I got the test results. I basically have anemia. A1C is slightly better.
Look, its not as catastrophic as I thought it would be. It’s better than I expected by far. Still a way to go, but it feels better.
A1C, iron and maybe ldl needs to be addressed. Those are my main blood issues right now.
Also, I put everything in chatgpt’s health system. I put 13 years of blood tests. Its amazing how well it can infer changes in my life.
It did detect that the last few years have been a massive change / improvement. It can see I did better on many fronts. BUT, it is showing some markers of stress to the body like lack of sleep.
The high aerobic load I added is great. But, I seem to have sacrificed recovery which, when combined with cutting out red meat (largely), has lead to low iron. That’s the running hypothesis.
Excessive caffeine use with much less sleep than I used to could be a controlling factor.
I think I am getting a better picture of my health.
Today my health is not perfect. Often when I get into these states, I give up. I dont see results and Im like fuck it.
The problem is, sometimes the blunt hammer needs adjustment. And its hard to adjust without measurement.
Remember in 2020, you went alternate day fasting. Rapid weight loss. Then plateau. And then you gave up.
The critical thing is to measure, identify the problem, and then figure out the next steps to continue with the progress!
| Factor | Rough standardized coefficient | My interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Chronic blood loss (where??) | +1.00 | Main engine of iron leaving the body |
| Loss of beef/heme-iron intake | +0.45 to +0.70 | Removed the dietary replacement that had probably been compensating |
| Running load | +0.25 to +0.50 | Meaningful accelerator given zero prior running, high body weight, long duration and low iron availability |
| Coffee near meals/iron | +0.10 to +0.25 | Reduces absorption, especially from plant food or supplements |
| Other GI absorption/source | 0 to +0.50 | Unknown until H. pylori, celiac disease, stomach and colon causes are evaluated |
| Chest drainage | 0 to +0.05 | Unless it is visibly bloody and repeatedly soaking dressings |
| Poor sleep | 0 to +0.05 direct | Almost no direct effect on ferritin; much larger effect on fatigue and recovery |
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