This is a follow-up of my weight loss journey post that I had uploaded on October 2025 (here's the link for the same: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness\_India/s/8ctpzkR2Tr](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness_India/s/8ctpzkR2Tr))
29M, 5'7" I have been inconsistently hitting the gym since the last 7-8 years, fluctuating between months of constantly hitting 4-5 workouts a week to months of complete absence. But in April 2024, I had gone for a routine blood test and found my biomarkers to all shite. My triglycerides, LDL, VLDL, HDL and cholesterol levels deviated wildly from what was normal, and my free testosterone had dropped to around 371 ng/dL. I was weighing 106 kgs (as you can see from the two photos marked May 2024) and around this time I had suffered a painful breakup that was extremely tough to deal with. Despite everything going wrong, I decided to start working out and it took me 2-3 months just to get accustomed to a routine where I was not an emotional mess and hitting the gym consistently.
However, after September 2024 I was locked in and was tracking all my workouts and sleep (I have uploaded the charts, and my workout tracker is a humble Galaxy watch 4). The first thing to optimise was sleep and trying to get as much sleep as I can. I started taking Ashwagandha to alleviate stress which I think helped me a lot (though I haven't taken any since April 2025). The next thing was dialing in my protein intake (160-170 gms per day). I have been taking Naturaltein whey isolate for one and a half year now.
I was weighing 86 kilograms in October 2025 when I had posted, but after that in December 2025 I had to travel a lot as a result of which I couldn't be as strict with my diet as I normally would be (you can see from the pictures the slight definition loss although I am not sure if its quite evident).
My workout split remains the same and looks something like this-
* Mon—Upper strength (bench or incline 3–5×5, row 3–5×5, overhead press 3×6–8, pull-ups 3×AMRAP, triceps/biceps 2–3×10–12);
* Tue—Lower strength (back squat 3–5×5, RDL 3–5×5, split squats 3×8–10, calves/core 3×12–15);
* Wed—Zone 2 + mobility (25–40 min easy cardio + 10–15 min hips/shoulders);
* Thu—Upper hypertrophy (dumbbell press 3×8–12, lat pulldown 3×8–12, lateral raises/face pulls 3×12–15, cables/arms 2–3×12–15);
* Fri—Lower hypertrophy (front squat or leg press 3×8–12, hamstring curl 3×10–12, walking lunges 2–3×12/leg, core 3×10–15);
* Sat—Conditioning or sport (10×30s hard/90s easy or a long brisk walk);
* Sun—Rest.
In terms of what I eat, it's basically a vegetarian diet san eggs. 2-3 scoops of whey protein isolate divided 2 times a day-1 immediately after workout mixed with creatine), the second about 3 hours after lunch. I do take pre-workout 3 times a week (especially on days when I am pushing really hard). And my meals consist of paneer, rajma soyabean and a mix of legumes which I cycle throughout the week (although I do tend to lose sight of the amount of rice or rotis that I ingest lol).
I have been focusing on body recomposition rather than going for an all-out cut for the past two years, and especially over the last six months, because that approach works better for me. I have already come down from 86 kg to 79 kg, so instead of pushing an aggressive calorie deficit and risking a big drop in strength, I have been using a more controlled strategy where I keep my protein high at around 160-170 grams per day, train hard in the gym, and stay in only a mild calorie deficit. My thought process behind this recomp has been to slowly lose fat while maintaining, or even improving, muscle mass and strength, rather than just chasing rapid weight loss. For me, this has the advantage of preserving performance in the gym, keeping recovery better, and still allowing steady progress in physique without the downsides of a harsh cutting phase.
Also, I have provided blood test reports from March 2024, November 2024, May 2025, October 2025 and March 2026 to give you an idea of the changes in my biomakers (although I did not purchase the whole battery of tests that are available since I found it unnecessarily expensive, at least for this stage of my journey and only took those that I felt were more of an indicative of my general health and required metrics).
