Ep 03: How to Take Control of Your Blood Sugar in Real-Time (Without Finger Sticks!)

In today’s episode of The Balanced Blood Sugar Podcast, we’re diving into why Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) can be a total game changer when it comes to managing your blood sugar. If you’re tired of pricking your fingers and still feeling like you’re not getting the full picture of your blood sugar levels, then this episode is for you!

Key Takeaways:

• Why testing your blood sugar only once a day might be holding you back
• How CGMs provide a full 24/7 picture of your blood sugar levels
• Personal stories about how CGM can help you make real-time adjustments to your diet and lifestyle
• The rising trend of using CGMs even if you don’t have a formal diagnosis
• How you can use your FSA/HSA funds to get a CGM without a prescription

Let Us Know Your Thoughts!

• Have questions or want to share your own CGM experience? I’d love to hear from you! Reach out to me on Instagram or Facebook (links below!)

Grab Your FREE Get Started Guide!

If you’re ready to start improving your blood sugar control today, don’t forget to download my FREE guide: “Get Started Guide: Balancing Your Blood Sugar” Get your copy here.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Freestyle Libre Free Trial: Get a free trial of the Freestyle Libre 3 CGM here.
• Where to Buy a CGM Without a Prescription:
  • Purchase a CGM from Stelo Health here. You can even use your FSA or HSA funds!
• FDA’s Over-the-Counter CGM Approval: Learn more about the FDA’s approval of over-the-counter CGMs here.

Stay Connected:

• Subscribe to The Balanced Blood Sugar Podcast for more tips and strategies to help you manage your blood sugar naturally.
• Follow us on social for more!
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Thanks for listening!
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with someone who might find it helpful. Let’s help more people balance their blood sugar and live healthier, happier lives!

Medical Disclaimer:
The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or medication. The content shared here reflects my personal experiences and research but should not replace individualized medical care.

Transcript

Ep 03: How to Take Control of Your Blood Sugar in Real-Time (Without Finger Pricks!)

[INTRO MUSIC PLAYS]

Hey there, everyone! Welcome back to The Balanced Blood Sugar Podcast! I’m Adrienne Wheat, your friendly neighborhood Registered Nurse, here to help you balance your blood sugar and live your best, healthiest life. If you’re new here—welcome! If you’ve been around for a while, you already know that I’m a huge fan of keeping things as easy as possible. And honestly, who wants to prick their finger a million times a day? Not me!

Today’s episode is going to be a game changer for those of you who are tired of fingersticks and frustrated with the incomplete picture you get from testing your blood sugar only once a day. We’re going to talk about Continuous Glucose Monitoring, or CGMs, and why they can give you more control over your health without all the pain and hassle of traditional testing.

And as always, if you’re looking for a quick win, don’t forget to download my “5 Easy Tips to Better Blood Sugar Control TODAY” cheat sheet. It’s linked in the show notes and has simple tips you can start using right now. So let’s jump into today’s topic!

The Limits of Finger Stick Testing:

Let’s start with what so many of us already know—the classic finger stick test. If you’re on Medicare, you might be familiar with this: you only get one testing strip per day. So what does your doctor tell you? “Check your blood sugar first thing in the morning.” It makes sense on the surface—fasting glucose can tell you some important information about how your body handles sugar overnight, but here's the catch: it’s just one snapshot. You’re only seeing a tiny glimpse of your blood sugar story.

Now, think about this for a second. Would you feel comfortable making decisions based on one piece of data from a whole day of blood sugar fluctuations? Probably not. If you’re only testing once, especially in the morning, you are definitely missing some critical information. For example, how do you know how your body is responding to lunch or dinner? Are certain foods causing your blood sugar to spike later in the day? That morning fingerstick won’t tell you any of that.

The ideal fingerstick schedule would be to check at different points in the day, including 30, 60, and 90 minutes after eating. That gives you a much clearer picture of how your body is reacting to your meals. But let’s be real, who has time to do multiple finger sticks every day? Plus, it’s painful, inconvenient, and, honestly, who wants to carry around all that testing gear all the time?

This is where Continuous Glucose Monitoring—or CGM—comes in. CGMs are small devices that stick into your skin and measure your blood sugar 24/7, without the need for fingersticks (unless the device needs calibrating). They track your glucose levels throughout the day and night, showing you a full picture of what’s going on in real-time. Many even have alarms that can be set for low or high sugars so if you are someone who can’t tell when your sugar is dangerously low, the device can alert you so you can grab something to eat. Game changer!

How CGMs Can Change the Game:

Let me paint a picture of how much more powerful a CGM is compared to fingerstick testing. Imagine you’ve just eaten lunch. With a CGM, you can watch how your blood sugar changes over the next few hours. Are you getting a big spike at 30 minutes? How long does it take for your levels to come back down? Are you staying elevated for hours after? With a CGM, you’ll see all of this. You can then tweak what you’re eating, adjust your portion sizes, or make changes in real time to better control your blood sugar levels for the rest of the day.

Now, I want to share a personal story about how this played out with my mom. She was using a CGM and noticed she kept getting blood sugar spikes in the afternoon. At first, she had no idea why—it wasn’t like she was eating a cupcake or something obviously sugary. But with her CGM, she was able to track that every afternoon after she ate a particular snack, her blood sugar spiked like crazy!

