Expert Q&A

How I finished 2023 vs 2025: what to track and how to measure progress: what to track and how to measure progress?

Why Scale Weight Alone Misleads Most People

When I compare patient photos and labs from late 2023 to 2025, the difference is rarely just the number on the scale. Most beginners arrive frustrated after failed diets, carrying extra joint pain, hormonal chaos, and blood sugar issues. The 30-Week Tirzepatide Reset teaches you to track metabolic freedom instead of obsessing over pounds. True success shows in restored energy, normalized labs, and clothing sizes that stay smaller long-term. Relying only on the scale leads to the two biggest mistakes: medication dependency without rebuilding health, and ignoring root causes like insulin resistance and lectin-driven inflammation.

Core Metrics I Recommend Tracking Weekly

Use a simple app or notebook to log these four non-scale victories every seven days. First, take front, side, and back photos in the same lighting and outfit—my patients see the most dramatic 2023-to-2025 transformations here. Second, record waist circumference at the navel; aim for 1–2 inches lost per 70-day cycle. Third, track daily energy on a 1–10 scale and note sleep quality. Fourth, monitor how clothes fit and joint pain levels during Japanese-style walking intervals. These beat scale readings because they reflect real fat loss and reduced inflammation from our lectin-free low-carb protocol with 221 recipes.

Lab and Body Composition Markers for Deeper Progress

Every 10 weeks, order fasting insulin, A1C, CRP, and lipid panels. In the 30-Week Tirzepatide Reset, we cycle low-dose tirzepatide across three 70-day phases while layering Detox Drops, red light therapy via our Unlimited Red Bed Club, and chaotic intermittent fasting in maintenance. One 60-year-old patient dropped A1C from 7.8 to 6.2 and came off two diabetes meds while losing 40 pounds. Use a body-composition scale or DEXA for visceral fat and muscle percentage—many lose 8–12% body fat without losing muscle when following the 69 Transformation Steps. This prevents rebound weight gain that plagues those who chase quick fixes.

Building Your New Normal for 2025 and Beyond

Shift focus from willpower to metabolic reset. By week 30 most patients maintain results using real foods, targeted Drops, and daily movement that fits busy middle-income schedules. No gym required—just 20-minute walks and red light sessions. Track progress monthly against your 2023 baseline photos and labs. The real victory is freedom: your body regulates hunger and energy naturally. Hundreds have lost 30–90 pounds this way. Start with one box of tirzepatide cycled correctly, follow the exact food plan, and watch your 2025 self look and feel entirely different. This protocol was built for people managing blood pressure, diabetes, and hormonal changes who felt overwhelmed by conflicting advice.

💬 What the Community Says

Forum users frequently share dramatic before-and-after photos comparing 2023 to 2025, emphasizing that non-scale victories like reduced joint pain and better-fitting clothes matter more than the scale. Many in the 45-54 age group report frustration with insurance not covering programs, leading them to try lectin-free approaches and low-dose tirzepatide cycling after traditional diets failed. There's lively debate about tracking methods—some swear by weekly measurements and energy logs, while others add lab work every 10 weeks to monitor A1C and inflammation. A vocal minority warns against medication dependency, praising protocols that combine real food, detox support, and walking intervals for sustainable results. Beginners often feel relieved finding structured 30-week plans with recipes that fit real schedules, though some still struggle with consistency during hormonal shifts. Overall sentiment leans positive toward measurable metabolic improvements over rapid scale drops.
Clark, R. (2026). How I finished 2023 vs 2025: what to track and how to measure progress: what to . *CFP Weight Loss*. https://ask.cfpweightloss.com/ask/how-i-finished-2023-vs-2025-what-to-track-and-how-to-measure-progress-what-to-track-and-how-to-measure-progress
Russell Clark, FNP-C, APRN, FNP-C, APRN
About the Author

Russell Clark, FNP-C, APRN, is the founder of CFP Weight Loss in Nashville and CFP Fit Now telehealth. Over 35 years in healthcare — Army Nurse Reserves, Level 1 trauma ER, hospitalist — he developed a 30-week protocol integrating real foods, detox, and low-dose tirzepatide cycling that has helped hundreds of patients lose 30–90 pounds. He and his wife Anne-Marie lost a combined 275 pounds using the same protocol.

