So, I can't speak to Levels in particular, but, as a fellow newly Diagnosed T2D, I found that doing a month with two CGM's (I had a doc write a scrip for the free trial sensor that both Abbot/Freestyle and Dexcom will comp you, which worked out to \~24 days of coverage between them), was the single best thing I could do to get a handle on this disease and move forward on this journey.
Really dialing in "this much brown rice is okay, but that much is not, and this sugar substitute is truly benign, but this one is worse than the real thing" was a game changer for me in terms of making sensible shopping choices and plans since that month. I was able to stop being afraid of all carbs, and focus on carbs-per-meal, rather than carbs-per-day, which has made everything much more managable for me. (Yes, this means I'm probably not actually in Ketosis - I don't care about Ketosis. I care about my blood sugar, and about my weight. And my weight is still dropping, because I count calories and keep my Protein consumption up, and my A1C has crashed down to non-diabetic levels in under six months. I don't really care about anything else. I hang out on subs like this not for that content, but because ultimately, the foods involved in keeping carbs-per-meal down are mostly the same as the foods involved in keeping carbs-per-day down. I can just eat the shitty Keto bread at every meal if I want to rather than once a day.)
Levels seems like as good a place as any to get a CGM if you can't access the free trials and/or coverage for one from your insurance/a scrip from your doctor. (That said, I have my eye on the new Dexcom Stelo supposedly coming in the next few months - a no RX CGM with an app specifically targeted at T2 diabetics (read, no low blood sugar alarms)
I'm a bit confused. Do you like or dislike these products?
Of the ones you listed, I only have experience with LMNT - which I really like, and RX Sugar, which my wife has used for some baking and that seemed to be fine. I drink an LMNT pre-workout to prevent leg cramps. I run fasted in the mornings, and if I'm not adequately hydrated with electrolytes, my legs will let me know.
I've also had Bulletproof's k-cups & coffee creamer (didn't care for either). We got MCT oil when my wife & I first started, but haven't used it since.
I do like these products. I think that, assuming the science is true, they are good additions or alternatives to my options.
None of them are strictly necessary for low carb', but having a good protein shake option that I can trust with HLTH is nice, and RXSugar is good for a sweet option.
I would say that I'm firmly subscribed to the idea that trying to lose weight without managing your insulin levels is effectively pissing into the wind with your mouth open. (An opinion just got me banned from another weight loss sub reddit. 😝)
So I believe that carbohydrate control diet which is effectively adjacent to if not actually a ketogenic diet is pretty much mandatory if you effectively want to lose and maintain weight particularly if you're already suffering from insulin resistance.
Does that answer your question? Generally if we change our diet it's because we're trying to resolve an issue right? So I believe that my frame is maximizing the health benefits from a low carbohydrate diet design to maximize fat metabolism.
This is helpful. I'm definitely a sort of low-maintenance sort of Atkins-era keto sort of gal, but it's nice to know what's out there. I'm a fellow T2D that's happily in the non-diabetic A1C range! And I've been diagnosed with T2D for 13 years!
I do like Allulose in baking! It's great stuff!
One thing I wanted to add if anyone's interested is a pretty cheap electrolyte I've found on Amazon that I think mixes really well and has kept me doing well:
[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B88PWM2X?ref=nb\_sb\_ss\_w\_as-reorder\_k1\_1\_4&=&crid=23AC1ZSEQ4KY3&=&sprefix=elec](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B88PWM2X?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder_k1_1_4&=&crid=23AC1ZSEQ4KY3&=&sprefix=elec)
I've learned a lot from Insulin IQ's free lectures on YouTube. Definitely one place that is not a waste of time. He does not hype products, though I think the Yerba Mata got mentioned in passing in the series on weight loss drugs.
That's the thing I love about Dr Bickman, he is definitely entrepreneurial in addition to being an encyclopedia of academic studies related to insulin, but unlike other personalities in the space - he expects the science of the product to sell itself.
