Low-Carb Diet + CGM Helped Veterans Lose Weight & Cut Insulin

What This Study Found

A 24-week program combining low-carbohydrate nutrition counseling with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) helped Veterans with Type 2 diabetes lose an average of 11.5 kilograms — about 9.5% of their body weight. Most participants were also able to cut back on or completely stop insulin injections. The program was well-received, with 88% of referred Veterans enrolling and 71% completing the full program.

Why This Matters to You

If you take insulin for Type 2 diabetes, you may have heard that changing your diet can be risky — and that's partly true. Cutting carbs while on insulin can cause blood sugar to drop too low (hypoglycemia) if your medication isn't adjusted at the same time. That's exactly what made this program different: CGM data gave the care team real-time blood sugar information, so insulin doses could be safely reduced as participants ate fewer carbs.

Here's what happened over 24 weeks:

• Weight loss: On average, participants lost 11.5 kg (about 25 lbs), with 58% losing at least 5% of their body weight and 32% losing 10% or more.
• Insulin reduction: 72% of participants were able to stop short-acting insulin, and 50% stopped long-acting insulin entirely.
• Blood sugar improvement: Among those who completed the program, HbA1c (a 3-month blood sugar average) dropped by 0.7 percentage points.
• Fewer medications overall: The average number of diabetes medications dropped from 3.5 to 2.4 per person.

How the Program Worked

Participants met virtually with a registered dietitian and a clinical pharmacy practitioner over 24 weeks — averaging about 9–13 visits total. CGM devices tracked blood sugar around the clock, giving the team the information they needed to safely adjust medications as diet changes took effect. This team-based, data-driven approach was key to making carb reduction safe for people on insulin.

What This Means for Your Day-to-Day Life

This study is a pilot — meaning it was small and didn't have a control group for comparison. The results are promising but not yet definitive. Still, the findings support what many patients and clinicians are already seeing: that reducing carbohydrate intake, when done with proper medical supervision and blood sugar monitoring, can lead to meaningful improvements in weight and diabetes control.

If you're interested in trying a low-carb approach, talk to your doctor or diabetes care team first — especially if you take insulin or other medications that affect blood sugar. Changing your diet without adjusting your medications can be dangerous.

CGM devices are central to making this kind of program safe and effective. At mdsdiabetes.com, we carry CGM supplies and diabetes management tools that can help you and your care team stay on the same page — whether you're following a low-carb plan or managing diabetes another way.

Key Takeaway

A low-carbohydrate eating plan paired with continuous glucose monitoring helped Veterans with Type 2 diabetes lose nearly 10% of their body weight and allowed most participants to reduce or stop insulin — all within 24 weeks and with a strong safety profile.