Livongo

To begin with, my goal is to lower my weight, cholesterol, and A1c. I downloaded this app because it’s part of my benefits package with my employer. The only thing I can do with it is track my weight, something I can do myself, and use it for coaching, which I could use a regular website for. There are several large features missing for the dietary tracking that will keep me from using this app. What needs to be added is barcode scanning and recipe building. I have used several others in the past to track some of my nutrition that allow me to scan the package of cheese and all of the serving size and nutrition information automatically pops up. On rare occasion, I added one to the database, allowing any other user who scanned that same product to be able to use the same information. Please add this function. I also do a lot of home cooking. Other apps let me build my recipe, for example, if I decided to make Teala with fat free half-and-half, and reduced sodium tomato sauce, add the nutrition information for each ingredient, set up the serving size, and make it quick and easy anytime I cook that meal. This is a feature that has to be added to even work. Otherwise, every time I cook the same meal, I have to add in 20 ingredients and the nutrition information for each and break down what the specific serving size is for each ingredient which means I have to pull out the calculator and I would rather just use something else. I want this app to work. What I need to track most other apps do not give you unless you sign up for the paid subscription and as this is part of my benefits package these areas specifically, I would love to use it, but as it stands, I would rather just use something else.

This app is a decent app for tracking your sugars and food, however improvements could be made. I love the fact that it is connected to my meter. I am a numbers driven analytical person so not having to manually log this is nice. However, where significant improvements could be made is you cannot delete any readings, not can you make any changes one a reading is completed. Most of my readings I mark “I feel fine” so this is pretty automatic but there have been times when I meant to select something else but was on “automatic” and saved the record. This cannot be corrected. Or, after the save and upon reflection a different category was a better selection. Again, this cannot be changed. In addition, there is no logging history of weight or A1C changes. These two items are critical to understanding overall management. In addition, there doesn’t seem to be any integration for medication tracking. I am not insulin dependent so I’m not sure if the interface changes if one is but I’m guessing it doesn’t. This would be helpful to not only track sugar to medication but medication needs over the course of the month. It is nice that the meter tracks how many strips you have left and you can order straight from the meter or the app. Overall, I use the meter more than the app but the app is nice and convenient but simple improvements would go a VERY long way to helping to provide that overall picture.

I have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetic about 2 years ago. It was hard to accept and I didn’t take it seriously. I’m not taking my medication as well and not regularly checking my BG. Livongo was introduced to me and I found it much easier to check my blood sugar and track results. I no longer feel the routine to be a bothersome task. It helped me be more accountable to be mindful of what I eat and how much I eat. A coach is available if I need it. A coach checks up on me if my blood sugar get too low or too high. I am becoming more aware of things that gets my blood sugar too high. I like the 5 day challenges. Challenges are in small steps and very doable. I also love the fact that I have unlimited supplies of BG strips. Overall - I would say that if you are someone new to being diabetic, it is very hard to take it very seriously and accept the fact that there’s no reversal to being diabetic. You either start managing it or it will get worst. Somehow Livongo provided the Accountability I needed.