How I Went From Diabetic to Not Diabetic in Three Months

Valuable Lessons from a Continuous Glucose Monitor

There is a lot of hype these days around the use of a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to manage glucose levels even for those who are not diabetic. I’ve heard it is a new status symbol in the United Kingdom to be seen wearing the now ubiquitous black and yellow CGM from Zoe. And later this year, the Dexcom Stelo will be the first CGM to be available over the counter in the United States.

My CGM journey began last fall when a friend recommended I watch a podcast by entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den investor Steven Bartlett. The first was an interview with epidemiologist and Zoe co-founder, Dr. Timothy Spector. In the interview, Spector revealed among other fascinating insights that counting calories doesn’t help you lose weight and that to be healthy we need to consume a wide range of plants and limit sugar and other “bad” carbs.

I followed that interview up with Bartlett’s viral interview with biochemist Jessie Inchauspé (aka the Glucose Goddess). I knew after watching these two videos that not only was I eating wrong I needed to try a CGM to see how my own body reacted to various foods.

My health journey has been long and challenging. I’ve been very open and communicative about my battles with diet and nutrition following a heart attack in 2011, but despite all of my research and experiments (Atkins, Mediterranean, pescatarian, vegetarian, etc.) I still remained 20 or so pounds overweight and slowly but surely my bloodwork was getting worse.

In January of 2023 my AIC reached 6.6, moving me from the prediabetic range to the diabetic range for the first time. At the same time, my fasting glucose numbers were creeping up — they usually hovered around 100 but soon I began testing at around 110 and then by that same January 2023 test I was in the 120s. My biggest fear, becoming diabetic, was coming true despite all of my efforts. I really felt like the more I learned the less I knew.

Then in November of 2023 with my A1C still hovering between prediabetic and diabetic I found the two videos above. I went to see my primary care doctor and she brought up medications for the first time but having watched the videos I just had to try the CGM before I added yet another drug to my already overflowing pill case.

She agreed to prescribe the CGM to me and later the same day I picked up a Freestyle Libre 3 from CVS (because I was not yet officially diagnosed with diabetes it was not covered by insurance but via its maker Abbott I was able to secure the first month’s supply for $75.) I went home and downloaded the app to my phone and popped the device onto my inner arm. I then proceeded to go holiday shopping at the mall and stopped in for a quick bite, and thinking I was choosing a smart meal I scarfed a falafel wrap. Then within an hour, I watched my sugars spike to more than 200 on the app. I was not off to a good start.

Over the next 90 days though I learned how to eat to keep my sugars between 70-140, the recommended range for non-diabetic adults. During these 90 days, I also lost 10 pounds. And while the weight loss has leveled off, I feel confident I can lose the remaining 10 I’d like to get to my target weight.

But I didn’t do this to lose weight. I did it to learn how to eat healthier so I would not be diabetic, a malady that devastated my father’s health and plagues upwards of 12 percent (38 million) of Americans. So did it work?

Last week I tested my blood for the first time in three months and my A1C was 5.5, well within the healthy range of between 4.1 and 6.2 for a man of my age (57 by the way). And while my cholesterol did increase for the first time in decades, I know that is because I am still learning how to eat a low glycemic diet and I may have gone a little overboard on reintroducing red meat and dairy into my diet. I’ll fix that in the next few months!

The thing is, when you can instantly see what various foods do to your glucose levels it’s pretty simple what you have to do to stay within range — don’t eat the foods that spike your sugars. These foods can be different in different people, something I learned quickly when my wife Leslie started using a CGM for herself and some foods we both ate resulted in different spikes. It is important to know that, however, I am insulin resistant and she isn’t.

So what spiked my sugars and what didn’t? Well, it’s not rocket science — it’s pretty much what you already know. Sugar, in ALL forms, spiked my glucose. This means not just table sugar, but honey and agave too. Wheat, in most forms, spiked my sugars. This of course means bread. I tried every fucking kind of bread to see if I could hack the glucose monitor but it all spiked my sugar, with a few minor exceptions. Homemade almond bread did not spike my sugars. And an occasional slice or two of Ezekiel Bread wasn’t too bad as long as I ate it with protein and fat to balance the spike (this is a hack recommended by Jessie Inchauspé and I will share more about her 10 hacks in a bit).

