Tanmeet! Thank you so much for this amazing guide! My PCP at One Medical offered to enroll me in one of their wellness programs that included a CGM but I declined because Iʻm not pre-diabetic, but now I see that I was being a bit myopic. I need to go back to my PCP and ask to be enrolled in that program again! This is such fantastic information on gut microbiome and nutrition and everything that goes into our metabolic health. Iʻm eager to incorporate this device and all the insights it can reveal to me. Perhaps it can help me get over my weight loss barrier (Iʻve been stuck at 150lbs for months and while I know a lot of my weight is skin, I would still like to lose a little more weight). I also really want to understand what foods I react to and how. I already take after meal walks but maybe I need to take longer walks. A CGM will help me know if Iʻm on the right path! I had no idea this device could be so useful! Iʻm so excited now. Thank you so much!
I really love using a cgm periodically! I wish they were less expensive so I could incorporate it more regularly. I’m hearing that Lingo offers a more affordable option so might have to check that out.
I agree Sudha. They are getting more affordable all the time and honestly, I think they are going to get much better. Especially now that continuous ketone monitors will be coming in the near future.
I have found that like so many data things people sometimes use the info like a trap and to give themselves rule that then become about blame and shame. I’m trying to use the data as just that - information towards a hypothesis that I experiment with over a few months. That approach helped me figure out that the biggest contributor to my glucose management was … sleep (and stress). If I sleep well everything else is much better, the food choices matter less. Which is such a devilish trick bc when I’ve slept poorly is also when I have no energy to prep the healthy meal (sigh)
Such good insights and sleep is often the sneakiest one!! Especially because our appetite hormones are in havoc after a bad nights sleep. And yes people can get obsessed with metrics and data. I talk often about how there is somewhat of a “tracker-archy” that can shame people. So using these devices sparingly it’s important.
I have used a CGM for about 4 years- initially to develop recipes for Levels Health, and now to develop metabolically healthy recipes right here on Substack!🧡I think it is such an incredible tool and I wish insurance companies paid for everyone to use one for a couple months twice a year. That is how recommend my clients use them: to dial in their perfect carb tolerance, figure what foods cause excessively large spikes, and to see firsthand how sleep, stress, an after dinner walk, and food combining all after blood sugar levels. This is a great CGM overview, Tanmeet- thank you🧡
Thank you for this Beth! And yes, I love that you develop recipes using this tool! I didn't know you did that for Levels, that's wonderful! For anyone who does not know Beth's Substack, I highly recommend it, Nest Wellness!
This is such a helpful overview. I especially appreciate the specific examples of how someone could experiment and see what affects their sugar level spikes and how (Eating protein first and then carbs? This never would have occurred to me!). Thank you for this great resource!
Brianne, I hope it serves you well. And yes, that one simple example makes such a difference. You can experiment with having the exact same meal but in different orders and see how you do, for most people, you see a difference.
I unfortunately found the CGM monitors I tried using very unreliable. When they worked, they worked but when they didn't, it was disconcerting and alarming. I wish I could say differently. The practitioner I was working with at that time confirmed that they could be that way. I didn't and don't have a blood sugar problem. I just really wanted to see how my body responded to various foods. It is a technology that sounds great in theory, if the "machine" does indeed work. Anyway, you asked about our experience with CGM. I am really looking forward to your zoom session about Metabolic Health on April 26. Thanks Tanmeet, see you then...
Yes Jean experiences can be so variable, I really appreciate you sharing yours! I haven't had very many problems at all for myself or patients but it is so frustrating when that happens! Looking forward to seeing you!
This is a great overview on CGM, Tanmeet Sethi, MD.
Someone in the TRMNL community recently shared a setup they built to display their Dexcom and Nightscout data on a TRMNL device.
What’s cool is that a parent saw it and started using the same setup to keep an eye on their kid’s glucose levels while the kid is at school.
That use case stuck with me, so I figured I’d share it here. Maybe the idea of having glucose levels show up on a quiet screen at home, so a partner or parent can keep tabs, might be helpful for someone else.
Since you shared a picture of you using a sensor, could we perhaps send you a complimentary device?
The Stelo Dexcom is available over the counter without a prescription!
Thank you Melissa for sharing this with everyone! Have you tried one?
