Achilles Tendon Rupture BPC-157 / TB-500 Protocol

Go-to recovery meal. Glycine-rich, easy on the gut, calorie-dense enough to maintain weight during low activity. When appetite is gone, this is the meal that always goes down.

Primary protein source. Red meat for iron, zinc, B12, and complete amino acid profile. Usually 2-3 servings daily.

Morning ritual. Gelatin dissolved in coffee with a vitamin C source on the side. Turns the first cup into a collagen synthesis opportunity.

3g in the evening. Dual purpose: collagen precursor and sleep support. Glycine is the most abundant amino acid in collagen and also acts on NMDA receptors to improve sleep quality.

NSAIDs suppress the inflammatory cascade that's required for proper tendon healing. The inflammation isn't the problem — it's the repair signal. Suppressing it slows collagen formation. Acetaminophen is the preferred alternative.

Polyunsaturated fats are prone to oxidation and drive inflammatory signaling through prostaglandin pathways. During active tissue repair, reducing PUFA load helps keep the inflammatory environment cleaner.

Multiple days where I had gelatin at breakfast and fruit at dinner. That's too far apart. The vitamin C needs to be within about an hour of the collagen source to support synthesis at the tendon. Got better at this after Day 4 post-op.

Low carb days consistently produced bad sleep. The mechanism: low glycogen overnight triggers a cortisol spike to mobilize glucose, which wakes you up. Rice at dinner solved this. Day 1 vs Day 2 post-op was the clearest example.

Reduced movement tanks your NEAT and your appetite follows. But your body still needs calories for tissue repair. Bone broth + rice became the fallback meal for days when nothing sounded good. You have to eat even when you don't want to.