Lumen Metabolism Tracker: Honest Review and Tutorial
Today I am sharing my experiences and opinion of the Lumen Metabolism Tracker. What is Lumen? Is Lumen worth using? How does the Lumen Tracker work? We will go over all of this and more in my Lumen Metabolism review. I do include affiliate partner links in this article along with my honest opinions and experiences.
In my quest to stay healthy I have encountered so many fitness apps, diet apps, fitness wearables and gadgets. It is hard to know which ones will really help on your quest to lose weight.
The folks at Lumen asked me if I would like to try out the Lumen Metabolism tracker and I couldn't wait to give it a try. They also gave me a Lumen Discount code for my readers so you can try it out too. Use Promo Code lalymom for a nice discount at Lumen.com.
Before I tell you about my experience using the Lumen device, let's get a few things straight.
What is Lumen Metabolism Tracker?
The Lumen tracker is a handheld, personal device which measures your metabolic flexibility when you breathe in and out through the device. The tracker communicates with the Lumen app on your phone to show you your results.
But what even IS metabolic flexibility??
Metabolic Flexibility is basically how well your body can switch between burning carbs and fats.
The reason they use the tagline, “hack your metabolism” is that when you improve your metabolic flexibility, you are setting yourself up for improved weight loss, better athletic performance and also increasing the chances for better health outcomes when it comes to things like diabetes, obesity and metabolic disorders.
Lumen is not a medical device and cannot cure anything, but it can give you real time information and guidance to take control of whether you are burning fat or carbs- and that is incredibly eye-opening!
Information like this used to be reserved for elite athletes who spent hours in a laboratory or clinic setting, with super expensive, scientific equipment to find your RER (Respiratory Exchange Ratio). Fancy!
Imagine, getting the same data used by pro athletes, in your own home, just by holding your breath for 10 seconds?!
Yep that is really all you do. Let's see how it works.
How Does the Lumen Tracker Work?
Developed by twin sisters with PhDs in physiology, Lumen takes your metabolic measurement in a few short seconds, simply using your breath.
To take a measurement on your Lumen tracker, here are the steps:
- Open the Lumen app and select when you are measuring (when you wake up, before or after exercise, before or after eating, before bed).
- Turn on your Lumen device and have a seat.
- Following the prompts on your phone, breathe in through the device, hold your breath for 10 seconds then breath out through the device.
- Sometimes you will be asked to complete a second breath.
- Watch your app for your results within seconds.
As you complete more measurements over time, Lumen gets to know you better.
Each day, you are given a single focus for the day based on your morning measurement. For example, you may be given a specific goal for carbs that day.
At this time there is not a food tracker inside the Lumen app so I just used MyFitnessPal, which I like. They do have an in-app food tracker in the works.
The informational tools in the app include:
- A food database to look up the general macros of various foods
- Recipe Database with meal ideas for any time of day
- Short, informational lessons to help you learn about healthy choices each day (similar to reels or stories)
If you are wondering how the tracker can tell whether your body is burning carbs or fat, the way it works is pretty incredible.
Lumen is like a super high-tech straw to breathe through which houses a CO2 sensor and a flow meter. When you inhale a set volume of air, hold your breath and then breathe back through the device, Lumen measures your body's carbon dioxide concentration.
A high CO2 concentration shows you are burning carbs, while a low carbon dioxide concentration indicates you are burning fat.
What's It Like To Use Lumen?
To give you an idea of what it's like to actually like to use Lumen, here is a bit about my own experience using it.
Each morning as soon as I wake up, I open up the Lumen App and tap Measure Now. I'd do one or 2 breaths, following the easy directions in the app. It would also ask me to report in on some stats like how long I fasted overnight, if I worked out, how long I slept. Once I tapped that really quick, it would give me a goal for the day.
I'd plan to have lower carb foods or more of a balance, based on the daily plan.
I like to walk for fitness, so I would also measure 30 minutes before and after taking a fitness walk (but you could use it before and after any exercise).
If I thought of it, I also took a measurement 1-2 hours after eating as well as at bedtime.
I work from home so all of these were really easy. However I did go out of town twice since starting to use Lumen and it fits into my purse or luggage easily.
What's the verdict? Does it actually help?
YES! holy cow, it was SO crazy cool to see the short- and longer-term effects of factors like what I ate, how I moved, when I stopped eating each day.
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Who is Lumen good for? I would say Lumen is awesome for:
- Anyone who already counts macros or carbs, and wants to see how they can improve performance.
- People who have tried low-carb dieting and are not seeing results.
- Those who do intermittent fasting and want to hone in to get the best results.
- People who can plan meals with flexibility each day.
- Anyone who wants to understand when their body is burning carbs vs. fat (and what to do with that info!).
Check out Lumen's Website and Video for More Information. Use Promo Code lalymom for a nice discount at Lumen.com.
Lumen might be challenging for you if:
- You need to plan every meal days ahead of time.
- You have to eat what is available and cannot adjust carbs or protein as needed ( for example maybe you don't have a lot of options near work, or you eat in a cafeteria rather than cook for yourself).
Overall, Lumen has been an extremely handy device for me to be able to see how my food and daily activity directly impacts my ability to lose weight.
