The exact stack that rewrote my biology at 71.

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In July 2025, I weighed 265 pounds, was insulin-dependent, and carrying an A1C of 7.4%. I had been managing Type 2 diabetes for years — the way most people manage it: medications, adjustments, quarterly check-ins, and a quiet acceptance that this was just how things were going to be. I was 71 years old. The conventional wisdom said I was on a predictable trajectory.

I didn't accept that.

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Eighteen months later, my Vanderbilt medical team validated what the data had been showing all along. Seventy pounds lost. A1C reduced from 7.4% to 6.0%. Zero insulin dependence. And a biological age profile — documented across multiple biomarker panels — that, in the words of the clinicians reviewing my results, was remarkable.

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I did it with fasting, resistance training, precision nutrition, and a targeted stack of diagnostics, supplements, and real-time monitoring tools. No shortcuts. No pharmaceutical interventions beyond what I was already on. Just systematic execution, quarterly lab validation, and the discipline to let the data drive the decisions.

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Everything on this page is something I personally used and tracked against real lab results. The links here are affiliate links — they support the free content on this site at no additional cost to you. More importantly, nothing makes this list unless it moved the needle in my own protocol or has mechanistic evidence strong enough to warrant serious consideration.

No fluff. No paid placements I haven't personally vetted.

 

 

The Supplement Stack

The protocol started with 22 supplements. After rigorous review — cross-referencing clinical dosing thresholds, bioavailability research, and my own quarterly lab results — it was rationalized down to a core stack. What survived are the compounds that either moved measurable markers in my panels or carry mechanistic evidence strong enough to warrant continued use at therapeutic doses.

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Third-party testing matters. Proprietary blends with undisclosed dosing don't make the list. Everything I use is sourced through Amazon, where you can verify the brands, read the labels, and compare pricing without friction.

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The full breakdown — including exact dosing, timing, and the rationale behind each selection — is in my free Affiliate Resource Guide. Download it below. What follows here are the categories I consider non-negotiable.

 

The foundation is built around NMN at 1,800mg daily for NAD+ and cellular energy; Creatine Monohydrate at 5g pre-workout for muscle preservation and cognitive support; and high-dose Omega-3 (2,000–3,000mg EPA/DHA) for cardiovascular protection and systemic inflammation — a dose I increased based on my December lab panel. Niacin SR was added as a statin alternative after the same panel flagged lipid markers worth addressing. Berberine at 1,500mg daily remains one of the highest-impact metabolic compounds in the stack — AMPK activation and insulin sensitivity in a single, inexpensive supplement.

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Beyond the metabolic core, the stack covers cellular longevity (TMG, Resveratrol, CoQ10), inflammation management (Turmeric, Astaxanthin, Black Cumin Seed Oil, ALA), hormonal and structural support (Ashwagandha, Magnesium Glycinate, D3/K2), and nutritional coverage (Diabetes Health Pack, Fruits & Veggies). The daily timing protocol — what gets taken when, and why — is laid out in full in the guide.

 

SUPPLEMENTS LINK —   PURCHASE HERE

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Continuous Glucose Monitoring

If I had to choose one tool from this entire protocol, it's this one.

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The Dexcom G7 gave me real-time feedback on every decision I was making — what I ate, when I ate, how I trained, how I slept. It made the abstract concrete. I wasn't guessing at what was spiking my glucose or blunting my fat oxidation. I was watching it happen, in real time, with 288 data points per day. That kind of feedback loop changes how you think about food. It changes how you think about fasting windows, workout timing, sleep. It changes everything.

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My Vanderbilt team called the metabolic data “remarkable.” I call it what happens when you actually measure something instead of assuming. The CGM is the reason I knew my protocol was working long before any clinic would have caught it in an annual check-up. It's also the reason I knew when something wasn't working, and could adjust in real time rather than waiting three months for a lab result to confirm what I already suspected.

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I use the Dexcom G7. It integrates directly with my fasting protocols and workout timing. Extended-wear adhesive patches keep the sensor secure through training sessions and daily life. If you're new to CGM and want guided interpretation alongside the hardware, Nutrisense and Levels Health both offer structured programs worth considering.

 

DEXCOM LINK — DEXCOM CGM MONITOR

 

 

At-Home Blood Testing: SiPhox Health

Most people are flying blind. They feel off, they've gained weight, their energy is poor — but they have no baseline, no trend data, no way to know whether anything they're doing is actually working. The conventional path is a doctor's visit, a referral, a lab appointment, and a 10-minute conversation about results that may or may not have been interpreted with your optimization goals in mind.

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SiPhox solves the access and convenience problem. Founded by MIT researchers, their at-home testing platform covers 17 to 60+ biomarkers depending on the panel you choose — processed in a CLIA-certified lab, results on a secure dashboard within 7 to 10 days. No doctor's referral. No clinic visit. The EasyDraw upper-arm collection takes five minutes. You drop it in the mail and the data comes back to you.

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The panels most relevant to a metabolic protocol like mine are the Heart & Metabolic program (20 biomarkers including HbA1c, fasting insulin, ApoB, ApoA1, hs-CRP, testosterone, cortisol, and Vitamin D) and the Ultimate 360 program for up to 60 biomarkers when you want maximum data density. I use SiPhox for between-clinic monitoring — it fills the gap between my quarterly Vanderbilt panels and gives me the trend data I need to make real-time protocol adjustments.

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Knowing your numbers is non-negotiable if optimization is the goal. SiPhox is how you do that without making it a logistical project every time you need a data point.

 

 SIPHOX LINK — SIPHOX METABOLIC TESTING

 

 

The Free Resource Guide

I've put together a comprehensive PDF that documents the full protocol in one place — the complete supplement stack with dosing and timing, CGM setup basics, the lab panels I run quarterly and how to order them direct, and starting points for fasting protocols integrated with real-time glucose data.

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It's organized the way I wished someone had organized it for me when I started: by category, with context on why each product was chosen, what I was trying to accomplish, and how it performed against the data. It's free. No purchase required. I'm sharing it because the noise in this space is extraordinary and most people deserve a cleaner signal.

 

 PDF DOWNLOAD LINK — AFFILIATE MARKETING RESOURCE GUIDE

 

 

About Mark Skoda

I'm 71 years old, based in Nashville. In July 2025 I started a systematic effort to reverse what 30 years of executive travel, stress, and poor metabolic habits had done to my body. I was 265 pounds, insulin-dependent, with an A1C of 7.4%.

Eighteen months later, my biological markers tell a different story. I lost 70 pounds, eliminated insulin dependence, and reduced my A1C to 6.0%. My Vanderbilt medical team validated the results as clinically significant — a transformation documented in a peer-reviewed case study manuscript submitted for journal publication.

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I'm not selling a program. I'm sharing what worked, with the data behind it, because I know firsthand how much noise exists in this space and how hard it is to find a clean, credible signal. If this protocol helps one person avoid the trajectory I was on, the work is worth it.

 

 

Affiliate Disclosure:

This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of these links, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use or have rigorously evaluated against available evidence. This is not medical advice. The information here is for educational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before beginning any new supplement, diagnostic protocol, or health intervention. Individual results will vary.