Data Nerdery and recording

[bulkbiker]

Not sure if anyone is interested but I was wondering how many of us take great care in recording things like food intake, BG levels weight etc and like playing with data.
I have a relatively simple Excel spreadsheet that I use but I'm also interested in apps or other tech stuff that other forum members use to record their personal data.
Thought I'd start this thread to see what others are using and exactly how nerdy we all are!

Feel free to stick up anything you like or recommendations for tech tools.

Thanks
M

 

[Tom.thomas61]

Mysugr is what I'm using and seems really well thought out. Hopefully I will be receiving a bluetooth adapter for my accu-chek mobile so it will integrate with that also.
On your spread sheet does it create any graphs so you can see any patterns?

 

[LooperCat]

I log all my food and drink in MyFitnessPal so I can calculate macros, and all my carbs, meals, insulin etc in MySugr - making full use of the tag system so I can search meals I’ve had; and see what effect they had - and if the insulin I took was right for that food. I also photograph all my meals and enter it into MySugr for a visual reference. I print out reports from both these apps for my files and to take to appointments.

All my CGM data is logged in Nightscout, together with my current pump settings, as well as simple carb grams, pump site changes and sensor renewal. That data also appears in MySugr, but I like a backup - and the data entered in Nightscout appears on my watch, stuff like pump basal rate, insulin and carbs on board, as well as my current BG and a graph showing what it’s been doing for the last six hours.

There’s a fair bit of data entry to do, but the results are well worth it imho.

 

[Boo1979]

My fitness pal ( beware of the different UK and USA data formats) mysugr and if I want to track somthing in particular, (like when I was very new to diabetes and needed to build up knowledge / data on how different foods affected me ) I designed an Access database, Ive also used a book when tracking patterns and have used Excel from time to time to create pretty graphs of bp trends / BG trands, but I don't particularly like Excel as a format, so am an infrequent user.

 

[therower]

Exercise book, ruler, pencil, 3 coloured felt tips ( green,orange,pink ) and a bog standard biro.
I’m very very old school.

 

[bulkbiker]

Mysugr is what I'm using and seems really well thought out. Hopefully I will be receiving a bluetooth adapter for my accu-chek mobile so it will integrate with that also.
On your spread sheet does it create any graphs so you can see any patterns?

Yep I've created quite a few graphs..

FBG for example

That's 2018 so far.. the odd straight line bit is in June where we were on hols and I left the meter at home... Dips are when doing extended fasts

 

[bulkbiker]

??? @Boo1979

 

[bulkbiker]

I log all my food and drink in MyFitnessPal so I can calculate macros, and all my carbs, meals, insulin etc in MySugr - making full use of the tag system so I can search meals I’ve had; and see what effect they had - and if the insulin I took was right for that food. I also photograph all my meals and enter it into MySugr for a visual reference. I print out reports from both these apps for my files and to take to appointments.

All my CGM data is logged in Nightscout, together with my current pump settings, as well as simple carb grams, pump site changes and sensor renewal. That data also appears in MySugr, but I like a backup - and the data entered in Nightscout appears on my watch, stuff like pump basal rate, insulin and carbs on board, as well as my current BG and a graph showing what it’s been doing for the last six hours.

There’s a fair bit of data entry to do, but the results are well worth it imho.

Wow I thought I was nerdy.. but that's pretty impressive stuff there Mel...Excellent..

 

[Boo1979]

View attachment 29911


??? @Boo1979

That was on another thread responding to a suggestion from you that we should have some kind of sub fora for people to post their individual data - I think my view on that is very clear from the post you have quoted. Numbers are very important at an individual level, but almost completely irrelevant beyond that level, although the means of data capture and entry are more broadly relevant beyond the individual

 

[bulkbiker]

That was on another thread responding to a suggestion from you that we should have some kind of sub fora for people to post their individual data - I think my view on that is very clear

It really wasn't asking for people to publish their own data it was for exactly what I am talking about on this very thread which is why I started it... sometimes I wonder if you ever actually read anything...

 

[Boo1979]

It really wasn't asking for people to publish their own data it was for exactly what I am talking about on this very thread which is why I started it... sometimes I wonder if you ever actually read anything...

