Have you ever tried losing weight and had the notion that your body was working against you? How about a time when you’ve followed a diet plan explicitly right alongside your spouse or best friend only to watch their pounds melt off while yours still clung around?
Here’s the thing: our bodies are all incredibly different, and not just in the way that we look, but in the way that we function, process, react to, and digest foods. So there’s a very good reason why some diets work well for some people and don’t for others. If we aren’t eating in a way that supports our unique body’s needs, it’s difficult to sustainably lose weight and keep it off.
But how do we crack the code and figure out how our bodies respond to food so that we can then make choices that are in alignment with our goals. The answer, according to Signos, is to track your blood glucose levels with a CGM (continuous glucose monitor).
We had the pleasure of experiencing Signos for ourselves, getting the opportunity to try the system out and report back here so that you can decide if this revolutionary approach to weight loss is worth trying. We’ll talk more about what Signos is, how it works, and the pros and cons so that you can make an informed decision regarding the next steps in your weight loss journey.
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Quick Summary of Signos CGM Review
Product: | |
Brand: | Signos |
Founders: | Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer (linkedin profile) and Pierre Wehbe (linkedin profile) |
Website: | |
Best for: | Weight loss through personalized nutrition |
Price: | Request access here (must be approved) For 15% off, use code FHM15 |
App integration: |
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Real time feedback: |
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Wearable CGM and sport cover: |
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Avg. User Rating: | 4.8/5 |
(Over 200+ reviews)For 15% off, use code FHM15
What is Signos?
Signos is a weight loss program that’s designed to help you reach your goals by understanding your body’s metabolic signals through the use of a continuous glucose monitor, a smartphone app, and some cutting-edge AI (artificial intelligence). With real-time data gathered from your CGM, the platform intuitively recommends personalized meals and exercises that will transform the way that you approach weight loss.
With Signos, you get the opportunity to discover how your body responds to different foods and then how you can make small tweaks to your diet and lifestyle to promote more efficient and sustainable fat loss. Weight loss is all about glucose, and Signos gives you the tools and the roadmap to gather your unique data and put it to work for you.
Glucose and the Science Behind Signos
Before we go further on Signos, let’s back up a second to discuss the science behind it and why they believe in glucose monitoring for weight loss.
Here’s the deal, the foods we eat, the way we exercise, our sleep quality, and our stress patterns all affect our blood sugar levels (glucose). By understanding our unique metabolic markers, we can incorporate changes to our nutrition and lifestyle to help keep our glucose levels stable and prevent spikes, which cause weight gain.
This unique, highly personalized approach to weight loss is backed by a growing field of scientific research that supports glucose level maintenance for weight loss.
Pros:
Cons:
- There is currently a waitlist for access
For 15% off, use code FHM15
What is Glucose?
If this concept is completely new to you (don’t worry, it was for me, too), then let me take a second to explain what glucose is in the first place. Glucose, also known as blood sugar, is a fuel source for your body. There are several hormones in your body, including insulin, that control your blood glucose levels.
How Does it Impact Your Weight?
Spikes in your glucose are characterized by a rapid rise in the amount of glucose in your body, which can cause proportional insulin release. Excess glucose that doesn’t get used by activity can then get stored for later use, often as fat.
Main Benefits of Tracking and Optimizing Your Glucose Levels
There are two big reasons why you should be tracking and optimizing your glucose levels:
1. To achieve sustainable weight loss
The cells in your brain sense changes in your glucose and will alter your appetite accordingly. Spikes in your blood sugar can make you more hungry and more likely to overeat, which can cause weight gain. When, however, you’re able to keep your glucose levels stable, your brain sends signals of being full, reducing hunger levels and thereby the chances of overeating.
2. To have consistent energy and an improved mood
With uncontrolled and unregulated blood sugar levels, eating high-glycemic foods will cause your blood sugar to spike and then dip over and over throughout the day. This causes your energy to follow a similar pattern, bobbing up and down. With consistency comes sustained energy that you can maintain throughout the day.
More on CGMs and How They Work
A CGM is a tiny wearable device that reads your glucose levels in your blood continuously. The CGM is attached to your body, usually on the backside of your upper arm or on your stomach, and continually monitors your glucose levels via a filament (small, whisker-like needle). Don’t worry - wearing a CGM is generally not uncomfortable at all and it doesn’t hurt to insert it either. Once applied, you will quickly get used to it being there.
Once applied, you can continue to perform your regular activities like working out, showering, and even swimming. Your CGM will remain in place for 10 days at a time where it will continue to capture readings throughout the day as long as your phone is within 20 feet of you.
Once you’ve worn your sensor for 10 days, you will be prompted by the Dexcom app to swap it out with a new one for the most accurate tracking.
How Does Signos Work?
