Obesity rates are rising in the United States, and many people are seeking tools to help them shed extra pounds. The Livongo Weight Management Program offers a path to healthier living, with personalized support and technology to help manage weight and improve overall health. Our personalized programs make it easier to manage your health - all paid for by your employer or health plan. Let's explore the features, effectiveness, and benefits of the Livongo weight loss program.
What is Livongo?
Livongo is an employer-based virtual telemedicine and health coaching service that provides patients with chronic disease management through consultation with health coaches who provide dietary and lifestyle advice, as well as medical providers who prescribe appetite-suppressing medications to those who qualify. The name Livongo was inspired by our promise to provide the tools and support that people need to live a better and healthier life.
When you join Livongo you receive health monitoring devices, unlimited strips and lancets, personalized insights, support from health coaches you can trust, and more. Livongo provides smart Bluetooth-connected scales and other medical devices for monitoring and transmitting health data. All my data is in one place, and compiled in an actionable form. Small changes can make a big difference! Find clinically-credible resources for nurturing your mind, body and spirit. Nuestros programas personalizados, todos pagados por sus empleadores o por su plan de seguro médico, le facilitan el manejo de su salud. Al inscribirse en Livongo recibirá dispositivos de control de la salud, una cantidad ilimitada de tiras de prueba y lancetas, perspectivas personalizadas, asistencia de mentores expertos en salud en los que puede confiar y mucho más. Todos mis datos están en un solo lugar, y reunidos de manera práctica. ¡Un pequeño cambio puede generar una gran diferencia! Encuentre recursos confiables desde el punto de vista clínico para enriquecer su mente, su cuerpo y su espíritu. Los testimonios, afirmaciones y opiniones corresponden a las personas aquí presentadas. La experiencia y los resultados concretos son personales y exclusivos de cada miembro.
Livongo’s Diabetes Prevention Program
Livongo’s diabetes prevention program first launched in 2017. It offers interactive lessons on weight, food, and activity monitoring. The program is recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an effective diabetes prevention program (DPP). It provides a blood glucose meter, unlimited glucose test strips, and an activity tracker.
In a study of more than 2,000 adults at risk for type 2 diabetes, Livongo’s digital Diabetes Prevention Program led to an average weight loss of 5.1% (about 10 pounds) after one year using the program. Overall, more than 50% of highly engaged (and even 35% of minimally engaged) participants achieved more than 5% weight loss after 12 months. Twenty-five percent of highly engaged participants lost more than 10% of their initial body weight.
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Engagement and Weight Loss
Although interacting with the CDCES coach was not strongly associated with weight loss, participants who exchanged an additional message with their coach each week for the first six months of the program were 32% more likely to be highly engaged - and therefore more likely to lose more weight - than those who did not message their coach.
Benefits of Diabetes Prevention Programs (DPPs)
It is known that DPPs bring significant benefits to people at risk of type 2 diabetes, by reducing their chances of developing it. However, DPPs are not widely used - more than 1,520 CDC-recognized programs are “active,” yet fewer than 1 in 40 eligible adults in the US participates in DPPs.
Psychology-Based vs. Traditional Weight-Loss Programs
These programs take a more holistic and mindfulness-based approach to weight loss, whereas traditional apps such as Lose It or MyFitnessPal tend to focus solely on food tracking. Rather than simply providing caloric and nutritional data, psychology-based tools seek to guide subscribers' understanding of their own eating habits and behaviors, from the initial trigger to the craving that follows, to the ultimate result of eating a particular food or treat.
Is Livongo Right for You?
The most important thing to keep in mind when considering any weight-loss program is the fact that obesity is a chronic disease, and weight management is a lifelong endeavor. If you're comfortable with technology and willing to engage consistently and honestly with the platform of your choice, you may find it to be a useful tool.
Additional Benefits and Programs
Get a personalized action plan and track progress toward your health goals. FEP Blue Focus® members can get rewarded for having their annual physical every year. Get access to handpicked deals on your favorite national health and wellness brands. Connect with a registered dietician who can evaluate your nutritional needs and help you develop personalized meal plans-all from your phone or computer.
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With the Weight Management Program by Livongo®, eligible members can get a digital scale and ongoing support to manage their weight and improve their health. This program is available to all members 13 and older. To participate, you must have a pediatric pharmacy or medical claim in the 85th percentile or higher within the last three years or an adult pharmacy or medical claim with a BMI of 25 or higher within the last three years. Members living overseas must have a valid APO, DPO or FPO address. With Blue365®, you can achieve your personal fitness goals on your budget.
Weight-Loss Medications and Procedures
In addition to good nutrition and physical activity, many FDA-approved weight-loss medications can help reduce weight by at least 5%. We cover weight-loss drug prescriptions to treat obesity for Service Benefit Plan members who meet eligibility criteria and get prior approval. FEP also covers procedures to treat morbid obesity. Note: Prior approval is required for surgery for morbid obesity. Beginning January 1, 2025, the tiers for some weight loss GLP-1 drugs will change for members with FEP Blue Standard® and FEP Blue Basic® plans.
Alternatives to Livongo
A search for "weight loss" in any web browser or app store reveals hundreds of apps and programs designed to help people lose weight. While by no means a comprehensive review, the following weight-loss apps and programs are notable for some of the nuances in the features and program options they offer:
- Noom: uses artificial intelligence, cognitive behavioral therapy, and evidence-based principles of physiology and psychology to help people improve their eating behaviors with the assistance of support groups, daily educational activities, and interactive psychology-based challenges. A 2016 study of data analyzed from nearly 36,000 Noom users determined that 77.9% of participants reported a decrease in body weight while using the app, and 22.7% of users experienced greater than a 10% body weight reduction compared to their baseline weight.
- myWW+ (an app from WW, formerly Weight Watchers): uses their SmartPoints system - a numeric value assigned to every food item based on calorie, protein, sugar, and fat content - in combination with a flexible color-coded range of food plans. Each member is assigned to a plan after taking a personal assessment, and all plans have a personalized SmartPoints budget and list ZeroPoint food options. The MyWW+ app features 24/7 access to a health coach, guided workouts, meditations, and a sleep tracker. WW was found to be more effective for sustained weight loss (up to 12 months) compared to physician counseling, professional behavioral programs, and other commercial programs.
- Eat Right Now: combines mindfulness training with an evidence-based, guided approach to help users rewire their brains to identify emotional triggers, recognize cravings, stop negative habits, and develop emotional resilience to help stop binge and emotional eating. A 2017 study of Eat Right Now demonstrated a 40% reduction in craving-related eating, which correlated with weight loss.
- Reset: offers a particular variation of the popular intermittent fasting protocol where users track food intake and follow a strict eating plan for only two "reset" days out of the week, and receive guidance and 1:1 coaching to help them sustain long-term healthy habits. There is a plethora of data on the effectiveness of intermittent calorie-restricted eating, such as that recommended in Reset for effective weight loss and improved metabolism.
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