Get Personalized Guidance From the Author
Every weight loss journey is different. Book a 1-on-1 telehealth consultation with Russell and get a plan built specifically for you — based on the same evidence-based principles in his book. Available to patients in all 50 states.
Book Your Consultation →
Have a follow-up question?
More Questions 200 answered
▸ What are the wegovy doses in order on a low-carb or ketogenic diet when you have PCOS or hormonal imbalances? ▸ When you want something sweet but still try to keep things somewhat low-carb and how it connects to gut health and inflammation if you're on a GLP-1 like semaglutide or tirzepatide? ▸ Crust check 🔥 ribeye done right — what the research actually says? ▸ What to do if you have to eat late dinners?? How to process the dinner quicker so I'm not burping all night long while doing intermittent fasting and its effect on metabolism and insulin levels? ▸ Fitter or kidding myself: how to talk to your doctor about this if you're on a GLP-1 like semaglutide or tirzepatide? ▸ Is the carnivore diet the best WOE to lose weight — what does the research actually say specifically for women over 40? ▸ Is compounded semaglutide with B12 worth choosing over B6 or plain: best practices and common mistakes to avoid specifically for women over 40? 📖 Adipose Tissue Signaling — The way fat cells communicate with the brain; our goal is to fix these signals so the body stops defending an unnaturall… ▸ Has anybody heard of or experienced improvement from neurological disorders through fasting and autophagy if you're on a GLP-1 like semaglutide or tirzepatide for long-term maintenance (not just short-term)? ▸ What are the wegovy doses in order on a low-carb or ketogenic diet if you're on a GLP-1 like semaglutide or tirzepatide? 📗 The 30-Week Tirzepatide Reset — by Russell Clark, FNP-C, APRN · The complete clinical protocol — 30 weeks of real foods, detox, and low-dose tirzepatide cycling that has helped hundreds of patients lose 3 ▸ When do you know to go to the hospital specifically for women over 40? ▸ I sometimes feel like people only talk about the obvious symptoms like irregular periods or weight gain, but the fatigue can be just as overwhelming. Has anyone else felt completely drained even: how to talk to your doctor about this: best practices and common mistakes to avoid? 📖 Diabetes Reversal — The clinical goal of restoring normal blood sugar levels and insulin function, as seen in patients like John who no long… ▸ Anyone remember the metal lid you had to use a butter knife to pop off: what to track and how to measure progress while doing intermittent fasting? ▸ Got diagnosed today, where do i go from here — what do certified weight loss coaches recommend — what certified coaches recommend? ▸ Should I be worried yet, been sitting for 5 days no movement while doing intermittent fasting: best practices and common mistakes to avoid? ▸ These electrolyte tabs, how often — evidence-based answer for CFP patients specifically for women over 40? ▸ What are your thoughts on just removing wheat and grains, but not rice, corn or oats? Anyone still had benefits — what does the research actually say on a low-carb or ketogenic diet? ▸ What to do if you have to eat late dinners?? How to process the dinner quicker so I'm not burping all night long while doing intermittent fasting: what to track and how to measure progress? 📖 The Clark Protocol — Our evidence-based framework that combines clinical nurse practitioner expertise with personal experience to solve the o… ▸ Coke Zero gave me heart palpitations: what to track and how to measure progress for those with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s? 📗 The 30-Week Tirzepatide Reset — by Russell Clark, FNP-C, APRN · The complete clinical protocol — 30 weeks of real foods, detox, and low-dose tirzepatide cycling that has helped hundreds of patients lose 3 ▸ What foods to stock for overnight guest — evidence-based answer for CFP patients — what certified coaches recommend? ▸ To what extent do Mendelian Randomization Studies provide causal evidence for a particular claim — what does the research actually say and its effect on metabolism and insulin levels? ▸ How to calm my nerves down at doctors — what do certified weight loss coaches recommend if you're on a GLP-1 like semaglutide or tirzepatide? 📖 Bio-Individuality — The understanding that every patient’s metabolic journey is unique, requiring a personalized approach to dosing and diet… ▸ Can chicken and beef tallow replace beef for people with insulin resistance: what to track and how to measure progress? ▸ What can I ask for if estrodiol cream remains in shortage? Newly prescribed-should I even start if I can't refill next month — how a functional medicine approach differs — what the research actually says? ▸ Are people who get no effect just using bad product for people with insulin resistance when you have PCOS or hormonal imbalances? ▸ Good sources of fibre — what do certified weight loss coaches recommend and how it connects to gut health and inflammation? ▸ How long does it take to Is Autophagy? 