Seeded crackers were great. All other crackers were bad. Potatoes were bad. Rice was bad. Quinoa was bad. Heck, pretty much every grain was bad — even oatmeal. Mangoes were a friggin disaster. Oranges too. And bananas. For the record, before the CGM I was eating a banana every day.

Tacos were out. Pizza was out. Burger and hot dog buns were out. I know what you’re thinking — Len is saying the best way to eat to manage blood sugar is Keto. But I’m not saying that. Keto is too hard to maintain and the fact is carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients we need to survive (protein and fat are the others). What I am saying is you need to choose your carbs wisely.

Low glycemic carbs include most vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, greens, asparagus, cucumbers, mushrooms, brussels sprouts, etc. The best fruits to eat to maintain balanced blood sugar are berries. And some whole grains can be a good choice, especially if you balance them with protein and fat.

In fact, maybe the biggest learning from this experiment is that good carbs are fine and it’s easy to tell which carbs are good — they generally have a carb-to-fiber ratio of 5-1 or less. This is why Ezekiel Bread can be a good choice. One slice of Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain bread has 15 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of sugar (a 5-1 ratio). Add a little fat and protein to that (in the form of nut butter or avocado) and the sugar spike will be almost fully minimized.

So what do I eat now? I intermittent fast, so I don’t eat breakfast very often. My staples are low GI vegetables and salads, with sugar-free dressing like olive oil and red wine vinegar. Lean white meats like chicken and turkey are fine, and fish is great including tuna. Lots of nuts and berries. Hummus. Soups. Eggs. Instead of a sandwich, I’ll roll up some turkey with some dairy-free cream cheese (I am lactose intolerant and prefer Violife.) I found great low GI crackers and I spread on some avocado or no added sugar peanut butter or even a little Violife with smoked salmon or turkey.

Dinner is usually fish or poultry with veggies. I don’t add a starch — I think feeling like you need a starch is more habit than requirement. Honestly, as long as you plan there’s so much to eat. And again, I eat low carb not no carb so lower GI carb choices are great. Leslie has no spike with sweet potato but I do. I could probably eat a half, as long as it is with protein and fat to flatten the spike. Cauliflower rice is becoming a standard as it gives me the texture of rice without the carb spike.

Here’s an example of how I’ve changed that most anyone can relate to. I like Chipotle, and in the past I’d get a bowl with greens, rice, beans, a protein and some add-ons. So now, I skip the rice and beans and do a bowl with greens and protein plus fajita veggies, guac and salsa.

Snacks have been a challenge. I like the convenience of a protein bar but most of them are loaded with sugar or carbs. I did find a few at Sprouts that have a great carb/fiber ratio and they taste good so I’m eating IQ Bars and Munk Pack bars (sweetened with monk fruit). I always carry some almond butter packs with me now. When I’m home I’ll dip some veggies in hummus or nut butter. Popcorn is out. Crackers are out, with the exception of a few seeded ones I found that are low GI. Top Seedz are good for dipping, and SigDal makes these great seed crackers with a 4-1 ratio that are solid enough for me to spread on avocado or Violife and add some turkey slices to make a great lunch.

I stopped adding oat milk to my coffee. I tried almond milk, which is much lower in carbs, but for me I prefer black coffee so I stick to that.

I do have to give a lot of credit for my lower A1C to Jessie Inchauspé who along with motivating me to get a CGM she also provides several very valuable hacks to make eating to flatten the curve simple. Jessie is having her moment for sure, and while I haven’t bought her books or paid for her supplement, I have used her 10 hacks. You can read about them here, but I’ll tell you about two that have made a huge difference for me (and Leslie).

1. Move after eating. This hack is so simple, and when you do it with a CGM on it’s mind blowing. After eating, if you have a few extra carbs or not, walking for as little as 10 minutes afterward drops your blood sugar dramatically and instantly.

2. Add clothes to our carbs. Adding fats, proteins or fiber to the carbs you plan to eat to reduce how quickly glucose is absorbed into the body. This works for me when I have an apple, which by itself spikes my sugars but with peanut butter does not.

All this is to say, sugar and carbs that turn into sugar, is bad for your overall health. It causes diabetes, and weight gain, and inflammation. While I’ve only been on this glucose journey for three months or so, I can see it working both in my blood work and my pants size. I don’t like fad diets, but I do like literally seeing the results and I can tell you with no uncertainty that these results are real.

I’ll check in again down the road on this subject, but I’d love to hear about your experiences as well.