I Dared My Non-Diabetic Friend to Wear a CGM

When I was learning how to manage insulin during my competitive powerlifting days, Tara was learning with me. When our lives were simpler 10 years ago (meaning, we weren’t married with children), we’d go on long evening walks — and she’d carry sugar packets or Sweettarts in her purse.

She can estimate my insulin doses. She can analyze continuous glucose monitor (CGM) graphs. She bumps into T1Ds everywhere she goes — I swear, it’s like she has a radar for T1Ds!

Tara has even helped a woman adjust her dog’s insulin doses while standing in the checkout line at the grocery store.

Okay, so my point is: that this non-diabetic has learned a lot about blood glucose levels.

Putting a CGM on Tara

Instantly, I can tell you that Tara’s CGM data was both impressive and infuriating! Her blood sugar just sits effortlessly below 100 mg/dL for most of the day. 

“I rarely went over 100 mg/dL,” explains Tara. “After eating carbs, I’d usually rise to the 120s, then back down below 100. There were only a couple of times I went over 130 after drinking a sugary beverage, but even then, I was below 150 mg/dL.”

One morning, she explained in the video that she had a really busy morning and hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. Her blood sugar dropped below 70 mg/dL.

“Yeah, I didn’t feel great,” recalls Tara. “I’m sure it was nothing like being truly low like someone taking injections of insulin, but I felt a little shaky and definitely wanted to eat.”

Tara’s time-in-range was pretty overwhelming: 99% in-range, 0% above range, and 1% below range.

Again, it was frustrating to watch. It was just so easy. So automatic. So effortless. So self-managed.

Surprisingly, Tara also got a little tired of seeing all the data.

“At one point, I just wanted to not look anymore,” she remembers. “I suddenly got why people with diabetes get tired of seeing the numbers all the time. It’s just so much information all the time even when my blood sugars are normal.”

Thankfully, for the sake of our little experiment, she persisted.

Tara’s Lifestyle Habits 

Well, we do have to give Tara some credit. She works very hard at managing her health through a variety of lifestyle habits that inevitably affect her blood sugar levels.

Tara’s lifestyle habits include:

• Following a plant-based diet
• Eating a ton of kimchi for gut health
• Lifting weights four to five days per week
• Walking seven days a week
• Running four to five days per week
• Limiting alcohol consumption
• Making room in her diet for indulgent foods in moderation
• Drinking tons of water daily
• Drinking kombucha daily

Yeah, Tara takes really good care of her health. While we all know diet and exercise alone don’t prevent any type of diabetes, it certainly makes a huge difference in combatting insulin resistance, weight gain, etc.

Yes, I’m glad my friend doesn’t have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. I appreciate her daily diligence to her health — because the company you keep influences your habits, too! But I really wouldn’t mind one day in her shoes with those “effortlessly” perfect blood sugar levels.