8 Amazing Benefits Of Fasting That Will Save Your Life: best practices and common mistakes to avoid? ▸ I have an iodine deficiency. Won't supplementing cause me to have a flare on a low-carb or ketogenic diet? 📗 The 30-Week Tirzepatide Reset — by Russell Clark, FNP-C, APRN · The complete clinical protocol — 30 weeks of real foods, detox, and low-dose tirzepatide cycling that has helped hundreds of patients lose 3 ▸ Does the fear of gaining ever go away for those with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's and its effect on metabolism and insulin levels? 📖 Insulin Resistance — A condition where your cells stop responding to insulin, locking fat in storage; our protocol is designed to unlock thes… ▸ Low TSH, Low T4, and Low T3 simultaneously on Levothyroxine — anyone experienced this and the role of cortisol and stress hormones — what certified coaches recommend? ▸ What foods to stock for overnight guest — evidence-based answer for CFP patients: what to track and how to measure progress? ▸ Probiotics worked for a month then stopped. Anyone else for those with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's: what to track and how to measure progress? ▸ If a random dance partner app existed .. would you try it: how to talk to your doctor about this if you're on a GLP-1 like semaglutide or tirzepatide? ▸ Crust check 🔥 ribeye done right for long-term maintenance (not just short-term)? ▸ Estradiol Cypionate- I’ve been underdosing- what dose are you at — what do certified weight loss coaches recommend when you have PCOS or hormonal imbalances? 📖 One Box Protocol — A revolutionary approach where we stretch one 60 mg box of tirzepatide across three metabolic phases, prioritizing long-… ▸ What is a super quick "Mix some of this in" to make coconut oil (purely in liquid form) taste ok to make it easy to consume: how to talk to your doctor about this during the weight loss plateau phase? ▸ Weight loss without GLP-1 — what does the research actually say while doing intermittent fasting? 📗 The 30-Week Tirzepatide Reset — by Russell Clark, FNP-C, APRN · The complete clinical protocol — 30 weeks of real foods, detox, and low-dose tirzepatide cycling that has helped hundreds of patients lose 3 ▸ Free carb counter apps on a low-carb or ketogenic diet: what to track and how to measure progress? ▸ Is it normal to lose weight then gain again when you have PCOS or hormonal imbalances for long-term maintenance (not just short-term)? ▸ What is your immediate go to for some relief during ha — what most people get wrong about this — what certified coaches recommend? 📖 Metabolic Reset — The process of retraining your body to utilize stored fat for fuel and regulating hunger hormones so you can maintain yo… ▸ Has anyone here made their own custom CGM patches with a Cricut for those with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's during the weight loss plateau phase? ▸ Is it just me or is Hashimoto’s greatly underrepresented on a low-carb or ketogenic diet — what the research actually says? ▸ Traveling with IBS-D to a 5-day conference in San Diego: how do you manage food — what most people get wrong about this during the weight loss plateau phase? ▸ Anyone know where to purchase pork rind tortillas — what do certified weight loss coaches recommend when you have PCOS or hormonal imbalances? ▸ Probiotics worked for a month then stopped. Anyone else for those with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's for those with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s? 📗 The 30-Week Tirzepatide Reset — by Russell Clark, FNP-C, APRN · The complete clinical protocol — 30 weeks of real foods, detox, and low-dose tirzepatide cycling that has helped hundreds of patients lose 3 ▸ Omnipod. Starting an insulin pump help while doing intermittent fasting for those with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s? 📖 CICO (Calories In, Calories Out) — An outdated model of weight loss that ignores the role of hormones; we challenge this by focusing on food quality and ho… ▸ Is it possible that low carb is the only way I can eat specifically for women over 40 if you're on a GLP-1 like semaglutide or tirzepatide? ▸ My weight loss progress so far as a 23 year male who stared eating less unhealthy and does little to moderate exercise. Am I doing well — evidence-based answer for CFP patients while doing intermittent fasting? ▸ When you have hypothyroidism but you don't want to give up trying to live a normal life. 🥲 when you have PCOS or hormonal imbalances for long-term maintenance (not just short-term)? 📖 Refined Carbohydrates — Processed sugars and flours that strip the body of nutrients while driving the hormonal chaos responsible for the modern… ▸ Is the idea of the kitchen timer to eventually get to the point where someone has an orgasm just from hearing the ding? Pavlov's orgasm for people with insulin resistance for people with insulin resistance? ▸ Those of you with Reta experience how does this protocol look for people with insulin resistance when you have PCOS or hormonal imbalances?