Why I Tried a CGM as an Eating Disorder Dietitian (part 2)

Last time, I wrote about why I decided to try a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and what it felt like to wear one. After spending nearly two weeks with it (the kids pulled it off), I wanted to reflect on what I actually learned from the experience — both personally and professionally.

Logging Food is Harder Than You Think

One of the first things I noticed was how much effort goes into simply logging what you eat. It’s not just typing in numbers; it’s the mental load of remembering times, portions, and ingredients — and fitting that into a busy day. As someone juggling work and parenting, I quickly realised how time-consuming this is. Even with the best intentions, it’s a lot and its something that i'll be honest i've not appreciated to this extent before.

My “Personalised” Results Were… Unsurprising

The CGM showed what I already knew: eating mostly whole foods and eating regularly kept my glucose relatively stable. I know i'm someone who cant go with out snacks! While it was interesting to see the data, the results themselves weren’t revolutionary. It reinforced that basic nutrition principles are often enough for most people — even in an age of personalised wellness tracking.

Nighttime Patterns and Small Adjustments

I did notice that my glucose tended to dip overnight. This prompted me to experiment with adding a small, balanced snack before bed. Interestingly, I felt like I slept a little better — though whether that was due to the CGM or just coincidence, I can’t be sure. It was a useful reminder that small tweaks can sometimes have a positive effect, but they need to be considered carefully.

The Double-Edged Sword of Data

It was easy to see how this information could be taken in restrictive ways by someone without diabetes. Many friends and colleagues were curious and immediately assumed it was all about weight loss. That surprised me — and it’s a great example of how tools like this can be misunderstood outside a clinical context.

Information Overload

Finally, there was just so much information. As a working parent, I didn’t have the time to process it all. I wanted the basics, but there’s a lot to unpack, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. This reinforced for me the importance of helping clients focus on what’s actually useful — not everything that a device can tell you.

What This Means for Eating Disorder Care

Trying a CGM myself has given me empathy for both clients who need one for medical reasons and those who use them for wellness tracking. It’s a powerful reminder that technology isn’t neutral: it interacts with people’s emotions, habits, and sometimes their vulnerabilities.

Stay tuned for part 3 - all about the current evidence base!

If you’re interested in learning more about CGMs, the research behind them, and how we can safely support clients in recovery we explore this exploring this our webinar on the ondemand store — focusing on practical, evidence-based takeaways for clinicians.