Lab Rat Zer0In February I had a medical scare that woke me up: I needed to take control of my health, or there wasn't going to be much of it left. So I found a doctor and got every test they wanted. The results weren't good. My A1C was 9.7, my blood pressure was sky-high, and at 164 kilograms I was severely overweight. They were ready to prescribe everything under the sun.
Rather than become a customer of the medical industry, I decided to see what I could fix myself. That started the journey I'm still on. Since April I've lost 43 kilograms, my blood pressure is now well under control and my A1C is down to 5.4 and I'm not done. I know I can do it, can you?
People have noticed the change, and they ask what I've done and how. I don't think it's complicated, but it does have a lot of moving pieces. So I built this page: one place where friends, family, and anyone curious can find the tools that have helped me.
Tools are all this page offers. The most important part of taking control of your life is discipline — and that's the hard part.
The short version. If you want to go from zero to running your first peptide this week, this is everything I'd buy if I were starting over — nothing more. The rest of the page is the long version.
Excellent, personal customer service and the best packaging, period. I get everything I can here.
Very professional site with a very broad selection of peptides. More expensive.
Six things. Order the peptide and these together and you're set up the day the box lands.
Reconstitution is just adding bacteriostatic water to the powder in the vial. Swab the stoppers, draw the water, and run it slowly down the inside of the glass so it dissolves on its own — swirl, never shake — then date the vial and put it in the fridge. The whole thing takes two minutes once you've done it twice.
The one mistake everyone makes once: assuming you fill the vial with a full 3 mL syringe of water. The amount of water is chosen, not fixed — it's set by the dose your protocol calls for and the injection size you want to draw in units on an insulin syringe. More water means a bigger, easier-to-measure draw; less water means a smaller one. Work that number out before the water goes in, because you can't take it back out. Did I mention — Never Shake!
optional
The one bottle you will never regret buying two of. Can't really have too much.
30 mL · 0.9% benzyl alcohol · multi-dose
essential
These are for drawing bac water and dispensing into the vial down the glass wall, never onto the powder. I use a smaller gauge needle here to avoid unneeded damage to the rubber stopper on the vials.
5 mL · 25G × 1.5 in needles · luer-lock
essential
stopper and skin, every time. Buy the 500-count box.
70% isopropyl · 2-ply · 500 ct
recommended
29G is a good middle ground between comfort and flow. I use these with my TRT. The Oil flows through easily. Twist on, inject, done. Works with every pen I've tried, and the 100-count box lasts a while.
29G × 1/2 in · 100 ct · twist-on · universal pen fit · single-use
essential
This is what the peptides get reconstituted with — the benzyl alcohol keeps a multi-dose vial usable for weeks after the first puncture instead of one-and-done. The 3ml size matches a single vial per vial, so nothing gets contaminated from repeated draws. Must have, if you're buying from Longevity get one for every vial you buy.
3 mL · 0.9% benzyl alcohol · sterile · multi-dose vial
recommended
These are my reconstitution needles. fast draws without jabbing the stopper around. Also, great for venting vials and cartridges. Luer lock so nothing pops off mid-draw.
23G · 1.5 inch · luer lock · individually wrapped · 100 ct
There are a lot of resources out there about choosing injection sites. The bottom is stay about 2 inches away from your belly button and don't over use and single spot. As far as equipment goes, I use 0.3ml 31G insulin-syringes and 36G 8mm pen tips, although I've been moving more and more to the 28G 12.5mm tips to prevent leaking as a result of the short needle. Sharps container are good idea, I use a strong walled plastic shake bottle for all my used tips and syringes.
essential
This is the size and gauge I settled on after trying three. Half-unit marks matter — small doses are guesswork without them. Also good for venting vials.
0.3 mL · 31G × 5/16 in · half-unit marks · 100 ct
Check the units on the barrel before you draw. Every time.
essential
Because a coffee can is not a plan. This sits next to my prep spot, the locking lid means no needle surprises, and the clear side lets me see when it's actually full instead of guessing. Small enough to travel with the kit too.
1 qt · FDA-cleared · locking lid
recommended
This is the dosing half of the peptide setup — the pen takes standard 3ml cartridges. The body is all metal and fully reusable, not one of the disposable pens you toss after a single use, and it dials in precise 1-unit clicks up to 60 units. Nothing proprietary either — it runs standard ISO-spec 3ml cartridges and needles, so replacements are cheap and everywhere. The filling block is the sleeper piece of the kit: it holds 4 cartridges while you're prepping, which is what makes batch days quick instead of fumbling one at a time.
60 unit max dose · 1-unit increments · 3 mL cartridges · metal body · filling block holds 4 cartridges
recommended
Need'em for the pens... these are good value for money.