**Liver panel**
|**Marker**|**Mar 2024**|**Nov 2024**|**May 2025**|**Oct 2025**|**Mar 2026**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|ALT (U/L)|63.4 High|40.5 Normal|53.57 High|67.22 High|56.82 High|
|AST (U/L)|43.4 Normal|46.3 Normal|35.62 Slightly High vs lab range|41.48 High|37.65 High|
|GGT (U/L)|25.4 Normal|22.3 Normal|16.97 Normal|18.4 Normal|21.1 Normal|
|ALP (U/L)|81.4 Normal|67.1 Normal|101.28 Normal|94.38 Normal|78.56 Normal|
|Bilirubin total (mg/dL)|0.47 Normal|0.53 Normal|0.59 Normal|0.59 Normal|0.32 Normal|
|Total protein (g/dL)|7.71 Normal|7.97 Normal|6.95 Normal|7.88 Normal|7.18 Normal|
|Albumin (g/dL)|4.94 Normal|5.12 Normal|4.23 Normal|4.73 Normal|4.35 Normal|
**Kidney, electrolytes, minerals**
|**Marker**|**Mar 2024**|**Nov 2024**|**May 2025**|**Oct 2025**|**Mar 2026**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Creatinine (mg/dL)|0.86 Normal|0.83 Normal|0.76 Normal|0.82 Normal|0.74 Normal|
|eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m²)|121 Normal|122 Normal|126 Normal|122 Normal|126 Normal|
|Urea (mg/dL)|30.15 Normal|37.98 Normal|22.71 Normal|36.14 Normal|44.43 High|
|BUN (mg/dL)|14.08 Normal|17.74 Normal|10.61 Normal|16.89 Normal|20.76 Slightly High|
|Uric acid (mg/dL)|5.53 Normal|6.72 Normal|4.95 Normal|5.11 Normal|4.39 Normal|
|Sodium (mEq/L or mmol/L)|137.5 Normal|137.71 Normal|139.26 Normal|139.46 Normal|138.4 Normal|
|Potassium (mEq/L)|4.30 Normal|4.83 Normal|—|—|—|
|Chloride (mEq/L or mmol/L)|104.3 Normal|103.93 Normal|104.79 Normal|105.03 Normal|105.84 Normal|
|Phosphorus (mg/dL)|3.00 Normal|2.46 Normal|—|—|—|
|Calcium total (mg/dL)|10.10 Normal|10.53 Slightly High|9.26 Normal|9.62 Normal|9.74 Normal|
**Lipid profile**
|**Marker**|**Mar 2024**|**Nov 2024**|**May 2025**|**Oct 2025**|**Mar 2026**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Total cholesterol (mg/dL)|190.9 Borderline|176 Normal|143 Optimal|160 Desirable|159 Desirable|
|Triglycerides (mg/dL)|325.7 High|90.4 Normal|111 Normal|76 Normal|149 Normal|
|HDL-C (mg/dL)|39.62 Low|41.47 Normal|41 Normal|46 Normal|43 Normal|
|LDL-C (mg/dL)|86.14 Normal|116.45 High|85 Optimal|103 Slightly High|102 Slightly High|
|VLDL-C (mg/dL)|65.14 High|18.08 Normal|—|—|29.73 Normal|
|Non-HDL-C (mg/dL)|151 High|135 High|101.64 Normal|114.02 Normal|115.52 Normal|
**Glycemic markers**
|**Marker**|**Mar 2024**|**Nov 2024**|**May 2025**|**Oct 2025**|**Mar 2026**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Fasting glucose (mg/dL)|106.2 High|86 Normal|—|83.3 Normal|—|
|HbA1c (%)|5.0 Normal|4.8 Normal|5.0 Normal|4.7 Normal|5.3 Normal|
|eAG / ABG (mg/dL)|97 Normal|91 Normal|97 Normal|88 Normal|105 Normal|
**Vitamins**
|**Marker**|**Mar 2024**|**Nov 2024**|**May 2025**|**Oct 2025**|**Mar 2026**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Vitamin B12 (pg/mL)|124 Low|297 Normal|259 Normal|486 Normal|450 Normal|