I suggest you read what you actually wrote ( on a thread to do with coffee on the newly diagnosed section for some bizzare reason) before you start insulting people
This is your original post, to which I was replying

“@Jim Lahey Do you think we should have a "data nerd" section of the forum so we could all share our spreadsheets and numbers etc “
@DCUKMod what do you think?

Heres the response you got from DCUKmod

“bulkbiker, much as I hate to be a killjoy, we already have over 40 sections to the forum, before we even consider where the subsection would sit. Would it be related to diet, exercise, blood glucose monitoring, or something else?
I'm sure if you want to share your data there are plenty of opportunities to do that“

 

[Goonergal]

Hi. I use the Lose It app to track food intake and daily exercise levels. Supplemented by a pedometer and spreadsheet into which I download BG readings to calculate monthly averages and track average of FBG and pre/post prandial / pre-post exercise BG readings.

Have recently come across the Carb Manager app and would be interested in switching but the thought of having to re enter all of my foods, recipes etc. is too much - did ask their tech support about possibilities for shooting data between the two using excel but not possible.

 

[bulkbiker]

I suggest you read what you actually wrote ( on a thread to do with coffee on the newly diagnosed section for some bizzare reason) before you start insulting people
This is your original post, to which I was replying

“@Jim Lahey Do you think we should have a "data nerd" section of the forum so we could all share our spreadsheets and numbers etc “
@DCUKMod what do you think?

Heres the response you got from DCUKmod

“bulkbiker, much as I hate to be a killjoy, we already have over 40 sections to the forum, before we even consider where the subsection would sit. Would it be related to diet, exercise, blood glucose monitoring, or something else?
I'm sure if you want to share your data there are plenty of opportunities to do that“

As if proof were needed...

 

[Lamont D]

I created my own!
The food diary from my endocrinologist and his dietician didn't take into account, a newbie RH ers need because when first diagnosed we need to eat small meals throughout the day, and the numerous blood glucose readings from the meals, which is pre meal, one hour, two hours, and on occasions three and four hours depending on certain factors including fasting and if we are intolerant to certain amount of foods, and including fasting and food intake.
I don't do counting carbs or calories, it can become obsessive, but it has helped me so much to find my true balance of nutrition.

My food diary goes back to 2012!

 

[Rachox]

I have Excel spreadsheets of what I eat each day dating back to three days after diagnosis with all my blood sugar readings any change in meds and weekly weight records.
I use MySugr because I like the predicted HbA1c, not that I always find it very accurate compared to lab results but I can see if it’s trending up or down.
I also use the app Glucose Companion because I like the graphs! They are quite simple but here’s one showing my monthly averages. It clearly shows what happened when I dropped to two Metformin/day and then what happened when I went back up to three.

 

[Fenn]

Wow, I don't write down nuffink, wouldnt know how to fill in a spread sheet, excel? Is that a playstation game? I do have the libre so if i could ever be bothered to connect to computer I would have something hehe

Very impressed with your dilligence

 

[Brunneria]

I am loving the free cronometer app.
Easy to stop it shouting at you when you veer from standard macros.
You can scan in food and supplements by barcode, or select a v similar food as a substitute.

Very good for checking out nutrition.

 

[Deleted member 308541]

Originally I was going to use Libre Office Calc to run a log book as there are heaps of templates on the web to modify to my needs. But I went for a android app after I bought a Samsung tablet

I did use Diabetes Journal on the tablet from the begining, as it had some great charts. I used the three month average alot till the app crashed after a update and did not work again for three weeks when it was fixed.

I use the software that came with my Abbot Freedom Lite meter, which is what I give to my GP

I now use a app simply called Sugar Diary, which has some great graphs Such as these two. The hba1c one has a glitch with the date data at the bottom.

 

[Mbaker]

Tried Fitbit and lost the will, not because anything was wrong in general but would have liked existing templates that could be easily amended. I do not want to fall foul of forum rules so will just say I have made an alternative.

 

[Tom.thomas61]

For those who are using excel, do you have any good templates to share?