N of 1 and Done

Video version with the panel and food log on screen: https://youtu.be/q3FD7VfC7HI

The first of our listener blood work reviews. Lunar Carp sent in a full panel, a food log and a training log with one question: are my thyroid numbers a problem on this mini cut? The thyroid looks fine. The A1c is higher than we'd like, and the food log shows where it's coming from.

We cover: the 275 mg test / 2 IU GH protocol and whether that GH dose does anything, pregnenolone and progesterone and why oral dosing barely shows up on labs, low iron on a chicken-breast diet, hematocrit and creatinine that point at dehydration, a monocyte/neutrophil pattern worth a second look, and then the food log: orange juice, maple syrup, mini bagels, granola bars and cereal. We finish with the training split (upper/lower vs bro split for someone who wants to compete in 2027), set quality, and why a coach is the next step.

Sponsored by Vanguard Performance Labs. Pick your own panel online, no doctor's order needed, draw at a lab near you, results by email. Save 10% at checkout with code NEQUALSONE.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Lunar Carp's question: thyroid numbers on a mini cut (275 mg test, 2 IU GH, wants to compete in 2027)

00:53 Diet, training and sleep context

01:21 HIIT vs hypertrophy (mTOR vs AMPK) and why we'd pick a bro split

04:08 Supplements: pregnenolone, progesterone, and is 2 IU GH every other day doing anything?

05:28 Low iron on a chicken-breast diet: heme iron, lean red meat, velveting (lipids on gear: fine)

07:02 Sponsor: Vanguard Performance Labs

07:48 HbA1c and the processed-food pattern we keep seeing

08:42 Liver and kidney markers, GGT, training intensity

09:25 Thyroid panel: fine. The sugar intake is the issue

09:49 Hematocrit, RDW, creatinine: probably dehydrated

10:37 Monocytes and neutrophils: a possible low-grade infection?

11:27 Pregnenolone and progesterone: oral bioavailability, 17-OH progesterone, try sublingual

12:05 Come back for a redo with consistent dosing

14:09 Fasting insulin, estradiol, and send us your blood pressure next time

14:50 The food log: orange juice, maple syrup, refined sugar

15:39 The elevated A1c and where it's coming from

16:43 Not enough vegetables (and more red meat for the ferritin)

17:41 Snack foods, granola bars and cereal in the log

20:02 Hanz's orange-juice story and the same A1c

21:42 Training split review: upper day redundancy

24:24 Leg day and arm day: cut the overlap, raise the set quality

25:48 Flex after your sets, and get a coach if you want to compete

27:20 Sleep, and easier whole-food swaps: Vietnamese food, Chipotle, sirloin tips

29:00 Wrap-up: come back for a postmortem, applications reopen soon

29:32 Why we give it to you straight

30:14 Halloween and goodbye

WHAT WE'D CHANGE

- Thyroid: TSH and the rest look fine on the cut. Not the issue.

- HbA1c: higher than we'd like. Less refined sugar (orange juice, maple syrup, mini bagels, granola bars, cereal); keep the fruit.

- Iron/ferritin: low on a white-meat diet. Add lean red meat (top round, sirloin; velvet it for tenderness).

- Hematocrit, RDW, creatinine: dehydration pattern. More water and electrolytes.

- Monocytes/neutrophils: elevated; possible low-grade infection, re-check.

- Pregnenolone/progesterone: oral bioavailability is poor; consider sublingual, redo labs after consistent dosing.

- GH: 2 IU every other day is below a replacement dose; probably not doing anything.

- Training: cut the redundant movements, raise set quality, consider a bro split for a competitor, get a coach.

- Send next time: blood pressure, consistent dosages, a GGT.

Want your blood work reviewed on the show? Applications reopen soon. Follow the show and we'll announce it.

N of 1 and Done: https://nof1pod.com

Follow the show: https://x.com/nof1anddone

This episode discusses one listener's lab results and personal experience for educational purposes. It is not medical advice and nothing here is individual guidance. Talk with a qualified clinician before starting, stopping or changing medications, hormones or supplements.

