Why I Am Wearing a Glucose Monitor at 71 Without Diabetes

That's right, I'm wearing a glucose monitor. And no, I do not have diabetes. I'm not prediabetic either.

I'm wearing it because I want to find out exactly how different foods affect my blood sugar. At 71, trying to live to 200, information is one of the most powerful tools I have.

Which Glucose Monitor I'm Using

I'm using the Stelo by Dexcom. It is a small patch that sits on the back of your arm and sends your glucose readings to an app on your phone around the clock. You buy it over the counter, no prescription, and it is made for adults who are not on insulin.

I'm not getting any referral fee from Dexcom. I'm just telling you what I'm using.

A package comes with two sensors. Each one lasts up to 15 days, so one package covers about a month. I bought two packages because I'm running this experiment for two months. I paid about $80 to $85 per package, so roughly $170 to learn this. Stelo's own site lists a two-pack at $99 one-time or $89 a month on a subscription, so check current prices before you buy.

It Caught My Morning Coffee

I put the first patch on my arm and had my morning coffee with cocoa. The app told me I had a spike.

So it is picking up even small things. That is exactly what I wanted to see.

Why Track Glucose If You Don't Have Diabetes?

Because “healthy” people spike more than they think. A Stanford study that put glucose monitors on 57 people found that more than half of the healthy participants spiked into prediabetic or diabetic ranges after certain meals. After a simple bowl of cornflakes and milk, 80% of them spiked.

A 2023 review of glucose monitoring in people without diabetes found that healthy adults usually peak about an hour after eating and come back down within two to three hours. Its authors suggested most adults could learn something from wearing a monitor for two to four weeks.

I want to know which foods are fine for me and which ones are not, instead of guessing.

What I'm Going to Test

Over the next two months I'm going to try some things I normally don't eat and watch what happens:

A cookie
One scoop of ice cream
A glass of wine
The same treat with a walk right after, and without one, to see how fast my number comes back down

I'm just hoping I don't gain any weight while I'm doing it.

The One Problem So Far

My first sensor quit after a day and a half. The app told me I needed to put on a new one. That was a bummer.

I contacted Stelo and they said, “No problem,” and they are sending me a replacement. I'll let you know if one shows up or two.

What Comes Next

I'll report back after two months with what I found: which foods spiked me, how big the spikes were, and whether a walk after eating made a difference.

My glucose readings sync to Apple Health, so I'll be tracking them alongside everything else I measure.

Would you wear a glucose monitor if you didn't have diabetes? Tell me in the comments.

Keep Going

Everything I take is on my protocols page. What I do to stay strong is on my fitness page, and every blood number I publish is on my test and stats page.

Live long and prosper,

Gary

A note from Gary: I am not a doctor, and I am definitely not your doctor. I am a 71-year-old running a 129-year experiment on myself and publishing the results as they come. Talk to your physician before changing anything about your own health, especially if you have diabetes or take medication that affects your blood sugar.