CGM Data (Stelo) - Looking for Your Thoughts

[Lynn_Weber]

Hello, everyone!! I don’t post often, but I read the forum daily. I consider this my community - a place where I can “be” with like-minded people, who understand metabolic health and leading a healthy lifestyle.

So…like Bob M, I purchased a Stelo to see what is going on with my blood sugar and by proxy, my insulin. First, here is additional information and the most recent past in my journey, which actually began in 2014.

I am female, 60yo, very active - walk 3 miles 5 days a week, yoga 2-3 times weekly & HIIT class 2 times a week. All of my exercise happens before 10am for the most part. I am not diabetic nor pre-diabetic. My annual blood tests for many years showed my morning/fasting BG has been between 105 & 113 while my fasting insulin has been between 4 & 7. I chalked up the high BG to the Dawn Phenomenon. In Aug, my A1C was 5.7 which is why I bought the Stelo.

I am 5’2", 172lbs. Could lose about 20lbs, imo. I have been hovering here since 2022 and am not stressed about it. My attitude is that I like what I see in the mirror, feel great and, am strong. Losing 20 more lbs would improve my health span.

I have been Keto & OMAD 90% of the time since 2018. Since 2020, I have been clean keto (no seed oils, no foods/spices with sugar, fake sugar or funky chemicals, also 90% of the time). I have had transgressions in the past 6 years which are periods from 30 to 90 days of off the rail eating carbage. Last one of these began March 31st and ended April 21, 2024. Chocolate and sugar laden goodies are my addiction. Back on the wagon with 175 days clean under my belt.

I began using the cgm on 10/7. I am tracking a number of data points. For the past 6 days, my fasting (6am) bg is between 102 & 115, AND my 8pm which is at least 2.5 hours post-prandial is the same - 102 to 115.

While using the Stelo, I have eaten between 0 and 2 carbs each meal (OMAD). My pre-meal bg is high 90’s and 30 min post-meal goes up less than 10 points. This range is between 101 to 106.

When I have seen spikes (defined as in the 130s or 140s) they seem random. Tues at 12AM, it jumped to 140 when prior Mon 8pm showed 102. Then again on Tues, after my 3 mile walk, it went from 115 (630am) to 132 (730am). On Fri, I took pilates and it went from 109 (8am) to 142 (915am). Both were in a fasted state.

I love to learn about the science on this and what happens at a cellular level, so I will appreciate any and all input. I have a lot of ideas as to what is going on, but this post is already very long, so I will let you all chime in. Thanks to those who are still with me …

1. What is the best way for me to lower my overall range from 70 to say 110? ACV, Fast (if so, what kind), exercise, etc.
2. What could be causing high numbers at say 330am when I wake up at 6am? I had 3 readings in the 120s this past week.
3. Can someone explain what is happening when, for example, I go to pilates with bg of 109 and at the end of the class it is 142?
4. Is it reasonable to assume that the reason my weight has not moved off of 172ish for 4 months is because my bg does not drop low enough?
5. What is the science behind my bg never getting to the 80’s?

Thanks!
Lynn

[Chezza]

Watching with interest as I’m very similar, struggling to get my BG below 6 x

[ctviggen]

I have some theories about this. One is that the “higher” blood sugar is your body’s way of providing for glycogen replacement.

A second theory is that those of us who have more “damage” to their livers have higher blood sugar.

I think my second theory might not be correct, though, because I had relatively low blood sugar for years, see below. I started keto on 1/1/14, so this was years into keto.

I do have higher blood sugar now, but I think it’s a drug I’ve had to start taking that’s causing liver issues. Trying to prove that.

Anyway, for exercise, that higher blood sugar is what happens a lot. My blood sugar typically rises 10-20+ just by exercising. The problem I’m having with the Stelo is that it’s really meant for people who commonly get high blood sugar. This is yesterday’s curve:

There’s a spike in the morning, due to body weight training, then it goes a bit higher when I eat (first meal) around 10 am (had some milk, though that was it), then goes down all day. I did not eat my second meal until 10 pm or so. Everything is flattened out due to the compressed nature of the curve.

For the exercise, you could try eating a few carbs beforehand to test. It would be interesting to test with 10-20-30 grams of carbs to see what happens. Or if you don’t eat beforehand (which I don’t), eat a keto meal and see what happens.

I think part of the reason my blood sugar goes up until about 11 am or so is because I don’t eat. I think the body is producing blood sugar for whatever needs it, because after I eat, my blood sugar drops the entire rest of the day.

So, if you don’t eat breakfast, it might help to eat breakfast to see what happens. (I don’t do that because I need to get out and start working.)

Also, my second Stelo sensor was way off. This one (my third) seems more reasonable.

[ctviggen]

Here’s a shot of the difference between the bad sensor #2 and the better sensor #3:

I also think the sensors take a bit to get better. Sensor #3 started higher than I thought it should be and got closer to where I think it should be.