Tanmeet! Thank you so much for this amazing guide! My PCP at One Medical offered to enroll me in one of their wellness programs that included a CGM but I declined because Iʻm not pre-diabetic, but now I see that I was being a bit myopic. I need to go back to my PCP and ask to be enrolled in that program again! This is such fantastic information on gut microbiome and nutrition and everything that goes into our metabolic health. Iʻm eager to incorporate this device and all the insights it can reveal to me. Perhaps it can help me get over my weight loss barrier (Iʻve been stuck at 150lbs for months and while I know a lot of my weight is skin, I would still like to lose a little more weight). I also really want to understand what foods I react to and how. I already take after meal walks but maybe I need to take longer walks. A CGM will help me know if Iʻm on the right path! I had no idea this device could be so useful! Iʻm so excited now. Thank you so much!
Stephanie, I am so glad it helped and YES I think you should def take advantage of that program! And then let us know what you learn!
I really love using a cgm periodically! I wish they were less expensive so I could incorporate it more regularly. I’m hearing that Lingo offers a more affordable option so might have to check that out.
I agree Sudha. They are getting more affordable all the time and honestly, I think they are going to get much better. Especially now that continuous ketone monitors will be coming in the near future.
I have found that like so many data things people sometimes use the info like a trap and to give themselves rule that then become about blame and shame. I’m trying to use the data as just that - information towards a hypothesis that I experiment with over a few months. That approach helped me figure out that the biggest contributor to my glucose management was … sleep (and stress). If I sleep well everything else is much better, the food choices matter less. Which is such a devilish trick bc when I’ve slept poorly is also when I have no energy to prep the healthy meal (sigh)
Such good insights and sleep is often the sneakiest one!! Especially because our appetite hormones are in havoc after a bad nights sleep. And yes people can get obsessed with metrics and data. I talk often about how there is somewhat of a “tracker-archy” that can shame people. So using these devices sparingly it’s important.
I have used a CGM for about 4 years- initially to develop recipes for Levels Health, and now to develop metabolically healthy recipes right here on Substack!🧡I think it is such an incredible tool and I wish insurance companies paid for everyone to use one for a couple months twice a year. That is how recommend my clients use them: to dial in their perfect carb tolerance, figure what foods cause excessively large spikes, and to see firsthand how sleep, stress, an after dinner walk, and food combining all after blood sugar levels. This is a great CGM overview, Tanmeet- thank you🧡
Thank you for this Beth! And yes, I love that you develop recipes using this tool! I didn't know you did that for Levels, that's wonderful! For anyone who does not know Beth's Substack, I highly recommend it, Nest Wellness!
This is such a helpful overview. I especially appreciate the specific examples of how someone could experiment and see what affects their sugar level spikes and how (Eating protein first and then carbs? This never would have occurred to me!). Thank you for this great resource!
Brianne, I hope it serves you well. And yes, that one simple example makes such a difference. You can experiment with having the exact same meal but in different orders and see how you do, for most people, you see a difference.
I unfortunately found the CGM monitors I tried using very unreliable. When they worked, they worked but when they didn't, it was disconcerting and alarming. I wish I could say differently. The practitioner I was working with at that time confirmed that they could be that way. I didn't and don't have a blood sugar problem. I just really wanted to see how my body responded to various foods. It is a technology that sounds great in theory, if the "machine" does indeed work. Anyway, you asked about our experience with CGM. I am really looking forward to your zoom session about Metabolic Health on April 26. Thanks Tanmeet, see you then...
Yes Jean experiences can be so variable, I really appreciate you sharing yours! I haven't had very many problems at all for myself or patients but it is so frustrating when that happens! Looking forward to seeing you!
This is a great overview on CGM, Tanmeet Sethi, MD.
Someone in the TRMNL community recently shared a setup they built to display their Dexcom and Nightscout data on a TRMNL device.
What’s cool is that a parent saw it and started using the same setup to keep an eye on their kid’s glucose levels while the kid is at school.
That use case stuck with me, so I figured I’d share it here. Maybe the idea of having glucose levels show up on a quiet screen at home, so a partner or parent can keep tabs, might be helpful for someone else.
Since you shared a picture of you using a sensor, could we perhaps send you a complimentary device?
Let me know.