Testosterone is only part of the conversation. Richard, Hanz, Wong and String discuss pregnenolone, progesterone, allopregnanolone, estradiol, and their experiences with hormone changes.

Wong uses a turbocharged Honda Civic to explain his whole-system view. The discussion also covers natural versus enhanced bodybuilding, finasteride, aromatase inhibitors, and what bloodwork can—and cannot—tell you.

Sponsored by Vanguard Performance.

https://vanguardperform.com/a/NEQUALSONE

Code: NEQUALSONE

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

00:54 What are neurosteroids?

03:51 Thyroid, energy and steroid production

09:20 The allopregnanolone pathway

11:29 Stress, sleep and daily habits

13:45 Sponsor: Vanguard Performance

14:47 Why TRT may not address every symptom

17:26 Wong’s turbo Honda Civic analogy

21:38 Natural versus enhanced bodybuilding

22:13 Medications and neurosteroids

26:11 Hair loss and finasteride

29:27 Aromatase inhibitors and low estradiol

32:15 Personal experiences with progesterone and pregnenolone

38:42 Estrogen, progestins and birth control

43:13 What bloodwork can and cannot tell you

47:57 Opioids and hormone suppression

50:28 Closing thoughts: the whole system

N of 1 and Done: https://nof1pod.com

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EVIDENCE NOTES

The FDA discussion around 25:20 refers to brexanolone as a treatment for postpartum depression; approval does not establish a general cure for depression or anxiety. FDA review: https://www.fda.gov/media/160345/download

The personal brain-fog account is an anecdote. In the Testosterone Trials cognitive study, testosterone did not improve cognition in older men with low testosterone and age-associated memory impairment; that trial does not test pregnenolone or explain an individual response. Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28241356/

This episode discusses research and personal experiences for educational purposes. Personal anecdotes are not clinical evidence or individual medical advice. Talk with a qualified clinician before changing medications or hormone treatment.

“Caramelizing yourself from the inside.” Richard’s description of glycation sparked a conversation—so what is he getting at, and what does it have to do with your bloodwork?

In this episode, we put that metaphor in context and go beyond a single marker: what to test, when to test, and how to read the results.

Hanz, Richard, Wong and String discuss the panels and markers they look at, how they interpret changes over time, and why training, diet, hydration and timing matter when reading a result. The conversation covers hormones, thyroid markers, CBC and CMP, ApoB and LDL, HbA1c, and the difference between a reference range and a personal target.

Sponsored by Vanguard. Shop through https://vanguardperform.com/a/NEQUALSONE and use code NEQUALSONE to save 10%.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome and why get bloodwork?

01:52 Why a baseline matters

04:41 How often to test

07:45 What belongs in a basic panel?

10:59 Total and free testosterone, SHBG and hormones

22:40 Red blood cells, hemoglobin and hematocrit

24:20 What is included in a CMP?

25:22 ApoB, LDL and Lp(a)

30:00 Sponsor: Vanguard

30:48 HbA1c, glucose and metabolic context

40:41 Timing blood draws around hormone use

44:45 Fasting, training and alcohol before a test

47:34 PSA and screening context

50:18 Biotin, illness and other confounders

52:41 What to do with an unexpected result

56:08 Reference ranges versus personal targets

1:04:06 When labs and how you feel disagree

1:06:37 What to do next

1:11:11 What bloodwork cannot tell you alone

In this conversation:

• Establishing a baseline before making changes

• Which markers come bundled in common panels

• Hormone results, transport proteins and measurement timing

• Lipids, blood sugar and the context behind a number

• Why a surprising result may need a second look

• The limits of interpreting bloodwork in isolation

Electrolytes come up in almost every hydration conversation. In this episode, Wong, Hanz, Richard and String look beyond the drink mix: potassium-rich foods, meal planning, training, and what blood tests can—and cannot—tell you.

