10 Glucose Patterns Every Coach Must Recognize (Simple Guide)

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Why This Matters

You don't need to memorize 47 patterns. You need to recognize 10 common ones that keep popping up.

Think of it like this: You don't need to diagnose every injury, but you should know when someone's shoulder looks wrong.

It’s the same with glucose data. Notice the pattern and know how to respond.

Let’s keep things simple.

The 3 Pattern Categories

Each pattern fits into one of three groups:

✅ GOOD = Keep doing what you're doing
⚠️ FIX = Adjust nutrition or training
🚨 REFER = Send to a doctor

Your job is to learn how to tell them apart.

CATEGORY 1: Daily Baseline Patterns

Pattern #1: The Ideal Pattern ✅

What you see:

• Glucose stays between 70-140 mg/dL most of the day

• Minimal big swings

• Stable overnight (70-100 mg/dL)

What it means:
The client's metabolism is healthy. Everything's working.

What to do:
Record this as their baseline and continue with what’s working.

Pattern #2: The Roller Coaster ⚠️

What you see:

• Frequent spikes above 160 mg/dL

• Crashes below 70 mg/dL

• All day, every day

What it means:
Their diet is causing problems. They’re likely eating high-glycemic foods, skipping meals, or not timing meals well.

What to do:

• Add protein/fat to meals

• Test meal timing

• Reduce simple carbs

• Stabilize eating schedule

Real example:
A client eats sugary cereal, their glucose spikes to 185 mg/dL, then drops to 65 mg/dL two hours later.
The solution: Switch to eggs and berries. Glucose stays between 90 and 115 all morning.

Pattern #3: The Baseline Creep 🚨

What you see:

• Fasting glucose consistently >100 mg/dL

• Never really drops below 90 mg/dL

• Even overnight stays elevated

What it means:
Possible insulin resistance or metabolic dysfunction.

What to do:
REFER THEM TO A DOCTOR. This is beyond your role.

But Also: Support with exercise and nutrition (which helps regardless).

CATEGORY 2: Meal Response Patterns

Pattern #4: Normal Meal Response ✅

What you see:

• Glucose rises 20-40 mg/dL after eating

• Peaks at 60-90 minutes

• Back to baseline within 2-3 hours

What it means:
This is a healthy response. Their body is handling food well.

What to do:
Mark this as their personal normal to use for future comparisons.

Pattern #5: The Spike and Crash ⚠️

What you see:

• Glucose spikes to 170+ mg/dL after a meal

• Then crashes to <70 mg/dL within 2 hours

• The client feels terrible

What it means:
They’re eating too many simple carbs and not enough protein or fat. The body responds by releasing too much insulin.

What to do:

• Reduce portion size

• Add protein/fat to the meal

• Try eating protein BEFORE carbs

• Test different carb sources

This fix works for most people:
Eat the protein and vegetables first, then the carbs last.

Pattern #6: The Late-Night Spike ⚠️

What you see:

• Big glucose spike after 9 PM

• Stays elevated through the night

• Morning glucose is still high

What it means:
Late eating is disrupting sleep and next-day metabolism.

What to do:

• No eating within 2-3 hours of bed

• If they need an evening snack, make it protein/fat-based

• Show them the overnight graph. It’s often very convincing.

CATEGORY 3: Exercise Patterns

Pattern #7: Stable Exercise Glucose ✅

What you see:

• Glucose stays 80-140 mg/dL throughout the workout

• Doesn't spike crazy high or crash low

• Returns to normal within an hour

What it means:
This means they’re fueling perfectly, eating the right foods at the right times.

What to do:
Replicate this. Whatever they ate before this workout, keep doing it.

Pattern #8: The Mid-Workout Crash ⚠️

What you see:

• Glucose drops to 60-70 mg/dL during exercise

• Client feels shaky, weak, and unfocused

• Performance tanks

What it means:
Not enough pre-workout fuel OR the workout is too long without fuel.

What to do:

• Adjust pre-workout meal timing (eat earlier/later)

• Add a small pre-workout snack

• For sessions >60 min, add intra-workout carbs

• Test different pre-workout foods

Common fix:
Move the pre-workout meal from 30 minutes before to 90 minutes before. Problem solved.

Pattern #9: The Exercise Spike ✅

What you see:

• Glucose rises during hard exercise (sometimes to 160-180+ mg/dL)

• Returns to normal within 2-4 hours

What it means:
This is normal. Intense exercise triggers the release of stress hormones that stimulate glucose release from the liver.

What to do:
No action is needed. This is expected during HIIT, heavy lifting, or competition.

Don’t mistake this for a problem.

CATEGORY 4: Recovery Patterns

Pattern #10: The Slow Recovery ⚠️

What you see:

• Overnight glucose stays elevated (100-120 mg/dL)

• Persists for 3+ days after a hard workout

• High variability during sleep

What it means:
The body is still recovering. Training stress exceeded recovery capacity.

