Strategy·5 min read·February 8, 2025
Tracking Progress: What to Measure on a Peptide Protocol
If you're not tracking, you're guessing. Here's what to log to actually know if your protocol is working.
The minimum viable dataset
- Body weight — same time, same conditions, daily
- Waist circumference — weekly
- Sleep quality — 1-10 scale, daily
- Energy & mood — 1-10 scale, daily
- Side effects — log every one, no matter how small
Compound-specific metrics
- Healing peptides (BPC, TB-500): pain scores, range of motion, return-to-activity date
- GH secretagogues: sleep depth, recovery rate, body composition
- GLP-1s: weight, hunger scores, food noise (1-10), nausea
- Cognitive peptides: focus duration, working memory tests, mood
Photos beat the scale
The scale lies. Take standardized weekly photos — same lighting, same pose, same time of day. Front, side, back. You'll see changes the scale won't show.
Bloodwork
For longer protocols (3+ months), get baseline + follow-up bloodwork:
- CBC, CMP
- Lipid panel
- IGF-1 (if on GH peptides)
- A1C and fasting insulin (if on GLP-1s)
- HbA1c