How 50-Year-Old, Physical Therapist, Gina, Lost 30lbs in 2.5 Months

One of the most important ways to achieve success with the NutriSense Continuous Glucose Monitor Health Program is by learning from the experiences of others within the community. We can learn a lot from each other by sharing the successes and interesting insights we gain by observing our glucose level trends.

To help you through your own health journey, offer inspiration, and motivate you to keep going, we’re sharing success stories featuring NutriSense community members! If you’re interested in learning more from the community, be sure to join our Facebook Group.

Our Lead Dietitian, Carlee Hayes, RDN, recently chatted with NutriSense customer, Gina, about her experience so far in the CGM Health Program. Gina’s been working with us for over three months now. She was sick of yo-yo dieting and really just wanted a solution that would be sustainable for her in the long-run.

Within 2.5 months, Gina’s lost 30lbs and has noticed great improvements in her skin, mood, outlook on life, and energy levels. She’s also been able to improve her fasting glucose levels and glycemic variability.

Below is more of Gina’s story.

What motivated you to try out the NutriSense CGM Health Program?

I’m a physical therapist, and I’ve worked with a lot of post-amputees in the hospital systems. After turning 50 this year, COVID-19, and with my family history of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, I was determined to not allow myself to go down that route. I don’t want to end up needing to take medications, insulin, and undergo other medical treatments.

I think I’ve been on every fad diet there is known to man, and really, a diet doesn’t work. The difference with the CGM is it’s real-time data, which means accountability. I know that if I scan, I can see right away the impact of that cookie I just ate! If I didn’t have access to that data, my thinking would be, ‘Out of sight, out of mind. I feel fine.’ Now, I can see what that cookie actually did to my glucose levels.

What’s it like wearing the CGM?

It was not painful at all to wear the CGM. When I heard there’s a needle in the CGM, I was like, “Okay, I don’t think I want to do this,” but it’s really nothing at all. You put the CGM sensor on and quickly forget it’s even there.

In fact, I actually forgot that I had it on! I hadn’t covered the CGM with the bandage that comes with the package, so when I went to take my shirt off, it got caught and popped off my arm. Now I know why the packaging says to wear the bandage! I’ve been wearing the bandage since and haven’t had that problem happen again.

I was able to shower with it on. Sweating and lifting weights were no problem. I even swam with it on and it didn’t get affected.

What surprising things did you learn about your body?

I didn’t realize how much food really affects us! Wearing the CGM totally opened my eyes to what food does to my glucose numbers. Everything matters, from the timing of when I eat to the amount of exercise. I had always heard about the importance of these things, but I never really understood what it all meant.

It’s been such an amazing experience to understand how my health is impacted by all these factors — and in real-time! I’m so pleased. It’s really opened my eyes and I’ve been telling my patients about it, too.

What was it like using the NutriSense app to track data from the CGM?

I really like the graph that shows my glucose levels in real-time. It’s also really convenient to be able to log my foods and see my macronutrients. It holds me accountable when I see the numbers. It makes me think, ‘Do I really want to eat this right now if I’ve already eaten x carbs?’

I also love that my dietitian is able to see my data and help me understand it all. She sends me messages saying, “Hey, I noticed this and this. Do you think your glucose response was because of the XYZ you ate or exercise or a stressful event I logged in the app?” And I’m like, “Yeah, that’s probably why,” whereas before, I’d be wondering, “Hmm…why did that happen?”

How have your eating habits changed since joining the NutriSense program?

Evenings are different now. I used to eat dinner late, thinking, ‘Oh, if I eat later then I won’t wake up hungry.’ But now I know that eating late really shoots my fasting glucose numbers up throughout the night. Instead, it’s better to eat meals during the day so my glucose doesn’t spike at night. Timing is really, really important.

Just knowing that information makes me want to eat dinner earlier. Of course, life happens and you’re going to go out to dinner on the weekends and you might have a glass of wine, or whatever, and go into the late night. But doing that once or twice a week versus five days a week makes a huge difference in overall health.

I also never realized that not getting enough sleep is a big issue. Besides affecting my mood and stress levels the next day, I didn’t know that the body starts to crave certain foods when it doesn’t get enough sleep.

I now have a nighttime routine. It really allows me to wake up refreshed and ready for the day. I feel like I have more energy. It’s been eye-opening. Literally.

What’s one of your favorite things about using the NutriSense program?

I love the dietitian part of the program. Being able to type a question into the CGM app and quickly get the answers I need is really convenient. My dietitian really partnered with me one-on-one. She gave me resources and links to articles. It’s incredibly helpful because knowledge is power. When I know better, I do better.

When I was following fad diets, it felt like I was just following someone else’s plan. But now, the NutriSense program allows me to create my own plan, with my own accountability. I don’t need anybody else to tell me what to put in my body when, intuitively, I know what to do.

I lost 30 pounds in 2.5 months, and I did it the right way. I wasn’t starving myself. I was able to have chocolate. I was able to have bread, with the right timing. I didn’t feel deprived. So I’m beyond excited with continuing in the program and learning more about my body.

Want to learn more about the NutriSense CGM Health Program?

If you are thinking about taking the next step to monitor your blood glucose levels, and take charge of your health, then the NutriSense Continuous Glucose Monitoring Health Program might be for you!

NutriSense combines leading technology with access to the expertise of a registered dietitian. If you are interested in learning more about using a CGM to control your blood glucose levels and get to optimal health, contact us at contact@nutrisense.io

Originally published at https://www.nutrisense.io on December 17, 2020.