Finally saying hi after a few months lurking

2026-09-04 06:51

Hey everyone, Kevin here - 42, live just outside Columbus, work second shift at a distribution center so my sleep has been weird for years. Been reading this board since spring and finally made an account.

Changed up my whole routine back in March, working with my doctor on it, and the scale's down about thirty pounds since then - best part is my knees quit complaining on the stairs.

Still figuring out the eating side of things: I inhale my food and then regret it every single time. Mostly here to listen, but I'll jump in when I've got something actually useful to add.

2026-09-04 07:40

Welcome. That fasting glucose drop is solid. Was the 108 a single lab draw or home averages? Mine bounced 15 pts depending on sleep.

2026-09-04 08:33

Not the OP but I saw the same thing. My fasting glucose tracks my last meal way more than total carbs. What did you change at dinner?

2026-09-04 11:29

12 weeks is early. Track waist and sleep first.

2026-09-04 12:00

Disagree on waist only. My waist stalled while A1c kept moving. Sleep was the bigger lever for me.

2026-09-04 15:19

Sleep 5h45 is rough. Did you try moving your training earlier? That fixed my wakeups more than melatonin.

2026-09-04 19:13

Melatonin just makes for groggy mornings. Earlier training did more.

2026-09-04 22:17

What’s your goal weight? 199 from 214 in 12 weeks is fast. I’d be careful chasing more scale weight.

2026-09-04 23:18

The caution makes sense, but the scale is a lousy referee for recomp. The part people forget: watching the waist is what actually shows anything — 10 weeks, weight flat, tape moving.

2026-09-05 07:37

How many stpes/day? Mine jumped from 6k to 11k and fasting glucose fell 9 pts in 8 weeks.

2026-09-05 08:14

Steps did nothing for my glucose, but lifting 4x/week dropped it. Weird how different levers work.

2026-09-06 12:02

Lifting 4x/ewek plus 11k steps sounds like a lot. Are you recovering okay on 5h45?

2026-09-06 14:29

I started near your numbers: A1c 5.7, fasting 104. Twelve weeks of zone 2, three lifts, and consistent sleep got me to 5.4 and 93.

The surprise was evening carbs wrecking my overnight readings on a CGM. Not saying that’s your issue, just my data. If you can borrow a CGM, a 14-day run is boring but useful. What does your post-dinner walk look like?

2026-09-06 20:50

Evening carbs don’t hit me at all. A late workout does. I’d kill for a CGM tho.

2026-09-19 21:44

Welcome. I'm 41, and about six weeks into actually tracking this stuff instead of eyeballing it. Fasting glucose is sitting at 101, no movement yet. Good to have a thread to log against.

2026-09-27 18:14

Give it 6 more weeks. Mine didn’t move until week 9, then dropped 7 pts. Sleep was still my weak spot.