What to do:

• Reduce intensity this week

• Ensure adequate calories and carbs

• Prioritize sleep

• Maybe take an extra rest day

This pattern is an early warning sign of overtraining.

Research shows this pattern usually lasts three to four days after a tough workout. If it lasts longer, there may be a problem.

How to Actually Use This

Step 1: Establish Baseline (Week 1)

Have the client wear CGM for 7-14 days without changing anything.

Look for:

• What's their normal overnight glucose?

• How do they respond to typical meals?

• What happens during their usual workouts?

This is your baseline. Everything else is compared to this.

Step 2: Spot the Problems (Week 2-4)

Look for the "⚠️ FIX" patterns:

• Roller coaster glucose

• Spike and crash meals

• Mid-workout crashes

• Late-night spikes

• Slow recovery

Choose ONE issue to address first. Don’t overwhelm your client.

Step 3: Test Solutions (Week 4-8)

Example process:

Problem identified: Post-breakfast spike and crash

Test 1: Add protein to breakfast (eggs instead of cereal)
Result: Check glucose response

Test 2: If still spiking, adjust timing (eat earlier)
Result: Check glucose response

Test 3: Try a different carb source (berries instead of a banana)
Result: Check glucose response

Find what works. Then keep doing it.

Step 4: Monitor Trends (Ongoing)

Weekly check:

• Is glucose stability improving?

• Are overnight patterns normalizing?

• Are meal responses getting better?

• Is recovery improving?

Monthly comparison:

• Show before/after graphs

• Celebrate improvements

• Adjust as needed

Red Flags That Need Medical Attention 🚨

Send clients to their doctor if you see:

❌ Fasting glucose >100 mg/dL consistently
❌ Post-meal spikes >200 mg/dL regularly
❌ Frequent lows (<70 mg/dL) without explanation
❌ Glucose patterns totally inconsistent with their health status
❌ Client has symptoms (excessive thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss)

Your role: Recognize the patterns that need medical attention.
Not your role: Diagnose or treat disease.

Common Questions

"Do I need to memorize all this?"

No. Keep this guide handy. Look up patterns when you see them.

Over time, you'll recognize the common ones automatically.

"What if I see a pattern I don't understand?"

Three options:

1. Look it up in your certification materials

2. Ask in the BioFit community

3. When in doubt, refer to a medical professional

Better to over-refer than under-refer.

"How long does it take to get good at this?"

Reading patterns: 2-3 clients' worth of practice
Knowing what to change: 5-10 clients
Being confident: After the first few successes

It's not as hard as it looks. Start simple. Build from there.

The Simple Framework

When you see any pattern, ask three questions:

1. Is this normal?

• Check against their baseline

• Consider context (what they ate, when they trained, how they slept)

2. Is this a problem I can fix?

• Nutrition adjustment?

• Training modification?

• Lifestyle factor?

3. Is this a medical concern?

• Consistent fasting glucose >100?

• Patterns way outside normal?

• Symptoms of illness?

If yes to #3 → Refer to doctor
If yes to #2 → Make adjustments
If yes to #1 → Document and continue

Practice Exercise

Try this:

Look at your own data (if you have a CGM) or a friend's.

Identify:

• Their baseline overnight glucose

• How do they respond to breakfast

• What happens during exercise

Ask yourself:

• Does this match a pattern you learned?

• What category is it (✅⚠️🚨)?

• What would you do?

Pattern recognition is a skill. Practice builds confidence.

What You Actually Need to Know

Forget the complicated stuff. Focus on this:

5 Good Patterns (Keep Going):

1. Stable baseline

2. Moderate meal responses

3. Stable exercise glucose

4. Normal exercise spike

5. Quick recovery

5 Fix Patterns (Adjust Something):

1. Roller coaster glucose

2. Spike and crash meals

3. Mid-workout crashes

4. Late-night spikes

5. Slow recovery

That's it. That's 90% of what you'll see.

Next Steps

Want to learn this properly?

Option 1: Free Resources
→ Download: "CGM Pattern Recognition Cheat Sheet."

Option 2: Learn From Experts
→ Watch: "How to Read CGM Data in 15 Minutes" (free training)

Option 3: Get Certified
→ BioFit Specialist Certification teaches all patterns in depth, plus what to do about each one

The Bottom Line

You don't need a PhD in endocrinology.

You need to:

• Recognize all the common patterns

• Know which patterns are problems

• Have a framework for making adjustments

• Know when to refer out

The certification teaches you all of this.

Then you practice with real clients. You get better. You build confidence.

Within 2-3 months, this becomes second nature.

Explore BioFit Certification →

Includes pattern recognition training, case studies, and ongoing support from experienced coaches.

Related Resources:

📥 Cheat Sheet: "10 Patterns Every Coach Must Know"
🎥 Video: "Reading Your First CGM Report"
📘 Guide: "When to Refer to Medical Professionals"
💬 Community: Join 130+ Certified Coaches

Pattern recognition is a skill. We'll teach you. You'll practice. You'll master it.