For non-diabetics struggling with weight loss, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology has traditionally been out of reach. But what if the same technology used by people with diabetes could unlock the secrets to sustainable weight loss and metabolic health for everyone? Samyak Pandya, VP of Business Operations & Finance at Ridecell, discovered exactly that through the Levels program—a pioneering approach that brings CGM technology to anyone seeking to optimize their health.
His story reveals how real-time glucose data transformed vague nutrition knowledge into a personalized, actionable playbook that resulted in remarkable results in just 28 days.
The Struggle: Knowledge Without Personalization
Like many professionals in demanding startup environments, Samyak found himself trapped in a familiar cycle. He knew he was unhealthy. He understood the basics of nutrition. He had researched low-carb diets, ketogenic approaches, and insulin resistance. But knowing what works in general is vastly different from knowing what works for your unique body.
"I understood nutrition conceptually, but I lacked personalized insights into what worked for my body," Samyak explains. The challenge wasn't information—it was application. Working long hours at a fast-paced startup, he couldn't dedicate time to meticulous food tracking and had no way to measure his body's real-time responses to different foods.
This is where continuous glucose monitoring enters the picture. For decades, CGM has been a game-changing tool for people with diabetes, allowing them to monitor blood sugar levels continuously throughout the day without constant finger pricks. The technology uses a small sensor inserted under the skin that measures glucose levels in interstitial fluid every few minutes, transmitting data wirelessly to a smartphone or receiver.
But as a non-diabetic, Samyak couldn't access this technology through traditional medical channels. The gap between general nutrition advice and personalized metabolic insights seemed impossible to bridge—until programs like Levels began making CGM accessible to anyone interested in optimizing their metabolic health.
The 28-Day Keto Challenge: Putting Money Where Your Mouth Is
Samyak's transformation began when he joined a 28-day ketogenic challenge hosted by Justin Mares. This wasn't just another casual diet attempt—the challenge had real financial stakes designed to drive accountability.
Participants paid $800 upfront and used Levels CGM technology to monitor their glucose levels throughout the challenge. The goal was simple: stay within a specific target glucose range each day. For every successful day, participants earned $25 back. This created a powerful dual incentive—financial motivation combined with real-time biofeedback.
The ketogenic diet, which emphasizes high fat, moderate protein, and very low carbohydrate intake, aims to shift the body into ketosis—a metabolic state where fat becomes the primary fuel source instead of glucose. For many people, this diet can improve insulin sensitivity and promote weight loss. However, staying in ketosis requires maintaining relatively stable, low glucose levels, which is where the CGM becomes invaluable.
Throughout the challenge, Samyak successfully stayed within his target glucose range for 27 out of 28 days. The single exception proved illuminating: after eating Indian wheat-based flatbread, his glucose spiked significantly. This wasn't just abstract knowledge—he could see the exact impact of that food choice graphed in real-time on his phone.
By the end of the month, Samyak had lost 11.6 pounds. But the weight loss, while significant, wasn't the most valuable outcome. He had gained something far more sustainable: a personalized understanding of how different foods affected his unique metabolism.
The Power of Real-Time Biofeedback: Six Key Insights
Samyak's experience with Levels revealed several crucial advantages that traditional weight loss approaches lack:
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Data-Driven Discipline Makes Awareness Automatic: Samyak discovered that simply being aware of his body's responses represented "more than 50% of the battle." Traditional dieting relies on willpower and delayed feedback—you eat something today and might see the scale change days later. CGM provides immediate feedback: eat a food that spikes your glucose, and you see it within minutes. This immediacy creates a powerful conditioning effect that makes discipline feel less like deprivation and more like informed choice-making.
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Visualization Eliminates Rationalization: The Levels app features "Meal Scores" that rate how different foods affect glucose levels. Samyak found these visual graphs particularly powerful because they made it impossible to rationalize poor food choices. You can tell yourself that "just a little" of something won't matter, but when you see a sharp glucose spike graphed on your screen, the data doesn't lie. This visual representation bridges the gap between intention and action.
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Managing Stress-Induced Cravings With Objective Data: During demanding 12-16 hour workdays, Samyak noticed increased sugar cravings—a common physiological response to stress. Cortisol, the stress hormone, can increase appetite and cravings for high-calorie foods. Normally, these cravings would lead to poor food choices justified by stress. But with CGM feedback, he could see the metabolic cost of giving in to these cravings, providing the motivation to choose differently even under pressure.
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Accountability Through Objective Measurement: One of Samyak's most powerful observations was that Levels "eliminated places to hide from food choices." Traditional dieting leaves room for self-deception: maybe you underestimate portion sizes, forget snacks, or convince yourself that certain choices don't count. CGM provides objective metabolic feedback that cuts through these mental gymnastics. Your glucose either spiked or it didn't—there's no debate.