|25-OH Vitamin D|32.5 nmol/L ≈ 13 ng/mL Deficient|60.4 nmol/L ≈ 24 ng/mL Insufficient|15.27 ng/mL Deficient|23.7 ng/mL Insufficient|18.9 ng/mL Deficient|
**Thyroid profile**
|**Marker**|**Mar 2024**|**Nov 2024**|**May 2025**|**Oct 2025**|**Mar 2026**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|T3|1.30 ng/mL Normal|1.14 ng/mL Normal|113 ng/dL Normal|133 ng/dL Normal|110 ng/dL Normal|
|T4|7.19 µg/dL Normal|7.65 µg/dL Normal|8.6 µg/dL Normal|6.98 µg/dL Normal|7.5 µg/dL Normal|
|TSH|2.97 µIU/mL Normal|2.55 µIU/mL Normal|4.295 µIU/mL Upper-normal|2.75 µIU/mL Normal|4.099 µIU/mL Upper-normal|
**Inflammation**
|**Marker**|**Mar 2024**|**Nov 2024**|**May 2025**|**Oct 2025**|**Mar 2026**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|hs-CRP (mg/L)|—|—|0.49 Low risk|0.38 Low risk|0.53 Low risk|
**Hematology**
|**Marker**|**Mar 2024**|**Nov 2024**|**May 2025**|**Oct 2025**|**Mar 2026**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Hemoglobin (g/dL)|16.10 Normal|15.70 Normal|14.0 Normal|14.6 Normal|14.6 Normal|
|PCV or HCT (%)|50.8 Slightly High|48.8 Normal|43.8 Normal|46.2 Normal|45.2 Normal|
|RBC (×10⁶/µL)|5.35 Normal|5.24 Normal|4.69 Normal|4.88 Normal|4.92 Normal|
|WBC or TLC (×10³/µL)|10.36 Borderline High|10.16 Borderline High|7.84 Normal|7.10 Normal|7.64 Normal|
|Neutrophils absolute (×10³/µL)|6.56 Normal|7.04 Borderline High|5.07 Normal|4.53 Normal|4.73 Normal|
|Platelets (×10³/µL)|158 Normal|194 Normal|125 Low|165 Normal|160 Normal|
|MPV (fL)|13.3 High|13.1 High|—|—|—|
|RDW-CV (%)|12.6 Normal|12.7 Normal|14.6 High|13.7 Normal|13.1 Normal|
|RDW-SD (fL)|—|—|50.1 High|47.9 High|43.9 Normal|
|Smear comment|—|—|Macroplatelets seen|Macroplatelets seen|Platelets appear adequate in smear|
**Iron studies**
|**Marker**|**Mar 2024**|**Nov 2024**|**May 2025**|**Oct 2025**|**Mar 2026**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Serum iron (µg/dL)|—|—|115.99 Normal|96.69 Normal|51.89 Low|
|TIBC (µg/dL)|—|—|300 Normal|347 Normal|326 Normal|
|Transferrin saturation (%)|—|—|38.66 Normal|27.86 Normal|15.92 Normal|
|UIBC (µg/dL)|—|—|—|—|274.11 Normal|
**Androgen and related hormones**
|**Marker**|**Mar 2024**|**Nov 2024**|**May 2025**|**Oct 2025**|**Mar 2026**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Total testosterone (ng/dL)|371 Normal|498 Normal|561.28 Normal|515 Normal|602 Normal|
|SHBG (nmol/L)|—|—|—|30.7 Normal|—|
|FSH / LH / Prolactin|—|—|—|FSH 2.9 Normal, LH 5.58 Normal, Prolactin 11.7 Normal|—|
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amazing bro. thanks for sharing the data too!
Great job veere.
Insane bro
That's such a great progress.. what was your hbA1C% before and after ? In 2024and now?
The real question is how do you feel now? How different is life?
Insane bro!
Should be proud.. that's not an easy journey!!
So proud of you bro
Hey I'd love to hear more about your diet. A fellow vegetarian trying to lose some fat here.