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Daisy talks about how she started paying attention to her health differently between her first pregnancy and her second, what it looked like to actually put herself on the list, and what happened when she did not feel right during this pregnancy and had to advocate for herself to get answers. That is where the iron came in.

We get into the signs of anemia that get waved off as normal, especially in pregnancy and postpartum. Tired. Cold. Winded on the stairs. Foggy. Every one of those gets explained away by something else when you are pregnant or you have a newborn, and that is exactly why it gets missed. We talk about what a CBC does and does not tell you, and the one lab you should ask for by name.

Then Daisy talks about now. She is two months out with a newborn and a six year old, and she is honest about what getting back to herself actually looks like, which is nothing like the version you see online.

If you have ever left an appointment feeling unheard, or you are tired and someone has told you that is just part of it, this episode is for you.

In this episode:

• What changed in how Daisy thought about her health between her two pregnancies
• What putting yourself on the list actually looks like when you already have a kid
• Knowing something is off and having to say it more than once
• The signs of anemia that get explained away, in pregnancy and postpartum
• Why hemoglobin drops in pregnancy on purpose, and what to look at instead
• How to actually absorb the iron you are taking
• What getting back to yourself really looks like two months postpartum
• The Unfiltered Truth: where this conversation runs out of evidence

Signs of iron deficiency that are worth a conversation:

• Fatigue that sleep does not fix
• Shortness of breath with things that did not used to wind you
• Feeling cold when nobody else is
• Headaches, dizziness, or brain fog
• Restless legs at night
• Hair shedding, brittle nails, or cracks at the corners of your mouth

Ready to stop guessing?

If you are tired of being told your labs are fine when you do not feel fine, let's talk. I am a registered dietitian and board certified in advanced diabetes management, and I have spent fifteen years helping people understand what their numbers are actually telling them.

Book a free discovery call: https://www.russpowellnutrition.com/book

Blood Sugar Unfiltered. Feel Seen. Get Results. Live Steady.

This episode is educational and is not a substitute for care from your own provider.

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Noticing more spikes this summer? You're not imagining it, and you're not alone. In this Q&A episode, Russ answers three of the most common questions he hears from clients during the summer season: how to eat on the road, what to order when dining out, and what to actually do when your blood sugar won't come back down after vacation (hint: it's not a detox). Real questions, evidence-based answers, zero lecture energy.

What you'll learn:

• Road trip scan — protein, fiber, and what to skip at the gas station

• Sequence, Scan, Sub — the dining out framework that works at any restaurant

• VPS method — why vegetables first, protein second, starch last flattens your post-meal curve

• Post-vacation reset — the four habits that bring your glucose back to baseline without a cleanse

Connect with Russ:

Website: russpowellnutrition.com

Email: contact@russpowellnutrition.com

Instagram: @balanced.bloodsugar.rd

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Almost half of adults on a GLP-1 for type 2 diabetes and roughly two-thirds on it for weight stop the medication inside the first year. Most of them aren't quitting because the drug isn't working. They're quitting because nobody handed them a playbook for the first 90 days.

In this episode, Russender Powell, MS, RD, LD, BC-ADM, CDCES decodes what GLP-1 patients have been describing for years and almost no one is naming out loud: the "hungry and full at the same time" feeling, the texture aversion, the chewing fatigue, the mental swirl about water and fiber and protein, and the under-drinking that creeps up on you. Then she walks you through three real-food moves you can pull off tonight built around one reframe: eating less on a GLP-1 isn't a restriction. It's making room.

In this episode you'll learn

• Why you can be hungry and full at the same time on a GLP-1 — and what to do with both signals
• The texture and chewing fatigue piece nobody is naming in mainstream GLP-1 content
• Why "I know I should eat but I just don't" is the danger zone of the first 90 days
• The evidence-based hydration target — and why "half your body weight in ounces" doesn't hold up clinically
• The shrink-the-plate-by-⅓ reframe that frees up real estate for protein, veggies, and starch
• Three USDA-anchored real-food moves: the shrink-the-plate plate, the 5-minute no-chew plate, and the sip-and-snack hydration habit

Resources mentioned

• Free download: 15-Food GLP-1 Grocery Reset: https://russ-powell-nutrition-diabetes-care.kit.com/7b595e5686

• Work 1:1 with Russender — Better Together Blood Sugar Blueprint (BCBS, Anthem, and UHC accepted; benefits verified up front): https://www.russpowellnutrition.com/book
• Website: www.russpowellnutrition.com
• Email: contact@russpowellnutrition.com

About your host

Russender Powell is a registered dietitian (RD, LD), board-certified in advanced diabetes management (BC-ADM), and a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) with 15+ years of clinical experience. Through her private practice and her signature Better Together Blood Sugar and GLP-1 Blueprint program, she helps adults with type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and on GLP-1/GIP therapies build real-food habits that stick without the swirl.

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Subscribe to Blood Sugar Unfiltered on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or iHeart Radio and leave a rating or review. Your one-tap support helps more newly-diagnosed adults find evidence-based help on day one.

Developed by Russender Powell, MS, RD, LD, BC-ADM, CDCES. This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dose changes require prescriber approval. Insurance coverage varies by plan; benefits are verified prior to the start of care.