She also discovered later that my grandmother could eat the exact same food but her blood sugar wasn’t nearly as affected as my mother’s was. It’s a perfect example of how individual our responses are to food. What spikes one person’s blood sugar might not necessarily affect another person the same way. That’s why I’m such a fan of CGMs—you get personalized data that’s specific to you. You’re no longer guessing. You can see exactly what foods, stressors, or activities affect your blood sugar and adjust your behavior accordingly.

Imagine how empowering that is! Instead of feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, you’re in control. You know what works for your body and what doesn’t. That’s powerful stuff!

The CGM Revolution: Real-Time Health Insights for Everyone:

Now, I know some of you listening might be thinking, “But I’m not diabetic, do I really need a CGM?” And honestly, that’s a fair question! But here’s the thing—CGMs aren’t just for people with diagnosed conditions anymore. In fact, it’s estimated that 90% of Americans have some kind of metabolic issue (aka blood sugar issue), even if they’re undiagnosed. That’s a huge number!

We often think, “Oh, my blood sugar is fine because I don’t have diabetes,” but the truth is, blood sugar imbalances can affect all sorts of things, like energy levels, cravings, mood, and even long-term health outcomes. You might feel sluggish in the afternoon or have those “hangry” moments without even realizing it’s related to your blood sugar.

This is why CGMs are becoming more popular for people without any official diagnosis. It’s a great way to see how your body handles food, stress, and exercise in real time. And, as I mentioned earlier, you no longer need a prescription to get one! That’s right, the FDA recently approved the first over-the-counter CGM for people over 18 years old. That means if you’re curious about how your body is handling blood sugar, you can get a CGM without jumping through hoops to get a prescription. Be sure to check out the article in the show notes if you want to read more about that approval!

Where to Get a CGM Without a Prescription:

So, where can you get this CGM without a prescription? I’m so glad you asked! The one that just got approved is called Stelo by the well know CGM manufacturer Dexcom. You can purchase a CGM directly from them, no prescription needed, and the best part is that you can use your FSA or HSA funds to cover the cost. That’s a huge win, right?! Especially if you want to be proactive about your health but don’t want to deal with the hassle of doctor appointments and insurance approvals.

There’s also the option of getting a free trial with a prescription through brands like Freestyle Libre—talk to your doctor about that. Obviously free is better than out of pocket! And if you are on a certain amount of insulin per day, CGMs are actually being covered by insurance now. So definitely be sure to talk to your doctor about it if you fall into the category of those with an official diagnosis! 

But if you’re someone who prefers to go the independent route, Stelo is a great resource. We’re actually going to be getting some for our family within the next few months to give it a shot.

Links for both of these resources are in the show notes if you want to check them out!

The Benefits of Pairing CGM with Lifestyle Adjustments:

Now, let’s take it a step further. Once you have a CGM, how do you use the data effectively? Well, here’s where the magic happens. The beauty of having constant access to your blood sugar data is that you can start to make real-time lifestyle adjustments. I always recommend pairing CGM data with some light journaling. Now, I know what you’re thinking—“Journaling?! I don’t have time for that!” But hear me out—it doesn’t have to be anything fancy.

Just jot down what you ate, how much, and maybe what activity you did at the same time or thereafter. You’ll start to notice patterns pretty quickly. For example, you might find that a certain meal combo spikes your sugar, but when you eat it with a little more protein or while walking around, your sugar stays more stable. Or maybe you discover that when you take a walk after dinner, your sugar levels don’t spike as much. Or when you take a walk WHILE eating the candy bar that you just had to have - no judgement here! Progress, not perfection people! If you have to have that candy bar, choose a bite-sized one and eat it while walking the park! And a CGM is perfect to let you know how it went. 

This level of personalized insight is exactly what helps people take control of their health. You’re not relying on general advice that may or may not apply to you—you’re using general advice as guidelines and then data from your own body to customize your solution. And that’s why I believe CGMs are such a powerful tool for anyone who wants to improve their health, even if they don’t have a diagnosis.

Conclusion: Take Control with CGMs

Thanks so much for hanging out with me today! I hope this episode gave you some valuable insights, a few lightbulb moments, and most importantly, a sense of control over your health. Balancing blood sugar doesn’t have to be confusing or overwhelming—it’s just about having the right tools and the right information to make smart, informed choices. And with some general nutrition advice and a CGM, you can do just that.

So, whether you're ready to dive into using a CGM or simply want to start paying more attention to how food and lifestyle impact your body, take it one step at a time. Knowledge is power, and tools like CGMs give you the knowledge you need to make lasting changes. But don’t feel confined to a CGM either! If you can’t make that happen for you right now, finger sticks still help a lot as well as long as they are timed well around meals and taken more frequently than just 1 time per day in the morning.

Okay folks! If you found today’s episode helpful, make sure to share it with a friend or family member who might also be looking for ways to manage their blood sugar or improve their overall health. And don’t forget to subscribe to The Balanced Blood Sugar Podcast so you never miss an episode! I do tend to throw some bonus ones in there!

Also, remember to grab my “5 Easy Tips to Better Blood Sugar Control TODAY” cheat sheet in the show notes. It’s a great place to start if you’re looking for some simple, actionable tips to get your blood sugar on the right track.

Until next time, stay healthy, stay balanced, and keep moving forward toward your best life. You can do this! And you are worth taking care of yourself. 

 I’m Adrienne Wheat, and this has been The Balanced Blood Sugar Podcast. Talk to you soon!

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