How to monitor your health on a GLP-1 when no labs were run before you started

You can still monitor your health on a GLP-1 if no labs were run before you started. Get a baseline blood panel now, covering blood sugar, kidney function, cholesterol and the liver enzyme ALT, and share the results with your prescriber.

A baseline is simply your starting set of numbers. Even months in, it gives you and your prescriber a line to measure against. Numia's Weight Loss Monitoring Panel covers the tests Canada's obesity guideline suggests for most people, in one home visit.

Here's why that matters. Changes can happen quietly, in your blood. In one semaglutide weight-loss trial, 52% of people began with a raised ALT, a liver enzyme that often rises when fat builds up in the liver. Depending on the dose, up to 46% of them saw it return to range, against 18% on placebo (Newsome et al., 2019). You can only see that change if you know where you started.

Monitoring supports your care; it doesn't replace it. Numia doesn't prescribe, adjust or stop GLP-1 medications. Dosing, and whether to continue, stay with your prescriber.

Which blood tests does Canada's obesity guideline suggest?

Obesity Canada's guideline suggests some tests for most people and others only when needed. Numia's panel covers the first group's blood tests, and more:

What should you watch for on a GLP-1?

Health Canada's official drug information for Wegovy, Ozempic and Zepbound sets no routine blood-test schedule for weight management without diabetes. It does flag two things. Nausea and vomiting can dehydrate you, which can affect your kidneys; Numia's panel tracks creatinine, urea and electrolytes. Low blood sugar is also more likely if you take insulin or a sulfonylurea, so ask your prescriber about day-to-day checks.

Severe belly pain, vomiting that won't stop or signs of dehydration mean contacting your prescriber or getting care right away.

How does Numia make the baseline easy?

The usual route has several steps: an appointment, a requisition, a lab visit, a wait, then another appointment for results. Numia brings them into one place. A licensed Canadian physician approves your requisition online within 24 hours, and a BC-licensed clinician visits your Greater Vancouver home for a 10-minute morning draw, five days a week.

You get results in 7 days, in plain English in the Numia app, and the Numia Companion, an AI that has read your results, answers questions and cites your panel. Out-of-range results are physician-reviewed with next steps, and an optional wellness consultation with a physician lets you talk them through. It's an HSA-eligible service.

Frequently asked questions

How can I keep track of my health on Ozempic without another clinic visit?

Choose a route with no appointment first, then share results with your prescriber. Numia's physician approves the Weight Loss panel online and a clinician draws it at home. A family doctor can also order these tests, publicly funded when clinically indicated.

What's stalling my weight loss if I'm already in a calorie deficit?

Often it's your body adjusting: for each kilogram lost, you burn about 20–30 fewer calories a day while appetite rises by about 100 calories. Numia's panel checks TSH and HbA1c to help rule out medical contributors.

Does a GLP-1 change my blood test results?

It can, often for the better. In STEP 1, HDL, the "good" cholesterol, rose 5.2% versus 1.4% on placebo. Retesting Numia's Weight Loss panel against your baseline shows how your own numbers are moving.