The Latest Wearable Device: CGM

blood sugar coach diet diet trends glucose habit metabolism Sep 22, 2022

You don’t need the latest innovation to extract valuable information; there’s a better way!

Want to lose weight, lower blood sugar, and improve metabolic health? Don’t jump on this device trend! Diet companies are betting a wearable device will provide feedback to highlight bad choices and reinforce good choices to transform behavior. The concept is good, but the round-the-clock surveillance isn’t necessary. There’s a better, less expensive way to get the same transformative information.

What’s a CGM?

Continuous Glucose Monitors or CGMs have been available by prescription, primarily to insulin-dependent diabetics, to help them manage blood sugar and insulin pumps to prevent a medical crisis, alerting them with electronic alarm notifications when intervention is necessary.

CGMs changed how these patients manage their diabetic condition because the wearable device removed the need for people with diabetes to frequently test blood sugar, pricking their finger with a lancet and putting the droplet of blood on a glucose monitoring device.

CGMs changed the process of blood sugar management and improved awareness to help patients improve glycemic control; they have not proven it as an effective tool to change behavior.

The Benefits & Downside of a CGM

The weight-loss industry is betting that awareness will change behavior. Constant observation of metabolic biology is the most significant benefit. But this continuous view may be as frustrating as a constant connection to the bathroom scale for body weight. Watching the data change isn’t the same as understanding the fluctuation’s cause.

Awareness vs. Behavior Change

It’s not as simple as watching numbers fluctuate or reading the Nutrition Facts on food labels because the labeling loopholes and more than 70+ sugar and other additives aliases make healthy eating more complicated, and healthy choices aren’t so obvious. Untangling the complexity is what my program Ovvia™ provides; education and awareness together to effectively change behavior.

A CGM may provide the undeniable proof some people need to understand how pervasive smuggled sugars and starches are in most all processed foods and drinks. But the CGM is more likely going to cause frustration and friction.

The average person does not expect that a sweet taste of any kind, natural, artificial, or otherwise, truly can increase blood sugar levels. And instead of empowering the wearer to get more information about “How Weight-Loss Works” and how the metabolism works, they may be more likely to feel hopeless and helpless. This information about metabolism is so critical I share a 2 part video available to all subscribers for FREE.

Most CGMs are on loan for only a couple of weeks, not long enough to run the required course for actual behavior change. Migration towards new foods and drinks can take months, especially if it is going to be sustained as part of a complete lifestyle change.

The Better, Less Expensive Solution

A standard glucose monitor is the best and less expensive solution. It’s a non-wearable device to use when you want to collect data, like the bathroom scale for body weight. I use it to observe my body’s reaction to foods and drinks.

I work with my Members in our weekly Ovvia™ Group Coaching Sessions to help them understand how to use the device to get the data and feedback they need to make informed and to make personal choices around diet and lifestyle.

Every metabolism is unique, and the data from a standard glucose monitor helps extract the essential information to understand our metabolic sensitivity and changing flexibility.

This is the device I use because it comes with a Bluetooth connection that can collect data, calculate averages, and report on the corresponding app on your phone. It can link to my phone, Apple Health, Vitals, and Blood Glucose.

Standard blood glucose devices are available at a fair price; no prescription is needed. Refills are available online, making this a reliable tool you can use over months and years to give valuable feedback.

Learn More

All Subscribers & Members can listen to my podcast to learn more. Recommend starting with Episode 1. And watch the two-part video series: “How the Metabolism Works.” Read the recent blog I wrote, How to Lower Blood Sugar Naturally.

$5 Subscribers & Members watch the newest video, published this week, “The Carb Difference,” where I show you more about how specific foods impact blood sugar.

Members watch the four videos of When to Eat & What to Eat. You get a quick and easy lesson on Insulin Basics, and Carb Sensitivity & Insulin Resistance there. Those two videos are especially helpful in understanding blood sugar and its impact on body weight and overall metabolic health.