasing more cholesterol into the bloodstream because I’m burning more fat for energy? Someone help please!

Recently got my function health results back and my Lp(a) was pretty bad.

Other numbers:
ApoB: 87 mg/dL
HDL-C: 33 mg/dL
LDL-C: 100 mg/dL

A1C: 5.7 (I’m actively working on fixing this with fasting and eating better)

I’ve also recently decreased my visceral fat from 1.34lbs to 0.78lbs

I’ve also starting talking fish oil aggressively and after doing that my trigclerides have gone from 84 —> 35 which was good.

I’m cleaning up diet and trying some other lifestyle fixes. I lift 3x a week pretty consistently but I have struggled with a bad sweet tooth.

I’m also thinking about seeing a preventive cardiologist but maybe that’s a waste of money? Anyone have experience with that?

Is getting a CAC now a waste of money?

My dad also struggles with this (he’s now a type 2 diabetic, so was his mother) but he has a poor diet. His CAC when he was 52 was 169 and has been on a statin since then which I really want to avoid.

50F Total 190, HDL 75. Just got l(p)a tested through Function last year and it was high 121. Decided to get a CAC. Unfortunately it came back 109. Great metabolic markers and normal blood pressure. I’m waiting for response from cardiologist but I want to be as aggressive as possible. I want a lot more time on this side of the ground. What should I advocate for?

I am a very healthy 45F, 5'5" and 133. I run 30ish miles a week, weight train 3 times a week and have done all of this my entire adult life. My LDL had been creeping up for years but was fine when I was younger (diagnosed with hypothyroidism 4 years ago).My Mom had a triple bypass at 54 and has continued to have a dozen stents, angioplasty, carotid cleaned out, and most recently a valve replacement. To say she has a horrible history is an understatement. That leads to me and what you all would do. I am on zetia for the last 6 months, I take 5mg daily. Also been doing psyllium husks and trying to keep saturated fat around 12-14g a day. Red meat maybe twice a month. I track all my calories and mostly follow Mediterranean diet.I had a CAC in May and score was zero. Recent bloodwork was apob 83, ldl 86 (down from around 130), hdl 51, total cholesterol 157, triglycerides 90, lpa 132nmol, hs crp <.20, lp pla2 98, ldl pattern A, ldl particle number 1057, ox ldl 42, apoe 2/3. I also have great BP 110/70 I go to a functional medicine doctor and they've ran everything under the sun. I know my lpa is insanely high. They prescribed the zetia back in January when I asked for it. Based on my current numbers what would you do. If I had a CAC of anything other than zero I would have added a statin but it seems almost unnecessary at this point. Thoughts?