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I Wore A Continuous Glucose Monitor For A Month Heres What I Learned
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Signos takes a unique approach to helping its members lose weight by using a continuous glucose monitor.
The older I get, the harder it is for me to eat and drink like I used to without seeing any effect on the scale. About eight years ago I signed up for Weight Watchers and about six months later I had lost 40 pounds.
Fast forward a few years, the lifestyle changes that every diet entails became old news and the weight came back. Then, last year, after hitting a personal best, I decided it was time to make some drastic changes to my diet and physical activity. I signed up for Weight Watchers again, assuming that since it had worked before, it would work again. My wife and I bought Peloton Bike Plus and I started eating healthier and exercising almost every day.
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It worked for the first few months, the scale showed I had lost about 18 pounds. But then I stopped. Or my body was stuck. No matter how healthy I ate, how many beers I skipped, and how long I spent sweating my ass off, my weight wouldn’t come off.
I tried everything I could think of. Changing meals, changing the time and way you exercise, or drinking even more water with no luck.
I gave up on Weight Watchers because, well, it wasn’t working anymore. I continued to train (which I still do) and figured I’d just settle for where my body probably felt like it should be.
It was around this time that I received an email from Signos, a company that uses a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) — the same type that diabetics use to measure their blood sugar levels constantly — and teaches with a companion app. what food and exercise do with your blood sugar levels and in turn help you lose weight.
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After debating for a few days whether or not I wanted to have a monitor attached to my arm for a month, I decided to go with the offer from the Signos team. I wanted more information about my body and why it wasn’t doing what I expected.
After filling out a health questionnaire that more or less confirmed that I was not diabetic, I was able to unsubscribe from the service and about a week later the kit arrived at my home. Signos has three different packages to choose from, ranging from one month to six months of sensors and transmitters. The one-month plan is $299. Three months will cost you $199 per month, and six months is currently $149. In addition to the discount, if you sign up for longer subscriptions, you’ll also get access to Signos’ in-app nutritionist.
The one-month kit received included three sensors, a transmitter, a glucose drink and an instruction booklet. Each sensor lasts 10 days, so I had enough to monitor my glucose levels for a month.
The setup process involves installing the Dexcom app and registering an account. Dexcom makes the sensors and transmitter, and it’s an app that syncs your glucose stats to your phone. Signos then takes the data from the Dexcom app and uses it to give you insight and apply your weight loss method to the numbers. Of course, you also need to install the Signos app. But you won’t find it in the App Store. The only way to get the app right now is through Apple’s beta service, TestFlight. Signos told me the company is still improving the experience and service and will officially list the app in the future.
Dr. Rachel Paul, Phd, Rd
Each sensor has two tiny wires – or microfibers – that are implanted under the skin using an applicator. The adhesive around each sensor is strong enough to keep it in place even while showering and swimming.
When I first applied the sensor, it hurt a little, like someone pinched my arm, but after a few minutes I felt nothing but the random device on my arm.
In the first few days, the app guides you through the basics of how the service works. You will be asked to record your meals, snacks and exercise. After a couple of days, I had to fast overnight and then drink a bottle of glucose, logging it into the app and in turn giving Signos a better idea of how my body reacted to a known amount of glucose.
During the first week, I had to complete other tasks, including different levels or heart rate-measured fitness activity, so that Signos could estimate how much exercise I needed to get my post-meal glucose back into an acceptable range.
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My personal weight loss glucose range is under 117 mg/dL according to Signos. It’s not that you need to keep your glucose below that number all day long, but you want to limit the amount of time you spend above that number. At the end of the day, you can see what percentage of the day you exceeded your goal. There are two main approaches to doing just that.
The first is to eat a diet low in sugar and carbohydrates. Another is when going for a walk or doing some physical activity right after eating. The time depends on what you eat and how your body has historically responded to that food. For example, my usual lunch of a PB&J sandwich, oranges, and applesauce would raise my glucose above my personal threshold, while a turkey sandwich with peppers would not.
Signos advises me to take a 20-30 minute walk within about 15 minutes of finishing eating. It’s not a perfect science, sometimes my glucose spiked after I came back from a walk, while on days I couldn’t walk it didn’t spike even when I ate the exact same meal. For example, brown rice should be much better for you than white rice. However, my glucose levels rose higher after eating brown rice than when eating white rice at the exact same meal. Weird, right? Even weirder? Some nights the beer lowered my glucose instead of raising it.
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At the end of my first month I had lost a few pounds and started to see movement. But aside from an extra walk or two a day, I hadn’t changed a single thing in my diet or exercise routine.
Signos plans to eventually integrate a nutritionist’s personalized nutrition guide, but instead of waiting for that feature to roll out, I met with the company’s nutritionist, who asked me lots of questions about my diet and how much time I had. for cooking during the week and any food I like or dislike.
I’ve never wanted to see a nutritionist because, well, I’m picky. I don’t eat a lot of fruit and even less vegetables. But after an hour-long meeting, I was convinced to give the personal nutrition plan a chance.
The plan includes many different recipes and recommendations, most of which are high in healthy protein, low in protein
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