Signos’ number one goal is to teach users how to make impactful nutrition and lifestyle changes that last. Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Wear a CGM
With a CGM attached to the back of your arm (it’s a small, painless sensor), you will monitor your glucose levels continuously throughout the day for real-time measurements.
Step 2: Analyze Your Feedback
Using the data collected from your CGM, you can get real-time feedback on how your body reacts to different foods.
Step 3: Implement Micro Changes
Small changes add up to big results. By taking small, calculated actions like adjusting your eating habits, you can work to reduce spikes which will aid in weight loss.
Getting Started
If you’re feeling ready and excited to take the next step with Signos, getting started is really simple. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Get signed up. After requesting access, you can count on getting approved within 1-3 weeks.
2. Complete your health history form for physician review (don’t worry it’s simple and take only a few minutes of your time). This step is critical as a prescription is required for CGM access.
3. Receive your Signos kit in the mail and place your CGM on the backside of your arm for continuous glucose monitoring. Your prescription will be sent to a physical pharmacy for pickup and the rest of the kit will ship right to your door.
4. Get feedback from the Signos app and act on the prompts accordingly.
5. Enjoy safe, sustainable weight loss.
Cost and Where to Buy
Currently, Signos offers 1, 3, or 6 month plans based on your current goals and needs. The pricing breakdown is as follows:
- 1 month: $399
- 3 months: $747
- 6 months: $1194
These prices include access to Signos’ weight loss app, the required equipment, and your medical consultation with a physician for CGM approval.
What’s Included With Your Subscription?
The Signos CGM Kit that is included with your subscription includes the following:
- Transmitter
- Sensors
- Performance covers
- Alcohol wipes
- Glucose drink for glucose calibration test
- Welcome booklet with information regarding downloading the app and applying your first sensor
- App access with activities, recommendations, and prompts to help you choose the best foods and exercises for you so that you can get in tune with your hunger levels and learn how to manage stress
Which Subscription Is Right For You?
Signos recommends that you choose a plan that’s based on how much weight you want to lose. For ideal, healthy weight loss that will be safe and sustainable, users should expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week.
So, for example, if you have 25 lbs to lose, the 6-month subscription should get you there in a healthy and realistic timeframe. With every subscription, you will get access to the Signos app and your CGM (which includes new sensors every 10 days) for the duration of the subscription.
Average Rating and Honest User Reviews
The Signos CGM Kit has an average rating of 4.8/5 stars with over 200+ user reviews. The majority of customers are blown away at what type of bio feedback is provided by Signos with one user saying, "I've lost 15 pounds so far, and what I've found to be most helpful is controlling my glucose levels."
Other customers talk about how they thought they couldn't eat certain foods, such as fruit because it may spike blood sugar levels, but their real time feedback shows otherwise.
Below, I put together some images of the average rating and some honest customer reviews:
Alternatives Compared to Signos
Personalized nutrition is a hot topic, and, with that, comes more options. There are some legitimate Signos CGM alternatives that may interest you if you don't think this brand is a good fit.
NutriSense and Levels are the two most comparable CGM brands that essentially do the same thing. I still believe Signos is slightly better than both. NutriSense CGM does not have a waiting list, while Levels does. Veri CGM is another great brand that you may want to take a look at as well if you want to track your blood glucose levels.
Join Zoe Nutrition is a more dynamic personalized nutrition system. They do include a CGM as well and their way to get bio feedback is very unique. They are also responsible for the largest COVID-19 study.
Vessel Health, while not a CGM, is another great alternative if you don't want to wear a CGM device. This brand tests your urine on a "wellness card" and then you can scan it for instant results.
For 15% off, use code FHM15
Is Signos Effective For Sustainable Weight Loss?
Yes, Signos can be a very effective weight loss tool. As a registered dietitian, I am trained to take a food first approach to losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle. There are some very general, but proven methods for eating nutritiously for weight loss and maintenance, however, these methods sometimes fail to take into account the fact that individual bodies respond and react differently to different foods.
I have been researching CGMs for weight loss for some time now and am very excited to see brands like Signos taking a very clinical approach to using a CGM for healthy weight loss. I love that the recommendations given by Signos are clinically proven and on a micro scale so that they feel sustainable and easy for the average person to implement into their daily routines. They are not asking you to make big, drastic changes to your diet and exercise program, but rather changes that are small shifts that will make a big impact on your body.
Armed with the knowledge and data gathered through the CGM, Signos’s app is a great way to lose weight and keep it off for the long term. Of course, you are not likely to wear a CGM for the rest of your life, so it’s imperative that you take the information and recommendations given and continue to utilize them long after your journey with Signos is over.
If you’re on a journey to better health and reducing your body weight, Signos can be a great tool to guide you on your journey. Rather than trying to go out on your own and make nutritional decisions based on fads or outdated research and recommendations, you can get real-time data from your own unique body that will tell you exactly what your body needs to lose weight and maintain it in a healthy fashion.
