My Final Week Using The Nutrisense Program. Week 12 Using Nutrisense.

Hello Again! My name is Logan, and I’m the Content Manager here at Nutrisense. For the past 12 weeks, I have been wearing the Nutrisense CGM [Continuous Glucose Monitor] and working with Carlee from our team of registered dietitians to improve my blood glucose levels, lose weight, and begin to take my health more seriously.I feel immense pride and satisfaction as I review the last 12 weeks of “work” that I have done. I’ve met so many goals and learned so much about myself and the lifestyle that I want to lead moving forward.

It’s been a little overwhelming but also very encouraging to share this with all of you. In some ways, I think that it held me accountable.Week 12 seemed to fly by. I completed the “carb test” that I mentioned in last week’s post. Carlee has helped me design some experiments to help refine all of the progress I’ve made and make my lifestyle even healthier moving into the future.

The two experiments that I chose to try before this documented series comes to an end is isolating carbohydrates to see how my body breaks down carbs without any protein or fiber in the meal and fasting windows.

Isolating Carbs

Basically, you eat a carb with protein and fiber in one meal and check your blood sugar levels, then you eat another meal with just the carb by itself and see how your blood sugar reacts to that. I ate one meal with salmon, asparagus, and quinoa, then had one meal that was just quinoa. When I ate the quinoa by itself, my blood sugar spiked much higher than after the meal when I paired it with the salmon and asparagus. This proves that my body handles glucose levels much better when you pair your carbs with fiber and a source of protein. This is a general rule that we have discussed before, but it was good to experiment so specifically with it.

Fasting

I also decided to try small fasting windows this week. I skipped breakfast all week to see if that greatly affected my blood sugar levels. I did not notice any dips or spikes in the mornings, and I don’t believe it affected my evenings.

Reflecting on Progress

This week I have again added a 5th workout and extended them all by a few minutes. I am down another ½ a pound and closer than ever to my weight goals. I have achieved more than I thought I could in 3 months when it comes to physical fitness.I’ve learned to completely change how I think about daily food and exercise choices and prioritize my body and health in a way that I didn’t understand before using the CGM. When I started this program, I was so concerned about how much change would actually have happened in my daily life and how feasible it would be. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to eat foods that I loved or hang out with my friends in the same ways. In the end, I learned that those changes could fit into my everyday routines without disrupting them. I just had to learn to listen to my body more and make conscious decisions about what I eat, sleep, and exercise.Using the CGM has been a complete game-changer for me. Looking at live data feels like the first time I understand what choosing the right foods to eat and exercising does for your body.

What Have I Learned and Accomplished?

Eating Consciously

• I have learned always to make a conscious decision about the food I choose to eat. Once I learned to think that way, it became easier to read a menu or place an order for food that I knew would be better than my old go-to’s. 

I’ve learned how to cook that way too. It helped to use Mealine when I began this journey. Their service allows you to pick recipes and generate a grocery list based on dietary restrictions or foods you filter out.Now, new habits and decisions come second nature because of what I learned by viewing my data after making certain food choices.

Fitness

• I’ve surpassed my exercise goals. When I started this program, I had trouble exercising for 20 straight minutes without losing my breath completely. I have added a workout to my weekly schedule and can exercise for 40+ minutes without becoming too tired. 

I’ve also added more casual movement throughout my day [short walks mostly]. Not only have I seen proof in the data that it helps my blood sugar stay under control around meals, but I feel like my muscles feel better with the short walks I’ve been incorporating. I can feel that it is helping my posture and mood while working at my desk all day.

Weight Loss

• I’ve lost 15lbs so far! I feel like it hasn’t been too challenging to continue losing weight to reach my goals because of how gradual and healthy this program has been. It’s not like diets I’ve tried in the past where you do it for a couple of weeks but then the weight comes back after you stop. I have entirely reprogrammed the way that I think about food.

Helping Loved Ones

• ‍ I’ve been able to help my father think about the way he treats food too. I mentioned when this series started that my father is diabetic, which was part of why I wanted to get to know more about my blood sugar. He visited during Week 8, and after seeing how big of a difference these small lifestyle changes were made for me, he sat down and talked to me about them and their reasoning. Everything that I’ve learned while undertaking this program with Nutrisense enabled me to have educational conversations with my father. 

I’ve caught up with him in weeks since, and he uses the information I shared with him. He said that he is finding it easier to control his blood sugar now. It feels so good to share the knowledge I have gained to help him make his life easier and healthier.

Thank You for Believing in Me 

I feel differently now from how I did 12 weeks ago. I’m more confident, have more energy, and appreciate my body and the work that it does for me more than I ever have before.

Check out this week’s data:

Monday: 2023kCals recorded // 20 minutes of exercise

I made a sausage, egg, and cheese burrito for breakfast but had another because I was still hungry mid-morning. I had a cup of yogurt for a snack and made Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes for dinner.

Tuesday:  1448kCals // 25 minutes of exercise

I made a sausage, egg, and cheese burrito for lunch and chicken with rice and vegetables for dinner.

Wednesday: 2954kCals recorded //25 minutes of exercise

I had yogurt and a latte for breakfast and chicken pad thai for both lunch and dinner.

Thursday: 1723kCals recorded // 20 minutes of exercise

I had Soylent for lunch and chicken pad thai for dinner.

Friday: 661kCals recorded // 40 minutes of exercise

I had chicken pad thai for lunch.

Saturday: 1633kCals recorded

I had pizza for lunch and salmon with asparagus and quinoa for dinner.

Sunday: 947kCals recorded

I made a chicken bake for lunch and had quinoa for dinner [by itself for my carb experiment].

Until Next Time

Lastly, thank you so much for joining me over the last three months. Next week Carlee and I will have a question and answer session about the last three months, and we will videotape it and write it as well. I’m excited to talk to her “face to face” and dig into this time we have spent working together.

Now that I understand my body and blood sugar and know how to make better choices, I want to work with our dietitian to streamline my diet to reach my ultimate weight and health goals.

Join me on my weight loss journey and save $25 today by clicking this link: https://nutrisense.io?code=LOGANF. We would love to hear about your journey and experience with Nutrisense.