3 mL · borosilicate glass · 11 mm stopper · individually wrapped · 70 ct
recommended
The one consumable you actually go through with the pen setup, so it's worth getting right. These are 31G x 8mm — 31 gauge is the extra-fine end of the range, and 8mm is the standard subcutaneous length, which means the shot is basically unnoticeable. The "thin-wall" tech matters more than the marketing makes it sound: a thinner steel wall means more flow through a finer needle, so even thick solutions push through smoothly at the same 1-unit clicks
31G · 8 mm · universal fit · individually sealed · 100 ct
essential
Same gauge as my 0.3ml ones but the full 1ml barrel — handy when I'm drawing bigger volumes or prepping cartridges. Individually sealed, so a few live in the travel kit. These are also the starter size, not every dose fits in the 30iu option.
1 mL · 31G × 5/16 in · individually sealed · 100 ct
The clinicians will tell you 28 days is the most you can keep a reconstituted vial in the fridge at 36 °F. Technically they're right. In practice I've kept reconstituted peptides 60, even 70 days without a problem — kept dark, handled gently, and in a fridge that's genuinely cold. The thermometer card in this kit is how I know it is.
Past the 30-day mark, though, you check every draw. Hold the vial to the light: if there's anything floating in it or the colour has changed, it's done. Discard it, no exceptions.
Unopened, lyophilised vials go in the freezer at 4 °F (−20 °C), where they keep for years. Mine live in a soup thermos with silicone inserts — a hundred 3 mL vials in a container that holds its temperature, stays dark, and survives being knocked around.
recommended
This keeps your vials upright and away from the yogurt. This hold a small number of reconstituted vials, syringes, and prep pads keeping a little of all you need together.
EVA hard shell · 7× 3 mL slots · 3× 10 mL slots · 1× 30 mL slot · 6 silicone caps included
recommended
These are for the dry-storage box of unopened vials. I pack my Hyrdapeak full of these and throw two or three in with my Pens. Keep your powder dry.
5 Gram (50 Pack) Silica Gel Packets, Desiccant, Moisture Absorbers
recommended
Name, date, concentration — printed, not remembered. I label every vial the day I reconstitute it, and I include QR codes to Pep-Pedia on all of mine. Since I use pen primarily I personally label the pen body directly.
The P21 label maker features BPA-Free Direct Thermal Technology. Equipped with high-speed chips and 203 DPI, the P21 label maker delivers high-definition printing without ink or toner, perfect for back to school supplies. The label maker comes with a long-lasting built-in rechargeable battery for extended use. This label maker prints in monochrome (black text only), and you can create color labels by using color pattern label tapes. Note: Charging adapter not included
recommended
If you're keeping peptides long-term, the real enemy isn't "not cold enough" — it's temperature swings. Every time the freezer cycles or someone opens the door, your vials ride the wave. That's why mine live in a 32oz double-wall vacuum thermos inside the freezer, with the silicone inserts that hold 3ml vials. The inserts are the part most people miss: every vial sits upright, separated, and snug — no glass-on-glass, no vials tipping over the second the door shuts. It's basically a cryo rack that also insulates.
All my lyophilized vials sit in the inserts, one thermos, straight in the freezer. It doesn't sweat, doesn't get knocked around, and holds its cold way better than the freezer door stays shut. During a power blip, my vials never feel it — which is honestly the whole reason I started doing this.
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Holds 48 3ml vials upright in my Hydrapeak — the piece that turns "vials in a thermos" into a system. Freezer, fridge, or cooler, nothing tips or rattles.
Seamlessly compatible with 32oz, 25oz, and 18oz Hydrapeak food jars! Securely holds 3ml vials in place, eliminating shaking and collisions. Say goodbye to leakage troubles and enjoy hassle-free storage!
Taurine to help regulation of Heart Rate. This is to aiding offsetting the effects of the extra Glucagon. Glycine to help with collagen productions and skin health. Magnesium in conjunction with potassium and sodium to keep the electrolytes in balance.
essential
I use this help down regulate the heart rate before sleep to promote restfulness and a complete nights sleep.
120 caps
essential
My nightly sleep-support partner to the magnesium. A simple amino acid that calms the nervous system — smoother wind-down, faster sleep, no morning grogginess. Cheap per serving and third-party certified.
90 caps
essential
This is the only magnesium I've stuck with. Most cheap magnesium is oxide — barely absorbs and rough on your gut. Glycinate is the form that actually gets used, and Thorne's is the cleanest version of it I've found: no fillers doing the heavy lifting, no stomach drama, none of the "magnesium bathroom tour" the cheap stuff gives you. I take it in the evening — it's become part of the wind-down. Sleep's deeper, the random leg twitches after heavy lifting stopped, and I notice the difference on days I skip it. It's not flashy, it's just the one that works.