Sponsored by Vanguard Performance — save 10% with code NEQUALSONE

https://vanguardperform.com/a/NEQUALSONE

The conversation starts with Wong's experience in Olympic weightlifting and moves into the group's personal food experiments, practical cooking ideas, sodium–potassium balance, and the tradeoffs between whole foods and electrolyte products.

Topics include:

• Why the group looks beyond protein, carbs and fat when planning meals

• Tomato paste, potatoes, leafy greens, beans and other food choices

• Building meals you actually enjoy eating

• Serum potassium versus the broader picture

• Supplements, salt substitutes and practical limitations

The hosts discuss their experiences and hypotheses; this episode is not an individualized nutrition or treatment plan.

00:00 Potassium beyond hydration

04:23 Hunger, meal plans and personal experiments

08:28 Food sources beyond chicken and rice

14:45 Sponsor: Vanguard Performance

15:30 Building a mineral-focused meal

20:17 Making vegetables easier to eat

23:00 Hunger, potassium and the energy discussion

27:18 What blood tests measure

32:23 Food variety and carbohydrate choices

37:00 Tracking changes and mineral cofactors

38:42 Contest prep and electrolyte balance

41:44 Potassium supplements and salt substitutes

46:18 Putting food choices into practice

50:47 Electrolyte powders, convenience and cost

54:21 Nutrition priorities and audience questions

57:11 Sign-off

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What happens when your “healthy diet” becomes the same three foods every day?

Richard, Hanz and Wong discuss gut health through the lens of food variety, fiber, bodybuilding diets and their own experiences. They cover the limits of mouse studies, what “ancestral eating” actually means, probiotics, and why changing everything at once can make it harder to understand how you respond.

In this episode:

• Fiber products and supplement marketing

• Mouse research versus human outcomes

• Gut bacteria and dietary variety

• Restrictive diets and bodybuilding meal plans

• Personal experiences with food tolerance

• Making gradual changes and tracking your response

Vanguard sponsors the show.

Show sponsor link: https://vanguardperform.com/a/NEQUALSONE

Richard: https://x.com/PGC1a_RB

Hanz: https://x.com/hanz333_

Wong: https://x.com/WongEXE___

Show: @nof1anddone

The hosts discuss research, opinions and personal experiences. This episode is educational and is not individualized medical advice.

Normal thyroid labs, but still feeling tired? Hanz, Richard, Wong and String discuss TSH, T3, T4, personal bloodwork experiences, and the connection between thyroid hormones and dieting.

In this episode of N of 1 and Done, we explore the questions behind the numbers: how the hosts interpret thyroid results, their experiences with thyroid medication and supplements, and why stalled fat loss led them to look beyond simply eating less.

We also discuss biotin and lab testing, levothyroxine versus T3 and natural desiccated thyroid, carbohydrates, leptin, bodybuilding diets, and how our views have changed over time.

This conversation includes personal experiences, opinions and debated interpretations. It is educational discussion, not individual medical advice or a treatment protocol. Persistent fatigue can have many causes; review symptoms, test results and medication changes with a qualified clinician.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome to N of 1 and Done

00:22 Thyroid basics and energy regulation

02:00 Our first thyroid blood tests

07:01 Normal TSH, but still feeling off

08:00 Biotin and thyroid bloodwork

17:21 T4, T3 and natural desiccated thyroid

22:27 Tyrosine: the hosts’ experiences

23:58 Normal TSH on levothyroxine

27:16 Sponsor: Vanguard

28:05 Stalled dieting, leptin and thyroid hormones

35:32 The lab-testing discussion

36:34 Carbs and the bodybuilding diet

39:53 How our views on thyroid have changed

48:13 The oxalate and kidney-stone tangent

49:37 Closing thoughts

SPONSOR

This episode is sponsored by Vanguard.

Explore bloodwork: https://vanguardperform.com/a/NEQUALSONE

THE CONVERSATION

Hanz • Richard • Wong • String