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Reduced Mental Load Through Automation: Paradoxically, having more data actually reduced the mental burden of managing nutrition. Instead of constantly calculating macros, counting calories, or wondering if food choices were appropriate, the app handled the complex work. Samyak spent far less mental energy thinking about nutrition because the technology was doing the calculations and providing clear feedback. This freed up cognitive resources for work and other priorities.
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Flexible Eating With Smarter Substitutions: CGM didn't require Samyak to eliminate all the foods he enjoyed—it helped him find better alternatives. For example, he discovered he could switch from regular Häagen-Dazs ice cream to Enlightened low-sugar ice cream, which had minimal impact on his glucose levels. This approach promotes sustainability because it's built on optimization rather than deprivation. You're not abandoning pleasure; you're finding versions that align with your metabolic health.
Beyond Weight Loss: Building a Nutritional Mental Playbook
The most sustainable outcome of Samyak's experience wasn't the 11.6 pounds lost—it was the "nutritional mental playbook" he developed. After seeing how hundreds of different foods and meals affected his glucose levels, he internalized patterns that would guide his eating for years to come.
This represents a fundamental shift from diet to lifestyle. Most diets work temporarily because they provide external structure, but they fail long-term because that structure eventually feels restrictive and unsustainable. In contrast, understanding your personal metabolic responses creates internal structure based on how you actually feel and function.
Samyak describes his nutrition as now being "on autopilot"—not because he's following rigid rules, but because he's internalized what works for his body. He compares CGM to tracking mechanisms athletes use to optimize performance. Elite athletes don't guess about their training—they measure heart rate, power output, recovery metrics, and more. CGM brings this same data-driven optimization approach to nutrition.
The Levels program served as what Samyak calls an "accountability coach"—not a person telling you what to do, but a system providing objective feedback that keeps you honest with yourself. This distinction is crucial. External accountability can work temporarily, but it often creates dependence. Internal accountability built on self-knowledge creates lasting change.
The Future of Metabolic Health: CGM Beyond Diabetes
Samyak's story represents a broader shift in how we think about metabolic health. Traditionally, blood sugar management has been viewed through a binary lens: you either have diabetes or you don't. If you don't have diabetes, blood sugar isn't considered a concern worth monitoring.
But this perspective misses the reality that metabolic dysfunction exists on a spectrum. Insulin resistance, prediabetes, and suboptimal glucose regulation affect millions of people who don't yet have diabetes but are experiencing energy crashes, weight gain, inflammation, and other symptoms of metabolic dysfunction.
Research increasingly shows that glucose variability—the magnitude of fluctuations in blood sugar throughout the day—may be as important as average glucose levels for long-term health. Large glucose spikes and crashes can contribute to oxidative stress, inflammation, and increased cardiovascular risk even in people without diabetes.
Programs like Levels are democratizing access to metabolic insights that were previously available only to people with diabetes. This represents a shift from reactive sick care (treating diabetes after it develops) to proactive health optimization (preventing metabolic dysfunction before it becomes disease).
For non-diabetics like Samyak, CGM isn't about managing a medical condition—it's about understanding and optimizing metabolic function to perform better, feel better, and reduce long-term disease risk. It's personalized medicine applied to nutrition, revealing that there's no one-size-fits-all diet because everyone's metabolic responses are unique.
Conclusion: From Vague Plans to Precise Action
Samyak's transformation from frustrated dieter to metabolically informed individual illustrates the power of making the invisible visible. Before CGM, nutrition was abstract—a collection of rules and recommendations that may or may not apply to him. After CGM, nutrition became concrete—a personalized understanding of how his unique body responds to different foods.
The 11.6 pounds lost in 28 days tells only part of the story. The real achievement was gaining "intimate insights into his unique metabolic health" that transformed a vague meal plan into a comprehensive nutritional playbook.
As continuous glucose monitoring technology becomes more accessible to non-diabetics, more people will have the opportunity to bridge the gap between general nutrition knowledge and personalized metabolic insights. For anyone struggling with weight, energy levels, or simply wanting to optimize their health, CGM offers a window into the body's real-time responses that can guide truly personalized nutrition.
Samyak's experience suggests that the future of nutrition isn't about finding the perfect diet—it's about finding the perfect diet for you, guided by objective data about how your unique metabolism actually works.
References
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Garg, S. K., & Akturk, H. K. (2020). The Expanding Role of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, 22(S1), S-1-S-4. doi:10.1089/dia.2020.2506
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Ceriello, A., Esposito, K., Piconi, L., Ihnat, M. A., Thorpe, J. E., Testa, R., ... & Giugliano, D. (2008). Oscillating glucose is more deleterious to endothelial function and oxidative stress than mean glucose in normal and type 2 diabetic patients. Diabetes, 57(5), 1349-1354. doi:10.2337/db08-0063
