How Debbie overcame food addiction and reversed her diabetes
After years of failed diets and sugar binges, this veteran was 15 pounds from 300 when she discovered Levels. Then she lost 55 pounds without counting calories.
Who: Debbie Monson
Where: Colorado
Time with Levels: 10 months
Most Useful Takeaway: Seeing her blood sugar response in real-time gave her the boundaries she needed to break free from decades of sugar addiction and binge eating.
What was your health like before using Levels?
I had been obese for a really long time. Nothing worked---I'd go on a diet and maybe last a week, and then I would binge. I had a lot of problems eating sugar, especially at night. I would just really binge on junk food at night, and I had given up hope of ever changing that.
I was probably 15 pounds from 300 pounds and had just accepted that I would eventually get there. My blood work showed I had crossed over from pre-diabetic to diabetic. I didn't even weigh myself anymore---I just totally gave up. I was miserable and had a lot of pain.
How did you discover Levels?
I saw Casey Means on TV talking about processed food and how it affects us. I was like, "I am an addict to this." I understood it for the first time.
I got the Good Energy book, and Casey and the book started talking about continuous glucose monitors. I knew I had a problem with my glucose, and I understood from what she said that I was metabolically totally unhealthy.
What surprised you about your blood sugar responses?
When I first started using it, I was excited about seeing how food affected me. I knew it was bad, but I had no idea of the extent of its effects ---the magnitude and duration. I was fascinated with it.
Sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa---I thought those were healthy foods, and they are probably for some people, but they would spike my blood sugar. Even things like spinach wraps would spike me. And then all the stuff I usually ate, like Taco Bell, McDonald's, Chick-fil-A---all of those things I realized were pretty off-limits quickly.
It finally gave me some hope that I had boundaries I could stay within that would help me heal. At that point, I didn't care about the weight. All I cared about was trying to understand this boundary of "this is where I want my blood sugar," because I knew if it stayed within that range, I would be moving towards better health.
What changes did you make to your diet?
For breakfast, I used to eat cereal. Now, I eat a couple of fried eggs and make the chocolate chia pudding on the Levels app. I have coffee with RX sugar and half-and-half instead of Coffee Mate creamer and sugar.
For lunch, I usually have tuna salad with Flackers crackers, avocado, and cucumbers---all things I would never have eaten before. Instead of soda, I have kombucha.
I usually have some kind of protein for dinner---whether it's chicken, bison, or fish. I never ate fish before, and I eat fish all the time now. I have sautéed vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, and mushrooms---stuff I never ate. I used to eat potatoes, and I don't eat potatoes anymore. I have avocado on my sautéed vegetables.
For my evening snack, I used to eat junk food and candy. Now I eat Greek yogurt and some blueberries.
I don't have to starve myself---I eat plenty of food. I don't have to cut out normal foods. I'm not eating Zingers because I don't want my blood sugar to go up, but I have plenty of variety. I can go to a restaurant and figure out what to eat.
The interesting thing is that I never looked at calories while I've been on this program at all. I just focused on keeping my blood sugar stable, my added sugars low, and meeting my fiber goals. The weight loss happened naturally.
Was it difficult to stick to these changes?
This is the first time it felt like a lifestyle I could do long-term. I've tried so many diets, and most of them are either "you can eat whatever you want as long as you stay in your points" or "you have to deprive yourself of everything." I would try that for a while, and then I would just binge---I'd just go off the rocker.
But the CGM made it very simple to make food choices. I looked at my app and thought, "Okay, I'm within range. This is a good meal for me. I'm out of range. I need to look at what I need to cut out here." Having that real-time feedback gave me boundaries I could actually understand and follow.
What results have you seen?
The changes have been dramatic. I've lost 55 pounds since October 1, and that wasn't something I was trying to do---it just happened because I managed my blood sugar.
But the most amazing thing is how much my blood work has changed in just three months. In July 2024, before I started Levels, my A1C was 6.9---in the diabetic range. My triglycerides were 267.
By December, my A1C had dropped to 6.2---now it's down to 5.9---and my triglycerides were down to 162. My fasting insulin went from 39.2 in October to 19.2 in December. I was so blown away that I was like, "This works."
When I ate the things that kept my blood sugar in the normal range, I felt better, I was losing weight, and I could tell that I wasn't sleeping during the day anymore. I was sleeping better at night. My indigestion and GERD started disappearing, so that just encouraged me to figure out how to stay in this "backyard," as I call it.
What are your goals moving forward?
I'm still wearing the CGM, and I plan on doing that until I get down to a manageable weight. My blood work is within normal range, and I've been doing this long enough to have it down pat. Then, I think I'll probably try to wean off a bit, but I plan on using this long-term because it's so helpful.
This has changed my life---it really has.
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