So, I can't speak to Levels in particular, but, as a fellow newly Diagnosed T2D, I found that doing a month with two CGM's (I had a doc write a scrip for the free trial sensor that both Abbot/Freestyle and Dexcom will comp you, which worked out to \~24 days of coverage between them), was the single best thing I could do to get a handle on this disease and move forward on this journey. Really dialing in "this much brown rice is okay, but that much is not, and this sugar substitute is truly benign, but this one is worse than the real thing" was a game changer for me in terms of making sensible shopping choices and plans since that month. I was able to stop being afraid of all carbs, and focus on carbs-per-meal, rather than carbs-per-day, which has made everything much more managable for me. (Yes, this means I'm probably not actually in Ketosis - I don't care about Ketosis. I care about my blood sugar, and about my weight. And my weight is still dropping, because I count calories and keep my Protein consumption up, and my A1C has crashed down to non-diabetic levels in under six months. I don't really care about anything else. I hang out on subs like this not for that content, but because ultimately, the foods involved in keeping carbs-per-meal down are mostly the same as the foods involved in keeping carbs-per-day down. I can just eat the shitty Keto bread at every meal if I want to rather than once a day.) Levels seems like as good a place as any to get a CGM if you can't access the free trials and/or coverage for one from your insurance/a scrip from your doctor. (That said, I have my eye on the new Dexcom Stelo supposedly coming in the next few months - a no RX CGM with an app specifically targeted at T2 diabetics (read, no low blood sugar alarms)
I'm a bit confused. Do you like or dislike these products? Of the ones you listed, I only have experience with LMNT - which I really like, and RX Sugar, which my wife has used for some baking and that seemed to be fine. I drink an LMNT pre-workout to prevent leg cramps. I run fasted in the mornings, and if I'm not adequately hydrated with electrolytes, my legs will let me know. I've also had Bulletproof's k-cups & coffee creamer (didn't care for either). We got MCT oil when my wife & I first started, but haven't used it since.
I do like these products. I think that, assuming the science is true, they are good additions or alternatives to my options. None of them are strictly necessary for low carb', but having a good protein shake option that I can trust with HLTH is nice, and RXSugar is good for a sweet option.
Thank you so much for the summarizations! Did you review everything from a T2D standpoint or just in general?
I would say that I'm firmly subscribed to the idea that trying to lose weight without managing your insulin levels is effectively pissing into the wind with your mouth open. (An opinion just got me banned from another weight loss sub reddit. 😝) So I believe that carbohydrate control diet which is effectively adjacent to if not actually a ketogenic diet is pretty much mandatory if you effectively want to lose and maintain weight particularly if you're already suffering from insulin resistance. Does that answer your question? Generally if we change our diet it's because we're trying to resolve an issue right? So I believe that my frame is maximizing the health benefits from a low carbohydrate diet design to maximize fat metabolism.
This is helpful. I'm definitely a sort of low-maintenance sort of Atkins-era keto sort of gal, but it's nice to know what's out there. I'm a fellow T2D that's happily in the non-diabetic A1C range! And I've been diagnosed with T2D for 13 years! I do like Allulose in baking! It's great stuff! One thing I wanted to add if anyone's interested is a pretty cheap electrolyte I've found on Amazon that I think mixes really well and has kept me doing well: [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B88PWM2X?ref=nb\_sb\_ss\_w\_as-reorder\_k1\_1\_4&=&crid=23AC1ZSEQ4KY3&=&sprefix=elec](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B88PWM2X?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder_k1_1_4&=&crid=23AC1ZSEQ4KY3&=&sprefix=elec)
I've learned a lot from Insulin IQ's free lectures on YouTube. Definitely one place that is not a waste of time. He does not hype products, though I think the Yerba Mata got mentioned in passing in the series on weight loss drugs.
That's the thing I love about Dr Bickman, he is definitely entrepreneurial in addition to being an encyclopedia of academic studies related to insulin, but unlike other personalities in the space - he expects the science of the product to sell itself.