60 caps
essential
This is the fish oil I landed on after wasting money on the cheap stuff. The trick with omega-3s is comparing EPA per serving, not the big numbers brands put on the front — "4,080 mg fish oil!" sounds impressive until you read the label and the actual EPA works out to far less (target.com). My serving is 1,350 mg EPA in two small gelcaps — roughly 675 mg per cap, when a standard warehouse-store pill carries a fraction of that. It's CO2-extracted, so no solvents and no heavy-metal worries (thorne.com), and it's third-party tested. Worth watching for when you shop around: some of the cheap high-concentration oils use the synthetic ethyl ester form, which is cheaper to make and absorbs worse (vitalplanet.com). Zero fishy burps, no horse pills. I take two with dinner — it's the boring long-game stuff (blood lipids, circulation, inflammation) that you don't feel on day one but notice in your labs a year in. Do the per-serving math and it's not even that expensive.
1,300 mg EPA & 320 mg DHA per Serving, Supports Healthy Blood Lipids
1 Hour to 30 Minutes before bed.
The EPA needs to be taken with a meal to help with maximum absorption.
What I measure, how often, and what I ignore.
recommended
Yes, it's expensive. Yes, you can use another scale if you have one or don't want to by this one. But you MUST have an accurate one. Ideally one that you can track on your phone. Otherwise, you MUST track you weight yourself, this data is critical to success.
Wi-Fi · HealthKit sync
optional
The waist number moves, sometimes the scale doesn't. It one of the better ways to track visceral fat loss.
retractable
recommended
This is a one stop shop for valuable Peptide knowledge. What they are, how they work, how to use them. Lot's user input.
Everything above in one list. Copy it, or a single kit, and paste it anywhere.
| # | Item | Details | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | | 30 mL · 0.9% benzyl alcohol · multi-dose | optional | ruo.bio ↗ | |
| 01 | | 5 mL · 25G × 1.5 in needles · luer-lock | essential | Amazon ↗ | |
| 01 | | 70% isopropyl · 2-ply · 500 ct | essential | Amazon ↗ | |
| 01 |  | 29G × 1/2 in · 100 ct · twist-on · universal pen fit · single-use | recommended | Amazon ↗ | |
| 01 |  | 3 mL · 0.9% benzyl alcohol · sterile · multi-dose vial | essential | longevityprolabs.com ↗ | |
| 01 |  | 23G · 1.5 inch · luer lock · individually wrapped · 100 ct | recommended | Amazon ↗ | |
| 02 | | 0.3 mL · 31G × 5/16 in · half-unit marks · 100 ct | essential | Amazon ↗ | |
| 02 | | 1 qt · FDA-cleared · locking lid | essential | Amazon ↗ | |
| 02 |  | 60 unit max dose · 1-unit increments · 3 mL cartridges · metal body · filling block holds 4 cartridges | recommended | Amazon ↗ | |
| 02 |  | 3 mL · borosilicate glass · 11 mm stopper · individually wrapped · 70 ct | recommended | Amazon ↗ | |
| 02 |  | 31G · 8 mm · universal fit · individually sealed · 100 ct | recommended | Amazon ↗ | |
| 02 |  | 1 mL · 31G × 5/16 in · individually sealed · 100 ct | essential | Amazon ↗ | |
| 03 | | EVA hard shell · 7× 3 mL slots · 3× 10 mL slots · 1× 30 mL slot · 6 silicone caps included | recommended | Amazon ↗ | |
| 03 |  | 5 Gram (50 Pack) Silica Gel Packets, Desiccant, Moisture Absorbers | recommended | Amazon ↗ | |
| 03 |  | The P21 label maker features BPA-Free Direct Thermal Technology. Equipped with high-speed chips and 203 DPI, the P21 label maker delivers high-definition printing without ink or toner, perfect for back to school supplies. The label maker comes with a long-lasting built-in rechargeable battery for extended use. This label maker prints in monochrome (black text only), and you can create color labels by using color pattern label tapes. Note: Charging adapter not included | recommended | Amazon ↗ | |
| 03 |  | All my lyophilized vials sit in the inserts, one thermos, straight in the freezer. It doesn't sweat, doesn't get knocked around, and holds its cold way better than the freezer door stays shut. During a power blip, my vials never feel it — which is honestly the whole reason I started doing this. | recommended | Amazon ↗ | |
| 03 |  | Seamlessly compatible with 32oz, 25oz, and 18oz Hydrapeak food jars! Securely holds 3ml vials in place, eliminating shaking and collisions. Say goodbye to leakage troubles and enjoy hassle-free storage! | optional | Amazon ↗ | |
| 04 | | 120 caps | essential | Amazon ↗ | |
| 04 | | 90 caps | essential | Amazon ↗ | |
| 04 | | 60 caps | essential | Amazon ↗ | |
| 04 | | 1,300 mg EPA & 320 mg DHA per Serving, Supports Healthy Blood Lipids | essential | Amazon ↗ | |
| 05 |  | Wi-Fi · HealthKit sync | recommended | Amazon ↗ | |
| 05 |  | retractable | optional | Amazon ↗ | |
| 05 |  | recommended | Open Peppedia ↗ |
