I just completed my one-month beta test for this product called Levels. It’s a continuous glucose program and an app that allows you to see your glucose levels and logging your meals/exercises.

As apart of the beta program, Levels provides two 14 day sensors that you place in the back of your shoulders. Surprisingly, the sensor that they provide is actually by Abbot labs called Libra Freestyle. I was under the impression that Levels had its proprietary sensor that they developed, but what they did was use an Abbot Lab’s sensor technology and had data from Abbot labs sent over to the Levels app to display the data. The Levels team focused on their MVP, so leveraged another company’s sensor technology makes sense to see if there are real interest and product-market fit.

The Levels team taught me a few critical lessons on execution:

1. There is nothing wrong with partnering to bring products to market quickly, especially if all you have resources for in the beginning is a quick and dirty MVP. The Levels team did a great job of partnering with Abbot Labs on sensor vs. building it themselves. They knew it’s going to be difficult/expensive to make one themselves, and the Libra Freestyle had what they needed
2. You don’t have to know it all to get started on your idea. You can learn on the job or hire someone that has the knowledge that you need to execute. The Levels team did a great job of hiring and bringing on co-founders from diverse backgrounds to achieve their product roadmap.

Let’s move on to the beta test.

After I popped the sensor on the back of my shoulder and had everything set up, I was ready to see how glucose levels looked. Before Levels, I thought I had a decent understanding of glucose. A few of my family members are diabetic, but the real-time data quickly available through your app is like nothing else.

My glucose levels were relatively standard, but it’s great to see the levels after a meal. For example, after having a few In-n-out burgers, my sugar went up like crazy, but after eating my usual greek yogurt, the levels are quite normal.

Over the last few months, I’ve learned the following lessons about maintaining healthy levels of glucose levels:

1. Everyone has a different reaction to food.
2. When you eat is also very important. Your body typically manages glucose levels quite well in the morning but gets progressively worse over a day. The same meal in the morning or the afternoon will result in different glucose circulating levels throughout your body.
3. Your body will see increases in glucose even when you’re exercising. Your body taps into glucose as an energy source, and so it’s not uncommon to see small rises in glucose when you’re exercising.
4. How you eat is as important as when you’re eating. Sequencing healthy fats and protein before your carbs/dessert is a great way to avoid large spikes in glucose. 
5. It’s essential to stay a bit active after eating and not just lay down on the couch to watch TV. A bit of walking or light exercise helped decrease the number of expected spikes.
6. This one is more of a reminder, but you don’t need to eat until you’re full. Quantity and quality of the food you eat are essential.
7. Don’t drink a ton of water with your meal, as this may increase your glucose levels. This one was a bit surprising as it’s common to have a glass of water with a meal.
8. Do not eat late into the night ever. I ate a large meal close to the time I was sleeping, and it completely messed up my sleep. I never had the awareness that eating a large meal before sleeping can mess up your sleeping pattern. I slept significantly better when I dinner around seven and fall asleep 3-4 hours vs. late in the evening.

In conclusion, it was a great experience to learn more about glucose and how health data can inform your everyday habits.

Check out Levels if you want to get smarter about your health. The beta test is by invitation only and is $399 for a one-month program.